New research shows how kids’ brains reorganize as they learn math.
All the time you spent memorizing multiplication tables(乘法表)may have made you a better mathematician, according to a new study. A team of scientists from Stanford University, in California, have shown how the brain reorganizes itself as kids learn math.
After a certain amount of time spent practicing math, kids can put away the calculator(计算器). They don’t even need to count on their fingers. They simply know the answers to subtraction(减法), addition, and multiplication facts. The quicker kids can recall basic math facts, the easier it is for them to solve more complicated math problems.
The Stanford University researchers observed the brain activity of 28 students aged 7to 9 for the study. They took scans of the students’ brains as the students solved math calculations without the help of a calculator, pen or paper. A calculation—three plus four equals seven, for example—flashed on a screen. The students pushed a button to say if the answer was right or wrong. The scientists also recorded the response speed, and what parts of the brain became active as the kids pushed the button.
These observations showed a process called fact retrieval(事实检索). Rather than using their fingers to count, or writing out answers on a piece of paper, the students pulled the answers from memory. It’s as if the answers to basic math problems are kept in a long-term storage area in the brain, which was built from repetition. “Experience really does matter,” said Dr. Kathy Mann Koepeke.
Children make the shift(转换)from counting to fact retrieval when they are 8 to 9 years old, the study shows. This is the time when most students are learning basic addition and subtraction. When kids have basic math facts memorized, the brain has more free space to learn more complicated math.
This process has benefits for the future. The study shows as kids grow older, their answers rely more on memory and become quicker and more accurate. Less brain activity is devoted to counting. Some children make this shift quicker than others.What did the researchers do when students worked out the given problems?
| A．They recorded the students’ brain activities. |
| B．They pushed a button linked to the students. |
| C．They noticed whether they used a calculator. |
| D．They found out who responded most quickly. |
Fact retrieval is a process when the students________.
| A．calculate answers using pens |
| B．use their fingers to count out |
| C．repeat the answers they remember |
| D．find the answers from their memory |
What plays a key role in solving a math problem?
| A．Intelligence | B．Experience |
| C．Learning method | D．Constant practice |
What happens to kids when they are 8 to 9 years old?
| A．Their brains are more active than before. |
| B．They depend on fact retrieval for answers. |
| C．They become more interested in learning math. |
| D．They work out complicated problems more quickly. |
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分；满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项。
A
Mr. Brozina is a single father and an elementary school librarian who reads aloud for a living. When his daughter, Kristen, hit fourth grade, he proposed The Streak: to see if they could read together for 100 straight bedtimes without missing once.
When The Streak reached 100, they celebrated with a pancake breakfast, and Kristen whispered, "I think we should try for 1,000 nights."
Mr. Brozina was delighted, but what he was thinking was, a thousand nights?! "I thought, we'll never do it," he recalled. "And then we got to 1,000, and we said, 'How can we stop?' "
For 3,218 nights (and some mornings, if Mr. Brozina was coming home too late to read). The Streak went on. It progressed from picture books to middle-school classics to Harry Potter, Agatha Christie, Dickens and Shakespeare, continuing on, until Kristen's first day of college.
In those nine-plus years, they survived many close calls. When Kristen was still in elementary school, her father went to Washington. "The phone rang at 10:45 at the hotel and it was Kristen," Mr. Brozina recalled. "She said, 'Dad, we forgot The Streak!' Fortunately, I always traveled with several books and we read right then and there."
This spring, Kristen graduated from Rowan' University. She has performed as you'd expect for a product of The Streak, an English major with a 3.94 average. She also won two national writing contests, was an editor of the humor arid literary publications and won the annual English department award.
