Question

   How quickly can you count from one to ten? Do you use ten different words to do it? Can you do it in English,or do you have to use your first language? Do you count on your fingers? Many people think that numbers and math are the same all over the world. But scientists have discovered that it is not true.

   People in different parts of the world use different ways to count on their fingers. In the United States,people begin counting with their first finger,which they extend or stick out. They then extend the rest of their fingers and finally the thumb to count to five. Then they repeat this with the other hand to get to ten. In China,people count by using different finger positions. In this way,a Chinese person can easily count to ten on only one hand.

   Besides ways of finger counting,scientists have found that cultures and languages are also different when it comes to numbers. Some languages have only a few words for numbers,and others have no words for numbers. A group of scientists studied aboriginal (土著的) people in Australia. These people don't have hand movements to stand for numbers. They don't even have words for numbers. However,they are still able to understand different ideas about numbers.

   In a similar study,researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that people of the Piraha tribe (部落) in northwestern Brazil don't have words for numbers such as “one” or “three”. They are not able to say “five trees” or “ten trees” but can say “some trees”，“ more trees”，or “many trees”. Professor Edward Gibson said that most people believe that everyone knows how to count ,“ but here is a group that does not count. They could learn,but it's not useful in their culture,so they’ve never picked it up. ”

   Although all humans are able to understand quantities (数量) ，not all languages have numbers and not all people use counting. Number words in a certain language are a result of people needing numbers in their daily lives. Now we know that people have different ideas about numbers and math,too.

1. The writer begins with the four questions in order to.

   A. make a survey

   B. interest readers

   C. tell a story

   D. solve math problems

2. What do we learn from the difference in finger counting between the US and China?

   A. People from China count much faster than people from the US.

   B. People from China need two hands to count from one to ten.

   C. People of different cultures may use different ways of finger counting.

   D. People of different cultures use the same way of finger counting.

3. Which of the following is true about aboriginal Australians?

   A. They have only a few words for numbers.

   B. They have hand movements to stand for numbers.

   C. They can only count to five on their fingers.

   D. They can understand different ideas about numbers.

4. The study of the Piraha tribe shows that.

   A. people all over the world know how to count

   B. people of the tribe have words for numbers

   C. some groups of people are not smart enough to count

   D. counting is not useful in the culture of the tribe

5. What is the main idea of the passage?

   A. People from different cultures have different ideas about numbers and math.

   B. Chinese people can count more easily on their fingers than Americans.

   C. In some aboriginal cultures,people don't even know how to count.

   D. Some languages don't have number words because people don't need numbers.

Answer 1

1. B 2. C 3. D 4. D 5. A

  也许很多人会认为全世界的数字和数学都一样，但是科 学家发现这一观点是不正确的。在不同文化的国家，人们数 数的方式也不同，有些地方甚至没有表示数字的词，因为在 他们的文化里，根本就用不着数数。

1. B推理判断题。作者在文章弁头连续叫了四个问句，目的是吸引读者的注意力，让读者对接下来要讲述的内 容产生兴趣，由此可推断答案为B项。

2. C 细节理解题。第二段第一句“People in different parts of the world use different ways to count on their fingers. 是 本段的主题句，用美国人和中国人数数的不同方式来 说明不同文化的人们用手指数数的方式会有所不同， 故正确答案为C项。

3. D细节理解题。由第三段最后一句“However,they are still able to understand different ideas about numbers. ”可知，澳大利亚的土著人仍然能够理解有关数字的不同 概念，故选D项。

4. D细节理解题。由第四段的“...but here is a group that does not count. They could learn,but it's not useful in their culture. ”可知，该部落的人从不数数，在他们的文 化中数数没有用处。

5. A主旨大意题。文章最后一句“Now we know that people have different ideas about numbers and math,too."点明了文章的主题:来自不同文化的人们对数学和数字有 不同的概念。