24AmazingthingsNumbersReadingBeforeyoureadA0ThinkandsayWearegoingtoreadaboutaspecialkindoflanguagethateveryonecanspeak

AnInternationalLanguage/'l??ɡw??/Whatdoes‘language’mean?Whatkindoflanguagedoyouknow?BeforeyoureadA1Thinkaboutwhatthesenumbersstandfor(代表).2000923.14151.41440411913

Tocalculatetheareaofacircle/?k?lkjule?t/Whatdoweuseittodo?/??m??d??nsi/BeforeyoureadA2Readthetitleandtheintroduction,answerthequestions.

Howmanylanguagesdoyouknow?Everyoneknowsatleasttwo—hisorherownlanguageandtheinternationallanguageofnumbers.Whatisthetitle?Whatwillthewriterprobablytalkaboutinthepassage?Numbers:Everyone'slanguageWhileyoureadB0Scan(掃)thesubheadingsandpicturesonP57,thenanswerWhatisthepassagemainlyabout?The_________and_________ofnumbers.Howmanypartsarethereinthispassage?Whatarethey?history(howtospeakthe)language4Ancientnumbers,Zero,CalculatingmachinesandBrainagainstcomputer.WhileyoureadB1Read“Ancientnumbers”,tellthemeaningsofthepictureInancienttimes,peoplewrotenumbersinmanydifferentways,asthesepicturesofthenumber6show.However,theynearlyallcountedinthesameway—intens.AncientnumbersWhymentionthesefour?ancientcivilizationsHowdidmostancientpeoplecount?WhileyoureadB1Read“Ancientnumbers”andanswerthequestionsInancienttimes,peoplewrotenumbersinmanydifferentways,asthesepicturesofthenumber6show.However,theynearlyallcountedinthesameway—intens.AncientnumbersWhymentionthesefour?ancientcivilizationsWhatisthepicturetryingtotellus?Howdidmostancientpeoplecount?WhileyoureadB1Read“Ancientnumbers”andanswerthequestionsCanyouthinkofanyexceptions?Isthereanycivilizationthatdoesn'tcountintens?Whydidmostancientpeoplecountintens?Whatdoesthisparagraphtellus?Ancientpeoplewritethenumbersindifferentwaysbutcounttheminthesamewayhavedifferentnumberwritingsystemsbutthesamecountingsystem./?s?st?m/agroupofthingsthatworktogetherZeroMostofususethesystemofnumberswithnumbersfrom1to9and0(zero).Withthesetennumbers,wecanwriteanynumberfromthebiggesttothesmallest.TheIndiansfirstinventedanddevelopedthe1to9systemofnumbers.Theytheninventedthezero.Thiswasaveryimportantinventionbecauseitmadeiteasiertowritebignumbersandtocalculate.WhileyoureadB2Read“Zero”andanswerthequestions

What’sthesystemofnumbersmostpeopleusetoday?Whoplayedanimportantroleincreatingthesystem?Whywas"zero”veryimportant?WhileyoureadB2Read“Zero”andanswerthequestionsWhatwastheprocess?What’sthesystemofnumbersmostpeopleusetoday?Whoplayedanimportantroleincreatingthesystem?Whywas"zero”veryimportant?Thesystemofnumberswithnumbersfrom1to9and0.TheIndians.Becauseitmadeiteasiertowritebignumbersandtocalculate.Theusageandtheinventorofzero.

Whatdoesthisparttellus?Theyfirstinventedanddevelopedthe1to9systemofnumbersandtheninventedzero/?n?vent//d??vel?p/WhileyoureadB3Read“Calculatingmachines”,listthemachinesandtheiradvantages.CalculatingmachinesOneofthefirstcalculatingmachineswasanabacus.Abacusesaresofastandaccuratethatpeoplestillusethemtoday.Amodernelectroniccalculatorcanadd,subtract,multiplyanddivide.Itcanalsocalculatepercentagesandsquareroots.Computersareverypowerfulcalculatingmachines.Inaflash,acomputercandoacalculationthatyoucouldnotdoinyourwhole

lifetime.WhileyoureadB3Read“Calculatingmachines”,listthemachinesandtheiradvantages.CalculatingmachinesAdvantagesabacus/??b?k?s/electronic

/??lek?tr?n?k/calculator/?k?lkjule?t?(r)/computerfastandaccuratedoallkindsofcalculations/?k?lkju?le??(?)n/powerful/??kj?r?t/exactlyright;withnomistakes.Inaflash,itcandoacalculationthatyoucouldnotdoinyourwholeliShrne.WhileyoureadB4Findthenumberthawhenitismultiplied23timesbyitself,givesthisanswer:916748676920039158098660927585380162483106680144308622407126516427934657040867096593279205767480806790022783016354924852380335745316935111903596577547340075681688305620821016129132845546805780158806771usedwhenwearecomparingtwothingsortwothingsarecompetingwitheachother/??ɡenst/

Brainagainstcomputerversus(vs.)multiply/'m?lt?pla?/BrainagainstcomputerSomepeoplecallthebrainalivingcomputer.

Isahumanbrainamorepowerfulcalculatorthanacomputer?Thefollowingstorymaygiveananswer.ShakuntalaDeviisaladyfromIndiawithanamazingbrain.Shakuntalaandaverypowerfulcomputerweregiventhisproblemtosolve.Shakuntala’sbraintookfiftysecondstofindtheanswer,likelightning.Thecomputertookaminute.However,someonehadtofirstprogramthecomputerwithinstructions,andthattookmanyhours.NoonehadtoprogramShakuntala!Useyourownlivingcomputertosolvetheproblemabove.Ifitisnotpowerfulenough,youwillfindtheansweronpage67.WhileyoureadB4Read“Brainagainstcomputer".Completethetable.CompetetiorHowlongittooktogettheanswerWhileyoureadB4Read“Brainagainstcomputer".Completethetable.CompetetiorHowlongittooktogettheanswerShakuntalaComputerWhowasthewinnerofthecompetition??fiftyseconds

oneminutelikelightning/?la?tn??/manyhourstoprogram/'pr??ɡr?m/giveacomputer,etc.asetofinstructionstomakeitperformaparticulartaskWhatdoyouthinkofherbrain?amazing/??me?z??/Whatcanweconcludefromthispart?Humanbrainshaveanadvantageovercomputers—noneedforprogramming.0AfteryoureadC0Namethepicturesproperlyandputthemontherightplaceofthelineaccoringtothepassage0AncientnumbersZeroCalculatingmachinesBrainagainstcomputerAfteryoureadC0Namethepicturesproperlyandputthemontherightplaceofthelineaccoringtothepassageorigin(起源)developmenttoolcompetitionAfteryoureadC1Readthefollowingquestionsanddivide.Didpeoplecountnumbersinthesamewaylongago?Howwidelyarenumbersusedindifferentfieldsaroundtheworld?Wasthesystemofnumbersinthepastdifferentfromtheoneweusetoday?Howdopeopledocalculations?Dothenumbersindifferentcountriesalwayslookthesame?Whydopeopleseenumbersasaninternationallanguage?Howdonumbershelppeopletocommunicatewitheachotherbetter?Whataretheexamplesofnumbersbeingusedinthesamewayaroundtheworld?Whichofthequestionsabovehasbeenansweredinthearticle?Whichhasn'tbeenanswered?Whichcanbeinferre