Not long ago, people thought babies were not able to learn things until they wer

Not long ago, people thought babies were not able tolearn things until they were five or six months old. Yet doctors in the UnitedStates say babies begin learning on their first day of life.

Scientists note that babies are strongly influenced bytheir environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something thebaby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to pleaseher mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect andcommunicate with other human beings.

One study shows that babies can learn before they areborn. The researchers placed a tape recorder on the stomach of a pregnant woman.Then, they played a recording of a short story.  On the day the baby wasborn, the researchers attempted to find if he knew the sounds of the storyrepeated while in his mother. They did this by placing a device in the mouth ofthe newborn baby. The baby would hear the story if he moved his mouth one way.If the baby moved his mouth the other way, he would hear a different story. Theresearchers say the baby clearly liked the story he heard before he was born.They say the baby would move his mouth so he could hear the story again andagain.

Another study shows how mothers can strongly influencesocial development and language skills in their children. Researchers studiedthe children from the age of one month to three years. The researchersattempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers. The women were consideredsensitive if they supported their children’s activities and did not interfereunnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language developmentwhen they were three years old. Also, the researchers observed the women forsigns of depression.

The children of depressed women did not do as well intests as the children of women who did not suffer from depression. The childrenof depressed women did poorly in tests of language skills and understandingwhat they hear.

These children also were less cooperative and had moreproblems dealing with other people. The researchers noted that the sensitivityof the mothers was important to the intelligence development of their children.Children did better when their mothers were caring, even when they sufferedfrom depression.

1.According to the passage, which of the following isNOT the factor that influences intelligence development in babies?

A. The environment.          B.Mother’s sensitivity.

C. Their peers (同龄人)  D.Education before birth.

2.What is the purpose of the experiment in whichnewborn babies heard the stories?

A. To prove that babies can learn before they areborn.

B. To prove that babies can learn on the first daythey are born.

C. To show mothers can strongly influence intelligencedevelopment in their babies.

D. To indicate early education has a deep effect onthe babies’ language skills.

3.Which group of children did the worst in tests oflanguage skills?

A. The children of depressed mothers who cared littlefor their children.

B. The children of women who did not suffer fromdepression.

C. The children of depressed but caring mothers.

D. Children with high communication abilities.

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Scientific findings about how babies develop beforebirth.

B. Scientific findings about how the environment hasan effect on babies’ intelligence.

C. A study shows babies are not able to learn thingsuntil they are rice or six months old.

D. Scientific findings about how intelligence developsin babies.

试题答案

【答案】

1.C

2.A

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题