《2025年天利38套五年高考真题汇编详解英语》

D
Human speech contains more than 2 000 different sounds, from the common “m” and “a” to the rare clicks of some southern African languages. But why are certain sounds more common than others? A ground - breaking, five - year study shows that diet - related changes in human bite led to new speech sounds that are now found in half the world's languages.
More than 30 years ago, the scholar Charles Hockett noted that speech sounds called labiodentals, such as “f” and “v”, were more common in the languages of societies that ate softer foods. Now a team of researchers led by Damián Blasi at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, has found how and why this trend arose.
They discovered that the upper and lower front teeth of ancient human adults were aligned(对齐), making it hard to produce labiodentals, which are formed by touching the lower lip(嘴唇) to the upper teeth. Later, our jaws changed to an overbite structure, making it easier to produce such sounds.
The team showed that this change in bite was connected with the development of agriculture in the Neolithic period. Food became easier to chew at this point. The jawbone didn't have to do as much work and so didn't grow to be so large.
Analyses of a language database also confirmed that there was a global change in the sound of world languages after the Neolithic age, with the use of “f” and “v” increasing remarkably during the last few thousand years. These sounds are still not found in the languages of many hunter - gatherer people today.
This research overturns the popular view that all human speech sounds were present when human beings evolved(进化) around 300 000 years ago. “The set of speech sounds we use has not necessarily remained stable since the appearance of human beings, but rather the huge variety of speech sounds that we find today is the product of a complex interplay of things like biological change and cultural evolution,” said Steven Moran, a member of the research team.
32. Which aspect of the human speech sound does Damián Blasi's research focus on?
A. Its variety.
B. Its distribution.
C. Its quantity.
D. Its development.
33. Why was it difficult for ancient human adults to produce labiodentals?
A. They had fewer upper teeth than lower teeth.
B. They could not open and close their lips easily.
C. Their jaws were not conveniently structured.
D. Their lower front teeth were not large enough.
34. What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?
A. Supporting evidence for the research results.
B. Potential application of the research findings.
C. A further explanation of the research methods.
D. A reasonable doubt about the research process.
35. What does Steven Moran say about the set of human speech sounds?
A. It is key to effective communication.
B. It contributes much to cultural diversity.
C. It is a complex and dynamic system.
D. It drives the evolution of human beings.

答案： 32.D 推理判断题 [定位句]Now a team of researchers led by Damián Blasi at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, has found how and why this trend arose. (第二段最后一句)
译文：现在，由瑞士苏黎世大学的 Damián Blasi 领导的一队研究人员已经发现了这种趋势产生的方式和原因。
[解析]根据第二段内容尤其是定位句可推知，Damián Blasi 的研究专注于人类语音的发展。故选 D。
33.C 推理判断题 [定位句]They discovered that the upper and lower front teeth of ancient human adults were aligned(对齐), making it hard to produce labiodentals, which are formed by touching the lower lip(嘴唇) to the upper teeth. Later, our jaws changed to an overbite structure, making it easier to produce such sounds. (第三段)
译文：他们发现古代成年人的上下门牙是对齐的，这使得他们很难发出唇齿音，唇齿音是由下唇与上齿相碰发出的。后来，我们的下巴变成了覆咬合结构，这使我们更容易发出这种声音。
[解析]根据定位句可推知，古代的成年人很难发出唇齿音是因为他们的下巴结构不方便(发出唇齿音)。故选 C。
34.A 段落大意题 [定位句]Analyses of a language database also confirmed that there was a global change in the sound of world languages after the Neolithic age, with the use of “f” and “v” increasing remarkably during the last few thousand years. (第五段第一句)
译文：一个语言数据库的分析也证实，在新石器时代之后世界语言的发音有了全球性的变化，在最近的几千年里，“f”和“v”(这两个发音)的使用明显增加了。
[解析]根据第五段内容尤其是定位句可推知，本段主要为研究结果提供了支持性的证据。故选 A。
35.C 细节理解题 [定位句]“The set of speech sounds we use has not necessarily remained stable since the appearance of human beings, but rather the huge variety of speech sounds that we find today is the product of a complex interplay of things like biological change and cultural evolution,”said Steven Moran, a member of the research team. (最后一段第二句)
译文：该研究小组的一位成员 Steven Moran 说：“自人类出现以来，我们使用的这套语音并不一定保持稳定，相反，我们现在发现的语音的极多种类是生物变化和文化演变之类的东西在复杂的相互作用下的产物。”
[解析]根据定位句可知，人类的语音是一套复杂且动态变化的系统。故选 C。