Not long ago, people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life.
Scientists note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other human beings.
One study shows that babies can learn before they are born. The researchers placed a tape recorder on the stomach of a pregnant woman. Then, they played a recording of a short story. On the day the baby was born, the researchers attempted to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother. They did this by placing a device in the mouth of the newborn baby. The baby would hear the story if he moved his mouth one way. If the baby moved his mouth the other way, he would hear a different story. The researchers say the baby clearly liked the story he heard before he was born. They say the baby would move his mouth so he could hear the story again and again.
Another study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children. Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years. The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers. The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children’s activities and did not interfere unnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old. Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression.
The children of depressed women did not do as well in tests as the children of women who did not suffer from depression. The children of depressed women did poorly in tests of language skills and understanding what they hear.
These children also were less cooperative and had more problems dealing with other people. The researchers noted that the sensitivity of the mothers was important to the intelligence development of their children. Children did better when their mothers were caring, even when they suffered from depression.
1.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the factor that influences intelligence development in babies?
A. The environment. B. Mother’s sensitivity.
C. Their peers (同龄人) D. Education before birth.
2.What is the purpose of the experiment in which newborn babies heard the stories?
A. To prove that babies can learn before they are born.
B. To prove that babies can learn on the first day they are born.
C. To show mothers can strongly influence intelligence development in their babies.
D. To indicate early education has a deep effect on the babies’ language skills.
3.Which group of children did the worst in tests of language skills?
A. The children of depressed mothers who cared little for their children.
B. The children of women who did not suffer from depression.
C. The children of depressed but caring mothers.
D. Children with high communication abilities.
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Scientific findings about how babies develop before birth.
B. Scientific findings about how the environment has an effect on babies’ intelligence.
C. A study shows babies are not able to learn things until they are rice or six months old.
D. Scientific findings about how intelligence develops in babies.
“Tom!”
There was no answer.
“Tom!”
Still no answer.
“Where’s that boy gone? Tom!”
The old lady looked all around the room. She looked under the bed, but found only the cat.
“If I catch that boy, …” she murmured to herself.
She opened the door and looked out into the garden.
“Tom!” she shouted.
Then she heard a slight noise behind her. She turned round just in time to catch the boy as he came out of a cupboard.
“And what have you been doing in there?”
“Nothing,” said the boy.
“Nothing! Look at your hands and your mouth! What is that stuff?”
“I don’t know, Aunt.”
“Well, I know. It’s a jam. I’ve told you forty times that if you touched that jam, I’d skin you.
Give me that stick.”
“Look out, Aunt! Look behind you!”
The old lady turned round and Tom was out of the door in a flash, over the garden fence and away.
“Damn that boy! Will I never learn? He’s always playing tricks on me. And he seems to know just now how far he can go, too. But I can’t take a stick to him. I really can’t. After all, he’s my dead sister’s boy. Ah well, he’ll play truant today and I’ll have to make him work tomorrow.”
At supper Aunt Polly tried to trick Tom into admitting that he hadn’t gone to school.
“It was rather hot today, wasn’t it, Tom?”
“Yes,” answered Tom.
“You didn’t have to open your shirt collar where I sewed（缝） it, then.”
Tom was confident, now. He opened his jacket. His collar was securely sewed.
“Oh Tom,” said Aunt Polly. “You’re a good boy really.”
She was sorry that she had been wrong about him.
“But Aunt,” came a voice. It was Sidney, Tom’s younger brother. “Didn’ t you sew Tom’s collar with white cotton? Look! Now it’s black.
Tom was already running out of the door.
---The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
1.The underlined word “skin” probably mean in the passage?
A. praise B. cheat C. touch D. beat
2.Which of the following words can be best used to describe Tom?
A. stupid B. clever C. naughty D. brave
3.What can be inferred from Sidney’s words in the passage?
A. Tom made his jacket dirty on purpose.
B. Tom didn’t go to school that day.
C. Tom was a dirty boy.
D. Sidney hated Tom so he wanted to punish him.
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Tom’s mother passed away.
B. Tom’s aunt was a good sewer.
C. Tom was good at sports.
D. Aunt Polly felt sorry for his misunderstanding to Tom.
Everyone has got two personalities-the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don’t show your secret personality when you’re awake because you can control your behavior, but when you’re asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their positions. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you’re a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don’t like to displease people. So you never express your real feelings. You’re quite shy and you aren’t quite sure of yourself.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive person. You worry a lot and you’re always easily upset. You always stick to your own opinions or judgment, but you don’t raise your hopes too much. You usually live for today not tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up, you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you’re often defensive. You’re shy and you don’t normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You’re easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well—balanced personality. You know your strengths and weakness. You’re usually careful. You believe in yourself. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don’t often get sad. You always insist on what you think even if it makes people rather angry.
1.According to the passage, a person, who is not willing to change his mind and hard to deal with, probably sleeps .
A. on his side B. on his back C. curled up D. on his stomach
2.If a person prefers to sleep curled up rather than on his back, he may be well content to .
A. do things personally. B. stay alone
C. keep things secret D. trust others easily
3.Which of the following people, in the author’s opinion, most likely have personalities opposite to each other ?
A. The people sleeping on their stomachs and those sleeping on his backs.
B. The people sleeping on their sides and those sleeping curled up.
C. The people sleeping on their backs and those sleeping on their sides.
D. The people sleeping curled up and those sleeping on their stomach.
4.What the author mainly intends to tell us is that .
