[ TOP13 - P3 ]
Two additional techniques of studying infant perception have come into vogue. The first is the habituation-dishabituation technique, in which a single stimulus is presented repeatedly to the infant until there is a measurable decline (habituation) in whatever attending behavior is being observed. At that point a new stimulus is presented, and any recovery (dishabituation) in responsiveness is recorded. If the infant fails to dishabituate and continues to show habituation with the new stimulus, it is assumed that the baby is unable to perceive the new stimulus as different. The habituation-dishabituation paradigm has been used most extensively with studies of auditory and olfactory perception in infants. The second technique relies on evoked potentials, which are electrical brain responses that may be related to a particular stimulus because of where they originate. Changes in the electrical pattern of the brain indicate that the stimulus is getting through to the infant's central nervous system and eliciting some form of response.
habituation n. 习惯(化);适应,驯化;习惯化
introduction n. 介绍;引进;初次投入使用;推行;
little change 无变化
vogue n. 时尚;流行;时髦;风尚;风行 adj. 时髦的
auditory adj. 听的;听觉的 n. 听众;礼堂
evoke vt. 唤起;引起(感情、记忆或形象)
potential n. 可能性;潜在性;潜力;潜质;电位;电势;电压
relate vt. 使有联系;联系;讲述;叙述;把…联系起来;讲(故事)
eliciting v. 引出;探出;诱出 elicit的现在分词
According to paragraph 4, which of the following leads to the conclusion that infants are able to differentiate between stimuli in a habituation-dishabituation study?
A. Dishabituation occurs with the introduction of a new stimulus.
B. Electrical responses in the infant's brain decline with each new stimulus.
C. Habituation is continued with the introduction of a new stimulus.
D. The infant displays little change in electrical brain responses.
In paragraph 4, what does the author suggest about the way an infant's brain perceives stimuli?
A. An infant's potential to respond to a stimulus may be related to the size of its brain.
B. Changes in the electrical patterns of an infant's brain are difficult to detect.
C. Different areas of an infant's brain respond to different types of stimuli.
D. An infant is unable to perceive more than one stimulus at a time.
Each of the preceding techniques provides the researcher with evidence that the infant can detect or discriminate between stimuli. With these sophisticated observational assessment and electro-physiological measures, we know that the neonate of only a few days is far more perceptive than previously suspected. However, these measures are only "indirect" indicators of the infant's perceptual abilities.
thought v. 认为;以为;想;思考;思索;思想;琢磨 think的过去分词和过去式
preceding adj. 在前的;前面的 precede的现在分词
sophisticated adj. 复杂的;精密的;先进的;老练的;见多识广的;见过世面的;复杂巧妙的;
assessment n. 看法;评估;评定;核定;判定;核定的付款额
far more 许多;多得多的;更多的
Paragraph 5 indicates that researchers who used the techniques described in the passage discovered that
A. infants find it difficult to perceive some types of stimuli
B. neonates of only a few days cannot yet discriminate between stimuli
C. observational assessment is less useful for studying infant perception than researchers previously believed
D. a neonate is able to perceive stimuli better than researchers once thought
Observational assessment techniques have become much more sophisticated, reducing the limitations just presented. [ ] Film analysis of the infant's responses, heart and respiration rate monitors, and nonnutritive sucking devices are used as effective tools in understanding infant perception. Film analysis permits researchers to carefully study the infant's responses over and over and in slow motion. [ ] Precise measurements can be made of the length and frequency of the infant's attention between two stimuli. [ ] Heart and respiration monitors provide the investigator with the number of heartbeats or breaths taken when a new stimulus is presented. [ ] Numerical increases are used as quantifiable indicators of heightened interest in the new stimulus. Increases in nonnutritive sucking were first used as an assessment measure by researchers in 1969. They devised an apparatus that connected a baby's pacifier to a counting device. As stimuli were presented, changes in the infant's sucking behavior were recorded. Increases in the number of sucks were used as an indicator of the infant's attention to or preference for a given visual display.
