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  3. A fundamental problem for understanding the evolution of human language has been the lack of significant parallels among nonhuma

A fundamental problem for understanding the evolution of human language has been the lack of significant parallels among nonhuma

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问题    A fundamental problem for understanding the evolution of human language has been the lack of significant parallels among nonhuman primates. Several studies found that nonhuman primates do not have a vocal tract. However, such points have been challenged by recent research, suggesting that nonhuman primates may after all be valuable models for understanding the evolution of speech and language.
   The main animal model for vocal learning has been birdsong acquisition. However, there are crucial differences between birdsong acquisition and human language learning. And given some severe limitations, for example, birds have two vocal organs and do not have the flexible supralaryn-geal structures that facilitate speech, of birdsong as a model of speech, there is value in seeking other appropriate parallels among mammals.
   Recent studies on macaques and baboons have shown that the vocal tracts of these monkeys can produce a full range of human-like vowels. Turn-taking is a key to fluent human conversation and has been thought to be unique to humans. One study found that captive chimpanzees increasingly share resources when resources are diminished. Collaborative turn-taking for food has been seen in other primates. These recent studies show that there is value in looking for the evolutionary origins of speech and language in nonhuman primates.
   Human speech and language are highly complex systems with multiple components. Thus, to fully explain language origins, researchers must seek multiple models that represent both diverging and converging evolutionary processes. There may also be differences among primate species in the developmental processes that parallel human language acquisition. However, no studies have yet described vowel-like sounds in these monkeys, so marmosets and tamarins may be useful primarily for developmental studies.
   It is probable that early humans faced evolutionary pressures that differed from those encountered by other primates and that have made our complex communication system adaptive. Language may have been important for coordinating activities in large cooperative groups. If individuals can thrive without complex vocal signaling, there would be little motivation to push the communication further. Different sensory and motor systems may be important. We tend to evaluate language through a vocal / auditory system, whereas research on apes is beginning to illustrate the complexity of gestural communication.
   Nonhuman primates do not talk, but we should not expect them to. Each species has its own adaptations for communication. Nevertheless, there is much about language evolution that we can learn from nonhuman primates, provided that we study a variety of species and consider the multiple components of speech and language.
The example of birdsong acquisition is mentioned to_____.
选项 A、highlight the necessity of studying other suitable candidates among mammals
B、stress the urgency to find crucial differences between birdsong acquisition and human language learning
C、explain the severe limitations of birdsong
D、emphasize that birds do not have the flexible supralaryngeal structures that facilitate speech
答案A
解析 根据题干关键词定位到文章第二段第三句。该段中，作者举例说明鸟鸣声道的局限性，说明有必要在哺乳动物之间寻找合适的模型。A项“强调在哺乳动物中研究其他合适的候选者的必要性”是对原文的同义替换，故正确。B项“强调寻找鸟鸣和人类语言学习之间关键区别的紧迫性”、C项“解释鸟鸣的严重局限性”和D项“强调鸟类没有灵活的上呼吸道结构来促进语言的表达”均不符合题意，故选A。
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