Read the following text and fill each of the numbered spaces
with ONE suitable word. Write your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.
Do you believe that only boys do well in science Does it seem
to you that (31) have better vocabularies than boys
(32) your opinion, are boys better at building thins If your
answer to each of those questions is "Yes", you (33) right,
according to an article in Current Science. There are exceptions, but here are
the facts. On the (34) , males score higher
on tests that measure mathematical reasoning, mechanical ability, and
problem-solving skills. (35) show superior ability in tests
measuring vocabulary, spelling, and memory. But these (36)
will probably not always exist. In the future, a person’s abilities
may not be determined (37) sex. As one scientist
(38) "Nothing is impossible for a person to be or do.
" In several recent studies, young babies have been observed and
tested to discover (39) different abilities are developed. A
scientific team headed by Jerome Kagan, a psychologist at Harvard University, is
studying the thinking ability of children 11.5 months (40) .
The test is a simple one. The (41) , while seated on it
mother’s lap, watches a "show" on a small theater stage. In Act
One of the show, an orange-colored block is lifted from blue box and moved
slowly across the stage. Then (42) is returned to the box.
This is repeated six times. Act (43) is similar, except that
the orange block is smaller. Baby boys do not seem to notice the difference in
the size of the block, but girls immediately become excited and begin to make
noises that sound (44) language. They seem to be trying to
talk. It is (45) that bones, muscles, and
nerves develop faster in baby girls. Usually, too, baby girls talk (46)
an earlier age than boys do. Scientists think there is a physical
reason (47) this. They believe that nerves in the left side
of the brain develop faster in girls than in boys. And it is this side of the
(48) that strongly influences an individual’s ability to use
words, to spell, and to remember things. By the time they start
to school, therefore, little girls have an advantage that boys do not have.
Girls are physically more ready to (49) facts, to spell, and
to read. These, of course, are (50) that are important in
elementary school.