Look at the four squares [ ] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?
The repetition allows researchers to observe the infant's behavior until they reach agreement about the presence and the degree of the infant's response.
reach agreement 达成协议;达成一致
presence n. 在场;出席;存在;出现;
[ TPO21 - C1 ]
NARRATOR
Listen to a conversation between a student and a professor.
FEMALE PROFESSOR
Excuse me, can I help you? You look a little lost.
MALE STUDENT
Yeah, I am. This is my first day on campus, and I don't know where anything is.
FEMALE PROFESSOR
Can't find your orientation session?
MALE STUDENT
Uh-huh. What a way to begin... lost going to orientation...
FEMALE PROFESSOR
Well, my guess is it's in the auditorium. That's where they usually are.
MALE STUDENT
You're right-the general ones. I went to one of those sessions earlier today.
But now I need the one for my major- engineering.
My schedule says the meeting room is in Johnson Hall, in the engineering department, which should be right here in front of us, according to the map- [tone of exasperation]but this building's called the Morgan Hall!
FEMALE PROFESSOR
Well, your map-reading skills are fine, actually.
This used to be Johnson Hall all right-trouble is they changed the name to Morgan Hall last spring.
So they sent you a map with the old name? I'm surprised.
MALE STUDENT
Well, this was actually mailed out months and months ago.
I got a second packet in the mail more recently... with another one of these maps in it.
I guess it must have the updated name. I left that one in my dorm room.
FEMALE PROFESSOR
Well, things change fast around here.
This building was renamed after one of our professors.
She retired a few months ago. She's really well known in the world of physics.
Too bad for Johnson, I guess.
MALE STUDENT
Who was Johnson, anyway?
FEMALE PROFESSOR
Oh, one of the early professors here. Unfortunately, I guess his ideas are going out of style. Science keeps marching forward.
MALE STUDENT
I'll say it does. That's why I transferred to this university.
I was really impressed with all the research equipment you guys have at the laboratories... You're really on the forefront.
FEMALE PROFESSOR
Um, so do you know what kind of engineering you want to specialize in?
MALE STUDENT
Yeah. Aerospace engineering.
FEMALE PROFESSOR
Well, the aerospace engineering department here is excellent... uh, do you know that this university was the first one in the country to offer a program in aerospace engineering?
MALE STUDENT
[enthusiastic]Yeah, I know... and a couple students who graduated from here became astronauts and orbited the Earth!
FEMALE PROFESSOR
Right-the department has many prominent alumni.
Well, you might end up taking some of your advanced math courses with me.
I get a lot of the students from the engineering department because I teach the required applied mathematics courses.
MALE STUDENT
Oh, cool. Actually, I want to get a minor in math.
FEMALE PROFESSOR
Excellent. [musing tone]Hmm... a major in aerospace engineering with a minor in math. You'll go far with that degree.
More of our students should do that- there are so many more opportunities available in the field when you have a strong math background.
MALE STUDENT
I'm glad to hear you say that!
auditorium n. (剧院、音乐厅等的)听众席,观众席;礼堂;会堂
marching v. 齐步走;行进; adj. 行军的;步进式的
forefront n. 前沿;前列;领导性地位;(思考或关注的)重心,焦点
aerospace n. 航空航天(工业);航空航天技术
orbited v. 沿轨道运行;围绕…运动 orbit的过去分词和过去式
alumni n. (统称)校友,毕业生 alumnus的复数
required adj.〈美〉必修的(大学课程)
applied v. 应用;使用;施;
degree n. 度;程度;度数(角的量度单位或温度单位);(大学)学位;学位课程;
invitation n. (口头或书面的)邀请;获得邀请;请柬;请帖;鼓励
acknowledge vt. 承认(权威、地位);告知收悉;(微笑、挥手等)致意;(公开)感谢
donation n. 捐赠物;捐赠;赠送
represent v. 代表,表示;代理(个人或团体);代表(个人或团体)出席;
tradition n. 传统;传统的信仰(或风俗)
Why does the man need the professor's help?