A. one’s sleeping position has something to do with one’s character.
B. everyone has got both real and secret personalities.
C. the position in which one goes to sleep is the most important one.
D. when awake, one does not show one’s secret personality.
Most Chinese people these days know what it is like to have an “English teacher”, since almost all pupils study English from their third year. Usually that first English teacher will be a young and lovely lady in primary school. But my first English teacher is no other than my father. Looking back, I can see that, when I was only a little girl, he created an English environment by providing me with flashcards，fun English- language toys and even dolls which can sing English songs! My interest in English had certainly been awakened (唤起) when I began to learn English at school. Just imagine, he went a step further and asked me to learn New Concept English by myself! I was puzzled and even angry. I could not understand why a father could be so strict with his little girl. All the same, he never gave up and he gently insisted that I follow through with his idea. At first, I read stories with tears and I actually hated them because they were too difficult for me. In the end, I came to love the funny stories and, to be honest, my father was always there with a helping hand. I am sure that my English would never have got so far without his support. And that’s why my father is not only my first English teacher but also my lifelong teacher. He is one who awoke my interest, and who gave me much confidence .
1.Most pupils in China begin to learn English________.
A．in primary school B．from parents C．at three years old D．at home
2.The underline part ”no other than my father” in the passage probably means________.
A．like my father B．not my father C．my father himself D．not only my father
3.From the whole passage we can see that________.
A．the girl preferred playing to learning English
B．the girl hates her father because he was strict
C．the girl is very thankful to her father
D．the father gave up after knowing his daughter could not understand
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A．How I learned English at school
B．My father---my first and lifelong English teacher
C．The relationship between my father and me
D．I’ve made progress in English learning
The worker I hired to repair my house had just finished a difficult first day on the job. A broken wheel made him an hour late; his ladder (����) fell down when he was painting the roof and now his old truck wouldn' t start. With each problem he shouted angrily, more at himself than at his things. As I drove him home, the man didn't say a word.
I tried talking to the man to kill time. I managed to find out that he had come up from Blue Hills in Victoria with his family six months ago to find a job. This was his first job since moving here. I now knew why his price was lower than any other worker I could find in the local newspaper. He really needed the job. His clothes told me as much.
On arriving, much to my surprise, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked through his front garden he suddenly stopped at a small tree and placed his hands on it. Then, when he opened the door he completely changed. Instead of his troubled face, there was now a warm smile, hugs for his two children and a kiss for his wife.
The following day, I asked him about the tree.
"That's my trouble tree," he answered. "Work troubles aren't welcome at home with my wife and the children. So I hang them on that tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again. "
"And you know what else?" he said smiling,"The next morning I find that there aren't as many as I remember hanging up the night before. "
1.Which of the following things did NOT happen to the worker?
A. His truck broke down. B. He was late for work.
C. He fell onto the roof. D. His ladder fell down.
2.When did the worker first arrive in this town?
A. Today. B. Last night.
C. Six weeks ago. D. Six months ago.
3.Where did the writer find the worker?
A. Through a newspaper. B. Beside the trouble tree.
C. In his old house. D. In Blue Hills, Victoria.
4.Why did the worker touch the tree?
A. To get good luck, B. To leave his trouble outside.
C. To send good wishes to his family. D. To clean his hands.
Have you ever not wanted to do something so badly that you would rather die than go? Well that’s how I about joining Madcaps, a mothers and daughters club assisting philanthropies（慈善事业）.But now I believe that you open up your mind to things because eventually you might end up enjoying it.
“It’s a waste of time”, I said when my mom told I had to join Madcaps, and then when she said I had to at a homeless shelter I thought this just could not be .
We got there late, of course, and the security guard led us to the kitchen we ran into 48 other fellow Madcaps members. Since I’m so socially awkward（糟糕的） I had met only one person at a pool party, earlier this year. I looked around for her but she was not there. Damn, I was ! When the man in charge came out and asked for 3 mothers to work outside the to clean up the plates, my mom just happened to volunteer leaving me to food with others.
Soon the families started to walk in and a little girl walked up and pointed to the food I was I gave her the cold sandwich, she nodded in a form of saying , and then walked to join her family at the large table.
As she walked away I thought of how much I I get to go the top schools. I have a great house and I have a warm meal every night. It that little girl to make me realize how lucky I am. After that moment I had a change of . Now, I love Madcaps and don’t miss one meeting, I have being socially awkward and now have many friends. And this year I am sure I will do the required 20 hours of philanthropies.
I believe that if you have an mind about things you can accomplish more and become a better rounded person. I believe sometimes you can make a difference just doing one thing you don’t want to do .
1.A．cared B．joked C．felt D．doubted
2.A．should B．would C．may D．can
3.A．also B．just C．not D．still
4.A．report B．live C．donate D．volunteer
5.A．better B．sooner C．easier D．worse
6.A．where B．when C．until D．because
7.A．suddenly B．occasionally C．hardly D．normally
8.A．shy B．late C．alone D．hopeless
9.A．kitchen B．house C．club D．shelter
10.A．pack B．purchase C．serve D．bake
11.A．poor B．homeless C．vluntary D．local
12.A．playing with B．putting away C．looking for D．holding out
13.A．hello B．sorry C．thanks D．okay
14.A．had B．earned C．achieved D．did
15.A．moved B．took C．helped D．encouraged
16.A．heart B．luck C．identity D．taste
17.A．believed in B．learnt from C．got over D．thought about
18.A．more than B．nothing but C．anything but D．less than
19.A．intelligent B．abstract C．empty D．open
20.A．before B．by C．upon D．to
