Is language, like food, a basic human need? Judging from the extreme experiment of Frederick in the 13th century, it may be. Hoping to discover what language a child would speak if he heard no mother tongue he told the nurses to keep silent.
All the babies died before the first year. But clearly there was more than language deprivation (剥夺，丧失). What was missing was good mothering. Without good mothering, in the first year of life especially, the ability to survive is seriously affected.
Today no such extreme deprivation exists as that ordered by Frederick. Nevertheless, some children are still backward in speaking. Most often the reason for this is that the mother is insensitive to signals of the baby, whose brain is programmed, to mop up language rapidly. There are critical times, it seems when children learn more rapidly. If these sensitive periods are neglected, the ideal time for acquiring skills passes and they might never be learned so easily again.
Linguists suggest that speech milestones are reached in a fixed order and at a constant age, but there are cases where speech has started late in a child who eventually turns out to be of high IQ.
Recent evidence suggests that a baby is born with the ability to speak. What is special about man’s brain, compared with that of the monkey, is the complex system which enables a child to connect the sight and feel of, say, a teddy bear with the sound pattern “teddy bear”.
But speech has to be developed, and this depends on interaction between the mother and the child, where the mother recognizes the signals in the child’s babbling, clinging, grasping, crying, smiling, and responds to them. Insensitivity of the mother to these signals reduces the interaction because the child gets discouraged and sends out only the obvious signals. Sensitivity to the child’s nonverbal (非语言的) signals is basic to the growth and development of language.Frederick’s experiment was extreme because _________.
| A．he wanted to prove children are born with ability to speak |
| B．he wanted his nurses to say another language |
| C．he was unkind to the nurses |
| D．he ignored the importance of mothering to the babies |
The reason that some children are backward in speaking is most likely that _________.
| A．they do not listen carefully to their mothers |
| B．their mothers do not respond to their attempts to speak |
| C．their brain has to absorb too much language at once |
| D．their mothers are not intelligent enough to help them |
In paragraph 3, by “critical times” the author means _________.
| A．difficult periods in the child’s life |
| B．moments when the child becomes critical towards its mother |
| C．important stages in the child’s development |
| D．times when mothers often neglect their children |
If a child starts to speak later than others, he will _________ in future.
| A．have a high IQ | B．be less intelligent |
| C．not necessarily be backward | D．be insensitive to verbal signals |
If the mother seldom responds to her child’s signals, _________.
| A．the child will be able to speak properly |
| B．the child will continue to give out signals |
| C．the child will invent a language of own |
| D．the child will make little effort to speak |
My aunt Edith was a widow of 50, working as a secretary, when doctors discovered what was then thought to be a very serious heart disease.
Aunt Edith doesn’t accept defeat easily .She began studying medical reports in the library and found an article in a magazine about a well-known heart surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBekey, of Houston, Texas.He had saved the life of someone with the same illness .The article said Dr. DeBekey’s fees were very high; Aunt Edith couldn’t possibly pay them .But could he tell her of someone whose fee she could pay?
So Aunt Edith wrote to him .She simply listed her reasons for wanting to live: her three children, who would be on their own in three or four more years, her little - girl dreamt of traveling and seeing the world .There wasn’t a word of self-pity-only warmth and humor and the joy of living .She mailed the letter, not really expecting an answer.
A few days later, my doorbell rang .Aunt Edith didn’t want to come in; she stood in the hall and read aloud. “Your beautiful letter moved me very deeply .If you can come to Houston, there will be no charge for either the hospital or the operation. Signed Michael DeBekey.”
That was seven years ago. Since then, Aunt Edith has been around the world .Her three children are happily married. For her age, she is one of the youngest, most alive people I know – all because of an open heart surgeon who knew how to honor his profession, and how to open his own heart.
56．Aunt Edith wrote a letter to Dr. Debakey to .
A．ask for his advice B．beg him to operate on her
C．ask him to introduce another doctor D．ask for his sympathy
57．The underlined phrase “open heart” in the last paragraph means .