A. He does not know the location of his general orientation session.
B. He lost the invitation to the engineering department’s orientation session.
C. He cannot locate the building for the engineering department’s orientation session.
D. He needs help deciding which area of engineering he should specialize in.
What is the cause of the man's problem?
A. He did not allow enough time to find the location of his orientation sessions.
B. He did not receive the orientation materials on time.
C. He is not using the most up-to-date map.
D. He made a mistake reading his map.
Why was the building given a new name?
A. To acknowledge a large donation from a prominent engineering graduate
B. To honor an important professor who retired recently
C. To represent the engineering department that moved into it
D. To honor a former student who became an astronaut
What is the man's attitude toward his new university?
A. He is impressed by the architecture of the buildings.
B. He does not value its long tradition in aerospace engineering.
C. He thinks it needs a more efficient orientation program.
D. He believes it will help him become successful in his chosen field.
What does the professor imply about aerospace engineering students?
A. They have more possibilities for jobs if they take additional math courses.
B. Many of them eventually teach math courses at other universities.
C. Many of them have unrealistic expectations about becoming astronauts.
D. They are not required to take a math course for a degree in the department.
[ TOP14 - P2 ] Maya Water Problems
To understand the ancient Mayan people who lived in the area that is today southern Mexico and Central America and the ecological difficulties they faced, one must first consider their environment, which we think of as "jungle" or "tropical rainforest." This view is inaccurate, and the reason proves to be important. Properly speaking, tropical rainforests grow in high-rainfall equatorial areas that remain wet or humid all year round. But the Maya homeland lies more than sixteen hundred kilometers from the equator, at latitudes 17 to 22 degrees north, in a habitat termed a "seasonal tropical forest." That is, while there does tend to be a rainy season from May to October, there is also a dry season from January through April. If one focuses on the wet months, one calls the Maya homeland a "seasonal tropical forest"; if one focuses on the dry months, one could instead describe it as a "seasonal desert."
Why does the author call the Mayan homeland both a "seasonal tropical forest" and "seasonal desert"?
A. To illustrate how the climate of the Mayan homeland varied from region to region
B. To explain how the climate of the Mayan homeland is similar to that of a jungle or tropical rainforest
C. To emphasize the vast size of the area that comprised the Mayan homeland in ancient times
D. To make the point that the Mayan homeland is climatically more complex than is generally assumed
From north to south in the Yucatan Peninsula, where the Maya lived, rainfall ranges from 18 to 100 inches (457 to 2,540 millimeters) per year, and the soils become thicker, so that the southern peninsula was agriculturally more productive and supported denser populations. But rainfall in the Maya homeland is unpredictably variable between years; some recent years have had three or four times more rain than other years. As a result, modern farmers attempting to grow corn in the ancient Maya homelands have faced frequent crop failures, especially in the north. The ancient Maya were presumably more experienced and did better, but nevertheless they too must have faced risks of crop failures from droughts and hurricanes.
presumably adv. 很可能;大概;想必是
drought n. 干旱;旱灾;久旱
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 2 as a difference between the northern and southern Yucatan Peninsula?
A. The annual rainfall was greater in the south.
B. The population density was lower in the north.
C. Agricultural productivity was greater in the south
D. Rainfall was more unpredictable and variable in the south.
Which of the following statements about ancient and modem agriculture in the Yucatan Peninsula is supported by paragraph 2?
A. Modern agricultural methods have solved many of the ancient problems of farming in the Yucatan Peninsula.
B. Ancient Mayan farmers may have been somewhat more successful at farming in the Yucatan Peninsula than farmers are today.
