NOTallmathskillsarelearnedintheclassroom.Someofthemcomenaturally.Considerthesplit-secondcalculations youmakewhenyouestimate(估计)thenumberofemptyseatsontheschoolbusorthenumberofcookiesinacookiejar.

Theseestimatescanoftenbedonewithoutcounting.That'sbecausehumansarebornwiththeabilitytocloselyguessthenumberofitemsinagroup.Researcherscallthisabilityaperson's"numbersense".

Toseehowaperson'sinbornnumbersensemightbelinkedtomathematicalperformanceintheclassroompsychologistJustinHalberdaandhiscolleaguesfromJohnsHopkinsUniversityinBaltimoreUSransometests.

Thescientistsasked6414-year-oldstolookatimages(影像)ofyellowandbluedotsthatflashedonacomputerscreenforafraction(一小部分)ofasecond.Eachimagecontainedbetween10and32dotsthatvariedinsize.

Someimagescontainedtwiceasmanybluedots asyellowdots.Inotherimageshoweverthenumberofblueandyellowdotswasnearlyequal.Foreachimagethestudentswereaskedtoestimatewhichcolorhadmoredots.

Thescientistsfoundawidevariationinhowwellstudentscouldpickthecolorwiththemostdots.

Thescientiststhenlookedatthestudents'mathscoresdatingbacktokindergarten.Childrenthatperformedbestintheimagetestalsoscoredthehighestinstandardmathtests.

Thesamefindingheldtrueattheotherendofthespectrum(范围).Studentswhodidn'tscorewellontheimagetestreceivedlowermathscores.

Thestudywasthefirsttoshowalinkbetweenaperson'sinbornnumbersenseandhisorherachievementinformalmathtraining.

Doesthisconnectionmeanthatonecannotbegoodinmathiftheyhaveaweaknumbersense?Orthathavingastrongnumbersenseisaguaranteeforgoodgradesinmath?Theanswersarenotclear.

Whilescientistscontinuelookingatthepossiblelinksbetweenaperson'snumbersenseandmathachievementonethingiscertain:Doinglotsofmathhomeworkwill boostyourchancesofsuccess.

56.Whichofthefollowingisnottrueaccordingtothepassage?

A.Everyonehasaninbornnumbersense.

B.Thosewhohaveastrongnumbersensearesuretodowellinmath.

C.Someofthemathskillsarei