托福口语练习 解释科学家从婴儿的数学能力中获得的信息

Using the research described by the professor, explain what scientists have learned about the mathematical abilities of babies.

请用教授所描述的调查，解释科学家从婴儿的数学能力中获得的信息

Now listen to part of a lecture in a psychology¹ class.

现在，请听某堂心理课上的部分讲课内容。

The professor is discussing the mathematical capabilities² of babies.

教授正在谈论有关婴儿数学能力的问题。

Scientists have learned some interesting things about the intellectual abilities of babies.

科学家们在研究婴儿的数学能力时，发现了一些非常有意思的现象。

They say there's evidence that babies as young as five months old can do basic arithmetic, that they can add.

他们说，有证据表明五个月大的婴儿就能够做一些基本的算术。他们会做加法运算。

Scientists think babies know one plus one equals two and not one.

科学家认为婴儿知道一加一等于二，不等于一。

The evidence is indirect because obviously you can't ask a five-month old baby to add up some numbers for you.

当然这些证据是间接的。很明显，你不可能叫一个五岁的婴儿给你做一些加法算术题。

So they devised an experiment where, um, in this experiment a baby is shown a doll on a table.

所以呢，他们设计了一个实验。唔，在实验中，他们给婴儿展示了一个放在桌子上的玩偶。

Ok, so the baby looks at the doll. Then the researcher lowers a screen in front of the doll, so now the doll is hidden behind the screen.

是的，那么小宝宝呢就看着这个玩偶。接着，研究人员在玩偶前面放了一个挡板，所以现在呢，玩偶是藏在挡板后面的。

But the baby has already seen the doll and, so, knows it's there.

但问题是，小宝宝已经看到玩偶了，所以，他是知道那里有个玩偶的。

Well, then the researcher takes a second doll and very obviously places it behind the screen with the first one.

嗯，接着调查人员拿出第二个玩偶，刻意地让小宝宝看见把第二个玩偶也放在挡板后面，和第一个玩偶在一起。

Ok, so now you have two dolls behind the screen, right?

好的，那么现在是有两个玩偶在挡板后面，对吧？

Well, no, cause what the researcher did was they secretly took away one of the dolls.

嗯，不对，因为研究人员偷偷地拿走了其中一个玩偶。

And then when they raised the screen back up, the baby, well, it expects to see two dolls, right?

然后，当他们把挡板升起的时候，小宝宝，呃，本来是期待能看到两个玩偶的，对吧？

But there's only one there!

但是，实际情况是，只有一个玩偶在那里！

And guess what? The baby surprised! It expects two but it only sees one.

大家猜猜接着会怎么样？小宝宝露出了惊讶的神情。本来是两个，现在却只看见一个。

How could the researchers tell that the baby surprised?

研究人员是怎么判定小宝宝露出惊讶的神情的呢？

Well, they recorded the baby's eye movement on camera.

嗯，他们通过照相机记录了孩子眼球的运动情况。

And we know that when a baby is surprised by something, a loud noise or an unexpected flash of light maybe, it stares at where the noise or light is coming from.

我们知道，当宝宝对某物表示惊奇的时候，比如一声巨响或者意料外的一道闪光，他们会直勾勾地盯着，试图去发现响声或者闪光是从哪里来的。

And that's what the babies in the experiment did.

而在实验中，宝宝也是这样的反应。

They stared, cause the babies know if you add one doll and one doll, you should have two dolls.

他们直直地盯着，因为宝宝知如果你加了一个玩偶，又加了一个玩偶，你应该是有两个玩偶。

So when it sees one doll, then it stares because it's surprised.

所以，当宝宝只看到一个玩偶时，他们就直直地盯着，因为觉得很惊讶。

1 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

2 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