It takes years of school to develop math skills, but learning about numbers starts earlier than you might think. Now according to a new study, at three months, babies have already started acquiring a concept (概念) of “how much”.
Previous research had suggested that very young babies can tell when the number of objects (物体) in a group has changed. But the babies in these studies were simply reacting generally to the fact that something had changed, they suspected.
Researchers of Harvard University studied 36 babies, all three months old. During the tests, each baby wore a hat with sensors (传感器). The babies watched a series of images on a computer screen. They showed the same object, such as a cartoon character. For a while, the number of the objects in the pictures didn’t change. Then the images began to display a different object, or a different number of one of the objects the babies had previously looked at. As soon as something changed, the babies’ brains responded with a specific pattern of electrical signals, which would be recorded by sensors.
By analyzing these signals, the researchers discovered that one part of the brain (near the top on the left side) responded when the object in the image changed. A different part of the brain (lower and on the right side) responded when the number of objects in the image changed. This was not the area of the brain that is involved in attention. That suggests that the babies’ brains are doing more than just reacting to a change in what they’re seeing – they actually seem to be able to tell number changes from other types of changes.
Numbers and amounts are important concepts in our lives. Even though babies are years away from adding, subtracting (减), multiplying, and dividing, their brains seem to be preparing for a time when they finally will.Why were hats with sensors used in the study?
| A．To record the images on the computer screen. |
| B．To remind babies of the changes of numbers. |
| C．To record the electrical activity of each baby’s brain. |
| D．To help babies concentrate on the computer screen. |
What does the underlined word “They” in the third paragraph refer to?
| A．Babies involved in the study. |
| B．Sensors worn by the babies. |
| C．Numbers marked on the objects. |
| D．Images shown on the computer screen. |
Which part of the brain is responsible for responding to the changes of numbers?
| A．The top. |
| B．The left side. |
| C．The lower and the right side. |
| D．The upper and the left side. |
The last paragraph mainly implies that .
| A．babies are in fact cleverer than they are thought |
| B．it is impossible to understand human brain completely |
| C．numbers play the most important part in people’s lives |
| D．the ability of babies remain a mystery to scientists |
The purpose of the study is to prove that .
| A．math skills should be developed as early as possible |
| B．numbers are easier for babies to judge than images |
| C．babies really do have some sense of numbers |
| D．babies can react differently to what they see |
Free and secure accommodation, no bills and even the odd home-cooked meal. It sounds like the perfect living arrangement for cash-strapped(缺乏现金的) students.
Two mothers believe they have devised a way for struggling students to save on accommodation costs when they leave home to study at university.
Kate Barnham and Amanda Flude have launched Student Swaps, an online accommodation forum (论坛) for parents and students, in advance of the introduction in September of ￡3,000 higher education top-up fees.
Their website says, “The principle behind Student Swaps is to enable students to literally swap (交换) family homes.” The website will hold a database of students who would like to swap and link them with suitable matches. So those from one town / city could swap with those from a different town / city.
The site describes itself as offering a “cost-free accommodation alternative… at a time of growing student debt”. There is no charge for the service at the moment but Ms Barnham and Ms Flude intend to introduce a ￡10 annual fee if it becomes established.
However
, the National Union of Students (NUS) has warned that, while the scheme may sound appealing to struggling freshers, it lacks any formal regulation.
Veronica King, NUS vice-president of welfare, said, “The fact that this scheme has even been suggested is evidence to the high levels of debt students now face on graduation.” Recent research has shown that students are more likely to live at home in coming years, in a bid to cut down on the cost of a degree.
“This is worrying, as it may mean that students choose their university on the basis of where it is, rather than because it offers the best course for them. It also means students will miss out on what is for some a key part of the student experience-living away from home.”
71. A “cash-strapped” student means one who __________.
A. lacks moneyB. prefers to stay at home
C. is careful with money D. wants to change cash
72. What is Kate Barnham and Amanda Flude’s purpose of launching Student Swaps?
A. To provide cheaper accommodation for students.
B. To let students stay close to their universities.
C. To help students spend less on accommodation costs.
D. To let students exchange ideas freely online.
73. What can students do on Student Swaps?
A. They can find students to exchange homes with.
B. They can make friends with students from a different city.
C. They can borrow money to pay for their higher education.
D. They can voice their opinions against the rising cost of a degree.
74. Now many students would prefer a university _________.
A. which can give them free accommodation B. which is not far away from their homes
C. which offers the best courses D. which can offer home-cooked meals
75. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. High Cost Troubles University Students in UK.
B. Students Swaps is Welcomed by Students in UK.
C. Two Mothers’ Good Intention to Help Students in UK.
D. Website Helps Students Live at Someone Else’s Home.
第三部分：阅读(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Most people want to know how things are made. They honestly admit, however, that they hardly know a thing when it comes to understanding how a piece of music is made. Where a composer begins, how he manages to keep going – in fact, how and when he learns his trade – all are covered in complete darkness. The composer, in short, is a man of mystery.
One of the first things the common man wants to know about is the part inspiration（灵感）plays in a composer’s work. He finds it difficult to believe that composers are not much interested in that question. Writing music is as natural for the composer as eating or sleeping for all. Music is something that the composer happens to have been born for.
The composer, therefore, does not say to himself: “Do I feel inspired?” He says to himself: “Do I feel like working today?” And if he feels like working, he does. It is more or less like saying to himself: “Do I feel sleepy?” if you feel sleepy, you go to sleep. If you don’t feel sleepy, you stay up. If the composer doesn’t feel like working, he doesn’t work. It’s as simple as that.
66. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Composer: a man of mystery B. Practice makes good music
C. Relation between sleeping and music D. Music: product of nature
67. The words “covered in complete darkness” underlined in paragraph 1 most probably mean__________
A. difficult to be made B. without any light C. black in color D. not known
68. Most people seem to think that a composer________.
A. finds it difficult to write music B. considers it important to have a good rest
C. should like to talk about inspiration D. never asks himself very simple questions
69. The author will most probably agree that composers_________.
A. are born with a gift for music B. are people full of mystery
C. work late at night for their music D. know a lot about eating and sleeping
70. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. How the music produces.
B. How secret the composer’s work.
C. Why the composer is so popular with people.
D. What the composer often thinks about.
How do successful people think? What drives them? Interviews and investigations show that there are several keys to success that successful people share.
First of all, successful people never blame someone or something outside of themselves for their failure to go ahead. They realize that their future lies in their own hands. They understand that they cannot control things in life, such as nature, the past and other people. But in the meantime, they are well aware that they can control their own thoughts and actions. They take responsibility for their life and regard this as one of the most empowering (给人以权力的)things they can do .Perhaps what most separates successful people from others is that they live life “on purpose”---they are doing what they believe they are put here to do .In their opinion, having a purpose in their life is the most important fact that enables them to become fully functioning people. They hold that when they live their life on purpose ,their main concern is to do the job right .They love what they do ---and it shows people want to do business with them because of their devotion to their jobs. To live their life on purpose, successful people find a cause they believe in and create a business around it. Besides, they never easily give up. Once they have set up goals in their life, they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Top achievers always keep in mind that they don’t have forever. Rather than seeing it negative or depressing, they use the knowledge to encourage themselves to move on and go after what they want energetically and passionately.
65. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A. How do people live their life on purpose? B. How can people be successful?
C. How do people make plans? D. How do people do business?
66. By living life “on purpose ”successful people can ________
A. do a lot of work without using more money. B. concentrate on their jobs
C. do business with many people easily.D. share what they have with every one unselfishly.
67.The pronoun “it” (Line 10.Para.2) refers to _____
A. the main concern of successful people B. the job that successful people do
C. the devotion with which successful people do their job
D. the business that successful people do with other people.
The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. For centuries it kept the America from being discovered by the people of Europe.
Many wrong ideas about the Atlantic made early sailors unwilling to sail far out into it. One idea was that it reached out to “the edge of the world” . Sailors were afraid that they might sail off the earth. Another idea was that at the equator(赤道) the ocean would be boiling hot.
The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the Pacific, but it is still very large. It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 km) wide where Columbus crossed it. Even at its narrowest it is about 2,00 miles (3,200 km) wide.
Two things make the Atlantic Ocean rather unusual. For so large an ocean it has few islands. Also, it is the world’s saltiest ocean.
There is so much water in the Atlantic that it is hard to imagine how much there is. But suppose no more rain fell into it and no more water was brought to it by rivers, it would take the ocean about more than 4,000 years to dry up. On the average, the water is a little more than two miles (3.2km) deep, but in some places it is much deeper. The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. This “deep” measures 30,246 feet---almost six miles (9.6km).
One of the longest mountain ranges of the world rises from the floor of the Atlantic. This mountain range runs north and south down the middle of the ocean. The tops of a few of the mountains reach up above the sea and make islands.
Several hundred miles eastward from Florida there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. Here the water is quiet, for there is little wind. In the days of sailing vessels(船) the crew were afraid they would be becalmed (can’t move) here. Sometimes they were.
Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is, however, not always a smooth and safe one. Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. Icebergs float down from the far North across the paths of ships.
We now have such fast ways of traveling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days. Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four!
61. What caused people to be unwilling to explore the Atlantic?
A. There were no ships big enough to get across the Ocean.
B. Sailors were afraid of being lost in the Ocean.
C. The Atlantic Ocean was very unusual because it has few islands and the saltiest water.
D. Many incorrect ideas such as “the edge of the world”, “the equator with boiling hot water” made people think the Ocean was full of danger.
62. What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph?
A. How deep the water is.
B. How to measure the water in the Atlantic.
C. How much water the ocean holds.
D. How rain affects the Ocean water.
63. What does the underlined word “highway” mean?
A. High roadB. Broad wayC. Fast roadD. Main water way
64. Why does the writer think “this big ocean seems to have grown smaller”?
A. The water in the ocean is becoming less.
B. We have more and more advanced traveling tools now
C. The distance between the ocean and us is shorter.
D. The steamship has a higher speed.
A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people. Puppy love(早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression(忧郁症). The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”. According to the study, even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”, this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr. Marianm Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression.
She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression---eating or mood changes---and if they see signs from their daughter or son, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity(成熟) gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.
57. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Puppy love may bring young people depression.
B .Parents should forbid their children’s love lives.
C. Romance is a two-edged sword for adults.
D. Romance is good for young people.
58. Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
A . Young people who have a strong sense of self.
B . Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior.
C. Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions.
D. Careless parents whose children are deep in love.
59.What can be inferred from the passage?
A .Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly.
B. Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents.
C .Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression.
D .The older a woman is, the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance.
60. What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?
A. Confused. B. Disapproving. C. Disinterested. D. Scared.