Learning disabilities are very common. They affect perhaps 10 percent of all children. Four times as many boys as girls have learning disabilities.
Since about 1970, new research has helped brain scientists understand these problems better. Scientists now know there are many different kinds of learning disabilities and that they are caused by many different things. There is no longer any question that all learning disabilities result from differences in the way the brain is organized.
You cannot look at a child and tell if he or she has a learning disability. There is no outward sign of the disorder. So some researchers began looking at the brain itself to learn what might be wrong.
In one study, researchers examined the brain of a learning-disabled person who had died in an accident. They found two unusual things. One involved cells in the left side of the brain, which control language. These cells normally are white. In the learning-disabled person, however, these cells were gray. The researchers also found that many of the nerve cells were not in a line the way they should have been. The nerve cells were mixed together.
The study was carried out under the guidance of Norman Geschwind, an early expert on learning disabilities. Doctor Geschwind proposed that learning disabilities resulted mainly from problems in the left side of the brain. He believed this side of the brain failed to develop normally. Probably, he said, nerve cells there did not connect as they shoulD.So the brain was like an electrical device in which the wires were crossed.
Other studies did not examine brain tissue. Instead, they measured the brain’s electrical activity and made a man of the electrical signals.
Frank Duffy experimented with his techniques at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston. Doctor Duffy said his research is evidence that reading disabilities involve damage to a wide area of the brain, not just the left side.
1. Scientist found that the brain cells of a learning-disabled person differ from those of a normal person in ______.
2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
3. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT that ______.
4. Doctor Duffy believed that ______.
5. According to the passage we can conclude that further research should be made ______.
问题1选项
A.structure and function
B.color and function
C.size and arrangement
D.color and arrangement
问题2选项
A.Learning disabilities may result from the unknown area of the brain
B.Learning disabilities may result from damage to a wide area of the brain
C.Learning disabilities may result from abnormal organization of brain cells
D.Learning disabilities may result from problems in the left side of the brain
问题3选项
A.many factors account for learning disorder
B.a learning-disabled person shows no outward signs
C.reading disabilities are a common problem that affects 10 percent of the population
D.the brain activity of learning-disabled children is different from that of normal children
问题4选项
A.he found the exact cause of learning disabilities
B.the problem of learning disabilities was not limited to the left side of the brain
C.the problem of learning disabilities resulted from the left side of the brain
D.the problem of learning disabilities did not lie in the left side of the brain
问题5选项
A.to investigate possible influences on brain development and organization
B.to study how children learn to read and write, and use numbers
C.to help learning-disabled children to develop their intelligence
D.to explore how the left side of the brain functions in language learning
第1题:D
第2题:A
第3题:C
第4题:B
第5题:A
1.细节事实题。根据题干，通读全文，以及定位到文章第四段“One involved cells in the left side of the brain, which control language. These cells normally are white. In the learning-disabled person, however, these cells were gray. The researchers also found that many of the nerve cells were not in a line the way they should have been. The nerve cells were mixed together.”，中文翻译为：其中一个是大脑左侧控制语言的细胞。这些细胞通常是白色的。然而，在学习障碍者中，这些细胞是灰色的。研究人员还发现，许多神经细胞并没有按照应有的方式排列。神经细胞混合在一起。根据关键词“white” “gray”可排除A、C选项，以及“cells were not in a line”（细胞不在一条线上）可排除B选项，因此可判断D选项“颜色和排列”正确。
2.推理判断题。通读全文，A选项“学习障碍可能来自大脑的未知区域。”在文中并没有提及，因此可知A选项正确。B选项“学习障碍可能是由于大脑大面积受损造成的。”在文中第五段“He believed this side of the brain failed to develop normally. Probably, he said, nerve cells there did not connect as they should. So the brain was like an electrical device in which the wires were crossed.”中文翻译：他认为大脑的这一侧不能正常发育。他说，很可能那里的神经细胞并没有正常连接。所以大脑就像一个电线交叉的电子装置。可推测，大脑受损导致学习障碍。因此B选项正确，可排除。C选项“学习障碍可能是由脑细胞的异常组织引起的。”在文中第二段“There is no longer any question that all learning disabilities result from differences in the way the brain is organized.”中文翻译：毫无疑问，所有的学习障碍都是由大脑组织方式的差异造成的。因此C选项符合原文意思，可排除。D选项Learning disabilities may result from problems in the left side of the brain. “学习障碍可能是由左脑问题引起的。”可定位到文中第五段“Doctor Geschwind proposed that learning disabilities resulted mainly from problems in the left side of the brain. ” 中文翻译：Geschwind博士提出学习障碍主要是由左脑问题引起的。因此，D选项也是直接来自原文，可排除。
3.推理判断题。A选项“many factors account for learning disorder”（许多因素导致了学习障碍），可定位到文中第二段第二句“Scientists now know there are many different kinds of learning disabilities and that they are caused by many different things”，中文翻译：科学家们现在知道有许多不同种类的学习障碍，它们是由许多不同的事情引起的。因此A选项正确。B选项“a learning-disabled person shows no outward signs”（有学习障碍的人没有外在的迹象），可定位到原文第三段“You cannot look at a child and tell if he or she has a learning disability. There is no outward sign of the disorder.”中文翻译：你不能看着一个孩子就知道他或她是否有学习障碍。没有这种紊乱的外在迹象。因此B选项正确。C选项“reading disabilities are a common problem that affects 10 percent of the population.” （阅读障碍是影响10%人口的一个常见问题），可定位到文中第一段第二句“They affect perhaps 10 percent of all children.” 中文翻译：大约有10%的儿童患有这种疾病。与C选项不符，因此C选项错误。D选项“the brain activity of learning-disabled children is different from that of normal children.”（学习障碍儿童的大脑活动与正常儿童不同），可定位到文中第四段，可知学习障碍者控制语言的左脑细胞是灰色的，而这些细胞通常是白色的。可推测学习障碍儿童的大脑活动与正常儿童不同。因此选项D正确。综上所述，C选项为正确答案。
4.细节事实题。由题干关键词“Doctor Duffy”可定位到文中最后一段Frank Duffy experimented with his techniques at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston. Doctor Duffy said his research is evidence that reading disabilities involve damage to a wide area of the brain, not just the left side. 中文翻译：达菲在波士顿儿童医院医疗中心试验了他的技术。达菲博士
说，他的研究证明，阅读障碍不仅会损害大脑的左侧，还会损害大脑的大部分区域。A选项“他找到了学习障碍的确切原因”，不符合题意，可排除。B选项“学习障碍的问题不仅限于左脑”，达菲博士的研究证明“阅读障碍还会损害大脑的大部分区域”，因此，选项B正确。C选项“学习障碍的问题是由左脑造成的”，不符合题意，可排除。D选项“学习障碍的问题并不在于大脑的左侧”不符合题意，可排除。综上所述，B选项为正确答案。
5.推理判断题。A选项“研究可能对大脑发育和组织的影响”，B选项“研究儿童如何学习读写和使用数字”，C选项“帮助学习障碍儿童发展智力”，D选项“探讨左脑在语言学习中的作用”。根据题干，可以定位到文中最后一段最后一句“达菲博士说，他的研究证明，阅读障碍不仅会损害大脑的左侧，还会损害大脑的大部分区域。”，由此可推测接下来的研究会探讨“大脑发育和组织的影响”，因此A选项正确。
