"Languages do gain and lose tones，and can do so quite quickly.Ancient dialects of Chinese had no tone，and Korean is currently undergoing 'tonogenesis' (gaining tones)，" adds Roberts.At present，it's very difficult to say whether very early languages had tones or not.

　　"One of the things we'll be researching next is whether languages gain or lose tones when entering or leaving dry climates，" says Roberts."This will involve reconstructing linguistic history using statistical methods.Effectively，this will also involve modelling climate change."

　　语篇解读　 新研究发现气候能够改变人们的说话方式。

　　8．What may be Roberts's hypothesis?

　　A．The wetter the area is，the simpler the tone is.

　　B．The drier the area is，the fewer tones the language has.

　　C．The warmer the climate becomes，the simpler the tone is.

　　D．The hotter the climate becomes，the more complex the tone is.

　　解析：　推理判断题。根据第一段内容、第二段首句和This fits with our hypothesis.可推知，Roberts他们的设想是气候越干，语调越简单；气候越湿，语调越复杂。

　　答案：　B

　　9．According to the research，language evolution shows .

　　A．cultural communication

　　B．survival of the fittest

　　C．geographical differences

　　D．climate changes

　　解析：　细节理解题。根据第二段的Broadly，this suggests another non­conscious way in which humans have adapted to their very different and extremely cruel environments...可推知，在研究者看来，语言演变表明适者生存。

　　答案：　B

　　10．The scientists are certain that .

　　A．there are some health benefits to certain sound patterns in certain climates

　　B．the English language could adopt tones in areas that are now more humid

　　C．languages in warmer climates have higher rates of mouth opening

　　D．languages can gain and lose tones quite quickly over time

解析：　细节理解题。根据possible，may be，hypothesis可排除A、B、C选项，从倒数第二段首句可知D选项正确。