A．open – minded B．kind – hearted C．patient D．skillful
58．What can we conclude from the passage?
A．Dr. DeBakey is willing to operate on anyone free of charge.
B．Dr. DeBakey is expert in getting along with his patients.
C．My aunt Edith is very poor and mean.
D．My aunt Edith is optimistic and strong – minded.
C
In 1879, a group of explorers made an incredible find. They discovered paintings of remarkable beauty on the walls of a cave in Spain. Some scientists believed that these paintings were created by early humans from the Stone Age, between ten and thirty thousand years ago. Other scientists and the public did not believe the claim, but over the years, it was proven correct. Our ancestors had incredible artistic talents.
Most of the cave art that has been discovered has been found in Spain and France. A smaller number of such caves are located in Italy, Portugal, Russia, and other countries. Scientists believe that many more caves will be discovered in the coming years, and are concentrating their efforts on Africa and the area between Europe and Asia. These two regions of the world were, populated first by humans.
Cave art was carved or painted on the walls and roofs of caves, usually near the entrance. The entrance area was probably chosen to take advantage of daylight and to allow many people to view the paintings. In some cases, the art appears much deeper in caves and requires artificial light. Evidence suggests that the artists used torches or shallow bowls in which animal fat was burned.
9.What was the response of general public to the discovery of cave art made by Stone Age people?
A. They believed it at first.
B. They did not believe it.
C. They thought it was beautiful.
D. They ignored it.
10.According to the passage, what can we conclude about animal fat?
A. It does not burn.
B. Stone Age artists used it to preserve their paintings.
C. It can be burned to produce light.
D. Stone Age artists mixed it with their food.
11.. Where do scientists expect to find more cave paintings?
A. In Central and South America.
B. In Spain and France.
C. In the places where there are caves with large openings.
D. In the regions of the world first populated by humans.
12.Where would this passage be most likely to appear?
A. In a textbook about early human history.
B. In a textbook about modern art.
C. In a dictionary.
D. In an encyclopedia entry about caves.
B
She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last for ever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.
The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louver Museum(卢浮宫) where it is housed.
“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state.
Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision(视觉) is excellent at picking up details, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”
However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.
In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louver by a former employee, who took it out of the museum, hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later. During World War Ⅱ, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.
5.We can infer from the text that_______
A. the Mona Lisa is proved to be able to last another 500 years
B. Mona Lisa’s beauty is fading gradually with 500 years passing by
C. the Mona Lisa has been catching people’s wide attention in the past 500 years
D. Mona Lisa does not look out of date though painted 500 years ago
6.Which of the following is true about the Mona Lisa?
A. It was once taken away and hidden up by German forces.
B. Its painter himself loved it greatly and always kept it in a shade.
C. Mona Lisa stops smiling when you look at her wanting to see her smiles.
D. King Francis I bought it and then returned it to Italy.
7.Choose the right order about the happenings onto Mona Lisa.
a. It was stolen from the Louver.
b. Its painter sold it to King Francis I
c. Its state of health was checked.
d. It was returned to France and housed in the Louver Museum.
e. It was hidden and protected against Germans.
A. b-a-d-e-c B. d-e-c-b-a C. d-a-e-c-b D. b-c-a-d-e
8.It may add to the difficulty in repairing the painting that_____.
A. experts haven’t noticed changes in its shape as visitors do
B. it is likely to be stolen again when it’s under repair
C. it is uncertain which country, Italy of France, should take charge
D. experts aren’t sure about the materials and the chemical state of its oil paint
A
A severely handicapped teenager who cannot walk, talk or hold a
paintbrush has won a place at Oxford to study fine art. Hero Joy Nightingale, 16, who communicates through hand movements, is to be given assistants to paint and sculpt(雕塑) in place of her .Her mother Pauline Reid “translated” for her daughter during interviews for the place at Magdalen College.
The teenager is the most severely handicapped student ever to be given a place at Oxford. She suffers from a terrible disease caused by brain damage that makes her unable to speak and her body useless.
