阅读理解。
Babies can learn new words if they are connected with objects that catch their attention, researchers at the
Infant Lab at Temple University in Philadelphia have found.
"They hear every word," said Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, professor of psychology at Temple University. "And they
are also paying attention to the things that are interesting to them."
Previous studies showed babies as young as 10 months old may understand about 10 words. But Infant Lab
researchers wanted to figure out how these infants actually learned words. So they tested more than 75 babies,
showing them a series of objects and attaching made-up names to them. They would ask the babies questions,
and then track their eyes to measure their responses.
So, could the babies remember the names? They found infants could match words with objects. But they
also discovered babies only associated the new words with the objects that caught their attention-interesting
objects. They did not associate words with the boring, dull objects.
For parents, the message in all this is that very young children are listening and learning language. And they
learn about the things that specifically interest them.
Twins Mark and Anita Farrell took part in the study when they were 10 months old, and their mother,
Penni Farrell, took home what she learned about baby behavior.
"I decided to go out and buy a couple of books that and more colorful images, words, things that would
draw their attention," she said.
Researchers say parents should follow a baby' s lead.
Another lesson for parents, researchers say, is to talk with your children starting at a very young age, and
make sure that conversation is about something your child finds interesting.
1. The purpose of this research is _____.
A. to help parents teach their babies
B. to figure out how parents teach their babies
C. to find out how babies learn words
D. to help babies learn words
2. The research showed that _____.
A. a ten-month-old baby can' t understand 10 words
B. babies can' t remember interesting names
C. babies can associate words with boring objects too
D. babies can match the new words with interesting objects
3. From the results of the research, parents can develop babies' talking ability by _____.
A. talking with babies time and time again
B. talking with babies as much as possible
C. talking with babies about topics interesting them at a very young age
D. talking to babies before they are born
4. The best title of this passage probably is ______.
A. Attractive Objects Help Babies Learn New Words
B. How To Talk With Babies At Their Very Young Age
C. The Importance of Teaching Babies to Learn New Words
D. How do Make Babies Talk With Their Parents
