Not long ago, making a baby boy or a baby gir...

Not long ago, making a baby boy or a baby girl was pretty much a hit-or-miss affair, but not any more now. Parents who have accuracy, as Monique and Scott Collins learned to their delight two years ago, when their long-wished-for daughter Jessica was born after genetic pre-screening at a fertility clinic in Fairfax, Virginia.

And baby Jessica is just the beginning. Within a decade or two, it may be possible to screen kids almost before pregnancy(怀孕) , such as how tall they are likely to be, what baby type they will have, their hair and eye color, and even their IQ and personality types.

In fact , if gene therapy lives up to its promise, parents may some day be able to go beyond weeding out undesirable trials and start actually inserting the genes they want, perhaps even genes that have been crafted in a lab. Parents may be going to fertility clinics and picking from a list of choices the way car buyers order air conditioning or wheels. “It’s the most exciting shopping” experience designing your baby.” says biotechnology（生物工艺学） critic, Jeremy Rifkin, who is concerned about the prospect（前景）. “In a society that is used  to cosmetic surgery（整形手术）, this is not a big step.”

The prospect of designer babies, like many of the ethical（伦理）problems caused by the genetic revolution, is causing the doctors, ethicists, religious leaders and politicians of the whole world to start a fierce conflict , who are trying to decide how they feel about it all.

They still have a bit of time. Apart from gender, the only trails that can now be identified at the earliest stages of development are about a dozen of the most serious genetic diseases. Gene therapy in embryos（胚胎） is at least a few years away. And the gene or combination of genes responsible for most of our physical and mental attributes hasn’t even been identified yet, so the idea of engineering genes in or out is of no practical meaning.

1.What is gene therapy supposed to do if it lives up to its promise?

A．Screen a baby for sex.           B． Choose a baby’ s eve color.

C． Implant genes.                  D． Identify genetic disorder.

2.According to the passage , what scientists can do with the genetic testing technology now is to_______.

A．screen a baby’s sex             B．screen babies for desirable qualities

C．put in genes parents want        D．craft genes in a lab

3.What can best describe Jeremy Rifkin’s attitude toward designing babies through gene therapy?

A．Strongly supportive              B． Warmly welcome.

C．Uninterested.                    D． Critical.

4.From the passage we know that________.

A．designing babies is purely scientific not to cause ethical problems

B．designing babies may bring people a lot of ethical concerns

C．scientists are now working against time to design babies

D． people are concerned about the harm clone to science by designing babies

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

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

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

One study shows that babies can learn before they are born. 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 was born, the researchers attempted to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother. They did this by placing a device in the mouth of the 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. The researchers 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 and again.

Another study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children. Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years. The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers. The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children’s activities and did not interfere unnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old. Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression.

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

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

1.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT 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 which newborn babies heard the stories?

A. To prove that babies can learn before they are born.

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

C. To show mothers can strongly influence intelligence development in their babies.

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

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

A. The children of depressed mothers who cared little for their children.

B. The children of women who did not suffer from depression.

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 before birth.

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

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

D. Scientific findings about how intelligence develops in babies.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Not long ago, people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life. Scientists note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregivers. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other human beings. One study shows that babies can learn before they are born. 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 was born, the researchers attempted to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother. They did this by placing a device in the mouth of the 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. The researchers 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 and again.

Another study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children. Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years. The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers. The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children’s activities and did not interfere(干预) unnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old. Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression. The children of depressed women did not do as well in tests as the children of women who did not suffer from depression. The children of depressed women did poorly in tests of language skills and understanding what they hear.

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

1.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the factor that influences intelligence development in babies?

A. The environment.　　 B. Their peers

C. Mother’s sensitivity　　 D. Education before birth

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

A. To prove that babies can learn on the first day they are born

B. To show mothers can strongly influence intelligence development in their babies

C. To indicate early education has a deep effect on the babies’ language skills

D. To prove that babies can learn before they are born

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

A. The children of women who did not suffer from depression

B. The children of depressed but caring mothers

C. The children of depressed mothers who cared little for their children

D. Children with high communication abilities

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Scientific findings about how intelligence develops in babies

B. Scientific findings about how babies develop before birth

C. Scientific findings about how time has an effect on babies’ intelligence

D. A study shows babies are not able to learn things until they are five or six months old

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Not long ago, people thought babies were notable to learn things until they were five or six months old．Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life．

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

One study shows that babies can learn before they are born．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 was born, the researchers attempted to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother．They did this by placing a device in the mouth of the 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．The researchers 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 and again．

Another study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children．

Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years．The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers．The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children’s activities and did not interfere unnecessarily．They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old．Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression．

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

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

1.What does the experiment in which newborn babies heard the stories prove?

（no more than 5 words）

2.In the passage, what factors are mentioned that influence intelligence development in babies?

