A new reading tool was put on the market this week for the two-to five-year-old set. It is sold for at least $389, an expensive purchase for a kid – and that doesn’t even include a $99 annual subscription (订阅) fee for games, e-books, and age-appropriate software.
That might be fine for parents willing and able to pay thousands for private nursery schools, but will the tool actually help kids learn language and reading skills more effectively than traditional books?
Probably not, said Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center for Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston. “There is a sensory components (感官因素) to books that isn’t there with e-books,” he explained. “You can smell it, turn the pages, and taste it, as young kids are likely to do.”
That might help little ones become more familiar with the books, helping them learn from them, but far more important is whether a person is actually sitting with them while they’re looking at the pages.
Researchers have shown time and again that kids learn better when they’re having interaction (互动) with real people, rather than electronic voices reading to them from a computer or speaking to them from the TV.
A Georgetown University study found that kids who learned to put on gloves from watching a video took six times as long to learn the process as those who watched it shown by an adult standing in front of them.
“I’m a big believer in teaching kids to live in the digital society and use what the rest of the family uses, but they do need to be supervised,” said Dr. Gwenn O’Keeffe, a Boston-based children’s doctor and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. “We don’t recommend that young kids use any type of technology for very long since they have the attention span (注意力持续时间) of a butterfly.”
小题1:According to the text, the new tool .| A．is mainly used to entertain kids | | B．can be accepted by most families | | C．is designed for preschool kids | | D．can download games for free |
小题2:Why is Dr. Michael Rich against the new tool?| A．Because it doesn’t really involve many of the senses. | | B．Because it does great harm to kids’ eyesight. | | C．Because kids can’t communicate with it. | | D．Because traditional books are cheaper. |
小题3:The study mentioned in Paragraph 6 aims to .| A．show the disadvantage of kids’ watching videos | | B．prove the importance of interaction with people | | C．ask parents to teach their kids to learn | | D．prove using e-books saves much time |
小题4:The underlined word “supervised” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “ ”.| A．punished | B．watched | C．encouraged | D．understood |
小题5:What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?| A．To introduce a new electronic device. | | B．To teach kids how to live in a digital world. | | C．To show parents how to help kids gain knowledge. | | D．To throw new light on kids’ use of electronic tools. |
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小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:B
小题5:D |
小题1:细节题。根据文章第一行A new reading tool was put on the market this week for the two-to five-year-old set.可知这种读书工具是为了2-5岁得孩子设计的。那么C正确。
小题2:推理题。根据第3段后三行可知读书是一种多感觉化的过程，涉及到多种感觉，故A正确。
小题3:推理题。第六段的内容是为了证明第五段的观点，也就是交流的重要性。
小题4:猜测词义题。根据but可知上下文是转折的关系，是指孩子的行为需要监管。
小题5:主旨大意题。文章的目的正是为了阐述孩子们使用新型的电子读书工具。 |
核心考点
试题【A new reading tool was put on the market this week for the two-to five-year-old 】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Penguins live together，but each pair has a little piece of ground of their own.When a penguin wants to walk through its neighbor’s ground，it must ask permission.If it does not do that，it will have to fight.Most of the time，penguins live on the water.They eat shell fish and look after their children carefully.
All penguins are good parents—the male penguins are perhaps the best parents in the world. They walk in the sea in the middle of the dark Antarctic water. They choose their wives in the dark.They can only hear them—not see them.Then the female penguins lay their eggs and go away for about two months.The males take care of the eggs.If the eggs get cold，there will be no chicks.There is no food.The snow falls heavily and the wind blows strongly—sometimes at 150 kilometers an hour.The penguins do not move.When the females return from the sea，they will not remember their husbands.It does not matter.Only one thing matters—the eggs.Male penguins never fight—unless a penguin leaves a chick for a minute.They then fight because they all want it.They are strange and wonderful birds.
小题1:It seems interesting and unusual that the male penguins choose their wives ______.| A．when the female penguins return from the sea | | B．just by hearing in the darkness | | C．each time they see the lovely females | | D．after they have had their own grounds |
小题2:Male penguins fight when ______.| A．they choose their wives | | B．they see a chick left alone | | C．they want to get something to eat | | D．they walk through their neighbors’ ground |
小题3:From the passage we know that ______.| A．penguins live a hard life | | B．penguins live in pairs | | C．penguins will fight if one walks through others’ ground without permission | | D．each penguin has a little piece of ground of its own |
小题4:The penguins choose their wives in the dark. We can infer that ______.| A．penguins like nights very much | | B．there is no daytime in that place at all | | C．the weather is cloudy and rainy all the year around | | D．the sun can’t shine there for nearly half a year every year |
小题5:Which of the following is NOT true?| A．Female penguins take care of the eggs. | | B．Female penguins often have their new husbands. | | C．Male penguins use their ears to choose wives. | | D．Male penguins don’t move when they take care of eggs，even though the wind often blows strongly. |
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Although April did not bring us the rains we all hoped for, and although the Central Valley doesn’t generally experience the sound and lightning that can go with those rains, it’s still important for parents to be able to answer the youthful questions about thunder and lightning.
