单选题
1 All major theories of child psychology state that children undergo a major change between the ages of five and seven. In classical learning theory, this is a time when the simplest forms of learning give way to learning that involves more complex mental processes. According to psychologist Jean Piaget, the period from five to seven years old is a transition to operational thought, when children are able to move beyond using only their senses toward using a new set of rational-thinking skills. Because several cognitive changes occur in children between ages five and seven, this period is called the five-seven shift. The shift is biological in nature and involves fundamental growth in the brain and stabilization of brain-wave rhythms into a basically adult pattern. The five-seven shift involves many physical changes, such as the loss of the "baby teeth" and an increase in the rates of height acquired and weight gained.
2 By the time they are five years old, children can understand and use symbols. They have developed the ability to use {{U}}words, gestures, and pictures{{/U}} to stand for "real life" objects, and they are skilled in deploying various symbol systems, such as language or drawing. However, a five-year-old child is able to focus attention on only one quality of an object at a time, such as the object's size or shape. The use of symbolization continues to evolve, reaching a {{U}}peak{{/U}} around the age of seven or eight, when children become capable of concrete operations. When this happens, they can solve problems by using rational thought to make generalizations from their own experience.
3 By the age of seven or eight, a new set of abilities allows children to reason systematically about the world of objects, quantity, time, space, and causality. According to Piaget, this is because an "extra card" is added to the child's mental "computer" during the five-seven shift. The development of operational thought enables the child to appreciate the relations among a series of actions upon objects. For example, the child understands that a scene can be viewed from a different perspective and still contain the same elements. The child also understands that objects can be rearranged and still have the same quantity and that a substance can be changed in shape without its mass or volume being affected.
4 Piaget discovered the most widely known {{U}}hallmark{{/U}} of the five-seven shift, an understanding of conservation, the idea that some properties stay the same despite changes in appearance. In one of Piaget's classic experiments on the conservation of quantity, the experimenter shows children of different ages two straight rows of coins, each with six coins pressed close together, beside each other on a table. The experimenter asks each child subject whether both rows have the same number of coins or whether one row has more. Then the experimenter spreads out the coins of one row to make the line look longer. The child must now say whether one row has more coins. {{U}}Children younger than five years old cannot understand conservation, so they invariably say that the spread-out row has more coins than the other row. {{/U}}
5 Like most age-related tasks for children, there are other ways to set up the task. In a similar experiment, water is poured into two identical glasses until the child subject agrees that each contains an equal amount. Then the experimenter pours water from one of these glasses into a tall, thin glass. At that point, the child is asked whether one glass has more water than the other. Five-year-old children will say that there is more water in the tall, thin glass. When asked why they think that, many will confidently say, "Because it's taller." Older children, however, are likely to reply, "It looks like there's more water in this one because it's taller, but they're really the same." Such experiments show a difference between children of five years and children of eight years. The older children can solve the task promptly, easily, under a wide variety of conditions, and without being taught. The younger children, even if they are taught about conservation, cannot do what the five-seven
shift will do for them naturally: provide them with a more developed brain.
Glossary:
cognitive: relating to mental processes
THE FIVE—SEVEN SHIFT
1 All major theories of child psychology state that children undergo a major change between the ages of five and seven. In classical learning theory, this is a time when the simplest forms of learning give way to learning that involves more complex mental processes. According to psychologist Jean Piaget, the period from five to seven years old is a transition to operational thought, when children are able to move beyond using only their senses toward using a new set of rational-thinking skills. Because several cognitive changes occur in children between ages five and seven, this period is called the five-seven shift. The shift is biological in nature and involves fundamental growth in the brain and stabilization of brain-wave rhythms into a basically adult pattern. The five-seven shift involves many physical changes, such as the loss of the "baby teeth" and an increase in the rates of height acquired and weight gained.
2 By the time they are five years old, children can understand and use symbols. They have developed the ability to use {{U}}words, gestures, and pictures{{/U}} to stand for "real life" objects, and they are skilled in deploying various symbol systems, such as language or drawing. However, a five-year-old child is able to focus attention on only one quality of an object at a time, such as the object's size or shape. The use of symbolization continues to evolve, reaching a {{U}}peak{{/U}} around the age of seven or eight, when children become capable of concrete operations. When this happens, they can solve problems by using rational thought to make generalizations from their own experience.
3 By the age of seven or eight, a new set of abilities allows children to reason systematically about the world of objects, quantity, time, space, and causality. According to Piaget, this is because an "extra card" is added to the child's mental "computer" during the five-seven shift. The development of operational thought enables the child to appreciate the relations among a series of actions upon objects. For example, the child understands that a scene can be viewed from a different perspective and still contain the same elements. The child also understands that objects can be rearranged and still have the same quantity and that a substance can be changed in shape without its mass or volume being affected.
4 Piaget discovered the most widely known {{U}}hallmark{{/U}} of the five-seven shift, an understanding of conservation, the idea that some properties stay the same despite changes in appearance. In one of Piaget's classic experiments on the conservation of quantity, the experimenter shows children of different ages two straight rows of coins, each with six coins pressed close together, beside each other on a table. The experimenter asks each child subject whether both rows have the same number of coins or whether one row has more. Then the experimenter spreads out the coins of one row to make the line look longer. The child must now say whether one row has more coins. {{U}}Children younger than five years old cannot understand conservation, so they invariably say that the spread-out row has more coins than the other row. {{/U}}
5 Like most age-related tasks for children, there are other ways to set up the task. In a similar experiment, water is poured into two identical glasses until the child subject agrees that each contains an equal amount. Then the experimenter pours water from one of these glasses into a tall, thin glass. At that point, the child is asked whether one glass has more water than the other. Five-year-old children will say that there is more water in the tall, thin glass. When asked why they think that, many will confidently say, "Because it's taller." Older children, however, are likely to reply, "It looks like there's more water in this one because it's taller, but they're really the same." Such experiments show a difference between children of five years and children of eight years. The older children can solve the task promptly, easily, under a wide variety of conditions, and without being taught. The younger children, even if they are taught about conservation, cannot do what the five-seven
shift will do for them naturally: provide them with a more developed brain.
