Section B: Information Matching
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on your Answer Sheet.
[A] Numbers do not exist in all cultures. There are numberless hunter-gatherers in Amazonia, living along branches of the world's largest river tree. Instead of using words for precise quantities, these people rely exclusively on terms similar to “a few” or “some.” In contrast, our own lives are governed by numbers. As you read this, you are likely aware of what time it is, how old you are, your checking account balance, your weight and so on. The exact numbers we think with impact everything in our lives.
[B] But, in a historical sense, number-conscious people like us are the unusual ones. For the bulk of our species' approximately 200,000-year lifespan, we had no means of precisely representing quantities. What's more, the 7,000 or so languages that exist today vary dramatically in how they utilize numbers.
[C] Speakers of anumeric, or numberless, languages offer a window into how the invention of numbers reshaped the human experience. Cultures without numbers, or with only one or two precise numbers, include the Munduruku and Piraha in Amazonia. Researchers have also studied some adults in Nicaragua who were never taught number words. Without numbers, healthy human adults struggle to precisely distinguish and recall quantities as low as four. In an experiment, a researcher will place nuts into a can one at a time and then remove them one by one. The person watching is asked to signal when all the nuts have been removed. Responses suggest that anumeric people have some trouble keeping track of how many nuts remain in the can, even if there are only four or five in total.
[D] This and many other experiments have led to a simple conclusion: When people do not have number words, they struggle to make quantitative distinctions that probably seem natural to someone like you or me. While only a small portion of the world's languages are anumeric or nearly anumeric, they demonstrate that number words are not a human universal.
[E] It is worth stressing that these anumeric people are cognitively normal, well-adapted to the surroundings they have dominated for centuries. As a child, I spent some time living with anumeric people, the Piraha who live along the banks of the black Maici River. Like other outsiders, I was continually impressed by their superior understanding of the ecology we shared. Yet numberless people struggle with tasks that require precise discrimination between quantities. Perhaps this should be unsurprising. After all, without counting, how can someone tell whether there are, say, seven or eight coconuts in a tree? Such seemingly straightforward distinctions become blurry through numberless eyes.
[F] This conclusion is echoed by work with anumeric children in industrialized societies. Prior to being spoon-fed number words, children can only approximately discriminate quantities beyond three. We must be handed the cognitive tools of numbers before we can consistently and easily recognize higher quantities. In fact, acquiring the exact meaning of number words is a painstaking process that takes children years. Initially, kids learn numbers much like they learn letters. They recognize that numbers are organized sequentially, but have little awareness of what each individual number means. With time, they start to understand that a given number represents a quantity greater by one than the number coming before it. This “successor principle” is part of the foundation of our numerical cognition, but requires extensive practice to understand.
[G] None of us, then, is really a “numbers person.” We are not born to handle quantitative distinctions skillfully. In the absence of the cultural traditions that fill our lives with numbers from infancy, we would all struggle with even basic quantitative distinctions. Number words and their written forms transform our quantitative reasoning as they are introduced into our cognitive experience by our parents, peers and school teachers. The process seems so normal that we sometimes think of it as a natural part of growing up, but it is not. Human brains come equipped with certain quantitative instincts that are refined with age, but these instincts are very limited.
[H] Compared with other mammals, our numerical instincts are not as remarkable as many assume. We even share some basic instinctual quantitative reasoning with distant non-mammalian relatives like birds. Indeed, work with some other species suggests they too can refine their quantitative thought if they are introduced to the cognitive power tools we call numbers.
[I] So, how did we ever invent “unnatural” numbers in the first place? The answer is, literally, at your fingertips. The bulk of the world's languages use base-10, base-20 or base-5 number systems. That is, these smaller numbers are the basis of larger numbers. English is a base-10 or decimal language, as evidenced by words like 14 (“four” + “10”) and 31 (“three” x “10” + “one”). We speak a decimal language because an ancestral tongue, proto-Indo-European, was decimally based. Proto-Indo-European was decimally oriented because, as in so many cultures, our ancestors' hands served as the gateway to the realization that “five fingers on one hand is the same as five fingers on the other.” Such momentary thoughts were represented in words and passed down across generations. This is why the word “five” in many languages is derived from the word for “hand.” Most number systems, then, are the by-product of two key factors: the human capacity for language and our inclination for focusing on our hands and fingers. This manual fixation—an indirect by-product of walking upright on two legs—has helped yield numbers in most cultures, but not all.
[J] Cultures without numbers also offer insight into the cognitive influence of particular numeric traditions. Consider what time it is. Your day is ruled by minutes and seconds, but these concepts are not real in any physical sense and are nonexistent to numberless people. Minutes and seconds are the verbal and written representations of an uncommon base-60 number system used in ancient Mesopotamia. They reside in our minds, numerical artifacts that not all humans inherit conceptually.
[K] Research on the language of numbers shows, more and more, that one of our species' key characteristics is tremendous linguistic and cognitive diversity. If we are to truly understand how much our cognitive lives differ cross-culturally, we must continually explore the depths of our species' linguistic diversity.
