Scientists say we are all born with a talent for mathematics.Every time we scan the cafeteria for a table that will fit all of our friends，we're exercising the ancient estimation center in our brain.
Stanislas Dehaene was the first researcher to show that this part of the brain exists.In 1989，he met Mr.N who had suffered a serious brain injury.Mr.N couldn't recognize the number 5，or add 2 and 2.But he still knew that there are "about 50 minutes" in an hour.Dehaene drew an important conclusion from his case：there must be two separate mathematical areas in our brains.One area is responsible for the math we learn in school，and the other judges approximate amounts.
So what does the brain's estimation center do for us？Harvard University researcher Elizabeth Spelke has spent a lot of time posing math problems to preschoolers.When he asks 5-year-olds to solve a problem like 21+30，they can't do it.But he has also asked them questions such as，"Sarah has 21 candles and gets 30 more.John has 34 candles.Who has more candles？" It turns out preschoolers are great at solving questions like that.Before they've learned how to do math with numerals and symbols，their brains' approximation centers are already hard at work.
After we learn symbolic math，do we still have any use for our inborn math sense？Justin Halberda at Johns Hopkins University gave us an answer in his study.He challenged a group of 14-year-olds with an approximation test：The kids stared at a computer screen and saw groups of yellow and blue dots flash by，too quickly to count.Then they had to say whether there had been more blue dots or yellow dots.The researchers found that most were able to answer correctly when there were 25 yellow dots and 10 blue ones.When the groups were closer in size，11 yellow dots and 10 blue ones，fewer kids answered correctly.
The big surprise in this study came when the researcher compared the kids' approximation test scores to their scores on standardized math tests.He found that kids who did better on the flashing dot test had better standardized test scores，and vice versa（反之亦然）.It seems that，far from being irrelevant，your math sense might predict your ability at formal math.
（1）From the first two studies，we can learn that estimation center CC.
A．is divided into two separate mathematical areas
B．can help figure out numerals and symbols problems
C．functions independently in both kids' and adults' brains
D．works better when symbolic parts are injured or undergrown
（2）What most surprised Justin in the study of 14-year-olds？ DD
A．The variety of math abilities in different students.
B．The link between technology skills and estimation skills.
C．The difficulty of the task as the number of dots increased.
D．The connection between estimation skills and formal math ability.
（3）What could be the best title for the passage？ AA
A．Born with a Sense of Math
B．Go beyond What You Can Learn
C．Symbolic Math and Estimation Math
D．Our Brain一a Born Mathematician
【答案】C；D；A
【解答】
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發(fā)布：2024/5/27 14:0:0組卷：11引用：3難度：0.6
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（1）What can we know about Burlington School？
A．It is open all year.
B．It is located in London.
C．It provides no accommodation.
D．It offers no social practice classes.
（2）Which school offers the biggest discounts？
A．Burlington School.
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D．It offers General and Specialist English courses.發(fā)布：2025/1/6 16:30:6組卷：0引用：1難度：0.6 -
2．Hi Judy!
You often complain to me that you always buy goods unreasonably on sale promotion（促銷）and feel it shameful after going back to your school dormitory with new things not needed，considering all the money you spend is your parents' income．
In fact，this is a common phenomenon，called impulsive buying，a buying unplanned and hard to control．It usually happens when a store offers discounts（打折）or sales promotion-a special way used by stores to get more customers，which means you may fall into its traps even without notice．
Stores，with a good knowledge of customers' psychology（心理），make use of it to drive business．Avoiding all the impulsive buying is a hard thing．However，knowing our psychology behind it and reducing the times when influenced by sales promotion may be useful．So you should keep calm when facing the sales promotion by keeping in mind what you really need．
Find out the conditions where you are likely to buy things blindly．When seeing a dress advertised at 20% off，do not concentrate on the discount，but warn yourself against falling into the trap of "saving money''．
Besides，do not forget the long-term effects of your choice when meeting a sales promotion．Short-term benefits，like excited feeling just after buying items encourage impulsive buying．But the long-term costs such as waste of money and the sense of shame really annoy you．When seeing the advertisements，remember what you really want to buy originally and warn yourself of that terrible feeling．Only in this way can you save money for really needed things．
Yours，
Rachel
（1）Judy felt it a shame to．
A．complain to others about the poverty of her family
B．waste her parents' money on unneeded things
C．buy cheap things at lower prices or with less money
D．rely on her parents for further education
（2）Which of the following is true of impulsive buying according to Rachel？
A．It is designed by shops to draw customers' attention．
B．It can be brought under control with the help of stores．
C．It is planned by buyers with the purpose of saving money．
D．It is done by customers without considering its bad effects．
（3）In face of sales promotion Judy is advised to．
A．have belief in her own immediate decision
B．check the quality of the goods at low prices
C．stay calm by thinking about what she really needs
D．take the chance to learn more about stores tricks
（4）How do buyers usually feel in the long run after buying discounted things？
A．Regretful．
B．Thrilled．
C．Relaxed．
D．Sceptical．發(fā)布：2025/1/10 8:0:1組卷：4引用：2難度：0.6 -
3．Ever since I graduated from high school I've worked in the factories surrounding my hometown every summer.However，making the transformation between school and full-time blue-collar work during the break never gets any easier.For a student like me who considers any class before noon to be unacceptable，getting to a factory by 6 o'clock each morning is suffering.My friends never seem to understand why I'm so relieved to be back at school or that my summer vacation has been anything but a vacation.
There are few people as self-confident as a college student who has never been out in the real world.People of my age always seem to overestimate the value of their time and knowledge.In fact，all the classes did not prepare me for my battles with the machine I ran in the plant，which would jam whenever I absent-mindedly put in a part backward or upside down.
The most stressful thing about blue-collar life is knowing your job could disappear over night.Issues like being laid off and overseas relocation had always seemed distant to me until my co-workers told me that the unit I was working in would shut down within six months and move to Mexico，where people would work for 60 cents an hour.
After working 12-hour shifts（輪班）in a factory，the other options have become only too clear. "This job pays well，but it's hell on the body，" said one co-worker. "Study hard and keep reading." she added.When I'm back at the university，skipping classes and turning in lazy re-writes seems too irresponsible after seeing what I would be doing without school.All the advice and public-service announcements about the value of an education that used to sound stale（陳腐的）now ring true.
My experiences in the factories have inspired me to make the most of my college years before I enter the real world for good.
（1）What does the author think of his summer holiday？
A．It was no holiday for him at all.
B．It brought him nothing but suffering.
C．It was a relief from his hard work at school.
D．It offered him a chance to make more friends.
（2）What can we infer about most college students？
A．They do better in the real world.
B．They are confident when they work.
C．They think too highly of themselves.
D．They are expert at handling machines.
（3）What is the biggest pressure for blue-collar workers？
A．A low income.
B．The lack of security.
C．An unstable location.
D．Less break.
（4）How did the working experiences change the author？
A．He became responsible for his work.
B．He learned to be more practical at work.
C．He began to respect blue-collar workers.
D．He came to appreciate his college education.發(fā)布：2025/1/6 16:30:6組卷：0引用：1難度：0.5
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