Question

There's more to learning math than paying attention in class, according to recent research. It shows that kids' math performance may be better for those with a natural gift for sensing number.

Studies in the past looked at how sensing numbers affected performance, but researchers didn't know whether the natural ability to sense numbers limited math skills.

    Scientists performed the following experiment to judge people’s ability to sense numbers. For example, showing a number of dots for a very short time -- some blue, others red -- and asking someone to determine which group of dots was more is a common way to measure people's ability to sense numbers.

The dots appear and disappear so quickly that it becomes impossible to count, so the numbers have to be sensed instead. Also called the Approximate Number System (ANS) (略估數(shù)字系統(tǒng)), this ability has been studied in adults, children, infants and even non-human animals.

In the experiment, researchers studied 174 children between 3 and 5 years of age to judge their ANS with computer tests. Then they judged children's math and verbal(口頭的) skills through a series of tests and asking parents to list common words in their children's vocabulary.

Allowing for age, vocabulary size and speed of taking the test, the group still found better ANS scores to be associated with children's early math abilities. In the past it was thought to be the result of different teaching styles, but this relationship seems to already exist before kids start formal math education in school.

However, the authors of the paper admit they cannot use ANS to predict math ability. They said that they could not control other aspects of learning, which may also have an effect.

61. What does the text mainly tell us?

   A. How children can get better math results.

   B. What the Approximate Number System is.

   C. Children with a gift for sensing numbers may do better in math.

   D. How the ability of sensing numbers affects children’s verbal skills.

62. How did children decide which group had more dots?

   A. By sensing     B. By counting     C. By researching    D. By calculating.

63. Which of the following statements about the experiment is NOT true?

   A. Children were between 3 and 5 years of age.

   B. Children’s parents were also tested by researchers.

   C. Researchers used computers to judge children’s ANS.

   D. Researchers also tested the verbal skills of children.

64. Which of the following doesn’t have to be considered in the experiment?

   A. How much vocabulary the children get.      B. How fast the children take the test.

   C. How old the children are.                  D. How tall the children are.

65. The underlined word “predict” in the last paragraph can best be replaced by _____.

   A. lose       B. forecast        C. show          D. improve

Answer 1

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