It takes years of school to develop math skills, but learning about numbers starts earlier than you might think. Now according to a new study, at three months, babies have already started acquiring a concept (概念) of “how much”.

Previous research had suggested that very young babies can tell when the number of objects (物体) in a group has changed. But the babies in these studies were simply reacting generally to the fact that something had changed, they suspected.

Researchers of Harvard University studied 36 babies, all three months old. During the tests, each baby wore a hat with sensors (传感器). The babies watched a series of images on a computer screen. They showed the same object, such as a cartoon character. For a while, the number of the objects in the pictures didn’t change. Then the images began to display a different object, or a different number of one of the objects the babies had previously looked at. As soon as something changed, the babies’ brains responded with a specific pattern of electrical signals, which would be recorded by sensors.

By analyzing these signals, the researchers discovered that one part of the brain (near the top on the left side) responded when the object in the image changed. A different part of the brain (lower and on the right side) responded when the number of objects in the image changed. This was not the area of the brain that is involved in attention. That suggests that the babies’ brains are doing more than just reacting to a change in what they’re seeing – they actually seem to be able to tell number changes from other types of changes.

Numbers and amounts are important concepts in our lives. Even though babies are years away from adding, subtracting (减), multiplying, and dividing, their brains seem to be preparing for a time when they finally will.

1.Why were hats with sensors used in the study?

2.What does the underlined word “They” in the third paragraph refer to?

3.Which part of the brain is responsible for responding to the changes of numbers?

4.The last paragraph mainly implies that           .

5.The purpose of the study is to prove that          .

（4）完形填空

An earthquake hit Kashmir on Oct. 8, 2005. it took some 75,000 lives, __21_  130,000 and left nearly 3.5 million without food, jobs or homes. __22__ overnight, scores of tent villages bloomed across the region, tended by international aid organizations, military __23__ and aid groups working day and night to shelter the survivors before winter set in.

Mercifully, the season was mild. But with the __24__ of spring the refugees(难民) will be moved again. Camps that _25__ health care, food and shelter for 150,000 survivors have begun to close as they were __26_  intended to be permanent.

For most of the refugees, the thought of going back brings __27__ emotions. The past six months have been difficult. Families of as  many as 10 people have had to shelter under a single tent and share cookstoves and bathing __28__ with neighbors. “They are looking forward to the clean water of their rivers,” officials say. “They are dreaming of free fresh fruit. They want to get back to their herds and start farming again.” But most will be returning to __29__ but heaps of ruins. In many villages, electrical line have not been repaired, nor have roads. Aid workers __30__ that it will take years to rebuild what the earthquake took away. And for the thousands of survivors, the recovery will never be complete.

Yet the survivors have to start somewhere. New homes can be built onto the stones, bricks and beams of old ones. Spring is coming and it is a good time to start again.

21.   A) injured     B) ruined           C) destroyed         D) damaged

22.   A) Altogether   B) Almost           C) Scarcely          D) Surely

23.   A) ranks      B) equipment        C) personnel         D) installations

24.   A) falling     B) emergence      C) arrival             D) appearing

25.   A) strengthened    B) aided       C) transferred         D) provided

26.   A) never          B) once       C) ever                D) yet

27.   A) puzzled         B) contrasted   C) doubled             D) mixed

28.   A) facilities     B) instruments    C) implements          D) appliances

29.   A) anything         B) something      C) everything        D) nothing

30.   A) account          B) measure        C) estimate          D) value

Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products.

The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item(商品) that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.

It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.

What does the author try to argue in Paragraph 1?

A. The exercise of rights is a luxury.

B. The practice of choice is difficult.

C. The right of choice is given but at a price.

D. Choice and right exist at the same time.

Why do more choices of goods give rise to anxiety?

A. Professionals find it hard to decide on a suitable product.

B. People are likely to find themselves overcome by business persuasion.

C. Shoppers may find themselves lost in the broad range of items.

D. Companies and advertisers are often misleading about the rage of choice.

By using computers as an example, the author wants to prove that _______.

A. advanced products meet the needs of people

B. products of the latest design flood the market

C. competitions are fierce in high-tech industry

D. everyday goods need to be replaced often

What is this passage mainly about?

A. The variety of choices in modern society.

B. The opinions on people’s right in different countries

C. The Problems about the availability of everyday goods.

D. The helplessness in purchasing decisions

“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”

“Two full inches in the first three days!”

These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper, radio and television ads, promising good shapes and new look to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way add to beauty or desirability.

Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoters. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.

To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA (Food Drug Administration) can require proof under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that it is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action, including seizure (查封) of the product.

One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, which had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that was dangerous to health and life.

Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings (法律诉讼), and new devices appear continually, Before buying, it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items.

1.It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are_____.

2.The Relaxacisor is mentioned as______.

3.The author intends to______.

4.Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. The court is in charge of removing dangerous products.

B. New products are more likely to be questionable.

C. The production of a device must be approved by FDA.

D. The promoters usually just care about profits.

第二节（共5小题，每小题2分，共1 0分）

根据短文内容，从下框的A～F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有一项为多余选项。

E．The education in Paris

F．The industries in Paris

51．____________

Paris, the capital and the largest city of the country, is in north central France．The Paris metropolitan  area contains nearly 20% of the nation’s population and is the economic, cultural, and political center of France．The French government have historically favored the city as the site for all decision making, thus powerfully attracting nearly all of the nation’s activities．

52．___________[来源:ZXXK]

Paris has grown steadily since it was chosen as the national capital in the late 10^th century．With the introduction of the Industrial Revolution, a great number of people moved to the city from the country during the 19^th century．The migration was especially stimulated by the construction of railroads, which provided easy access to the capital．After World War II, more and more immigrants arrived．

53．____________

The city is the centralized control point of most national radio and television broadcasting．It is a place of publication of the most important newspapers and magazines and an international book publishing center．With more than 100 museums, Paris has truly one of the greatest concentrations of art treasures in the world．The Louvre, opened as a museum in 1793, is one of the largest museums in the world．

54．___________

In the late 1980s about 4.1 million pupils annually attended about 47,000 elementary schools．In addition, about 5.4 million students attended some 11,200 secondary schools．Approximately 1.2 million students were enrolled annually at universities and colleges in France in the late 1980s．French centers of learning have served as academic models throughout the world．

55．___________

Paris is the leading industrial center of France, with about one quarter of the nation’s manufacturing  concentrated in the metropolitan area．Industries of consumers goods have always been drawn to Paris by the enormous market of the big population; and modern, high-technology industries also have become numerous since World War II．Chief manufactures are machinery, automobiles, chemicals and electrical equipment．