Can you believe your eyes? A recent experiment suggests that the answer to that question may depend on your age.
Martin Doherty, a psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland, led the team of scientists. In this experiment, Doherty and his team tested the perception(观察力) of some people, using pictures of some orange circles. The researchers showed the same pictures to two groups of people. The first group included 151 children aged 4 to 10, and the second group included 24 adults aged 18 to 25.
The first group of pictures showed two circles alone on a white background. One of the circles was larger than the other, and these people were asked to identify the larger one. Four-year-olds identified the correct circle 79 percent of the time. Adults identified the correct circle 95 percent of the time.
Next, both groups were shown a picture where the orange circles, again of different sizes, were surrounded by gray circles. Here’s where the trick lies in. In some of the pictures, the smaller orange circle was surrounded by even smaller gray circles — making the orange circle appear larger than the other orange circle, which was the real larger one. And the larger orange circle was surrounded by even bigger gray circles — so it appeared to be smaller than the real smaller orange circle.
When young children aged 4 to 6 looked at these tricky pictures, they weren’t fooled — they were still able to find the bigger circle with roughly the same accuracy as before. Older children and adults, on the other hand, did not do as well. Older children often identified the smaller circle as the larger one, and adults got it wrong most of the time.
As children get older, Doherty said, their brains may develop the ability to identify visual context. In other words, they will begin to process the whole picture at once: the tricky gray circles, as well as the orange circle in the middle. As a result, they’re more likely to fall for this kind of visual trick.
55．Doherty and his team of scientists did an experiment to evaluate________.
A．children’s and adults’ eye-sight
B．people’s ability to see accurately
C．children’s and adults’ brains
D．the influence of people’s age
56．When asked to find the larger circle,___________.
A．children at 6 got it wrong 79 % of the time with no gray ones around
B．only adults over 18 got it right 95% of the time with gray ones around
C．children at 4 got it right about 79 % of the time with gray ones around
D．adults got it right most of the time with gray ones around
57．Visual context may work when children get older than________.
A．4 B．6 C．10 D．18
58．Why are younger children not fooled ?
A．Because they are smarter than older children and adults.
B．Because older people are influenced by their experience.
C．Because people’s eyes become weaker as they grow older.
D．Because their brain can hardly notice related things together.
第二部分: 阅读理解(共16小题,每小题2分,满分32分)
第一节（共12小题：每小题2分，满分24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。
On September 22, 1986, Jay Brunkella, a police officer in the Rogers Park district in Chicago, was shot during a drug arrest and died. Shortly afterwards, fellow officer Ken Knapcik, a 20-year veteran（老警官）of the force, returned home after work to find a note from his 15 year old daughter on the dining table.
Dad—This poem came directly from my heart. I love you so much! It scares and amazes me that you go out every day and risk everything to provide us with all that we have. I wrote this to express how much I love you and how much lost I’d be without you ---Laura. PS: Hey, let’s be careful out there.
Titled The Ultimate Cop, Laura’s poem was dedicated “To all the cops in the world who have daughters who love them with all their hearts. And especially to my dad”. It was about a police officer’s daughter who sees on the night time news that her father has been shot. Part of poem: “Daddy, my Daddy, can you hear me cry? Oh, God, I need my Daddy, please don’t let him die.”
Ken Knapcik stood alone as he read the poem. “It took me several minutes,” he said. “I’d get through part of it and have to stop before I could go on. I was weeping. She had never told me she was scared.” He took the poem to work the next day and showed it to his fellow officers. I’ve never seen so many grown men cry. Some couldn’t finish it.”
Knapcik keeps Laura’s poem in the pocket of his police jacket. He takes it with him every time he leaves the house for a new shift. “I don’t want to be out there without it,” he said. “I’ll probably carry it with me forever.”
51. Laura wrote the poem ____________.
A. in memory of her father who was shot in the drug arrest
B. to show her great sorrow in losing her father
C. to show her respect to all the cops who lost their lives
D. to tell Officer Ken Knapcik how much she loved him
52. All the officers cried because ____________.
A. Jay Brunkella was shot and died
B. they were greatly touched by the poem
C. the poem was so sad that they couldn’t hold back their tears
D. they thought of their dangerous life
53. Knapcik keeps Laura’s poem in his pocket ______________.
A. to treasure her daughter’s love and to value his own life
B. to keep it from getting lost
C. because he can’t go out without it
D. to mourn over the death of Officer Jay Brunkella
54. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Poem for a cop B. An officer’s death
C. A cop’s daughter D. Love my job, love my daughter
第三节：完形填空（共15小题；每小题1分；满分15分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从31—45各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卷上将该项涂黑。
Creativity is the key to a brighter future, say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.
If Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925, we 36 not have a product that we now think of as of great importance: a new type of 37 . Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. 38 his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Drew improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his 39 company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking about and developing new 40 .
Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it 41 a character of high intelligence. The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not 42 that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something. 43 , schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators 44 creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but cannot recognize ways to use it in new 45 . They may know the rules correctly, but they are 46 to use them to work out practical problems.
It is important to give children 47 . From the earliest age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money, but not help them too much if they make the 48 decision. The child may have a hard time, but that is all right. This is ___49___the most important character of creative people is a very strong ___50 to find a way out of trouble.
36．A．should B．might C．will D．must
37．A．machine B．walkman C．tape D．ruler
38．A．But B．So C．And D．Though
39．A．new B．former C．own D．formal
40．A．tapes B．thought C．ideas D．feelings
41．A．usually B．really C．possibly D．necessarily
42．A．mean B．introduce C．conclude D．produce
43．A．Fortunately B．Unfortunately C．Anxiously D．Generally
44．A．give up B．take up C．use up D．keep up
45．A．conditions B．surroundings C．situations D．environments
46．A．sure B．ready C．able D．unable
47．A．choices B．chances C．time D．money
48．A．present B．hard C．wrong D．right
49．A．why B．how C．what D．because
50．A．desire B．inspire C．influence D．attitude
----Shall I give you a ride as you live so far away?
----Thank you. _________.
A. It couldn’t be better. B. Of course you can. C. If you like. D. It’s up to you.
The house rent is expensive. I’ve got about half the space I had at home and I am paying _________ here.
A. as three times much B. as much three times
C. much as three times D. three times as much
Mr Smith, there’s a man at the front door who says he has news _________ vital importance.
A. of B. with C. in D. from
