Researchers worked with 135 second-grade students at a school in Los Angeles after (2) ______ a pilot study with 102 students.

Children that were given four months of piano training as well as time playing (3) ______ newly designed computer software scored 27 percent higher on math and fraction tests than other children.

1. Piano instruction is thought to enhance the brain’s “hard wiring” for spatial-temporal reasoning, or the ability to visualise and transform objects in space and time, says Professor Gordon Shaw, who led the study. At the same time, the computer game allows children to solve geometric and math puzzles that boost their ability to (4) ______ shapes in their mind.

The findings are significant (5) ______ a grasp of proportional math and fractions is a prerequisite to math at higher levels, and children who do not master these areas of math cannot understand more advanced math that is critical to high-tech fields.

1. The fictitious androids written about in the mid-1900s are becoming a reality with advances in the field of robotics. Japan and Korea have been pioneers in this field. They regularly compete to be the first. The focus on most researchers is in (6) ______ life-like, attractive female androids. 

A Japanese research group led by Hiroshi Ishiguro created their world’s first female android, which is called Actroid in 2003. Actroids are covered with a silicone skin and have built-in sensors making them (7) ______ of reacting to humans, and they can also mimic many human behaviors.

1. (8) ______, they can be programmed to speak in any language. The Korean android, EveR-2, released in 2006, was designed by a team from Kitech. They claim that she is more life-like than Actroids, and she can mimic emotions.

She can also speak and move her lips to match her (9) ______. Future models are expected to have higher mobility and even be proficient in dancing. Research teams have also created male androids. One in particular is the Geminoid HI-I.

Regardless of the competition, it’s clear that this technology will one day present us (10) ______ the dilemma of determining human from machine.

1. A mentor is an adult who provides support and friendship to a young person. There are numerous different (11) ______ of mentoring: passing on skills, sharing experiences, offering guidance.

1. Sometimes the most helpful thing to do is just listen. Mentoring is open to anybody – no particular (12) ______ experience is required, just a desire to make a difference to the life of a young person who needs help. 

1. The support of a mentor can play an important part in a child’s development and can often make up (13) ______ a lack of guidance in a young person’s life. 

For the mentor, it can be incredibly rewarding to know that they have had a significant influence on a child and helped to give the best possible (14) ______ in life.

Indeed, it is not only adults who are capable of taking on this role. There is now an increasing (15) ______ for teenagers to mentor young children, for example by helping them with reading or other school work.