题目内容

Take a look at the following list of numbers: 4, 8, 5, 3, 7, 9, 6. Read them loud. Now look away and spend 20 seconds memorizing them in order before saying them out loud again. If you speak English, you have about a 50% chance of remembering those perfectly. If you are Chinese, though, you’re almost certain to get it right every time. Why is that? Because we most easily memorize whatever we can say or read within a two-second period. And unlike English, the Chinese language allows them to fit all those seven numbers into two seconds.

That example comes from Stanislas Dahaene’s book The Number Sense. As Dahaene explains: Chinese number words are remarkably brief. Most of them can be spoken out in less than one-quarter of a second (for instance, 4 is “si” and 7 “qi”). Their English pronunciations are longer. The memory gap between English and Chinese apparently is entirely due to this difference in length.

It turns out that there is also a big difference in how number-naming systems in Western and Asian languages are constructed. In English, we say fourteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen and nineteen, so one might expect that we would also say oneteen, twoteen, threeteen, and fiveteen. But we don’t. We use a different form: eleven, twelve, thirteen and fifteen. For numbers above 20, we put the “decade” first and the unit number second (twenty-one, twenty-two), while for the teens, we do it the other way around (fourteen, seventeen, eighteen). The number system in English is highly irregular. Not so in China, Japan, and Korea. They have a logical counting system. Eleven is ten-one. Twelve is ten-two. Twenty-four is two-tens-four and so on.

That difference means that Asian children learn to count much faster than American children. Four-year-old Chinese children can count, on average, to 40. American children at that age can count only to 15. By the age of five, in other words, American children are already a year behind their Asian friends in the most fundamental of math skills.

The regularity of their number system also means that Asian children can perform basic functions, such as addition, far more easily. Ask an English-speaking seven-year-old to add thirty-seven plus twenty-two in her head, and she has to change the words to numbers (37+22). Only then can she do the math: 2 plus 7 is 9 and 30 and 20 is 50, which makes 59. Ask an Asian child to add three-tens-seven and two-tens-two, and then the necessary equation(等式) is right there, in the sentence. No number translation is necessary: it’s five-tens-nine.

When it comes to math, in other words, Asians have a built-in advantage. For years, students from China, South Korea, and Japan --- outperformed their Western classmates at mathematics, and the typical assumption is that it has something to do with a kind of Asian talent for math. The differences between the number systems in the East and the West suggest something very different --- that being good at math may also be rooted in a group’s culture.

1.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. The Asian number-naming system helps grasp advanced math skills better.

B. Western culture fail to provide their children with adequate number knowledge.

C. Children in Western countries have to learn by heart the learning things.

D. Asian children’s advantage in math may be sourced from their culture.

2.What makes a Chinese easier to remember a list of numbers than an American?

A. Their understanding of numbers.

B. Their mother tongue.

C. Their math education.

D. Their different IQ.

3.Asian children can reach answers in basic math functions more quickly because ____________.

A. they pronounce the numbers in a shorter period

B. they practice math from an early age

C. English speaking children translate language into numbers first

D. American children can only count to 15 at the age of four

 

 

【答案】

1.D2.B3.C

【解析】略

 

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B
  It was Monday. Mrs Smith's dog was hungry, but there was not any meat in the house.
  Considering that there was no better way, Mrs Smith took a piece of paper, and wrote the following words on it:“Give my dog half a pound of meat.”Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently:“Take this to the butcher(*person whose job is selling meat). and he's going to give you your lunch today.”
  Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher's. It gave the paper to the butcher. The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady's handwriting and soon did it as he was asked to. The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up at once.
  At noon, the dog came to the shop again. It gave the butcher a piece of paper again. After reading it, he gave it half a pound of meat once more.
  The next day, the dog came again exactly at noon. And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth. This time, the butcher did not take a look at paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had regarded the dog as one of his customers (*people who buy sth. from a shop).
  But, the dog came again at four o'clock. And the same thing happened once again. To the butcher's more surprise, it came for the third time at six o'clock, and brought with it a third piece of paper. The butcher felt a bit puzzled. He said to himself, “This is a small dog. Why does Mrs Smith give it so much meat to eat today?”
  Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there were not any words on it!
59. Mrs Smith treated her little dog quite_________.
  A. cruelly   B. fairly   C. kindly   D. politely
60 . It seemed that the dog knew well that the paper Mrs Smith gave it_______.
  A. might do it much harm  B. could do it much good
  C. would help the butcher  D. was worth many pounds
61 .The butcher did not give any meat to the dog __________.
  A. before he felt sure that the words were really written by Mrs Smith
  B. when he found that the words on the paper were not clear
  C. because he had sold out all the meat in his shop
  D. until he was paid enough by Mrs Smith
62.From its experience, the dog found that ________.
  A. only the paper with Mrs Smith's words in it could bring it meat
  B. the butcher would give the meat to it whenever he saw it
  C. Mrs Smith would pay for the meat it got from the butcher
  D. a piece of paper could bring it half a pound of meat
63.At the end of the story, you'll find that _______.
  A. the dog was clever enough to write on the paper
  B. the dog dared not go to the butcher's any more
  C. the butcher was told not to give any meat to the dog
  D. the butcher found himself cheated(*act in a way that is not honest)by the                  clever animal

In the tour book below, four countries are missing. Try to identify them.

