【题目】A new study has found some secrets of people’s understanding of large numbers.
Researchers studied a group of people who were born deaf and never learned any spoken language or a formal sign language, but they have developed a gesture system to communicate with people around them. The gestures let them express approximate amounts, but not exact numbers.
“Up to three, they’re fine,” says Elizabet Spaepen, a researcher at the University of Chicago and an author of the study. “But past three, they start to fall apart.” In one test, Spaepen would knock her fist against a study participant’s fist a certain number of times and then ask them to respond with the same number of knocks. “If I were to knock four times on their fist, they might knock on my fist five times,” she says.
The finding offers a clue to just how much language affects our understanding of numbers. That has been a big question since 2004, when other researchers published data on two tribes in the Amazon whose members also lack words for big numbers. “What they have are words that mean one and two,” Spaepen says, “and then they have a word to mean many.”
Members of the Amazonian tribes also had trouble matching numbers larger than three or four. But some scholars felt that these earlier studies failed to prove that language was the reason. They pointed out that the tribes lived in groups that didn’t use money and had no need for exact numbers.
The new research appears to answer that criticism. “It proves that the kinds of problems in understanding numbers that we found in the Amazonian tribes are not due to just the cultural or environmental circumstances,” says Peter Gordon of Columbia University, one of the researchers involved in the earlier studies.
【1】The participants of the new study ______.
A. cannot communicate with one another
B. use a formal sign language to express numbers
C. have some physical disability
D. come from a distant tribe
【2】 According to the passage, the new study _______.
A. ignored the cultural influence on the participants
B. is doubted by many people
C. has found it is harder to learn numbers than learning a sign language
D. has shown that our understanding of numbers is influenced by our mastering of language.
【3】 The tribes involved in earlier studies _________.
A. often dealt with big numbers.
B. didn’t use money in their daily life
C. didn’t have their own language
D. often made trouble for the researchers
【4】 What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Peter Gordon is a researcher of the University of Chicago.
B. Peter Gordon thinks less of the new study than his earlier studies.
C. Peter Gordon believes people’s understanding of numbers has nothing to do with cultural circumstances.
D. Peter Gordon is in favor of the finding of the new study.
【5】In which part of a newspaper would you most probably find this passage?
A. Science B. Health
C. Politics D. Lifestyle
【答案】
【1】C
【2】D
【3】B
【4】D
【5】A
【解析】
试题分析:本文介绍了研究者通过对一组失聪人士的观测,得出一个提示,语言使我们对数字的理解有多少影响。
【1】C细节理解题。由第二段第一句Researchers studied a group of people who were born deaf and never learned any spoken language or a formal sign language句意:研究者研究了一组人,他们天生失聪并且从未学过任何语言表达或者正规手语。由此得知participants have some physical disability参与者都有一定的生理缺陷。故选C
【2】D细节理解题。The finding offers a clue to just how much language affects our understanding of numbers句意:这个发现提供了一个线索,语言使我们对数字的理解有多少影响。由此得知 C选项has shown that our understanding of numbers is influenced by our mastering of language最为符合。故选D
【3】B细节理解题。由第五段最后一the tribes lived in groups that didn’t use money and had no need for exact numbers句意:这群人不使用货币,并且无需(知晓)确切数字。得知didn’t use money in their daily life表意相符。故选B
【4】D段落大意题。最后一段为researchers involved in the earlier studies answer that criticism参与早期研究的人员Peter Gordon对于批判的回应。由此以及其话语得知Peter Gordon is in favor of the finding of the new study,Peter Gordon支持新研究。故选D
【5】A分析推理题。全文围绕研究,失聪人士,语言和数字展开叙述,学术性介绍很多,应该是从Science 板块摘录的。故选A
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:
【题目】如果预付货款就可免费送货。
Delivery is __________ of charge if goods are paid for __________ advance.
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:
【题目】________wants to stay in a hotel has to pay their own way.
