Question

Not long ago, many people believed that babies only wanted food and to be kept warm and dry. Some people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. But doctors in the United States now say babies begin learning on their first day of life.

A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other people.

The researchers say this ability to learn exists in a baby even before birth. They say newborn babies can recognize and understand sounds they heard while they were still developing inside their mothers.

Experts say the first three years of a child’s life are the most intensive period of language and speech development. This is the time when the brain is developing. Language and communication skills are believed to develop best in an environment that is rich with sounds and sights. Experts say babies should repeatedly hear the speech and language of other people.

America’s National Institutes of Health says evidence suggests there are important periods of speech and language development in children. The ability to learn a language will be more difficult if these periods pass without early contact with a language.

The first signs of communication happen during the first few days of life, when a baby learns that crying will bring food and attention. Research shows that most children recognize the general sounds of their native language by six months of age. By that time, a baby usually begins to make sounds. These sounds become a kind of nonsense speech over time.

1.When does the author think babies begin to learn? (no more than 9 words, 2 marks)

                                                                                                                                    

2.Why do babies smile to please her mother or other caregiver? (no more than 9 words, 2 marks)

                                                                                                                                    

3.According to experts, how can babies’ language and communication skills develop? (no more than 8 words, 3 marks)

                                                                                                                                    

4.What does the author mainly tell us? (no more than 8 words, 3 marks)

                                                                                                                                    

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.(Babies begin learning) on their first day of life.

2.(Because they learn/ want) to get the best care (possible).

3.By repeatedly hearing other people’s speech and language.

4.The development of babies’ language and speech skills. / How babies’ language and communication skills develop.

【解析】

試題分析：這篇文章主要講了嬰兒究竟是在什么時候開始學習？眾說紛紜，有的認為是在出生之后；有的認為是在有了需要的知覺，而今天這篇文章中，美國專家認為，嬰兒在開始形成時就開始了學習。

1.(Babies begin learning) on their first day of life.文章第一段最后一句就已經告訴了答案。

2.(Because they learn/ want) to get the best care (possible). 根據文章第二段第一句A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver.可知。

3.By repeatedly hearing other people’s speech and language. 根據文章第四段，特別是最后一句children should repeatedly hear the speech and language of other people.可知。

4.The development of babies’ language and speech skills. / How babies’ language and communication skills develop. 根據文章第一段最后一句及全文內容可知，作者談論嬰兒語言技能的形成。

考點：教育類短文閱讀理解

點評：對于概括文章大意、標題,或指出作者寫作的主要意圖這一類型的題目，要快速瀏覽全文，抓住文章大意和主題句，明確作者的態度和意圖。對于大多數文章而言，在第一段往往就交待了該文章的中心內容，首段中的首句或尾句通常會點明該段的中心，因此一般而言，通過歸納第一段的首尾句便可寫出該文章的標題。在答題時，切記要有關鍵詞，簡明扼要，且不要出現語法錯誤。