56. According to the passage, Mr. Brozina and his daughter read together for .
A. 100 bedtimesB. 1000 nights
C. over nine yearsD. nearly 3000 nights and some mornings
57. In the passage, the underlined phrase in Paragraph 1 probably means _____.
A. the period of time for reading together B. me children's book
C. the special night C. the school work
58. How has Kristen benefited from reading with her father?
A. She has grown closer to her father. B. She has become a school librarian herself.
C. She has performed well at university.D. She has won many reading awards.
59. This passage is about a father who _____.
A. is very strict in his work B. enjoys reading when travelling
C. makes his daughter love reading D. has a hard time bringing up his daughter
E
As Americans’ health and fitness levels continue to decline, many of those in the worst shape are afraid to go to a “regular” gym to improve their poor health. They somehow feel embarrassed and don’t know how to begin. For these individuals, boutique gyms that specialize in particular parts of population may be good choices. These special gyms provide a more personal setting tor those returning to a healthy lifestyle or starting a fitness program for the first time. Personal training and individualized attention are key features of these new kinds of gyms.
Bulldog Fitness, a gym for kids only, is using the latest trend in video games that provide a workout to engage their young members. Playstation2 Game Bikes, the Treadwall (a rock climbing wall that moves with you), and DDR Dance Machines are customers’ favorites.
Meanwhile, Irene Pastore of Senior Fit in New York city shows that “age is no excuse for ill-health.” Her boutique gym focuses on the health risks associated with sedentary living. Personal training programs are designed specifically for seniors depending on their special needs.
“We feel that people that need the most guidance often don’t know where to turn. If America is going to change its current health decline, the public and healthcare industry needs to pay more attention to the unique needs of customers,” says Dr. Sal Arria, CEO and founder of the International Sports Science Association(IS-SA). Dr. Arria claims that those returning to a fitness state should make certain that they choose a trainer who holds a specialized certification that qualifies them to work with their individual area of need.
71．Why are Americans in the worst shape afraid to go to gym？
A．Because they are afraid of the price.
B．Because there are no boutique gyms foe them.
C．Because they are uncertain of the results.
D．Because they are uncertain about how to start.
72．Boutique gyms feature ___________ .
A．flexible schedules and remarkable results
B．keeping customers in good shape
C．building customers’ confidence for the first time
D．personal training and individualized attention
73．Bulldog Fitness has all of the programs listed below EXCEPT________．
A．Nintendo Fly-fishing B．the Treadwall
C．DDR Dance MachineD．Playstation2 Game Bikes
74．_____________is a good gym for seniors.
A．Regular gym B．Boutique gym
C．Bulldog Fitness D．Senior Fit
75. Dr. Arria states that those returning to a health lifestyle should_________．
A．know where to get guidance
B．get health guidance from the public and healthcare industry
C．focus more attention on certifying personal trainers
D．choose a qualified trainer with specialized certification
D
House chores are often on the bottom of everyone’s to-do list, so when a disabled family member or friend needs assistance, we often prefer. To let someone else help out with the housework since we usually have enough of our own, but cleaning, washing and sweeping need not be heavy tasks. In fact, you probably get a lot done in a short amount of time if you work efficiently.
If you are visiting a disabled person on a regular hasis, ask which day would be best for you to come, probably for no more than an hour or so. Then find out what type of supplies or equipment you will need to carry out a few clean-up chores. Make a list and take those things with you so you will be ready to get into action when the time comes. Don’t plan to do too much or you will end up spending too much time on chores and perhaps make your host feel guilty. Don’t leave cleaning supplies or equipment in places where your disabled friend might trip over them later. Be cheerful and enjoy your visit either before or after your housework..
Even though you have a better way of handling things, remember that this is your host’s house, and things should be done according to his or her wishes. Of course, if the person’s preferences are vastly different from yours or if you are unable to do things as he or she wishes, let that task go to someone else to do.
Helping someone by assisting with housework is a great way to show friendliness and support. Set reasonable limitations on your time and effort and be flexible about doing whatever your host most wants to be done. Both of you can then benefit from this interactive experience.
67．People usually would rather others help out with a disabled person’s housework probably because _________ .
A．doing house chores is an important task for everyone
B．they have a lot of house work of their own at home
C．they don’t want to spend too much time on unimportant things
D．doing house chores can be a really time-consuming task
68．If you want to help a disabled person with his or her housework, the first thing you should do it to _________ .
