Have you ever heard that we humans use only ten percent of our brains? This opinion holds a certain appeal because if it were true, then we could instantly become ten times more intelligent just by firing up that sleepy majority of the brain!

The idea that we use only a small part of the brain dates back to animal experiments in the 19th century. When scientists stimulated (刺激) a specific part of the brain, the animal moved its leg or tail. If a tiny part of the brain could do something so great, what was the use of the rest of the brain? Some scientists assumed that large parts of the brain were simply useless.

Then, in the early 20th century, scientists observed that stimulating certain parts of the brain had no physical effects. They named these seemingly useless parts of the brain the “silent cortex.” Today we know that in humans, much of the “silent cortex” is actually devoted to complex activities like language, learning, and imagining.

Brain scans have shown that different parts of the brain become much more active as we shift (切换) our attention and focus, but even as we sleep, many areas of the brain are extremely active. Would you be smarter if your entire brain constantly worked to maximum capacity (能力)? Interestingly enough, the opposite is probably true. The less brain activity you need to perform a given task, the more the brain as a whole is able to do.

1.Why does the opinion mentioned in paragraph l seem appealing?

A. People wish to become much smarter.

B. People believe it is scientific.

C. People know nothing about the brain.

D. People want to make little use of their brain.

2.What did scientists discover in their experiment in the 20th century?

A. The majority of the brain is sleeping.

B. Animals’ legs and tails have some connection with their brain.

C. Stimulation on some parts of the brain causes no physical reaction.

D. Certain parts of the brain are devoted to language and learning activities.

3.“Silent cortex” has proved to be______.

A. sensitive to stimulation

B. useful in complex activities

C. responsible for physical reaction

D. more active than the other parts of the brain

4.If you need less brain activity to perform a task, _______.

A. you will feel sleepy

B. you must shift your focus

C. you can use your brain to the fullest

D. you will be more productive

根据短文内容,从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

How northern Europeans beat the winter blues

Ask a child from northern Europe to draw two pictures—one on a rainy day and a second in the sunshine—and this is what you will get: in the first, as raindrops fall from the top of the page, the man behind the window has an unhappy expression. When a yellow sun sends out some light from the corner, the man is smiling.

Northern Europeans associate rain with sadness and sunshine with happiness. They think this is true because they are so aware of how their environment affects them. ___1._In October 2008, a group of researchers examined the influence of different daily weather factors, including temperature, wind and sunlight, on 1,200 participants. The conclusion was that good or bad weather had little effect on people’s feelings.___ 2.___ A person who is upset on dark or cold days suffers from a negative mood(情绪), and he will be likely to experience a sad winter. This is the basis of an illness called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). ___3.___

AniKalayjian, professor of psychology at Fordham University, advises that we should take steps to strengthen the brain’s system against weather-driven mood changes. Research on SAD has been focused on the brain’s response to darkness and light. When our eyes detect darkness, the brain gives off melatonin, which starts sleep cycles. ___4.__It takes over to help us wake up and feel better when we detect light. “We can encourage people to take charge of their feelings,” says Kalayjian. “We tell them to leave the computers and the indoor games and get out there in the sun. __5.___”

A day of rain can potentially destroy your plan and affect your mood. But as the Scottish comedian Billy Connolly once said: “There is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing.”

A. Yet that link has no scientific basis.

B. It is seriously doubted among the people who suffer from SAD.

C. It affects about10% of the population of northern Europe each year.

D. Another chemical called serotonin, however, can make people happy.

E. That’s when people can recharge their serotonin and get a better mood.

F. Most studies prove that a negative feeling is associated with bad weather.

G. They determined that people actually differ in their sensitivity to weather changes.

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