Question

Not long ago, many people believed that babies only wanted food and to be kept warm and dry. Some people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. But doctors in the United States now say babies begin learning on their first day of life.
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 people.
The researchers say this ability to learn exists in a baby even before birth. They say newborn babies can recognize and understand sounds they heard while they were still developing inside their mothers.
Experts say the first three years of a child’s life are the most intensive period of language and speech development. This is the time when the brain is developing. Language and communication skills are believed to develop best in an environment that is rich with sounds and sights. Experts say babies should repeatedly hear the speech and language of other people.
America’s National Institutes of Health says evidence suggests there are important periods of speech and language development in children. The ability to learn a language will be more difficult if these periods pass without early contact with a language.
The first signs of communication happen during the first few days of life, when a baby learns that crying will bring food and attention. Research shows that most children recognize the general sounds of their native language by six months of age. By that time, a baby usually begins to make sounds. These sounds become a kind of nonsense speech over time.
小题1:When does the author think babies begin to learn? (no more than 9 words, 2 marks)
                                                                                                                                    
小题2:Why do babies smile to please her mother or other caregiver? (no more than 9 words, 2 marks)
                                                                                                                                    
小题3:According to experts, how can babies’ language and communication skills develop? (no more than 8 words, 3 marks)
                                                                                                                                    
小题4:What does the author mainly tell us? (no more than 8 words, 3 marks)
                                                                                                                                    

Answer 1

小题1:(Babies begin learning) on their first day of life.
小题2:(Because they learn/ want) to get the best care (possible).
小题3:By repeatedly hearing other people’s speech and language.
小题4:The development of babies’ language and speech skills. / How babies’ language and communication skills develop.

试题分析：这篇文章主要讲了婴儿究竟是在什么时候开始学习？众说纷纭，有的认为是在出生之后；有的认为是在有了需要的知觉，而今天这篇文章中，美国专家认为，婴儿在开始形成时就开始了学习。
小题1:(Babies begin learning) on their first day of life.文章第一段最后一句就已经告诉了答案。
小题2:(Because they learn/ want) to get the best care (possible). 根据文章第二段第一句A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver.可知。
小题3:By repeatedly hearing other people’s speech and language. 根据文章第四段，特别是最后一句children should repeatedly hear the speech and language of other people.可知。
小题4:The development of babies’ language and speech skills. / How babies’ language and communication skills develop. 根据文章第一段最后一句及全文内容可知，作者谈论婴儿语言技能的形成。
点评：对于概括文章大意、标题,或指出作者写作的主要意图这一类型的题目，要快速浏览全文，抓住文章大意和主题句，明确作者的态度和意图。对于大多数文章而言，在第一段往往就交待了该文章的中心内容，首段中的首句或尾句通常会点明该段的中心，因此一般而言，通过归纳第一段的首尾句便可写出该文章的标题。在答题时，切记要有关键词，简明扼要，且不要出现语法错误。