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(怀孕的) woman. Then, they played a recording of a short story. On the day the baby was born, the researchers attempted(试图) to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother. They did this by placing a device(装置) 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(测量) the sensitivity(敏感) 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(沮丧).

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(合作的) and had more problems dealing with other people. The researchers noted that the sensitivity of the mothers was important to the intelligence(智力) 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(因素) 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 on the first day they are born.

B.To prove that babies can learn before they are born.

C.To show mothers can strongly affect 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 women who did not suffer from depression.

B.The children of depressed mothers who cared little for their children.

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 five or six months old.

D.Scientific findings about how intelligence develops in babies.

“Save the whales!” That's what the picture on Jake Smith's bedroom wall said. Jake liked having a picture that said something important that showed he cared. He just never expected to get a chance to save a real whale, one right in his own neighbourhood.

It was a Saturday morning when the newspaper first reported the whales' coming. A group of the animals were swimming close to the beach in Jake's hometown. All the local people rushed out to the beach to see them. They were expecting a beautiful show, better than a movie, but nothing they'd have to do anything about.

Then one whale swam in the direction, directly towards land. It came in with the waves, and when the waves receded, it stayed. Its huge body rested on the sand. Suddenly, Jake and his family and all the others were no longer sightseers. They had to become rescuers. A few people ran towards the animal. They pushed and tried to force the whale back into the water, but it was no use.

An animal rescue service team soon arrived in a truck with heavy lifting machinery, to help move the animal. Jake and his family couldn't do much on the beach, so they went back to their house and made sandwiches and hot tea for the rescuers. At least, Jake thought, they could help in some way.

Back at the beach, they offered the food to the rescuers and were happy to see that it was needed. It was getting dark. Some people lined up their cars along the beach and shined the headlights on the sand. The rescuers would not give up. After trying many times they were finally able to lift the whale into the water. Everyone cheered when it headed out to sea. It swam out about a mile and then disappeared for a moment under the sea. Then, in what looked like a jump for joy, it rose high above the water—a thank-you to those who had worked so hard to save its life.

1.What does the picture on Jake's wall tell us about him?

A.He lived near the ocean.

B.He cared about the environment.

C.He worked as an animal rescuer.

D.He thought whales were the most beautiful animals.

2.Why did the local people go down to the beach that morning?

A.To swim with the whales.

B.To help rescue the whales.

C.To see the whales swimming.

D.To watch a movie about whales.

3.The underlined word “receded” in Paragraph 3 means .

A.didn't move B.went back out

C.washed over D.got up

4.How did Jake and his family help save the whale?

A.By calling the rescue service.

B.By asking their neighbours for help.

C.By giving the rescuers food and drink.

D.By controlling the people on the beach.

5.In what order did the events of the whale rescue take place?

a.The whale disappeared under the sea.

b.People turned on the lights of their cars.

c.Rescuers lifted the whale into the water.

d.Animal rescue service brought its truck.

e.People pushed the whale towards the sea.

A.e-d-b-c-a B.e-b-c-d-a

C.d-b-e-a-c D.a-e-b-d-c

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