She is unlikely ever to be able to walk, feed or care for herself but, thanks to the efforts of her mother. She can communicate. When Hero was four, Pauline designed a system of hand gestures that is equal to the alphabet.
By dictating to the her mother , Hero has created an internet magazine, From the window, which contains by George Carey, Melvyn Bragg, Margaret Atwood and Kofi Annan — all of whom are invited to write for her.
A spokesperson for Oxford said, “The university welcomes applications from students with disabilities. In cases where students are profoundly disabled, there may be many issues(问题) that need to be carefully talked about before an individual can take up a place, such as fixing firmly how the student can best be taught and examined.”
Hero, who suffers almost daily epileptic fits and has a hole in her heart, has not attended school since she was six. She has been taught at home by her mother and father, who work at Kent University.
Peter Giles, her art tutor until last year, said she has a gift for art. “She is ferociously gifted. We would sit together and her mother would grab her daughter’s hand and then we would begin work,” he said.
Together, they built several modern sculptures from plaster and metal. “The instructions would talk a while to decipher(解释，解密). But finally, they would come, and finally make sense.”
Hero’s classes will be held at the Ruskin School Drawing and Fine Art.
1.According to the passage, which of the following statement is NOT TRUE?
A. Oxford University has taken in other handicapped students besides Hero.
B. Hero’s mother is the only person who can understand her fairly well.
C. Hero can not create any art works without her fairly well.
D. Only through her hand movement, is Hero able to paint and sculpt.
2. From the passage, we can infer that Hero _____in Oxford University.
A. will have to take examinations
B. can take care of herself well
C. will be taught by the best art teachers
D. will not feel happy
3. In the sentence: “But finally, they would come and finally make sense.”, the word “they” refers to _______.
A. the assistants B. the mother and the assistants
C. Hero’s instructions D. the mother’s instructions
4.Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. Disabled Hero and her Mother
B. Disabled Hero Wins Oxford Place
C. Oxford University Welcome Disabled Students
D. Disabled Students Living in Oxford University
C
There are two kinds of physical activity which require special training. The first demands exact careful movements of the muscles. This kind of activity must be strictly controlled because even a slight movement in the wrong direction will lead a mistake. To type quickly, for example, a person needs training; the slightest movement of a finger in the wrong direction may cause a spelling mistake. A dancer who has to dance on the point of her shoes or turn around on one foot must be trained for a long period of time before she can sense her own center and balance herself. You may have seen a girl walking on a rope across an empty space, which, too, requires a lot of practice.
The second kind of physical activity needs greater strength or extra effort. Most of us get tired if we try to run half a mile without stopping, but a specially-trained person can do this without much effort. Three years ago, some scientists carried out experiments, which produced meaningful and unexpected results. They wanted to find out whether a certain amount of physical exercise would injure those suffering from heart problems. They selected some male patients and trained them in continuous bicycle riding. They were surprised to find that the harmful effect of given amount of physical effort was actually less on the hearts of these trained patients than on those of the patients who were not similarly trained. This is important because it shows that regular physical exercise enables us to make better use of the oxygen we breathe in and that this training, in fact, reduces the amount of work our hearts do. Many tasks which are hard for untrained people are not hard at all for trained people.
9.The first kind of physical activity must be strictly controlled because _________.
A．a mistake in the wrong direction is dangerous to the fingers
B．a wrong movement in a direction will cause no mistakes
C．a movement in the wrong direction will cause a mistake
D．a slight movement of a finger will lead to a mistake
10.What must a dancer do before she can balance herself?
A．She must dance on the point of her shoes.
B．She must receive long-time training.
C．She must turn around on one foot.
D．She must perform again and again.
11.The experiments done by some scientists showed that ________.
A．some male patients were asked to ride bicycles regularly in the experiments
B．the physical exercise had more harmful effect on the hearts of the untrained patients
C．the physical exercise was harmless to the male patients with heart trouble
D．the physical exercise could be helpful for the patients to take in more oxygen
12.What would be the best title for this text?
A．Training Our Bodies B．Physical Activities
C．Movement Training D．Extra Body Effort