Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research has determined that the ability to quantify may develop much sooner than most parents realize.
Kristy vanMarle, professor of the University of Missouri, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants（婴儿）are able to quantify substances（物质）—like sand or water—as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food.
With the assistance of her team researchers, vanMarle tested the quantifying skills of babies by presenting them with two cups: one containing a small amount of food, and one containing a larger amount. Consistently, the babies chose the larger amount.
“Several studies throughout the last 15 years have shown that infants are very good at telling how many objects they see; however, infants don’t seem to count things like water or sand,” vanMarle said. “What we’re saying is that they can quantify substances; it’s just much harder. The infants can see how much food goes into each cup and compare that in their memories. They decide which amount is larger, and they almost always select the larger one.”
This information further refutes（驳斥）the long-held idea that babies “know nothing of the world,” vanMarle said.
“Since psychologists have begun studying infants with sensitive measures, we’ve discovered a lot of early abilities. I think for parents, it should be exciting to know that there’s somebody in there that has some fundamental and basic knowledge of the world, and that knowledge is guiding their development,” vanMarle said.
In the future, vanMarle says this kind of study could be linked to a child’s progress in math-related skills, although programs marketed to increase those abilities, such as “Baby Einstein,” still have mixed reviews when it comes to academic study.
1.The quantifying ability refers to the ability to .
A. choose between different substances
B. get much knowledge of the world
C. describe the quantity of something
D. obtain math-related skills
2. What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 4?
A. The process of doing research.
B. The scientific findings.
C. The final choice of infants.]
D. The observation of infants’ behavior.
3.Babies choose the larger amount of food .
A. by saying numbers B. with the help of parents
C. on personal preference D. through their natural abilities
4.We can learn from the text that .
A. some parents don’t care about their kids
B. people used to think the world is known to babies
C. little research has been done on infants
D. scholars disagree on baby-training programs
5. What’s the best title of the text?
A. Breakthrough in Baby Studies
B. Amazing Baby-training Ideas
C. Early Human Abilities
D. Unique Quantifying Methods
“Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand
what it is to move,” said David Belle, the founder of parkour(跑酷).
Do you love running? It is a good exercise, yet many people find it boring. But what if making your morning jog a creative one? Like jumping from walls and over gaps, and ground rolls? Just like the James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way. It is just because of Bond’s wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.
Yes, that’s parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the obstacles in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Parkour is considered an extreme sport. As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop.
Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds, but its participants see parkour much more than that.
Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy(理念) behind parkour. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers as if in parkour and never fall back from them in your life, to reach the destination successfully. A parkour lover said, “I love parkour because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything.”
Another philosophy we’ve learnt from parkour is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself that you earn energy and confidence.
1. Parkour has become popular throughout the world because of .
A. its founder, David Belle B. the film, Casino Royale
C. its risks and tricks D. the varieties of participants
2. The underlined word “obstacles” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A. streets B. objects
C. barriers D. roofs
3. Which of the following is true of parkour?
A. It challenges human abilities. B. It is a good but boring sport.
C. It needs special training. D. It is a team sport.
4. As its participants move around a city, .
A. they can ask for help B. they may choose to escape
C. they should run to extremes D. they must learn to survive
5. Which of the following is the philosophy of parkour?
A. Sports and extremes. B. Excitement and popularity.
C. Dreams and success. D. Determination and freedom.
Public schools in Washington, D.C. provide students with musical instruments for free. When something goes wrong with an instrument, Charles West and Larry Jernigan do the repairs. Both men approach their work with a passion(激情). For them, it’s important that students have a joyful experience with music.
The two have worked together for almost 20 years. This year alone, they’ve fixed about 450 instruments. Both men are musicians and music lovers, so learning to do repairs came naturally.
“I have been a musician all my life.” says West. “I played in an orchestra here in the city. I majored in music in college. I played in an army band.”
