It is, everyone agrees, a huge task that the child performs when he learns to speak, and t

he fact that he does so in so short a period of time challenges explanation.

Language learning begins with【C1】______. Individual children【C2】______greatly in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and【C3】______starters are often long listeners. Most children will "obey" spoken【C4】______some time before they can speak, though the word obey is hardly【C5】______as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by【C6】______and by making questioning noises.

Any【C7】______to trace the development from the noises babies【C8】______to their first spoken words leads to【C9】______difficulties. It is【C10】______that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises【C11】______themselves out as particularly【C12】______of delight, distress, sociability, and so on. But since these cannot be said to show the baby's intention to【C13】______, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they【C14】______with sounds for enjoyment, and【C15】______by six months they are able to add new sounds to their【C16】______. This self-imitation leads on to【C17】______imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them【C18】______other people. The problem then【C19】______as to the point at【C20】______one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.

【C1】

A．listening

B．speaking

C．reading

D．writing