Peopleappeartobeborntocompute.Thenumericalskillsofchildrendevelopsoearlyandsoinexorablythatitiseasytoimagineaninternalclockofmathematicalmaturityguidingtheirgrowth.Notlongafterlearningtowalkandtalktheycansetthetablewithimpressiveaccuracy—oneplateoneknifeonespoononeforkforeachofthefivechairs. Soontheyarecapableofnotingthattheyhaveplacedfiveknivesspoonsandforksonthetableandabitlaterwhichthisamountstofifteenpiecesofsilverware.Havingthusmasteredadditiontheymoveontosubtraction.Itseemsalmostreasonabletoexpectthatifachildweresecludedonadesertislandatbirthandreceivedsevenyearslaterheorshecouldenterasecondgrademathematicsclasswithoutanyseriousproblemsofintellectualadjustment.

Ofcoursethetruthisnotsosimple.Thiscenturytheworkofcognitivepsychologistshasilluminatedthesubtleformsofdailylearningonwhichintellectualprogressdepends.Childrenwereobservedastheyslowlygraspedorasthecasemightbebumpedintoconceptsthatadultstakeforgrantedastheyrefusedforinstancetoconcedethatquantityisunchangedaswaterpoursfromashortstoutglassintoatallthinone.

Psychologistshavesincedemonstratedthatyoungchildrenaskedtocountthepencilsinapilereadilyreportthenumberofblueorredpencilsbutmustbecoaxedintofindingthetotal.Suchstudieshavesuggestedthattherudimentsofmathematicsaremasteredgraduallyandwitheffort.Theyhavealsosuggestedthattheveryconceptofabstractnumbers--theideaofalonenessaprerequisitefordoinganythingmoremathematicallydemandingthansettingatable—isitselffarfrominnate.

1.What'sthemainideaaboutthispassage?

A.Theuseofmathematicsinchildpsychology.

B.Trendsinteachingmathematicstochildren.

C.Thedevelopmentofmathematicalabilityinchildren.

D.Thefundamentalconceptsofmathematicsthatchildrenmustlearn.

2.Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethatchildrennormallylearnsimplecounting——.

A.soonaftertheylearntotalk

B.aftertheyreachsecondgradeinschool

C.bylookingattheclock

D.whentheybegintobemathematicallymature

3.Acco