The reason these two wonders of nature are so difficult for many adults to explain to children is that they are not very well understood by adults themselves. For example, did you know that the lightning we see flashing down to the earth from a cloud is actually flashing up to a cloud from the earth? Our eyes trick us into thinking we see a downward motion when it’s actually the other way around. But then, if we believed only what we think and we see, we’d still insist that the sun rises in the morning and sets at night.
Most lightning flashes take place inside a cloud, and only a relative few can be seen jumping between two clouds or between earth and a cloud. But, with about 2,000 thunderstorms taking place above the earth every minute of the day and night, there’s enough activity to produce about 100 lightning strikes on earth every second.
Parents can use thunder and lightning to help their children learn more about the world around them. When children understand that the light of the lightning flashing reaches their eyes almost at the same moment, but the sound of the thunder takes about 5 seconds to travel just one mile, they can begin to time the interval (间隔) between the flash and the crash to learn how lose they were to the actual spark (闪光).
小题1:According to the author, in the area of the Central Valley____.| A．rains usually come without thunder and lightning. | | B．it is usually dry in April | | C．children pay no attention to the two natural wonders. | | D．parents are not interested in thunder and lightning. |
小题2:We believe that lightning is a downward motion because_______.| A．we were taught so by our parents from our childhood. | | B．we are taken in by our sense of vision. | | C．it is a common natural sight. | | D．it is a truth proved by science. |
小题3:What is TRUE about lightning according to the passage?| A．Only a small number of lightning flashes occur on earth. | | B．Lightning flashes usually jump from one cloud to another. | | C．Lightning travels 5 times faster than thunder. | | D．There are far more lightning strikes occurring on earth than we can imagine. |
小题4:The underlined word “activity” is most closely related to the word (s) _____.| A．cloud | B．lightning strikes | C．lightning flashes | D．thunderstorms |
小题5:It can be concluded from the passage that _______.| A．we should not believe what we see or hear. | | B．things moving downward are more noticeable. | | C．people sometimes may have wrong ideas about ordinary phenomena. | | D．adults are not as good as children in observing certain natural phenomena. |
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During the first week of the term, every student was given a job for which they would be responsible for the rest of that school year.
Some jobs were more 26 than others, and the children were eager to be given one of the best ones. And the teacher would 27 who had been most responsible during the previous year. Among them Rita 28 . During the previous year she had followed all the teacher’s 29 perfectly.
But that year there was a big 30 . Each child received one of the normal 31 , like cleaning the blackboard. But Rita’s job was very 32 . She was given a little box containing some sand and one ant. And even though the teacher 33 that this ant was a very special ant, it 34 Rita. Most of her classmates felt sorry for her and even her father 35 Rita to ignore it. 36 , Rita preferred to show the teacher her error by making the unimportant task into a special job.
“ I will turn this little task into 37 great,” Rita said to herself.
So Rita started 38 her little ant. She gave the ant the best food, and it grew bigger than anyone had expected…
One day, the teacher 39 a man to the students and said he would tell them a 40 piece of news. The man said, “ Today they have announced the winner of the 41 , and this class is the winner! This class has been chosen to accompany me on a 42 to the tropical rainforest to investigate all kinds of insects. 43 all the schools of this region, it is this one that has best 44 for the little ant given to you. Well done!”
That day the class was filled with joy. Everyone 45 Rita and thanked the teacher. And many children learnt that to be given the most important tasks you have to know how to be responsible for even the smallest tasks.