Jernigan’s musical interests are varied. “I was formerly trained in the piano and guitar. The alto sax, and the flute, I picked up while working here.”
In addition to fixing instruments, the two also go to schools to instruct teachers and students on how to make minor repairs on their own.
West believes if children start early and stay involved with music, it enriches other areas of their lives. “I see that in other kids. I see it in myself. I have seen it hundreds of times and it works,” he says. “They learn teamwork. They learn patience and respect.
But West has concerns about the future of music in the electronic age.
“This instant age has taken away from the sit-down, the patience. And to learn to play an instrument, it takes patience, it takes diligence, it takes time.”
Being able to enjoy music on the job is one of the benefits of the job. Both men agree their best rewards are the students’ performances.
1. What’s the job of West and Jernigan at school?
A. Teaching music.
B. Writing music.
C. Making musical instruments.
D. Repairing musical instruments.
2.They love the job because they can .
A. earn more money B. learn repair skills
C. enjoy music D. watch performances
3. Which of the following is true of the two men?
A. They have fixed 450 instruments in the past 20 years.
B. They can play and repair musical instruments.
C. Jernigan used to play in an army band.
D. West was trained to play the piano.
4. According to West, what can people learn from music?
A. Teamwork and patience. B. The value of time.
C. The truth of society. D. Diligence and confidence.
5. What is mainly talked about in the text?
A. How to repair musical instruments.
B. Learning experiences of two repairmen.
C. How to prepare a musical performance.
D. The enjoyable job of two music lovers.
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从下列各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It was a cold winter’s night when I stopped for gas on my way home from work. I was tired and had a slight 36 .
I worked in a 37 doctor’s office and this was one of those days when the unexpected happened, making the schedule run 38 than usual. It seemed I was going to be late 39 home and my husband, being the 40 person, would be ready to pronounce me late once again. Maybe 41 I hurried, I could still make it home.
I was heading inside to 42 for my gas when I noticed an older couple at the counter. I heard them asking for 43 to the local hospital. It was the same hospital that I had just 44 a few minutes ago.
The young man at the counter was trying to be 45 in explaining how to get there, with two other people making 46 . One of them was 47 trying to give them a whole different route back. It was then that I walked over to the couple and said, “Would you like to follow me to the 48 ?”
A look of 49 crossed the woman’s face.
“I’m going right by there,” I said, which wasn’t a(an) 50 since I had just made up my mind to do 51 that.
I got in my car and began the journey back. I was trying to watch to be sure they were right 52 me. It took only fifteen minutes to get there as rush hour traffic was beginning to 53 . I felt better than I had all day and my headache was nearly gone.
Later, as I arrived home, my husband 54 , “So you aren’t ever late any more.”
I said, “Sometimes it’s 55 to be late.”
1. A. break B. fever C. cold D. headache
2.A. foreign B. common C. busy D. noisy
3. A. earlier B. later C. easier D. simpler
4. A. getting B. cooking C. calling D. working
5. A. tough B. punctual C. generous D. careful
6. A. as B. since C. while D. if
7. A. pay B. change C. wait D. search
8. A. opinions B. trouble C. directions D. money
9. A. reached B. visited C. called D. left
10. A. skilled B. helpful C. experienced D. active
11.A. comments B. promises C. jokes D. offers
12. A. only B. still C. even D. ever
13. A. station B. office C. hospital D. hotel
14. A. panic B. relief C. sadness D. peace
15. A. duty B. fact C. reason D. lie
16. A. partly B. properly C. exactly D. perfectly
17.A. across B. before C. beside D. behind
18. A. go up B. die down C. speed up D. turn down
19. A. teased B. shouted C. burst D. laughed
20. A. possible B. special C. good D. safe
If people eat natural poisons by mistake, they ________ go to hospital without delay.
A. would B. can C. may D. must
Before us lies the biggest room, ________with things like guns, dolls and old clothes.
A. filling B. filled
C. being filled D. having been filled
