A few years ago a young mother watched her husband diaper (给…换尿布) their firstborn son. “You do not have to be unhappy about it,” she protested. “You can talk to him and smile a little.” The father, who happened to be a psychologist, answered firmly, “He has nothing to say to me, and I have nothing to say to him.”
Psychologist now know how wrong that father was. From the moment of birth, a baby has a great deal to say to his parent and they to him. But a decade or so ago, these experts were describing the newborn as a primitive creature who reacted only by reflex, a helpless victim of its environment without capacity to influence it. And mothers accepted the truth. Most thought (and some still do) that a new infant could see only unclear shadows, that his other senses were undeveloped, and that all he required was nourishment, clean diapers, and a warm baby bed.
Today university laboratories across the country are studying newborns in their first month of life. As a result, psychologists now describe the new baby as perceptive (有感知的) , with remarkable learning abilities and an even more remarkable capacity to shape his or her environment including the attitudes and actions of his parents. Some researchers believe that the neonatal (新生) period may even be the most significant four weeks in an entire lifetime.
Far from being helpless, the newborn knows what he likes and rejects what he doesn’t. He shuts out unpleasant sensations by closing his eyes or looking away. He is a glutton for novelty. He prefers animate things over inanimate and likes people more than anything.
When a more nine minutes out, an infant prefers a human face to a head-shaped outline. He makes the choice despite the fact that, with delivery room attendants masked and gowned, he has never seen a human face before. By the time he’s twelve hours old, his entire body moves in precise synchrony (同时发生) to the sound of a human voice, as if he were dancing. A non-human sound, such as a tapping noise, brings no such response.
1．The author points out that the father diapering his first-born son was wrong because________.
A．he thought the baby was not capable of any response.
B．he thought the baby didn’t have the power of speech
C．he was a psychologist unworthy of his profession
D．he believed the baby was not able to hear him
2．According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A．A new infant can see only unclear shadows.
B．A new infant’s senses are undeveloped
C．All a new infant requires is nourishment, clean diapers, and a warm baby bed.
D．A new infant is actually able to influence his or her environment.
3．What does the sentence “He is a glutton for novelty” probably mean?
A．The newborn is greedy for new food.
B．The newborn tends to overeat.
C．The newborn always loves things that are new to him.
D．The newborn’s desire is a constant topic in novels.
4．According to the passage, it’s unreasonable to think that newborns prefer .
A．a human face to a head – shaped outline
B．animate things to inanimate ones
C．nourishment to a warm baby bed
D．human voice to non – human sounds
5．What is the passage mainly discussing about?
A．What people know about newborns.
B．How wrong parents are when they handle their babies.
C．How much newborns have progressed in about a decade’s time.
D．Why the first month of life is the most significant four weeks in a lifetime.