Question

We all know what a brain is. A doctor will tell you that the brain is the organ of the body in the head. It controls our body’s functions, movements, emotions and thoughts. But a brain can mean so much more.

A brain can also simply be a smart person. If a person is called brainy, he is smart and intelligent. If a family has many children but one of them is super smart, you could say, “He’s the brains in the family.” And if you are the brains behind something, you are responsible for developing or organizing something. For example, Bill Gates is the brains behind Microsoft.

Brain trust is a group of experts who give advice. Word experts say the phrase “brain trust” became popular when Franklin D. Roosevelt first ran for president in 1932. Several professors gave him advice on social and political issues（问题）facing the U.S. These professors were called his “brain trust”.

These ways we use the word “brain” all make sense. But other ways we use the word are not so easy to understand. For example, to understand the next brain expression, you first need to know the word “drain”. As a verb, to drain means to remove something by letting it flew away. So a brain drain may sound like a disease where the brain flows out the ears. But, brain drain is when a country’s most educated people leave their countries to live in another. The brains are, sort of, draining out of the country.

However, if people are responsible for a great idea, you could say they brainstormed it. Here, brainstorm is not an act of weather. It is a process of thinking creatively about a complex topic. For example, business leaders may use brainstorming to create new products, and government leaders may brainstorm to solve problems.

If people are brainwashed, it does not mean their brains are nice and clean. To brainwash means to make some accept new beliefs by using repeated pressure in a forceful or tricky way. Keep in mind that brainwash is never used in a positive way.

1.According to the text, if you’re the CEO of Bai Du you can be called         .

A. the organ of Bai Du    B. the brain drain of Bai Du

C. the brains behind Bai Du    D. Bai Du’s brain trust

2.Roosevelt successfully won the election probably because         .

A. he got his brain trust    B. he got the help of word experts

C. he was smart at giving advice    D. he was the brains behind America

3.From the passage, we can infer that         .

A. to drain a lake means to fill it with a lot of water

B. brainy and brainwash are never used in a negative way

C. brainstorming is not a good choice for a political leader for lack of creativity

D. a country suffers a “brain drain” when educated people move to other countries

4.The author explains the “brain” expressions by         .

A. making comments    B. making comparisons

C. using examples    D. analyzing origins

Answer

1. C

2. A

3. D

4. C

【解析】

文章讲述“brain”一词的含义，以及它引申出来的几个单词的意思。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段的描述And if you are the brains behind something, you are responsible for developing or organizing something.（如果你是某物背后的brain，你对它的发展以及组织负有责任。） 以及最后一句的例子For example, Bill Gates is the brains behind Microsoft.（例如，比尔盖茨是微软背后的大脑。）可推断如果你是百度的CEO，你可以被叫百度背后的大脑。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段Several professors gave him advice on social and political issues（问题）facing the U.S. These professors were called his “brain trust”.可知Roosevelt成功地赢得竞选是因为他有“brain trust”（一个给他建议的团队）。故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段对brain drain的解释brain drain is when a country’s most educated people leave their countries to live in another. The brains are, sort of, draining out of the country. brain drain是一个国家受最高教育的人离开他们的国家住在另一个国家。可知当一个国家受高教育的人移民到别的国家时，这个国家遭受brain drain。故选D。

4.细节理解题。文章讲述“brain”一词的含义，以及它引申出来的几个单词的意思，解释每种意思之后都会加上例子说明，比如For example, Bill Gates is the brains behind Microsoft.；For example, business leaders may use brainstorming to create new products, and government leaders may brainstorm to solve problems.。可知文章是通过举例子来解释“brain”的表达。故选C。