36. It is difficult for anumeric people to keep track of the change in numbers even when the total is very small.
37. Human numerical instincts are not so superior to those of other mammals as is generally believed.
38. The author emphasizes being anumeric does not affect one's cognitive ability.
39. In the long history of mankind, humans who use numbers are a very small minority.
40. An in-depth study of differences between human languages contributes to a true understanding of cognitive differences between cultures.
41. A conclusion has been drawn from many experiments that anumeric people have a hard time distinguishing quantities.
42. Making quantitative distinctions is not an inborn skill.
43. Every aspect of our lives is affected by numbers.
44. Larger numbers are said to be built upon smaller numbers.
45. It takes great efforts for children to grasp the concept of number words.
Answers & Explanations
36. C。解析：题干中的 keep track of the change... when total is small 对应 [C] 段末尾的 anumeric people have some trouble keeping track of how many nuts remain... even if there are only four or five in total（即使总共只有四五个，无数字概念的人也很难记录剩下多少）。
37. H。解析：题干中的 numerical instincts... not so superior... to other mammals 对应 [H] 段首句的 Compared with other mammals, our numerical instincts are not as remarkable as many assume（与其它哺乳动物相比，我们的数字本能并不像许多人认为的那样卓越）。
38. E。解析：题干中的 being anumeric does not affect one's cognitive ability 对应 [E] 段首句的 these anumeric people are cognitively normal（这些无数字概念的人在认知上是正常的）。
39. B。解析：题干中的 long history of mankind... small minority 对应 [B] 段的 number-conscious people like us are the unusual ones（像我们这样对数字敏感的人是不寻常的/少数的）以及 Bulk of our species' approximately 200,000-year lifespan（在我们物种20万年的大部分时间里）。
40. K。解析：题干中的 in-depth study... contributes to a true understanding 对应 [K] 段末句的 If we are to truly understand... we must continually explore the depths of our species' linguistic diversity（如果我们想要真正理解...我们必须不断探索物种语言多样性的深度）。
41. D。解析：题干中的 conclusion... drawn from many experiments... hard time distinguishing quantities 对应 [D] 段首句的 This and many other experiments have led to a simple conclusion: ... they struggle to make quantitative distinctions（这和许多其它实验得出了一个简单的结论：...他们很难做出数量上的区分）。
42. G。解析：题干中的 not an inborn skill 对应 [G] 段首句的 We are not born to handle quantitative distinctions skillfully（我们并非天生就能熟练处理数量上的区分）。
43. A。解析：题干中的 Every aspect... affected by numbers 对应 [A] 段末句的 The exact numbers we think with impact everything in our lives（我们思考时用到的精确数字影响着我们生活中的每件事）。
44. I。解析：题干中的 Larger numbers... built upon smaller numbers 对应 [I] 段的 smaller numbers are the basis of larger numbers（较小的数字是较大数字的基础）。
45. F。解析：题干中的 takes great efforts for children... to grasp 对应 [F] 段中的 acquiring the exact meaning... is a painstaking process that takes children years（习得精确含义是一个耗时数年的艰苦过程）。
全文翻译
[A] 并非所有文化中都有数字。亚马逊流域存在着没有数字概念的狩猎采集者，他们生活在这条世界最大河流树的支流沿岸。这些人不使用精确数量的词汇，而是完全依赖类似于"几个"或"一些"的词语。相比之下，我们自己的生活由数字支配。当你读到这里时，你很可能知道现在几点、你多大年纪、你的支票账户余额、你的体重等等。我们用以思考的精确数字影响着我们生活中的一切。
