Rearrange the following numbered sentences so that they will read logically. Put the numbers in proper sequence in the boxes provided below. ① They dressed in animal skins, lived in caves or rude wooden huts, and had their own languages. ② The English language we speak today went through three stages — Old English, Middle English and Modem English. ③ During the Stone Age, some Indo-European people lived on the islands of Britain. ④ The earliest known of these British Indo-Europeans split into two groups called the Scots and the Celts. ⑤ But ages before Old English came into being, many other languages had to arise and develop. ⑥ Together these three peoples are known as Britons. ⑦ There was another group, who were not Indo-Europeans, called Picts. ⑧ The oldest of these, as far as we know, was the Indo-European family of languages, which were beginning to be spoken during the Stone Age. ⑧ ④ ⑥
【正确答案】：
② | ⑤ | ⑧ | ③ | ④ | ⑦ | ⑥ | ① |
【题目解析】：本题考查的是段落的连贯性。连贯性和语言表达的形式相关。指的是一个句子能自然的过渡到下一个句子。既指句与句之间的联系，又指整个段落的组织。在一个段落中，句子与句子之间有一种自然的逻辑关系。段落中的每一个句子，都是前一个句子的某种逻辑归宿与承诺，从而使整个段落浑然一体。连贯性包括意连和形连两个方面，前者指的是段落整体内在的逻辑性，后者指的是段落中句与句之间的自然过渡；当然这两者常常是不可分割的。只有形连而没有意连，句子之间就没有内在的有机的联系；反之，只有意连而没有形连，行文就不够流畅。⑴. 意连段落中句子的排列应遵循一定的次序，先写哪一句，后写哪一句，都是有特定的规则的，不能想到什么就写什么。而这些规则也正好为我们去判断一个段落中的各句哪句再先，哪句在后，提供了理论支持。⑵. 形连行文的逻辑性常常要靠适当的转换词语及其他手段来实现段落中句与句之间的自然过渡。这种对转换词的使用就是达到形连的有效手段。本段中，从意连角度出发，我们可以通过阅读各句和分析⑧④⑥的位置得出，全段谈的是在古英语形成之前不列颠岛上的语言情况。所以我们可以得知②是导入语，⑤才是主题句。再从形连角度出发，确定③⑦①的位置，主要依据是代词和过渡词。
