How quickly can you count from one to ten? Do you use ten different words to do it? Can you do it in English, or do you have to use your first language? Do you count on your fingers? Many people think that numbers and math are the same all over the world. But scientists have discovered that it is not true.

People in different parts of the world use different ways to count on their fingers. In the United States, people begin counting with their first finger. They then extend the rest of their fingers and finally the thumb to count to five. Then they repeat this with the other hand to get to ten. In China, people count by using different finger positions. In this way, a Chinese person can easily count to ten on only one hand.

Besides ways of finger counting, scientists have found that cultures and languages are also different when it comes to numbers. Some languages have only a few words for numbers, and others have no words for numbers. For example, the aboriginal people in Australia don’t have hand movements to stand for numbers. They don’t even have words for numbers. However, they are still able to understand different ideas about numbers. Similarly, people of the Piraha tribe in northwestern Brazil don’t have words for numbers such as “one” or “three”. They are not able to say “five trees” or “ten trees” but can say “some trees”, “more trees” or “many trees”.

Professor Edward Gibson from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said that most people believe that everyone knows how to count, “But here is a group that does not count. They could learn, but it’s not useful in their culture, so they’ve never picked it up.”

【小题1】Why does the writer list the four questions at the beginning of the passage?

A．To make a survey.	B．To interest the readers.
C．To give examples.	D．To interview the readers.

【小题2】According to Paragraph 2, what is the difference between the US and China in finger counting?

A．People from China use finger positions to do counting.

B．People from the US usually begin counting with their thumb.

C．People from China count much faster than people from the US.

D．People from the US use only one hand to count from one to ten.

【小题3】People of the Piraha tribe are from ________.

A．the US

B．Brazil

C．Australia

D．Asia

【小题4】Which of the following is TRUE about aboriginal Australians?

A．There are ideas of numbers in their life.	B．There is no “some trees” in their language.
C．They have only a few words for numbers.	D．They have hand movements for numbers.

【小题5】What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Chinese people are good at counting.	B．Counting quickly on fingers is not easy.
C．Counting is difficult to learn in some tribes.	D．People don’t need numbers in some cultures.