[B] 但从历史意义上讲，像我们这样具有数字意识的人才是少数。在我们这个物种大约20万年的历史中，绝大部分时间里我们没有办法精确表示数量。更重要的是，当今存在的约7000种语言在如何利用数字方面差异巨大。
[C] 说无数字语言的人为了解数字的发明如何重塑人类经验提供了一个窗口。没有数字或只有一两个精确数字的文化包括亚马逊流域的蒙杜鲁库人和皮拉罕人。研究人员还研究了一些从未被教授数字词汇的尼加拉瓜成年人。没有数字，健康的成年人很难精确区分和回忆低至四的数量。在一项实验中，研究人员将坚果逐颗放入罐中，然后逐一取出。观察者被要求在全部坚果被取出时示意。反应表明，无数字的人在跟踪罐中剩余多少坚果方面有些困难，即使总共只有四到五颗。
[D] 这个和许多其他实验得出一个简单的结论：当人们没有数字词汇时，他们很难做出对你我来说可能显得很自然的数量区分。虽然世界上只有一小部分语言是无数字或接近无数字的，但它们表明数字词汇并非人类普遍具有的。
[E] 值得强调的是，这些无数字的人在认知上是正常的，并很好地适应了他们已主导数世纪的环境。小时候，我花了一些时间与无数字的皮拉罕人一起生活，他们居住在黑色迈奇河沿岸。像其他外来者一样，我对他们对我们共享的生态环境的卓越理解不断感到印象深刻。然而，无数字的人在需要精确区分数量的任务中遇到困难。也许这不应令人惊讶。毕竟，如果不数数，一个人怎么能分辨出树上是有七颗椰子还是八颗呢？这种看似简单的区分在无数字者的眼中变得模糊。
[F] 这一结论在工业化社会中无数字儿童的实验中得到了呼应。在被灌输数字词汇之前，儿童只能大致区分三以上的数量。我们必须获得数字这一认知工具，才能持续且轻松地识别更高的数量。事实上，掌握数字词汇的精确含义是一个费力的过程，需要儿童花上数年时间。最初，孩子们学习数字就像学习字母一样。他们认识到数字是按顺序排列的，但对每个独立数字的含义却知之甚少。随着时间的推移，他们开始理解一个给定的数字代表比前一个数字大一个的数量。这个"后继原则"是我们数字认知基础的一部分，但需要大量的练习才能理解。
[G] 因此，我们当中没有人是真正的"数字人"。我们并非生来就能熟练处理数量区分。如果没有那些从婴儿期就用数字填满我们生活的文化传统，我们都会在基本的数量区分上挣扎。数字词汇及其书写形式在被我们的父母、同伴和学校教师引入我们的认知经验时，转变了我们的数量推理能力。这个过程看起来如此正常，以至于我们有时认为它是成长的自然部分，但事实并非如此。人类大脑天生带有某些随年龄增长而完善的数量本能，但这些本能非常有限。
[H] 与其他哺乳动物相比，我们的数字本能并不像很多人认为的那样卓越。我们甚至与远亲非哺乳动物如鸟类共享一些基本的本能数量推理。事实上，对其他一些物种的研究表明，如果它们被引入我们称之为数字的认知强大工具，它们也能完善自己的数量思维。
[I] 那么，我们最初是如何发明"非自然的"数字的呢？答案就在你的指尖。世界上大多数语言使用十进制、二十进制或五进制数字系统。也就是说，这些较小的数字是更大数字的基础。英语是一种十进制语言，如14（"四"+"十"）和31（"三"×"十"+"一"）等词所示。我们讲十进制语言，是因为一种祖先语言——原始印欧语——是以十进制为基础的。原始印欧语以十进制为基础，是因为与许多文化一样，我们祖先的双手充当了通往"一只手有五根手指，另一只手也是五根"这一认知的门户。这种瞬间的想法被用词语表达并代代相传。这就是为什么许多语言中"五"这个词源自"手"这个词。因此，大多数数字系统是两个关键因素的副产品：人类的语言能力以及我们对手和手指的关注倾向。这种对手的专注——用两条腿直立行走的间接副产品——在大多数（但并非所有）文化中帮助产生了数字。
[J] 没有数字的文化也提供了关于特定数字传统对认知影响的洞见。想想现在几点。你的一天由分和秒统治，但这些概念在任何物理意义上都不是真实的，对无数字的人来说是不存在的。分和秒是古代美索不达米亚使用的一种不常见的六十进制数字系统的口头和书面表述。它们存在于我们的头脑中，是并非所有人都能概念继承的数字产物。
[K] 对数字语言的研究越来越多地表明，我们物种的一个关键特征是巨大的语言和认知多样性。如果我们想要真正理解我们的认知生活在不同文化间的差异有多大，我们必须不断探索我们这个物种语言多样性的深度。
核心搭配与高分句型
【核心搭配与高频短语】
- rely exclusively on：完全依赖于...
- checking account balance：支票账户余额
- offer a window into：提供一个了解...的窗口（offer a window into how the invention of numbers reshaped...）
- keep track of：记录，追踪（keeping track of how many nuts remain）
- a small portion of：一小部分...
- be well-adapted to：非常适应...
- spoon-feed sb. sth.：向某人灌输/填鸭式教导某事（prior to being spoon-fed number words）
- come equipped with：生来具备，配有...
- in the first place：起初，首先
- be derived from：源自，衍生自
【亮点句型解析】
- Instead of doing A, B rely on... (对比结构)：
"Instead of using words for precise quantities, these people rely exclusively on terms similar to 'a few' or 'some'."
（这些人不使用表示精确数量的词，而是完全依赖于类似于“一些”或“几个”的术语。）此句型通过 `Instead of` 形成鲜明的习惯对比，非常适合在作文中描述两种不同的社会现象。 - Virtual Conditional (虚拟/假设推论)：
"In the absence of the cultural traditions... we would all struggle with even basic quantitative distinctions."
（如果缺乏将数字填满我们生活的文化传统...我们甚至在基础的数量区分上都会感到吃力。）使用 `In the absence of...` (在缺乏...的情况下) 引导假设，配合 `would` 引导的推论，展示了严密的逻辑思考能力。