The combination of travel and volcanoes has not mixed well in recent times. Many thousands of holiday makers were left stranded in 2010 after the eruption of an Icelandic volcano created a dust cloud which covered much of mainland Europe and severely interrupted air travel. For some, though, volcanoes and travel are a combination made in heaven, with increasing numbers of enthusiasts booking specific excursions to visit volcanoes around the world.
So before you start digging out your passport, changing up your travel money and renewing your travel insurance, take a look at this list of the top 5 volcano travel break destinations and see what takes your fancy.
Italy
Italy is home to three active volcanoes, the largest of which is Mount Etna, situated on the east coast of the Italian island of Sicily. Etna is one of the ‘liveliest’ volcanoes on the planet and is almost constantly active – making it one of the best places in Europe to observe smoking craters and volcanic activity first hand. While in Italy you may also want to consider a trip to Pompeii, the ruins of a city decimated by the eruption of the Mount Vesuvius volcano and an impressive reminder of the true power that volcanoes hold.
_1__
Situated on the boundary of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, it is an island whose very creation is a result of many undersea volcanic eruptions. Pay a visit to the beautiful landscape of its highlands and you can expect to see geysers, awe-inspiring glaciers and lava deserts alongside a selection of active volcanoes. You may also want to visit the site of the volcano that caused more pronunciation problems for newsreaders during the ash cloud crisis of 2010 than possibly any other name ever – Eyjafjallajokull.
_2__
The mountainous Kamchatka region, located in Far East, is home to an incredible landscape of volcanoes and volcanic activity. One of the standout volcanoes of the region is the Mutnovsky Volcano, a combination of many merged craters that spew forth great jets of superheated water and plumes of sulphurous smoke.  
_3____
It is a group of islands said to have been ‘created by fire’ – formed after massive undersea volcanic activity in the Pacific. Quite apart from its reputation as a paradise island, which makes it a popular destination for many, it is undoubtedly a Mecca for volcano lovers. The Kilauea volcano on the Big Island is the most active volcano on the planet and – conditions permitting – you will be able to visit one of Kilauea’s active lava streams as it pours dramatically into the sea.
_4___
Sitting on the border of the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the Central American country is another beautiful place that has many areas of volcanic interest for you to discover. Hikes to see the volcanoes here will take you from jungle to peak, through some of the country’s magnificent national parks. There, you can visit landmarks such as the Irazu Volcano and its stunning green lake.

“ I’d like to be at a healthier weight , ” a friend told me . “ But we just don’t have the money to buy expensive diet foods and there isn’t enough money to join a gym .” Many people feel that way—that a healthy diet and exercise plan is out of reach because of their high cost . Don’t lose hope ! We’ll be looking at ways to make healthy choices without spending too much money .

First you don’t need to buy the expensive pre-prepared “ diet foods . ” Back in the early 1970s when I started housekeeping , 90% of the food I bought was ingredients . Very few things were preprocessed(预处理的). Now 90% of the food you find in the store is quick food . That’s a bad thing .

Quick foods like boxed “ just add hamburger ” meals have had the fiber removed to make them faster to prepare . Take a look at the label on that box . It often has low numbers listed under “ fiber ” because fiber takes longer to digest . If the low fiber meal is digested , the result is that your body begins to store fat . Besides , your body is short of nutrients(营养物质). You will be driven to eat more to try to make up for the low quality of the food you are eating .

And then there are the chemicals the producers add to the quick meals to make them palatable . If not , the stuff would taste like cardboard and you wouldn’t enjoy it . However , these chemicals certainly aren’t good for your health .

What’s the answer ? Buy whole ingredients and give up the expensive , low nutrition , processed foods . Do the cooking yourself and you will have control over what is in your food —and it will cost less , too .

1.People who find it hard to get a healthier weight think        .

A.they had too much diet foods

B.they didn’t make a detailed plan

C.they have no time to do exercise in gym

D.they can’t afford diet foods and to exercise in gym

2. The author doesn’t like quick food mainly because       .

A.it contains too much fat

B.it makes people eat less

C.it has low fiber

D.it takes longer to digest

3.The underlined word “ palatable ” in Paragraph 4 probably means “       ”.

A.fresh

B.delicious

C.healthy

D.simple

4.The author suggests in the text that people should       .