A.Anyone B.The one C.Whoever D.Who
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:
【题目】Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Noble Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Noble Prize winner.
Born in September, 1897, Irene Curie was the first of the Curie’s two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sevigne in Paris.
Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continue the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military’s Medal by the French government.
In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institue. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.
Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity(辐射能). Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.
【1】where did Marie Curie and some other scholars teach their children?
(within 4 words)
_________________________________________________________________
【2】Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal? (within 7 words)
_________________________________________________________________
【3】Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederic Joliot? (within 4 words)
_________________________________________________________________
【4】When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born?
(within 2 words)
_________________________________________________________________
【5】What can the underlined word “leukemia” possibly be in the last paragraph? (within 2 words)
_________________________________________________________________
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:
【题目】Jack wasn’t saying anything,but the teacher smiled at him________he had done something very clever.
A.as if B.in case C.while D.though
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:
【题目】—Can you give an example to show how useful a computer is?
—Sure. ___________ people get ___________ information from it every day.
A. A large number of; plenty of
B. The number of; a lot of
C. Lots of; a lot
D. Many a; a great deal of
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:
【题目】People with mentally taxing jobs, including lawyers and graphic designers, may end up having better memory in old age, research suggests.
A study of more than 1,000 Scottish 70-year-olds found that those who had had complex jobs scored better on memory and thinking tests.
One theory is that a more stimulating environment helps build up a “cognitive reserve” to help buffer the brain against age-related decline. The research was reported in Neurology.
The team, from Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, is now planning more work to look at how lifestyle and work interact to affect memory loss. Those taking part in the study took tests designed to assess memory, processing speed and general thinking ability, as well as filling in a questionnaire about their working life.
The analysis showed that those whose jobs had required complex skills in dealing with data or people, such as management and teaching, had better scores on memory and thinking tests than those who had done less mentally intense jobs such as factory workers, bookbinders, or carpet layers.
While the study did not look at biological reasons for the protective effect of certain jobs, potential explanations include that structural changes within the brain mean less damage is accumulated over time.
Study leader Dr Alan Gow said: “Our findings have helped to identify the kinds of job demands that preserve memory and thinking later on.” “However,” He added, “while it is true that people who have higher cognitive abilities are more likely to get more complex jobs, there still seems to be a small advantage gained from these complex jobs for later thinking skills.”
Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said the study added to the growing evidence about factors that affected brain health as we aged.
“Keeping the brain active throughout life could be helpful and different types of work may play a role. However, it’s important to note that this study points to a small and subtle association between occupation and later-life cognition rather than offering proof that people’s occupation has a direct influence.”
【1】 According to the research, who may have the best memory in old age?
A. Taxi drivers. B. Computer programmers.
C. Supermarket cashiers. D. Motor mechanics.
【2】 Which of the following about the research work is TRUE?
A. The research team studied both environmental and biological factors.
B. The researchers filled in a questionnaire about their working life.
C. The research objects included people from various jobs and of different ages.
D. The research is helpful to the study of brain health and is still under way.
【3】 What Dr Alan Gow said implies that __________.
A. their findings are helpful to identifying the kinds of job demands
B. people who do more complex jobs may benefit later thinking skills greatly
C. there exist links between job demands and preservation of memory
D. he didn’t confirm the links between complex jobs and later thinking skills
【4】We can learn from Dr Simon Ridley that __________.
A. different occupations may make a difference in keeping the brain active
B. people’s occupation has a direct influence on later-life cognition
C. the study added more evidence about the factors affecting aging
D. the study denied the association between jobs and later-life memory
【5】 What is the best title of the passage?
A. Aging affects brain health
B. Complex jobs may protect memory
C. Occupations influence aging
D. Complex jobs demand complex skills
查看答案和解析>>
湖北省互联网违法和不良信息举报平台 | 网上有害信息举报专区 | 电信诈骗举报专区 | 涉历史虚无主义有害信息举报专区 | 涉企侵权举报专区
违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com