Question

Biologists believe that love is fundamentally a biological rather than a cultural construct, because the capacity for love is found in all human cultures and similar behavior is found in some other animals. In humans the purpose of all the desire is to focus attention on the raising of offspring. Children demand an unusual amount of parenting, and two parents are better than one. Love is a signal that both partners are committed, and makes it more likely that this commitment will continue as long as necessary for children to reach independence. But what does science have to say about the notion of love at first sight?

In recent years the ability to watch the brain in action has offered a wealth of insight into the mechanics of love. Researchers have shown that when a person falls in love, a dozen different part of brain work together to release chemicals that trigger feelings of euphoria, bonding and excitement. It has also been shown that the unconditional love between a mother and a child is associated with activity in different regions of the brain from those associated with pair-bonding love.

Passionate love is rooted in the reward circuitry of the brain—the same area that is active when humans feel a rush from cocaine. In fact, the desire, motivations and withdrawals involved in love have a great deal in common with addiction. Its most intense forms tend to be associated with the early stages of a relationship, which then give way to a calmer attachment form of love one feels with a long term partner.

What all this means is that one special person can become chemically rewarding to the brain of another. Love at first sight, then, is only possible if the mechanism for generating long-term attachment can be triggered quickly. There are signs that it can be. One line of evidence is that people are able to decide within a second how attractive they find another person. This decision appears to be related to facial attractiveness, although men may favor women with waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7, no matter what their overall weight is. (This ratio may indicate a woman’s reproductive health.)

Another piece of evidence comes from work by a psychologist at Ben-Gurion University, who found in a survey that a small percentage (11%) of people in long-term relationships said that they began with love at first sight. In other words, in some couples the initial favorable impressions of attractiveness triggered love which sustained a lengthy bond. It is also clear that some couples need to form their bonds over a longer period, and popular culture tells many tales of friends who become lovers.

One might also assume that if a person is looking for a partner with traits that cannot be quantified instantly, such as compassion, intellect or a good sense of humor, then it would be hard to form a relationship on the basis of love at first sight. Those more concerned with visual appearances, though, might find this easier. So it appears that love at first sight exists, but is not a very common basis for long-term relationships.

1.When a person falls in love, ________.

A. he feels as if he were addicted to cocaine

B. he will be committed to the beloved as long as necessary

C. he will experience a calmer attachment form of love before he feels the extreme love

D. he will experience complex feelings brought on by different regions of his brain

2.We can infer from the passage that ________.

A. pair-bonding love comes from a long stable friendship

B. the mechanism for creating long-term attachment ensures love at first sight

C. it is impossible for those ordinary-looking people to fall in love at first sight

D. men may be attracted by a girl whose figure suggests her admirable reproductive capacity

3.The underlined word “traits” in the last paragraph probably means ________.

A. characteristics

B. particular quantities in your personality

C. something typical in your temper

D. attitudes that show your moral standards

4.Which of the following may be the best title of the passage?

A. The science of love at first sight

B. The stages of passionate love

C. The biological construct of pair-bonding

D. The mechanism for generating long-term love

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.B

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲的是关于一见钟情的科学论断。

1. 细节理解题。根据第二段第二句Researchers have shown that when a person falls in love, a dozen different part of brain work together to release chemicals that trigger feelings of euphoria, bonding and excitement.（研究人员表明，人恋爱时，大脑的十多个区域会同时活动，释放能产生愉悦、依恋和兴奋情感的化学物质。）可知，故选D。

2. 推理判断题。根据第四段最后一句This decision appears to be related to facial attractiveness, although men may favor women with waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7, no matter what their overall weight is. (This ratio may indicate a woman’s reproductive health.)[这个决定看起来与面部吸引力有关，尽管男人不会考虑到女人的体重，而宁愿她们腰围、臀围比为0.7（这个比率可能预示着女性的生殖健康），但是，一见钟情似乎总与面部的吸引力有关。故选D。

3. 词义猜测题。根据最后一段第一句One might also assume that if a person is looking for a partner with traits that cannot be quantified instantly, such as compassion, intellect or a good sense of humor, then it would be hard to form a relationship on the basis of love at first sight.（有时，人们不禁猜测，如果一个人想在另一个身上，寻找那些诸如同情，智力或者幽默感等不能被立刻量化的特质时，那么仅仅一见钟情是很难建立起长期的伴侣关系的。），故可知画线部分指的是：你个性中的特殊的东西。故选B。

4. 主旨大意题。根据第一段Biologists believe that love is fundamentally a biological rather than a cultural construct, because the capacity for love is found in all human cultures and similar behavior is found in some other animals. But what does science have to say about the notion of love at first sight?（生物学家认为，从本质上来说，爱情是一种生物学而非文化概念。那是因为，在人类的文明中发现了产生爱的能力，而同时在其它一些动物身上也发现了类似的行为，但是，对于一见钟情这个概念，科学上有什么必须要阐述的呢？）和最后一段最后一句So it appears that love at first sight exists, but is not a very common basis for long-term relationships.（因此，很明显，一见钟情是存在的，但是，却无法以此建立起一段长期的伴侣关系。）可知，本文讲的是关于一见钟情的科学论断。故选A。

【名师点睛】

词义猜测题。猜词是应用英语的重要能力。我们要学会“顺藤摸瓜”，通过构词，语法，定义，同位，对比，因果，常识，上下文等线索确定词义。任何一篇文章中的句子在内容上都不是绝对孤立的，都跟句子所在的段落及整整篇文章有关。利用上下文提供的情景和线索，进行合乎逻辑的综合分析进而推测词义，是阅读过程中的一大关键，这也是近年来高考考查的热点。最常见的就是利用上下文语境、常识和语法关系推断词义。

①抓住所需推断词汇前后的“mean”或系动词或破折号等直接定义该词的部分。

②抓住文章主旨与该段所表达的中心。特别对于议论文要牢记论点与论据的相互支撑关系。

③通过例证、比喻、对照、插入语等语法结构推断词义。

64小题B词义猜测题。根据最后一段第一句One might also assume that if a person is looking for a partner with traits that cannot be quantified instantly, such as compassion, intellect or a good sense of humor, then it would be hard to form a relationship on the basis of love at first sight.有时，人们不禁猜测，如果一个人想在另一个身上，寻找那些诸如同情，智力或者幽默感等不能被立刻量化的特质时，那么仅仅一见钟情是很难建立起长期的伴侣关系的。可知画线部分指的是：你个性中的特殊的东西。故选B。

考点：考查科普类阅读