阅读理解：Even in the first few months of life
进入查看：2022-2023学年英语周报九年级第11期答案及试题
Even in the first few months of life, children begin to experiment with language. Young babies make sounds that imitate（模仿）the tones and rhythms of adult talk； they “read" gestures and facial expressions, and they begin to associate sounds frequently heard — words — with their objects in the mind. They delight in listening to familiar rhymes, play along in games such as peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake, and play with objects such as board books and alphabet blocks in their play. From these remarkable beginnings children learn to use a variety of symbols.
In the course of gaining facility with these symbol systems, children acquire through interactions with others the insight that specific kinds of marks — print ——also can represent meanings. At first children will use the physical and visual cues （提示）surrounding print to determine what something says. But as they develop an understanding of the alphabetic principle, children begin to process letters, translate them into sounds, and connect this information with a known meaning. Although it may seem as though some children acquire these understandings magically or on their own, studies suggest that they are the beneficiaries of considerable, though playful and informal, adult guidance and instruction.
