[9급 국가직 영어 2024년 20번]

It is important to note that for adults, social interaction mainly occurs through the medium of language. Few native-speaker adults are willing to devote time to interacting with someone who does not speak the language, with the result that the adult foreigner will have little opportunity to engage in meaningful and extended language exchanges. In contrast, the young child is often readily accepted by other children, and even adults. For young children, language is not as essential to social interaction. So-called ‘parallel play’, for example, is common among young children. They can be content just to sit in each other’s company speaking only occasionally and playing on their own. Adults rarely find themselves in situations where __________________________________________________.