| 小题1: | | A．interesting | B．possible | C．necessary | D．creative |
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| 小题2: | | A．realize | B．doubt | C．argue | D．consider |
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| 小题3: | | A．stood up | B．stood out | C．stood for | D．stood by |
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| 小题4: | | A．opinions | B．concerns | C．instructions | D．experiments |
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| 小题5: | | A．curiosity | B．movement | C．surprise | D．chance |
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| 小题6: | | A．tasks | B．promises | C．dreams | D．purposes |
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| 小题7: | | A．different | B．ordinary | C．familiar | D．valuable |
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| 小题8: | | A．hoped | B．insisted | C．agreed | D．guessed |
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| 小题9: | | A．annoyed | B．inspired | C．satisfied | D．disappointed |
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| 小题10: | | A．supposed | B．forced | C．encouraged | D．admitted |
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| 小题11: | | A．Therefore | B．Otherwise | C．However | D．Moreover |
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| 小题12: | | A．something | B．nothing | C．everything | D．anything |
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| 小题13: | | A．developing | B．studying | C．comforting | D．writing |
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| 小题14: | | A．introduced | B．exposed | C．appealed | D．connected |
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| 小题15: | | A．terrible | B．confusing | C．wonderful | D．foolish |
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| 小题16: | | A．competition | B．challenge | C．conference | D．negotiation |
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| 小题17: | | A．journey | B．vacation | C．meeting | D．story |
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| 小题18: | | A．Between | B．Along | C．Besides | D．Among |
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小题19:A looked B. paid C. cared D. worked
| 小题20: | | A．prized | B．congratulated | C．respected | D．celebrated |
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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.
小题1:Why were hats with sensors used in the study?| A．To record the images on the computer screen. | | B．To remind babies of the changes of numbers. | | C．To record the electrical activity of each baby’s brain. | | D．To help babies concentrate on the computer screen. |
小题2:What does the underlined word “They” in the third paragraph refer to?| A．Babies involved in the study. | | B．Sensors worn by the babies. | | C．Numbers marked on the objects. | | D．Images shown on the computer screen. |
小题3:Which part of the brain is responsible for responding to the changes of numbers?| A．The top. | | B．The left side. | | C．The lower and the right side. | | D．The upper and the left side. |
小题4:The last paragraph mainly implies that .| A．babies are in fact cleverer than they are thought | | B．it is impossible to understand human brain completely | | C．numbers play the most important part in people’s lives | | D．the ability of babies remain a mystery to scientists |
小题5:The purpose of the study is to prove that . | A．math skills should be developed as early as possible | | B．numbers are easier for babies to judge than images | | C．babies really do have some sense of numbers | | D．babies can react differently to what they see |
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The Internationa1 Space Station allows astronauts to live in space for extended amounts of time, enabling them to explore the outside universe and conduct many experiments. However, nothing like that exists for our oceans, and thanks to the high water pressure, ocean researchers are able to explore what lies undersea for very short periods of time.
They are therefore never able to fully explore the deep inside areas of our oceans. However, if French architect Jacques Rougerie has his way, that will change soon.
Jacques has designed a ship that will allow researchers to spend a long period of time observing the sea life and conducting experiments. The huge l67ft. ship, named ‘Sea Orbiter’, consists of two areas—one above the water where the scientists and crew will live, and a lower pressurized deck (甲板), where scientists will be able to spend as much time as they wish. Since it is powered by sea currents and wind, he expects it to drift (漂流) along the oceans slowly, taking about two years to circumvent the globe.
Jacques will make their life as comfortable as possible in the ship. Besides being equipped with the latest sailing tools and communication equipment, the ship will also have a gym, a television and a DVD player! And these guys will not be eating freeze-dried food like astronauts. Instead, Jacques, an accomplished chef, plans on cooking them delicious meals every day.
The biggest problem to this giant ship is the cost, which is expected to be over $500 million—per ship! However, Jacques, who strongly believes that the secrets of our oceans may be the key to solving global warming and a vital supply for food and medicine in the future, is confident he will be able to convince governments all over the world to help out, and expects to start construction on not one, but four or five of these amazing ships soon!
小题1:Why can’t ocean researchers explore the deep oceans for a long time?| A．Because they can’t stand the high water pressure. | | B．Because it’s too cold in deep ocean. | | C．Because time for experiments is too limited. | | D．Because it’s dangerous to observe the sea life. |
小题2:The underlined word “circumvent ” probably means .| A．fly away | B．go around | C．travel through | D．move into |
小题3:From the fourth paragraph we can learn that .| A．Jacques intends to design the ship mainly for sightseeing and traveling | | B．living a comfortable life helps to do the ocean research quickly | | C．it’s much more expensive to eat freeze-dried food | | D．researchers on Jacques ’ ship will live more comfortably than astronauts |
小题4:In Jacques’ opinion, which of the following is not the purpose of the undersea research?| A．To find supply for food in the future. | | B．To find supply for medicine in the future. | | C．To draw governments’ attention to the construction of the ship. | | D．To solve the global warming. |
小题5:Which of the fol1owing would be the best title for the text?| A．Sea Orbiter—the ship of the future | | B．A new way to explore the deep oceans | | C．A great architect—Jacques Rogerie | | D．Travel around the globe in Sea Orbiter |
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