Question

Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神经元）in our brains.

Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate (模仿)it, whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further: mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions, they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.

Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example: "The hand took hold of the ball"), the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).

Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.

Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with even more information concerning how humans behave and interact (互动). Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物)for neuroscience of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does—well, perhaps you'll understand why.

1.Mirror neurons can explain _________.

A．why we cry when we are hurt

B．why we cough when we suffer from a cold

C．why we smile when we see someone else smile

D．why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late

2.The underlined word "triggered" in the third paragraph probably means “_________”.

A．set off            B．cut off            C．built up           D．broken up

3.We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons _________.

A．relate to human behavior and interaction

B．control human physical actions and feelings

C．result in bad behavior and social disorders

D．determine our knowledge and language abilities

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A．Ways to find mirror neurons.              B．Problems of mirror neurons.

C．Existence of mirror neurons.               D．Functions of mirror neurons.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.C

2.A

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：你知道别人打呵欠你也跟着打呵欠，在众多正在大笑的人群中而你很难不笑吗？这是你的神经元起作用，本文主要讲述神经元对于人类的行为和人类互动的作用。

1. C细节理解题。根据第二段第一句话the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate (模仿)it，whether or not we actually perform the same action.可知答案为C项。

2.A 词义猜测题。根据下文的perform和本句的含义可知“如果他们给人们一些句子来听，那么他们就会发出同样的神经元和进行一些行为动作一样。所以划线部分单词意为“发出”和set off近义。

3.A推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information concerning how humans behave and interact(互动）可知答案。

4.D 主旨大意题。根据第一段的疑问句引出神经元和下文解释神经元对于人类行为和互动提供更多的信息可以知道本文主要告诉我们mirror neurons的作用，D项能概括文章大意。

考点：考查科普类短文阅读

点评：本文主要讲述神经元对于人类的行为和人类互动的作用。此类文章的最大的障碍是词汇以及考生对阅读内容的不熟悉，需要考生在阅读的时候有足够的耐心。要养成在上下文串联中猜测词义的能力，根据上下文中出现的同义词，近义词，反义词，以及词义的解释来理解生词。同时要抓住文章的中心，不要受其他信息的影响。要根据题目及选项以及文章的上下文串联合理的判断推理。