Question

Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since. A man who has not had a chance to go swimming for years can still swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after many years and still ride away. He can play catch and hit a ball as well as his son. A mother who has not thought about the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" or remember the story of Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows: Once we have learned something, additional learning trials(尝试) increase the length of time we will remember it.

In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.

The multiplication tables(乘法口诀表) are an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.

The law of overlearning explains why cramming(突击学习)for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one's future development.

1.What the main idea of Paragraph 1

A. People remember well what they learned in childhood.

B. Children have a better memory than grown-ups.

C. Poem reading is a good way to learn words.“

D. Stories for children are easy to remember.

2.The author explains the law of overlearning by

A. presenting research findings

B. setting down general rules

C. making a comparison

D. using examples

3.According to the author, being able to use multiplication tables is

A. a result of overlearning

B. a special case of cramming

C. a skill to deal with math problems

D. a basic step towards advanced studies

4.What is the author's opinion on cramming?

A. It leads to failure in college exams.

B. It's helpful only in a limited way.

C. It's possible to result in poor memory.

D. It increases students' learning interest.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析: 本文主要讲述了过度学习，并列举了多个有关的事例来证明overlearning的学习效果和作用。

1.A 段落大意。根据文章的第一段的Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since.可知文章讲得是成年人常常惊叹他们非常好的记着儿时学过的东西。C、D断章取义，讲得太具体，B项错误，因为那是过度学习的结果，不是儿时记忆力好，所以A正确。

2.D 推理判断题。根据In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them.说明作者是通过举例说明的方法来解释这个原理的，故D正确。

3.A 推理题。根据文章最后一段The multiplication tables(乘法口诀表)are an exception to the general rule. that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.可知学会使用乘法口诀也是overlearning 的一个结果。故A正确。

4.B 推理题。根据文章最后一段The law of overlearning explains why cramming (突击学习)for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned.可知cramming (突击学习)的效果只能延续很短的时间，所以说只在有限的方面起作用,故D正确。

考点：教育类阅读。