22. It can be inferred from the passage that Chinese observations of the Sun during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries
(A) are ambiguous because most sunspots cannot be seen with the naked eye
(B) probably were made under the same weather conditions as those made in Europe
(C) are more reliable than European observations made during this period
(D) record some sunspot activity during this period
(E) have been employed by scientists seeking to argue that a change in solar activity occurred during this period
23. It can be inferred from the passage that studies attempting to use tree-ring thickness to locate possible links between solar periodicity and terrestrial climate are based on which of the following assumptions?
(A) The solar-activity cycle existed in its present form during the time period in which the tree rings grew.
(B) The biological mechanisms causing tree growth are unaffected by short-term weather patterns.
(C) Average tree-ring thickness varies from species to species.
(D) Tree-ring thicknesses reflect changes in terrestrial climate.
(E) Both terrestrial climate and the solar-activity cycle randomly affect tree-ring thickness.
The common belief of some linguists that each language is a perfect vehicle for the thoughts of the nation speaking it is in some ways the exact counterpart of the conviction of the Manchester school of economics that supply and demand will regulate everything for the best. Just as economists were blind to the numerous cases in which the law of supply and demand left actual wants unsatisfied, so also many linguists are deaf to those instances in which the very nature of a language calls forth (call forth: v.使产生, 引起) misunderstandings in everyday conversation, and in which, consequently, a word has to be modified or defined in order to present the idea intended by the speaker: “He took his stick—no, not John’s, but his own.” No language is perfect, and if we admit this truth, we must also admit that it is not unreasonable to investigate the relative merits of different languages or of different details in languages.
24. The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) analyze an interesting feature of the English language
(B) refute a belief held by some linguists
(C) show that economic theory is relevant to linguistic study
(D) illustrate the confusion that can result from the improper use of language
(E) suggest a way in which languages can be made more nearly perfect