A.control the amount of food

B.eat more processed foods

C.cook food for themselves

D.choose cheap ingredients

5.Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage ? (①="Paragraph" 1,

②="Paragraph" 2 ,…⑤="Paragraph" 5)

A.①/②③④/⑤

B.①②/③④/⑤

C.①②③/④/⑤

D.①/②③/④⑤

 

Win $ 50 in the Coolest Gadget of the Week

Look at what’s the coolest gadget (vote for a chance to win $ 50).

Cryo S: A Cool Netbook Cooler

Like the other devices of NZXT, the Cryo S was designed to provide a competitive advantage at PC gaming. It has two adjustable 120mm fans that provide powerful cooling.

The full post can be found on Trends Updates.

Starry Night Bed

Are you having trouble getting that good nights sleep that you’re needing? Well, not any more. Why not take a look at the Starry Night Bed? The Starry Night Bed is a great new invention which will revolutionize the way in which you sleep. Not only is this bed fashionable and comfortable but it’s also a gadget heaven. With this bed you get many added gadgets including anti-snore technology, movie projector with speakers, temperature control and many more.

The full post can be found on Tech Styling.

Fugootalking gadgets

Fugoo gets all your appliances(装置,设备) talking to each other so your alarm clock could first wake you up and then tell the coffee machine to start working  while checking traffic conditions online to tell you how long it will take you to get to work.

The full post can be found on Decide What to Buy.

Vote  What is this week's coolest gadget?

〇 A Cool Netbook Cooler

〇 Starry Night Bed

〇 Fugoo—talking gadgets

1.Where can you find the full post of the “Cryo S”?

A. Tech Styling.                            B. Super Cool Pets.

C. Decide What to Buy.                      D. Trends Updates.

2.If you buy a Starry Night Bed, you can get all the following gadgets EXCEPT ___________.

A. temperature control          B. movie projector

C. adjustable fans               D. anti-snore technology

3.From this passage, we learn that Fugoo can_________.

A. check traffic conditions                     B. wake you up

C. take you to work                         D. make coffee

4.Where does this advertisement probably come from?

A. A magazine.       B. A website.         C. A newspaper.    D. A textbook.

 

第二部分:阅读理解(共25小题,第一节每小题2分,第二节每小题1分;满分45分)

第一节:阅读下面的短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项。                              A

Endless sea, sand and sunshine on a tiny island--everyone' s idea of heaven. Who wouldn' t want to live in such a place.?

One person who certainly does is Ben Southall, from the UK. The 34-year-old was one of more than 34,000 people who applied for the post of "caretaker" on Hamilton Island, Australia, which the local government called "the best job in the world". The position starts in July and runs for six months. The salary is 150,000 Australian dollars(780,639 yuan).

Why Southall? Well, first let's take a look at the criteria(标准) for the job: "We're looking for applicants who like to have adventures, have a great love of the outdoors and have good commu-nication skills. "

On his application video, Southall expressed a love of adventure and included photographs of himself riding an ostrich(鸵鸟 ), running a marathon, diving, and kissing a giraffe. "From the time he was announced in the Top 50, and then the Top 16, Southall did a great job by showing true ex-citement about Queensland," Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said in a statement.

"His ideas for how he will make the role his own.., as well as his ability to rise to a challenge impressed the judges and helped him to win his place in the top job," Lawlor said.

Southall was born in Coventry, UK and used his parents' home as a base for his adventures. He had an old Land Rover that he used for a charity-fund-raising trek(跋涉) across Africa which in-volved joining in five marathons( a 42.16 km race) and climbing five mountains.

"It was sometimes hard work to make him get his head down and do his work because he always wanted to be outside," his mother said about his early years.

"He wanted to go surfing in South Africa, so he got a job house-sitting to pay for it. We regu-larly ask him when he is going to get a proper job, but he is confident and has a strong set of friends and is a great social animal. Now he has got the perfect job for his skills," said his father.

So, you see? No matter what type of person you are, there's always the possibility of getting a dream job. How' s that? Just read the job descriptions carefully and think about how your skills and qualities fit with the ones needed for the job. That' s what Southall did to get his job.

41. The post of "caretaker" on Hamilton Island is said-to be the best job in the world mainly because of_____

A. a beautiful landscape                          B. a short working time

C. great pay for a fun job                          D. very good weather

42. According to Lawlor, what wasn' t the reason that helped Southall win the job?

A. His outstanding application video

B. His passion for the job and ability to face up to challenges

C. His great love of adventures

D. His true excitement about the Austrilian lifestyle

43. Which of the following statements about Southall is true?

A. He did a poor job in school when he was young.

B. He worked as a house-sitter to raise charity funds.

C. He has won five marathons.

D. He is good at communicating with others.

44. We can leam from Southall that_____

A. the world offers opportunities for everyone    

B. setbacks will only make you stronger

C. all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy  

D. where there is a will, there is a way

 

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