According to a new study, preschool boys perform better on tests that measure learning and other important skills when they are in classes that have more girls than boys. This doesn’t seem to apply to girls, though. For preschool girls, the presence or absence of boys does not affect learning.

“The study raises questions about having all-boy or all-girl classes for preschool”, says psychologist Arlen Moller, who led the study. She added, “Previous researches have shown that high-school girls may study better in all-g irl schools. In middle school, however, the effects of same-sex schooling are unclear, and even less is known for very young kids.” To find out, researchers studied 70 preschool classes with a total of 806 children who were between 3.5 and 6 years old. For each class, teachers recorded the student’s progress over a 6.5-month school year.

Their data included scores of motor skills, social skills and thinking skills. Researchers found that boys developed each of these skills more quickly when there were more girls in the class than boys.

In majority-girl classrooms, boys developed at the same rate as girls. But in classes where boys were the majority, boys developed more slowly than girls. Girls tended to advance in classrooms which had any combination of boys and girls.

The study is one of the first to look at how the proportion of boys and girls in a class affects learning. Because it’s a new finding, researchers don’t know why this difference exists.

“This is an exciting topic, but it’s too early to draw any conclusion because this area is so under-explored,” says psychologist Lean Malofeeva of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

81．What is the finding of the researchers led by Arlen Moller? (no more than 15 words)(2 marks)

82．According to the research , what effect does a minority-girl class have on boy’s study?(no more than 8 words)(3 marks)

83．How does Lean Malofeeva find the study of the researchers led by Arlen Moller?(no more than 6 words)(3 marks)

84．List three abilities the researchers focused on. (on more than 7 words)(3 marks)

Most people regard zoos as safe places for animals, where struggles such as difficulty finding food and avoiding predators（捕食性动物） don't exist. Without such problems, animals in zoos should live to a ripe old age. But that may not be true for the largest land animals on Earth. Scientists have known that elephants in zoos often develop diseases, joint problems and behavior changes. Sometimes, they even become unable to have babies.

To learn more about how captivity(监禁) affects elephants, a team of international scientists led by Mason, a biologist, compared the life spans of female elephants born in zoos with female elephants living outdoors in the wild. Zoos keep detailed records of all the animals in their care, documenting factors such as birth dates, illnesses, weight and death. These records made it possible for the researchers to analyze 40 years of data on 800 elephants in zoos.

The team found that female elephants born in zoos lived an average of 16.9 years. Their wild counterparts（同类事物） who died of natural causes lived an average of 56 years——more than three times as long.

Scientists don't yet know for sure why wild elephants seem to live so much better than their zoo-raised counterparts. Mason thinks stress and obesity(肥胖) may be to blame. Zoo elephants don't get the same kind of exercise as they do in the wild, and most are very fat. Elephant social lives are also much different in zoos than in the wild, where they live in large groups.

Another finding from the study showed that elephants born in zoos were more likely to die earlier than elephants captured in the wild and brought to zoos. Mason suggests stress in the mothers in zoos might cause them to have babies that are less likely to survive.

The study raises some questions about acquiring more elephants to keep in zoos. While some threatened and endangered species living in zoos reproduce successfully and keep healthy populations, that doesn't appear to be the case with elephants.

1.The text tells us that zoo elephants are different from other zoo animals because they________

2.What do the scientists find in their research?

3.Which of the following does the author suggest in the last paragraph?

4.Which of the following can be the best title?

According to a new study, preschool boys perform better on tests that measure learning and other important skills when they are in classes that have more girls than boys. This doesn’t seem to apply to girls, though. For preschool girls, the presence or absence of boys does not affect learning.

“The study raises questions about having all-boy or all-girl classes for preschool”, says psychologist Arlen Moller, who led the study. She added, “Previous researches have shown that high-school girls may study better in all-g irl schools. In middle school, however, the effects of same-sex schooling are unclear, and even less is known for very young kids.” To find out, researchers studied 70 preschool classes with a total of 806 children who were between 3.5 and 6 years old. For each class, teachers recorded the student’s progress over a 6.5-month school year.

Their data included scores of motor skills, social skills and thinking skills. Researchers found that boys developed each of these skills more quickly when there were more girls in the class than boys.

In majority-girl classrooms, boys developed at the same rate as girls. But in classes where boys were the majority, boys developed more slowly than girls. Girls tended to advance in classrooms which had any combination of boys and girls.

The study is one of the first to look at how the proportion of boys and girls in a class affects learning. Because it’s a new finding, researchers don’t know why this difference exists.

“This is an exciting topic, but it’s too early to draw any conclusion because this area is so under-explored,” says psychologist Lean Malofeeva of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

81．What is the finding of the researchers led by Arlen Moller? (no more than 15 words)(2 marks)

82．According to the research , what effect does a minority-girl class have on boy’s study?(no more than 8 words)(3 marks)

83．How does Lean Malofeeva find the study of the researchers led by Arlen Moller?(no more than 6 words)(3 marks)

84．List three abilities the researchers focused on. (on more than 7 words)(3 marks)

Most people regard zoos as safe places for animals, where struggles such as difficulty finding food and avoiding predators（捕食性动物） don't exist. Without such problems, animals in zoos should live to a ripe old age. But that may not be true for the largest land animals on Earth. Scientists have known that elephants in zoos often develop diseases, joint problems and behavior changes. Sometimes, they even become unable to have babies.
To learn more about how captivity(监禁) affects elephants, a team of international scientists led by Mason, a biologist, compared the life spans of female elephants born in zoos with female elephants living outdoors in the wild. Zoos keep detailed records of all the animals in their care, documenting factors such as birth dates, illnesses, weight and death. These records made it possible for the researchers to analyze 40 years of data on 800 elephants in zoos.
The team found that female elephants born in zoos lived an average of 16.9 years. Their wild counterparts（同类事物） who died of natural causes lived an average of 56 years——more than three times as long.
Scientists don't yet know for sure why wild elephants seem to live so much better than their zoo-raised counterparts. Mason thinks stress and obesity(肥胖) may be to blame. Zoo elephants don't get the same kind of exercise as they do in the wild, and most are very fat. Elephant social lives are also much different in zoos than in the wild, where they live in large groups.
Another finding from the study showed that elephants born in zoos were more likely to die earlier than elephants captured in the wild and brought to zoos. Mason suggests stress in the mothers in zoos might cause them to have babies that are less likely to survive.
The study raises some questions about acquiring more elephants to keep in zoos. While some threatened and endangered species living in zoos reproduce successfully and keep healthy populations, that doesn't appear to be the case with elephants.
【小题1】The text tells us that zoo elephants are different from other zoo animals because they________