（no more than 8 words）

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

（no more than 11 words）

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

（no more than 8 words）

高三英语其他题困难题查看答案及解析

Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl（爬）, while boys will head for the toy cars, a study has shown． The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences．

Psychologists Dr． Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 infants aged nine months to 36 months． The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys． Some were typically boys' toys: a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy． The rest were girls’ toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set． They were placed a meter away from the toys, and could pick whichever toy they liked． Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded．

Of the youngest children （nine to 14 months）, girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did． Among the two-and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it． The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched． There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more suitable for boys or girls, and the children’s choice．

Dr． Brenda Todd said: “Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization． Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference． But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys． There could be a biological basis for their choices． Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects, probably through hunting instincts（本能）, while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the color of a newborn baby．”

1.Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because________．

A． baby boys are much more active

B． baby girls like bright colors more

C． there is a natural difference between them

D． their parents treat them differently

2.What can we infer from Paragraph 3 ?

A． Nine-month-old baby boys don’t play with dolls at all．

B． Two-year-old baby girls sometimes play with cars and balls．

C． Parents should teach their babies to share each other’s toys．

D． The older the babies are, the more obvious their preference is．

3.Both baby boys and baby girls like to play with _________ according to the study．

A． a teddy         B． a car          C． a doll           D． a ball

4.We may read this article in a________section of a newspaper．

A． health          B． science                             C． culture          D． entertainment

高三英语简单题查看答案及解析

Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for cars, a study has shown. The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences.

Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 babies aged 9 months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were typically boys’ toys ---- a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy. The rest were girls’ toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set. They were placed a meter away from the toys；and could pick whichever toy they liked their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded.

Of the youngest children (9 to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did. Among the two and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it. The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched. There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice.

Dr Brenda Todd said, “Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization. Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference. But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer: moving objects, probably through hunting instincts（本能）, while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the colour of a newborn baby.”

1.Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because ________.

2.Both baby boys and baby girls like to play with ________ according to the study.

3.What can we infer from Paragraph 3?

4.What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for the toy cars,  a study has shown. The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences.

Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 infants aged nine months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were stereotypically boys' toys - a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy.  The rest were girls’ toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set. They were placed a meter away from the toys, and could pick whichever toy they liked. Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded.

Of the youngest children (nine to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did. Among the two-and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it. The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched. There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice.

Dr Brenda Todd said: “Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization. Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference. But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects, probably through hunting instincts（本能）, while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the color of a newborn baby.”

1.Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because________.

A．baby boys are much more active

B．baby girls like bright colors more

C．their parents treat them differently

D．there is a natural difference between them

2.What can we infer from Paragraph 3 ?

A．Nine-month-old baby boys don’t play with dolls at all.

B．Two-year-old baby girls sometimes play with cars and balls.

C．The older the babies are, the more obvious their preference is.

D．Parents should teach their babies to share each other’s toys.

3.What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?

A．Adults purposely influence their babies preference.

B．Babies’ preference isn’t affected by social surroundings.

C．Baby boys preferring to moving toys will be good at hunting.

D．Baby girls preferring warmer colors will be warm-hearted.

4.We may read this article in a section of a newspaper.

A．science       B．health   C. education   D．entertainment

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for the toy cars,  a study has shown. The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences.

Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 infants aged nine months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were stereotypically boys' toys - a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy.  The rest were girls’ toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set. They were placed a meter away from the toys, and could pick whichever toy they liked. Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded.

Of the youngest children (nine to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did. Among the two-and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it. The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched. There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice.

Dr Brenda Todd said: “Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization. Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference. But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects, probably through hunting instincts（本能）, while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the color of a newborn baby.”

1.Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because________.

2.Both baby boys and baby girls like to play with________according to the study.

3.What can we infer from Paragraph 3 ?

4.What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?

5.We may read this article in a________section of a newspaper.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Not long ago, many people believed that babies only wanted food and to be kept warm and dry. Some people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. But doctors in the United States now say babies begin learning on their first day of life.

A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other people.

The researchers say this ability to learn exists in a baby even before birth. They say newborn babies can recognize and understand sounds they heard while they were still developing inside their mothers.

Experts say the first three years of a child’s life are the most intensive period of language and speech development. This is the time when the brain is developing. Language and communication skills are believed to develop best in an environment that is rich with sounds and sights. Experts say babies should repeatedly hear the speech and language of other people.

America’s National Institutes of Health says evidence suggests there are important periods of speech and language development in children. The ability to learn a language will be more difficult if these periods pass without early contact with a language.

The first signs of communication happen during the first few days of life, when a baby learns that crying will bring food and attention. Research shows that most children recognize the general sounds of their native language by six months of age. By that time, a baby usually begins to make sounds. These sounds become a kind of nonsense speech over time.

1.When does the author think babies begin to learn? (no more than 9 words, 2 marks)

________

2.Why do babies smile to please her mother or other caregiver? (no more than 9 words, 2 marks)

________

3.According to experts, how can babies’ language and communication skills develop? (no more than 8 words, 3 marks)

________

4.What does the author mainly tell us? (no more than 8 words, 3 marks)

________

高三英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析

He thought she was a pretty girl________poorly she was dressed.

A．how             B．as though          C．as long as          D．however

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析