Watch a baby between six and nine months old，and you will observe the basic concepts of geometry being learned．Once the baby has mastered the idea that space is three dimensional，it reaches out and begins grasping various kinds of objects．It is then from perhaps nine to fifteen months that the concepts of sets and numbers are formed．So far so good．But now an ominous（不祥的）development takes place．The newer fibers in the brain insulate themselves in such a way that the baby begins to hear sounds very precisely．Soon it picks up languages，and it is then brought into direct communication with adults．From this point on， it is usually downhill all the way for mathematics，because the child now becomes exposed to all the nonsense words and beliefs of the community into which it has been so unfortunate as to have been born．Nature， having done very well by the child to this point，having permitted it the luxury of thinking for itself for eighteen months，now abandons it to the arbitrary conventions and beliefs of society．But at least the child knows something of geometry and numbers，and it will always retain some memory of the early halcyon days，no matter what vicissitudes it may suffer later on．The main reservoir of mathematical talent in any society is thus possessed by children who are about two years old，children who have just learned to speak fluently．
1．What does the passage mainly discuss？
A）The impact of language on mathematics．
B）Children's ability to learn languages．
C）How basic concepts of physics are learned．
D）Math-learning strategies for babies．
2．According to the passage，which of the following activities would teach a baby about geometry？
A）Picking up a wooden block．B）Recognizing the number 2．
C）Uttering a nonsense word．D）Looking at distant objects．
3．According to the author，at what age does a child probably begin to learn about sets and numbers？
A）Six months．B）Nine months．
C）Fifteen months．D）Eighteen months．
4．The use of the word“ominous”shows that the author believes the child's ________．
A）linguistic future is threatened B）nerves will deteriorate
C）hearing will suffer D）mathematical ability will decline
5．The author's attitude toward early childhood education can best be described as somewhat __________．
A）indifferent B）compromising
C）indulgent D）cynical
6．Put the two underlined sentences in the passage into Chinese．
参考答案：AABDD
翻译：1）从这时起，孩子对于数学通常是一直走下坡路，因为孩子这时开始接触社会中各种毫无意义的语言和信念，他十分不幸出生在这样的社会中。
2）但是孩子对几何和数学至少略知一二，而且他永远对早期那些平静的日子保持一些记忆，不管他以后可能遭受什么样的变化。