A．get all kinds of supplies and equipment ready
B．list the things that can’t be tonched in advance
C．ask him or her which day would be best
D．invite some of your friends to do it with you
69．If you are not able to do what your friend wishes, you’d better_________ .
A．do some practice before
B．ask your parents or someboby else tor advice
C．let someone else deal with it
D．do it under an expert’s instruction
70．According to the passage, doing too many house chores for a disabled person may ________ .
A．have a great effect on your own life
B．affect the disabled person’s life
C．cause some misunderstandings
D．make the disabled person feel guilty
C
I have been employed by a charity organization for less than a year now and I have the privilege of finding foster homes for abandoned children. It has always been my dream to work with adopted children because I myself was an adopted child.
I was born in California in September of 1976 and was adopted in Ohio in March of 1977. I have no memory of being told that I was adopted, however, I have always known. I have been told that I was wanted and I was special.
Even though my parents provided me with lots of love, I was always annoyed by the questions about my origin and my feeling of being unwanted. I constantly scanned every crowd I was in for another human that looked like me or laughed like me.
I began searching for my birthparents in 1999 and I imagined every possible scene of my birth family.
I went to a local agency for support and five days later I met my birth mother. The story unfolded. She flew me to Los Angeles the next day and I spent the weekend connecting with another person who looked just like me. We have had a worthwhile relationship over the past years although she could not give me any information about my birth father.
In June of last year a member of my birth father’s family contacted me. Now, he and I are just beginning to get to know what it is like to be a birth child, Without the support of my parents who raised me I would have never experienced the feeling of being truly wanted accepted. For that, I am forever grateful.
64．What’s the author’s attitude towards working with adopted children?
A．He feels it is worth a try.
B．He is eager to work with them.
C．He is strongly against it .
D．He thinks it is painful.
65．How does the author feel about his birth family?
A．He feels that he can’t forgive his birth parents.
B．He understands his birth parents.
C．He misses his birth parents very much.
D．He is afraid of being hurt by them again.
66．Why does the author writes this passage?
A．To complain about being abandoned by his birth parents.
B．To show how deep his desire to work with adopted children is.
C．To encourage other people to find their birth parents.
D．To show his love to his birth parents and his foster parents.
B
Until I started my Happiness Project, I didn’t think much about rituals and whether they made me happy. But when I reflected on them, I realized that I found rituals both calming and energizing.
For example, in my high school, exams were taken very seriously. When everyone was steeled at a desk, the teacher would pass out the papers, and we would lay them face down. She would return to the front of the classroom, look at the clock, and say quietly, “It is 9:10 now. You have two hours. Be sure to read all the instructions carefully”—then a pause —“you may turn over your test paper and begin now.” This familiar, quiet formula made the start of an exam into a little ritual that put me in the right frame of mind to face a tense exam.
In kindergarten, after singing a good-bye song, the children stand in a circle in the classroom, while the grown-ups wait in a line outside the door. The teacher calls the children’s names, one by one, and the child comes to the door to get a big hug and to leave. The orderliness of this process keeps everyone calm and cheerful.
So think about rituals in your life. Take a moment to taste the enjoyable ones. Think about opportunities to heighten the experience of an ordinary occasion by treating it with special consideration. This is particularly useful if it’s a stressful or emotional experience, discussing a child’s report card, giving a performance review. Packing for a trip, or getting ready for a date.
Studies show that family traditions and family rituals encourage children’s social development and improve feeling of family. They’re not just important for children but for the whole society.
61．From the passage we know that__________．
A．rituals can make the whole society happy and peaceful
B．the author felt nervous when he took exams in high school
C．the exams in high school was a mess
D．the children are nervous as the adults wait to watch their performance
62．The author mentions all of the ritual items in paragraph 3 EXCEPT _________ .
A．singing a good-bye song
B．standing in a circle in the classroom
C．children getting a big hug
D．grown-ups shaking hand with the teacher
63．Studies show that one way to encourage child’s social development is to___________．
A．train their parents for rituals
B．communicate with children
C．form family rituals
D．praise their good actions