Question

Back in the early 1900s, American physician Byron Robinson wrote a book proposing an interesting theory: humans actually have two brains --- one in our heads and the other in our stomachs, and the two “communicate” all the time. Interestingly, in Chinese culture, thoughts are also related to the belly in phrases and idioms like fugao (腹稿, a draft), manfu jinglun (满腹经纶, a bellyful of ideas), and yiduzi weiqu (一肚子委屈, a bellyful of complaints).

This may sound a little ridiculous at first. But try to think of a time when you were extremely nervous. Chances are that you also felt uncomfortable in your stomach, didn’t you? This is probably why people use the idiom “butterflies in one’s stomach” to refer to being nervous.

Now scientists from Canada and the US have found that our guts (肠道), if not as bright as our actual brains, are much more than just where we digest the food we eat. They also affect our emotions and even behavior, all thanks to the bacteria in them, reported Scientific American.

In the study, scientists fed timid mice stomach bacteria from mice that were more active and daring. After eating the bacteria, the timid mice grew more energetic and fearless. Sure enough, when bold mice got the bacteria from timid ones, they became more anxious. The mice’s behavior also changed when scientists disturbed the bacteria in their guts by changing their diets and feeding them antibiotics (抗生素).

“If something goes wrong in the gut, that change is reflected in the brain,” Emeran Mayer, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, told The Huffington Post.

The brain-and-gut connection also works in the opposite way. Scientists studied children with autism (自闭症) --- a mental illness that makes people unable to socialize with others --- and found that they also have a lot of stomach problems. They have fewer types of stomach bacteria and lower totals of a few key bacteria than healthy children.

This research raises the possibility that scientists could treat patients with brain problems simply by feeding them the right food, which would be much more efficient than providing psychological therapy (疗法).

According to CBC News, you can get “good” bacteria that lift your spirits from food like yogurt while “bad” bacteria are usually in high fat and high sugar foods.

1.What is the author’s attitude toward Byron Robinson’s theory of two human brains?

A. Unsatisfied. B. Doubtful. C. Positive. D. Negative.

2.The author mentioned the idiom “butterflies in one’s stomach” in the second paragraph to _____.

A. describe the symptoms of nervousness

B. suggest a connection between our stomach and our emotions

C. hint at the danger of nervous feelings

D. encourage people to calm down and relax

3.What’s the closest meaning of the underlined word “bold” in Paragraph 4?

A. anxious B. fearless C. energetic D. sharp

4.According to the article, ______.

A. people with mental illnesses are more likely to have stomach problems

B. the use of antibiotics can turn timid mice into daring ones

C. timid mice have fewer types of stomach bacteria than daring mice

D. people must consider changing their diets when they feel anxious

5.We can infer from the article that______.

A. psychological therapy has never worked before for autistic children

B. yogurt is the best solution for anxiety problems

C. high fat and high sugar foods are responsible for many mental diseases

D. diet changes can lead to mood changes

 

Answer 1

1.C

2.B

3.B

4.A

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：文章介绍Byron Robinson 的理论说，人的大脑和肚子各有一个大脑，接下来通过一些短语和实验来证明这种说法是有道理的，因此可以通过改变饮食改变人的情绪。

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

可知饮食的改变可以改变人的情绪，选D

考点：考查科普类短文