Glossary:
cognitive: relating to mental processes
单选题
According to the passage, children between the ages of five and seven
typically experience all of the following EXCEPT
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】The passage does not state that children between the ages of five and seven typically experience an interest in morality and rules.All of the other answers are given:...the period from five to seven years old is a transition to operational thought...a new set of rational-thinking skills;...fundamental growth in the brain and stabilization of brain-wave rhythms...;...an increase in the rates of height acquired and weight gained.(1.2)
单选题
What can be inferred from paragraph 1 about cognitive development
during the five-seven shift?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】You can infer that cognitive development during the five-seven shift is related to biological developments in the child's brain. Clues:Because several cognitive changes occur in children between ages five and seven, this period is called the five-seven shift.The shift is biological in nature and involves fundamental growth in the brain and stabilization of brain-wave rhythms into a basically adult pattern.(1.5)
单选题
Why does the author mention {{U}}words, gestures, and pictures{{/U}} in
paragraph 2?
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】The author's purpose is to give examples of symbols that children can understand.Clues:...children can understand and use symbols.They have developed the ability to use words, gestures, and pictures to stand for "real life" objects....(1.6)
单选题
The word {{U}}peak{{/U}} in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】Peak means high point in this context.Clues: ...continues to evolve, teaching a peak...;...become capable, of concrete operations.(1.4)
单选题
According to the passage, a child who is capable of concrete
operations can
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】A child who is capable of concrete operations can reason systematically about quantity and space. Clues:...children become capable of concrete operations.When this happens, they can solve problems by using rational thought...;...a new set of abilities allows children to reason systematically about the world of objects, quantity...space....(1.1)
单选题
The word {{U}}hallmark{{/U}} in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】Hallmark means characteristic in this context. Clues:...the most widely known hallmark of the five-seven shift, an understanding of conservation The passage discusses several characteristics of the five-seven shift;the ability to understand conservation is a well known characteristic.(1.4)
单选题
The word {{U}}each{{/U}} in paragraph 4 refers to
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】The referent of each is something with six coins pressed close together, beside each other on a table The sentence discusses an experiment with two straight rows of coins.Logic tells you that each refers to row.(1.3)
单选题
Which sentence below best expresses the essential information in the
highlighted sentence in paragraph 4? Incorrect choices change the meaning in
important ways or leave out essential information．
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】Children younger than five years old...is paraphrased in Before the age of five...;...cannot understand conservation...is paraphrased in...they are incapable of understanding conservation:...so they invariably say that the spread-out row has more coins than the other row is paraphrased in ...children think the longer line has more coins because....(1.7)
单选题
In paragraph 5, the author describes an experiment in which water is
poured into various glasses in order to
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】The author's purpose is to give a variation on a classic experiment by Piaget.In the previous paragraph, the author describes one of Piaget's classic experiments on the conservation of quantity. Then the author describes another variation of the experiment.Clues:...there are other ways to set up the task.In a similar experiment....(1.6)
单选题
What can be inferred about children who easily solve the water task
described in paragraph 5?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】You can infer that children who easily solve the water task have already experienced the five-seven shift.Solving the task shows that they understand conservation, which means they have reached the level of development resulting from the five-seven shift.Clues:Such experiments show a difference between children of five years and children of eight years.The older children can solve the task promptly...; The younger children...cannot do what the five-seven shift will do for them naturally.... (1.5)
填空题
Look at the four squares, 
, 
, 
,
and
, which indicate where the following
sentence could be added to the passage．Where would the sentence best fit?
For instance, when sand is poured back and forth between containers of different sizes and shapes, the quantity of sand does not change．
Piaget discovered the most widely known hallmark of the five-seven shift, an understanding of conservation, the idea that some properties stay the same despite changes in appearance． In one of Piaget's classic experiments on the
conservation of quantity, the experimenter shows children of different ages two
straight rows of coins, each with six coins pressed close together, beside
each other on a table．The experimenter
asks each child subject whether both rows have the same number of coins or
whether one row has more．Then the experimenter spreads out the coins of one row
to make the line look longer．The child
must now say whether one row has more coins．Children younger than five years old
cannot understand conservation, so they invariably say that the spread-out row
has more coins than the other row．
, , ,
and, which indicate where the following
sentence could be added to the passage．Where would the sentence best fit?
For instance, when sand is poured back and forth between containers of different sizes and shapes, the quantity of sand does not change．
Piaget discovered the most widely known hallmark of the five-seven shift, an understanding of conservation, the idea that some properties stay the same despite changes in appearance．
In one of Piaget's classic experiments on the
conservation of quantity, the experimenter shows children of different ages two
straight rows of coins, each with six coins pressed close together, beside
each other on a table．The experimenter
asks each child subject whether both rows have the same number of coins or
whether one row has more．Then the experimenter spreads out the coins of one row
to make the line look longer．The child
must now say whether one row has more coins．Children younger than five years old
cannot understand conservation, so they invariably say that the spread-out row
has more coins than the other row．