C. Farming today is easier than in the past because environmental changes in the Yucatan Peninsula have increased available rainfall
D. The Yucatan soils in which ancient farmers worked were richer, more productive, and thicker than they are today.
Although southern Maya areas received more rainfall than northern areas, problems of water were paradoxically more severe in the wet south. While that made things hard for ancient Maya living in the south, it has also made things hard for modern archaeologists who have difficulty understanding why ancient droughts caused bigger problems in the wet south than in the dry north. The likely explanation is that an area of underground freshwater underlies the Yucatan Peninsula, but surface elevation increases from north to south, so that as one moves south the land surface lies increasingly higher above the water table. In the northern peninsula the elevation is sufficiently low that the ancient Maya were able to reach the water table at deep sinkholes called cenotes, or at deep caves. In low-elevation north coastal areas without sinkholes, the Maya would have been able to get down to the water table by digging wells up to 75 feet (22 meters) deep. But much of the south lies too high above the water table for cenotes or wells to reach down to it. Making matters worse, most of the Yucatan Peninsula consists of karst, a porous sponge-like limestone terrain where rain runs straight into the ground and where little or no surface water remains available.
explanation n. 解释;说明;阐述;说明性文字;解释性说法
elevation n. 高度;高程;提升;立面(图),立视图; 提高,升高,增加;(尤指)海拔;
lie n. 谎言;位置
so that conj. 因此;以便
move v. 前进;移动;变化;改变;
The phrase "The likely explanation" in the passage refers to the explanation for why
A. the southern Maya areas received more rainfall than the northern areas
B. modern archaeologists have difficulty understanding ancient droughts
C. water problems were most severe in the wet south
D. land surface in the south is so high above the water table
Although southern Maya areas received more rainfall than northern areas, problems of water were paradoxically more severe in the wet south. While that made things hard for ancient Maya living in the south, it has also made things hard for modern archaeologists who have difficulty understanding why ancient droughts caused bigger problems in the wet south than in the dry north. The likely explanation is that an area of underground freshwater underlies the Yucatan Peninsula, but surface elevation increases from north to south, so that as one moves south the land surface lies increasingly higher above the water table. In the northern peninsula the elevation is sufficiently low that the ancient Maya were able to reach the water table at deep sinkholes called cenotes, or at deep caves. In low-elevation north coastal areas without sinkholes, the Maya would have been able to get down to the water table by digging wells up to 75 feet (22 meters) deep. But much of the south lies too high above the water table for cenotes or wells to reach down to it. Making matters worse, most of the Yucatan Peninsula consists of karst, a porous sponge-like limestone terrain where rain runs straight into the ground and where little or no surface water remains available.
used up 心碎的,筋疲力尽的,枯竭的;绝;用掉
purposes n. 目的;用途;目标;意图;意志;
paradoxically adv. 似乎近于怪论
wet adj. 潮湿的;湿的;下雨的;潮的;有雨的;
While conj. (对比两件事物)…而,…然而;虽然;
deep adj. 深(呼吸)的;深的;宽的;深沉的
sinkhole n. 落水洞(在地面下,雨水长期渗落形成)
cenote 天然井
coastal adj. 沿海的,靠近海岸的,海岸的
well n. 井;水井;电梯井道;楼梯井;(法庭中的)律师席
feet 英尺
consist v. 包括;在于;存在于;由…组成;由…构成
terrain n. 地形;地势;地带
ground n. 地面;范围,领域;(建筑物周围的)场地,庭院,花园;
Which of the following statements about the availability of water in the Mayan homeland is supported by paragraph 3?
A. The construction of wells was an uncommon practice in both the north and the south because it was too difficult to dig through the karst.
B. In most areas in the north and the south, rainwater was absorbed directly into the porous karst.
C. The water table was an important resource for agriculture in both the north and the south of the Yucatan Peninsula.
D. The lack of surface water in both the north and the south was probably due to the fact that most of it was quickly used up for agricultural purposes.
[ TOP14 - P3 ]