Scientists say we are all born with a talent for mathematics.Every time we scan the cafeteria for a table that will fit all of our friends，we're exercising the ancient estimation center in our brain.
Stanislas Dehaene was the first researcher to show that this part of the brain exists.In 1989，he met Mr.N who had suffered a serious brain injury.Mr.N couldn't recognize the number 5，or add 2 and 2.But he still knew that there are "about 50 minutes" in an hour.Dehaene drew an important conclusion from his case：there must be two separate mathematical areas in our brains.One area is responsible for the math we learn in school，and the other judges approximate amounts.
So what does the brain's estimation center do for us？Harvard University researcher Elizabeth Spelke has spent a lot of time posing math problems to preschoolers.When he asks 5-year-olds to solve a problem like 21+30，they can't do it.But he has also asked them questions such as，"Sarah has 21 candles and gets 30 more.John has 34 candles.Who has more candles？" It turns out preschoolers are great at solving questions like that.Before they've learned how to do math with numerals and symbols，their brains' approximation centers are already hard at work.
After we learn symbolic math，do we still have any use for our inborn math sense？Justin Halberda at Johns Hopkins University gave us an answer in his study.He challenged a group of 14-year-olds with an approximation test：The kids stared at a computer screen and saw groups of yellow and blue dots flash by，too quickly to count.Then they had to say whether there had been more blue dots or yellow dots.The researchers found that most were able to answer correctly when there were 25 yellow dots and 10 blue ones.When the groups were closer in size，11 yellow dots and 10 blue ones，fewer kids answered correctly.
The big surprise in this study came when the researcher compared the kids' approximation test scores to their scores on standardized math tests.He found that kids who did better on the flashing dot test had better standardized test scores，and vice versa（反之亦然）.It seems that，far from being irrelevant，your math sense might predict your ability at formal math.
（1）From the first two studies，we can learn that estimation center CC.
A．is divided into two separate mathematical areas
B．can help figure out numerals and symbols problems
C．functions independently in both kids' and adults' brains
D．works better when symbolic parts are injured or undergrown
（2）What most surprised Justin in the study of 14-year-olds？ DD
A．The variety of math abilities in different students.
B．The link between technology skills and estimation skills.
C．The difficulty of the task as the number of dots increased.
D．The connection between estimation skills and formal math ability.
（3）What could be the best title for the passage？ AA
A．Born with a Sense of Math
B．Go beyond What You Can Learn
C．Symbolic Math and Estimation Math
D．Our Brain一a Born Mathematician
【答案】C；D；A
【解答】
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發(fā)布：2024/5/27 14:0:0組卷：11引用：3難度：0.6
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（1）What can we know about Burlington School？
A．It is open all year.
B．It is located in London.
C．It provides no accommodation.
D．It offers no social practice classes.
（2）Which school offers the biggest discounts？
A．Burlington School.
B．New School of English.
C．University of Liverpool.
D．Interactive English School.
（3）How is New School of English different from the others？
A．It sets a strict age limit.
B．Its accommodation is optional.
C．Its teachers are qualified and experienced.
D．It offers General and Specialist English courses.發(fā)布：2025/1/6 16:30:6組卷：0引用：1難度：0.6 -
2．Ever since I graduated from high school I've worked in the factories surrounding my hometown every summer.However，making the transformation between school and full-time blue-collar work during the break never gets any easier.For a student like me who considers any class before noon to be unacceptable，getting to a factory by 6 o'clock each morning is suffering.My friends never seem to understand why I'm so relieved to be back at school or that my summer vacation has been anything but a vacation.
There are few people as self-confident as a college student who has never been out in the real world.People of my age always seem to overestimate the value of their time and knowledge.In fact，all the classes did not prepare me for my battles with the machine I ran in the plant，which would jam whenever I absent-mindedly put in a part backward or upside down.
The most stressful thing about blue-collar life is knowing your job could disappear over night.Issues like being laid off and overseas relocation had always seemed distant to me until my co-workers told me that the unit I was working in would shut down within six months and move to Mexico，where people would work for 60 cents an hour.
After working 12-hour shifts（輪班）in a factory，the other options have become only too clear. "This job pays well，but it's hell on the body，" said one co-worker. "Study hard and keep reading." she added.When I'm back at the university，skipping classes and turning in lazy re-writes seems too irresponsible after seeing what I would be doing without school.All the advice and public-service announcements about the value of an education that used to sound stale（陳腐的）now ring true.
My experiences in the factories have inspired me to make the most of my college years before I enter the real world for good.
（1）What does the author think of his summer holiday？
A．It was no holiday for him at all.
B．It brought him nothing but suffering.
C．It was a relief from his hard work at school.
D．It offered him a chance to make more friends.
（2）What can we infer about most college students？
A．They do better in the real world.
B．They are confident when they work.
C．They think too highly of themselves.
D．They are expert at handling machines.
（3）What is the biggest pressure for blue-collar workers？
A．A low income.
B．The lack of security.
C．An unstable location.
D．Less break.
（4）How did the working experiences change the author？
A．He became responsible for his work.
B．He learned to be more practical at work.
C．He began to respect blue-collar workers.
D．He came to appreciate his college education.發(fā)布：2025/1/6 16:30:6組卷：0引用：1難度：0.5 -
3．The size of the British Isles often leads people to think that the languages spoken in its countries of England，Scotland，Wales and Northern Ireland are somewhat the same.At first，visitors are often surprised to find that they have difficulty in understanding the accents and dialects of certain regions.Even in England there are many different dialects.
Experts believe that for most English people，the places they come from are very important to them.Accents are clues to where people were born and where they grew up.Although some people may change the way they speak during their lifetime，most people carry at least some evidence of their accents and dialects throughout their lives.In addition to the regional accents of England，there can also be class differences among the accents.People are often able to make instant and unconscious judgments about a stranger's class by listening to his or her accent.Both the words and the pronunciation of an individual reflect his or her social position.
It is agreed that in England，the kind of English spoken by a person plays a leading role that generally is not important in North America.The importance of accents and their cultural and social relationships are well represented in films and on television in Britain.The film My Fair Lady based on George Bernard Shaw's 1912 play Pygmalion is often said to be a wonderful example of how social class and the accent were，and still are，linked in Britain.
（1）Most people carry some evidence of their accents and dialects in their lives to.
A．show they are different from others
B．show the places they are from
C．change the way they speak
D．show they don't like standard English
（2）Which statement is NOT TRUE according to the passage？
A．An Englishman's accent reflects his social position.
B．In Britain some films show us the importance of accents.
C．The English spoken by a person plays an important role in North America.
D．An Englishman's accent is a clue to where he was born and where he grew up.
（3）How do people in England know a person's class？
A．By speaking to him.
B．By guessing.
C．By showing something to him.
D．By judging from his appearance.
（4）What's the film My Fair Lady about？
A．It shows how a boy learned English.
B．It is a love story between two lovers with different accents.
C．It shows how social class and accent are linked in Britain.
D．It shows the relationship between people from different classes.發(fā)布：2025/1/6 16:30:6組卷：0引用：5難度：0.5
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