Question

【题目】Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Uh-oh, the new year's just begun and already you're finding it hard to keep those resolutions to junk the junk food, get off the couch or kick smoking. There's a biological reason why a lot of our bad habits are so hard to break – they get【1】(wire) into our brains.

"Why are bad habits stronger? You're fighting against the power of an immediate reward," says Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and an authority on the brain's pleasure pathway.

"We all as creatures are behaving that way, to give greater value to an immediate reward as opposed to 【2】 is delayed," Volkow says.

How this bit of happiness turns into a habit involves a pleasure-sensing chemicalnamed dopamine. It causes the brain 【3】(pursue) that reward again and again strengthening the connection each time – especially when it gets the right hint from your environment.

People tend to overestimate their ability to resist temptations around them, thus 【4】(destroy) attempts to give up bad habits. Even scientists who recognize it 【5】 show weakness. "I know popcorns are not healthy. But every time I go to the cinema, I have to eat it," Volkow says， "It's fascinating."

A movement to pay people for behavior changes may exploit that connection, as some companies offer employees outright payments or insurance reduction for adopting better habits.

【6】well paying for behavior plays out, researchers say there are still some steps that may help fight your brain's hold 【7】 newly-established habits:

Repeat, repeat, repeat the new behavior – the same routine at the same time of day. You decide to exercise. Doing it at the same time of the morning, rather than fitting it in casually, 【8】 (make) the striatum(终脑皮层)recognize the habit.Therefore, if you don’t keep doing it, you will feel frustrated.

Exercise itself raises dopamine levels, so eventually your brain will get a feel-good hit 【9】 your muscles protest.

Besides, try to reward yourself with 【10】 that you really desire. For instance, if you exercise all week or stick to your diet, you could try a fancy restaurant- safer perhaps than a box of cookies because the price inhibits the quantity.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】wired

【2】what

【3】to pursue

【4】destroying

【5】can

【6】However

【7】on

【8】makes

【9】even if/even though

【10】something

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，介绍了很难改掉坏习惯的生物学上的原因以及如何让大脑摆脱坏习惯的方法。

【1】考查非谓语动词。句意：我们的许多坏习惯很难改掉，有一个生物学上的原因——它们与我们的大脑相连。此处用“连系动词get+过去分词”构成系表结构，强调所处的一种状态，故填wired。

【2】考查宾语从句。句意：沃尔科夫说:“作为生物，我们都有这样的行为，就是为了让即时的回报比延迟的回报更有价值”。opposed to后为宾语从句，从句中缺少主语，故填what。

【3】考查非谓语动词。句意：它使大脑一次又一次地追求奖赏，每次都加强这种联系。cause sb to do sth表示“使某人做某事”，故填to pursue。

【4】考查非谓语动词。句意：人们往往高估了自己抵抗身边诱惑的能力，从而破坏了改掉坏习惯的努力。People与destroy之间是逻辑上的主谓关系，表还主动，用现在分词做状语，故填destroying。

【5】考查情态动词。句意：即使是认识到这一点的科学家也会表现出弱点。空后是动词原形，此处需要填情态动词，根据句意可知此处表示“会、可能（会）”，故填can。

【6】考查副词。句意：研究人员表示，不管最终会付出多大的代价，还是有一些方法可以帮助你摆脱大脑对新习惯的控制。根据句意可知此处表示“不管怎样、无论”，故填However。

【7】考查介词。句意同上，此处的hold为名词，表示“控制”，后接介词on表示“对……的控制”，故填on。

【8】考查时态和主谓一致。句意：在早上的同一时间锻炼，而不是随意地去做，会让终脑皮层意识到这个习惯。陈述的是客观事实，用一般现在时，动名词（短语）作主语，谓语动词用第三人称单数，故填makes。

【9】考查让步状语从句。句意：锻炼本身会提高多巴胺的水平，所以即使你的肌肉抗议，最终你的大脑也会得到良好的刺激。根据句意可知前后是让步关系，此处表示“即使”，故填even if/even though。

【10】考查代词。句意：此外，试着用你真正渴望的东西来奖励自己。根据句意可知此处表示“某些东西”，用于肯定句中，故填something。