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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.
