Question

Babies understand what their mothers say, even when they speak a language their children have never heard before, scientists claim.

The researchers found that one-year-olds reacted in exactly same way to their mothers’ voices regardless of whether they were speaking English or Greek, showing what mothers have long known – that babies pick up on tone of voice rather than the words themselves.

The researchers, from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, observed babies as they watched their mothers perform actions with toys using the English words “whoops” and “there”. The scientists studied reactions from one-year-old babies to their mums’ voices even when they were speaking both English and Greek, and keeping the same tone of voice. The academics found that babies reproduced the same reactions regardless of whether they knew the language.  

Study leader Dr Merideth Gattis of Cardiff University’s School of Psychology says, “What this work showed was that children could have access to understanding simply through tone of voice. We did ‘whoops’ and ‘there’ in two languages and got exactly the same results.” The research, published in the journal Cognitive Development, was conducted on 84 babies aged between 14 and 18 months, over the course of a year, with none of the babies having any previous exposure to Greek.

Dr Gattis says that children respond to tone clues in their parents’ voices from an early age.

She says, “Tone of voice is a really useful signal of what someone is thinking. We never have direct access to other people’s minds, except the signals in language that they give out.” She says the study shows that it is less important what parents say than how they say it.

Dr Gattis adds, “A child may ask if you like his / her drawing, for example. You might say yes, but if you don’t sound enthusiastic, the meaning may not get across.” Before children begin to speak, parents should use exaggerated tone when speaking to them.

1.According to the text, what have mothers long-known?

A．Babies have a better understanding of English.

B．Babies pick up on tone of voice.

C．Babies like their mothers’ performances.

D．Babies like drawing from an early age.

2.Which of the following is TRUE, according to the study?

A．Tone of voice is the most useful sign of what someone is thinking.

B．After children begin to speak, tone becomes unimportant.

C．The babies acted the same way regardless of the language.

D．The research was conducted on 48 babies.

3.According to the text, Dr. Gattis believes that _________.

A．we have no access to other people’s minds

B．babies can’t understand what “yes” means

C．parents should always sound enthusiastic

D．how a parent speaks is more important than what he or she says

4.What’s the text mainly about?

A．The content of the journal Cognitive Development.

B．The famous works of Dr. Gattis.

C．Babies understanding their mothers through tone.

D．Babies having the potential to learn language well.

5.The text can be classified as _________.

A．a report          B．an advertisement    C．a handbook        D．a guide

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.B

2.C

3.D

4.C

5.A

【解析】

試題分析：本文屬于研究報告，講述的是不管孩子講述的什么語言，孩子都可以通過父母講話的語調來理解父母的意思。

1.B 細節題。根據文章第二段2,3行showing what mothers have long known – that babies pick up on tone of voice rather than the words themselves.可知B項內容正確。

2.C 細節題。根據文章第二段1,2行The researchers found that one-year-olds reacted in exactly same way to their mothers’ voices regardless of whether they were speaking English or Greek,可知無論是何種語言，孩子都可以理解母親。故C正確。

3.D 推理題。根據文章第四段2,3行“What this work showed was that children could have access to understanding simply through tone of voice.可知孩子理解父母親是根據父母說話的音調。所以D項父母親如何說話要比說的內容更重要。故D正確。

4.C 主旨大意題。根據文章3,4段可知本文中的這次研究主要講述的是孩子可以通過母親講話的音調來理解母親的意思。故C正確。

5.A 推理題。本文屬于科學研的報告，不是廣告，手冊和導游書。故A正確。

考點：考察科普類短文閱讀

點評：本文講述的是不管孩子講述的什么語言，孩子都可以通過父母講話的語調來理解父母的意思。本文以細節題的考查為主，細節題是針對文中某個細節、某句話或某部分具體內容設置問題，正確答案的根據一定可以在原文中找到，即原文的改寫往往成為正確選項。通常細節題的正確選項有以下特征：對原文句子中的關鍵詞進行替換。把原文中的一些詞換成意義相近的詞，成為正確選項。詞性或者語態的變化。把原文中的一些詞變換一下詞性，或者改變原文句子的語態，給考生制造障礙。語言簡化。把原文中的復雜語言現象進行簡化，成為正確答案。正話反說。把原文中的意思反過來表達而成為正確選項(適用于尋找錯誤選項的題目)。