As you dash outdoors in the middle of winter, you might make it halfway down the block before realizing that your ears are freezing because you forgot your hat.

Now, scientists have shown that even though you’ve had an apparent memory lapse（丧失）, your brain never forgot what you should have done.

Memory works mainly by association. For example, as you try to remember where you left your keys, you might recall you last had them in the living room, which reminds you that there was an ad for soap on television, which reminds you that you need soap, and so on. And then, as you’re heading out of the door to buy soap, you remember that your keys are on the kitchen counter. Your brain knew where the keys were all along. It just took a round-about way to get there.

Now, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies are studying associative memory in monkeys to figure out just how this complicated process works.

First, the researchers trained a group of monkeys to remember arbitrary（任意的） pairs of symbols. The researchers showed the monkeys one symbol（cold weather） and then gave them the choice of two other symbols, one of which （a hat） would be associated with the first. A correct choice would earn them a sip of their favorite juice.

Most of the monkeys performed the test perfectly, but one kept making mistakes.

“We wondered what happened in the brain when the monkey made the wrong choice, although it apparently learned the right pairing of symbols,” said study leader Thomas Albright.

Albright and his team observed signals from the nerve cells in the monkey’s inferior temporal cortex （ITC）, an area of its brain used for visual pattern recognition and for storing this type of memory.

As the monkey was deciding which symbol to choose, about a quarter of the activity in the ITC was due to the choice behavior.

Meanwhile, more than half the activity was in a different group of nerve cells, which scientists believe represent the monkey’s memory of the correct symbol pairing, and surprisingly, these cells continued to work well even when the monkey chose the wrong symbol.

“In this sense, the cells ‘knew’ more than the monkeys let on in their behavior,” Albright said. “Thus, behavior may vary, but knowledge endures.”

What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Your brain remembers what you forget.

B. Activity is a round-about way to memory.  

C. Monkeys have better memory than us.

D. Your brain may forget something, but not always.

The example of the keys and soap is given to explain the relationship between _______.

A. memory and our daily life   B. memory and television ads

C. memory and association       D. memory lapse and human brain

The researchers believe the monkey that made the wrong choice ________.

A. had some trouble with its nerve system  B. failed to see the objects well

C. had the worst memory     D. also knew the correct answer

The underlined word “endures” may be best replaced by __________.

A. increases        B. remains      C. disappears       D. improves

How many times have you found yourself arriving at school to start your day, only ________ that you left your homework at home?

   A. having discovered              B. discovering              C. to discover      D. Discover

When was the last time you were late and expected someone to understand? How about the time you left your dishes on the table for someone else to clean up? Or perhaps you left the lid on the peanut butter jar loose, and the person after you opened the jar to find it dry and not fresh.

  Often, we are eager to ignore our own faults. But we have higher standards when it comes to our expectations of someone else who has the same expectations. We need to as equally understand the weaknesses of others and excuse them just as we excuse ourselves.

  Two of my strengths are punctuality(准时) and organization. I like to meet deadlines when they are due and keep the space around my computer neat and orderly. But sometimes things happen, and I slip from being perfect. When this happens, I show myself mercy and lower the standard for myself. However, if someone else makes a mess around my computer, I might not show them as much mercy as I show myself. If it can happen to me, then I should be willing to realize that it can happen to someone else as well.

  I am not suggesting that we should not work on improving our faults, or that it should be right to be late or leave a mess behind us. Although we should always be working towards self-improvement, we shouldn’t have a double standard that says we are excused from our own mistakes but we cannot excuse someone else. If we are not 100-percent perfect, we shouldn’t expect others to be.

  Mercy shows an understanding heart. If we are blind to our own faults, we will not be very merciful towards others. Showing a little mercy goes a long way when life’s little mistakes take place. When the tables are turned, showing mercy towards someone’s shortcomings could cause us to receive some in return.

1.From the first paragraph we can learn that________________.

A. we all make a mess sometimes

B. we all need private space

C. we should accept others’ help with gratitude

D. we should not open the lid on the peanut butter jar

2.How does the author develop the third paragraph?

A. By raising questions.                                           B. By giving examples.

C. By analyzing opinions.                                         D. By showing research findings

3.The underlined part,       “When the tables are turned” in the last paragraph, can be best replaced by____________.

A. “When good luck comes”                                  B. “When benefits increase”

C. “When our mistakes happen”                           D. “When the situation is changed”

4.What would be the best title for this passage?

A. Changing Bad Daily Habits                                  B. Excusing Our Own Faults

C. Being Merciful Toward Others                          D. Working Toward Self-improvement

Could it be in the room        we had a talk last night        you left your keys ?

Was it in the science museum _______ you visited yesterday _______ you left your keys?