Question

"What's the name of our neighbor? I can't remember right now. " Have you ever heard your grandparents ask questions like this sometimes? Usually, we think that older people's memory becomes bad because their brains get weak. But now a team of scientists at the University of Tubingen in Germany has a new idea.[

"The human brain works slower in old age，" says Michael Ramscar, the lead scientist. "But only because they have stored more information overtime. "

The findings are based on a series of computer simulations(模拟)of learning and memory. Scientists let the computers read a certain amount of words and learn new things each day. When the computer "reads" only so much, its performance on cognitive(认知)tests is similar of a young adult. But if the computer learns the experiences we might encounter over a lifetime, its performance is similar to that of an older adult.

Often it is slower, but not because its processing capacity has declined. Rather, increased "experience" has caused the computer's database to grow, giving it more data(数据)to process-which takes time. This is similar to old people. Imagine a person knows two people's birthdays. Another person knows the birthdays of 2000 people, but can only match the right person to the right birthday nine times out of 10. Can you say the first person has a better memory than the second person?

1.The writer uses a question at the beginning of the passage to         .

A. invite the readers to answer the question

B. attract the readers' attention to the topic

C. show how weak older people's brains are

   D. tell the readers the latest findings about brains

2.According to the research, why do old people forget people's names easily?

A. Because they have a very poor memory.

B. Because they are too old to remember things.

C. Because their brains become weaker than before.

D. Because they have stored too much information.

3.Where would this passage most probably appear?

A. In a magazine.   B. In a story book.

C. In an ad.        D. In a guidebook.

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

A. Do old people have a bad memory?

B. Scientists' new findings on brains

C. Human brain's processing capacity

D. Which is better, the old or the young?

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲述的是有关老人记忆力的科学知识。人们通常认为，老人记忆力变坏是因为大脑变弱了，其实经过科学研究发现：这是因为老人大脑中存储的信息太多，读取变慢了。

1.B推理判断题。题意：作者在短文开头用了一个问句是因为什么？A. invite the readers to answer the question请读者回答这个问题；B. attract the readers' attention to the topic吸引读者的注意力；C. show how weak older people's brains are展示老人的大脑是多么慢；D. tell the readers the latest findings about brains告诉读者最近的有关大脑的发现物。短文以问句开头，引人思考，吸引人的注意力，带着问题读完全文。故选B。

2.2】D细节理解题。题意：根据研究结果，为什么老人容易忘记人们的名字？A. Because they have a very poor memory.因为他们记忆力差；B. Because they are too old to remember things.因为他们太老了，记不住东西了；C. Because their brains become weaker than before.因为他们的大脑变得比以前更弱了；D. Because they have stored too much information.因为他们存储了太多的东西了。根据第二段里的：But only because they have stored more information overtime.可知因为老人们的大脑里存储了太多的东西了，所以大脑反应慢了。故选D。

3.3】A推理判断题。题意：本文可能在哪里出现？A. In a magazine在杂志上；B. In a story book.在故事书上；C. In an ad.在广告中；D. In a guidebook.在旅游向导书里。本文讲述的是有关老人记忆力的科学知识。可能在相关的杂志上出现。故选A。

4.4】A主旨大意题。题意：短文最好的标题是什么？A. Do old people have a bad memory?老人的记忆力差吗？B. Scientists' new findings on brains科学家关于人脑的新发现；C. Human brain's processing capacity人脑的加工能力；D. Which is better, the old or the young?老人、年轻人，哪一个更好？本文讲述的是有关老人记忆力的科学知识。否认了传统的认为老人反应慢是因为大脑变弱的原因。故以“老人的记忆力差吗”一问为题较好。故选A。

考点：考查科普类短文阅读。