Question

请阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填一个单词。

You can relax if remembering everything is not your strong suit. Recent research makes the case that being forgetful can be a strength—in fact, selective memory can even be a sign of stronger intelligence.

Traditional research on memory has focused on the advantages of remembering everything. But looking through years of recent memory data, researchers Paul Frankland and Blake Richards of the University of Toronto found that the neurobiology（神经生物学） of forgetting can be just as important to our decision­making as what our minds choose to remember.

“The goal of memory is not the transmission of information through time. Rather, the goal of memory is to help improve decision­making. As such, transience(转瞬即逝) is as important as persistence in memory systems，” their study in Neuron states.

Making intelligent decisions does not mean you need to have all the information at hand, it just means you need to hold onto the most valuable information. And that means clearing up space in your memory palace for the most up­to­date information on situations. Our brains do this by generating new neurons(神经元) in our hippocampus(海马体), which have the power to overwrite existing memories that are influencing our decision­making.

“If you're trying to deal with the situation and your brain is constantly bringing up multiple conflicting memories, that makes it harder for you to make a wise decision，” Richards told Science Daily.

If you want to increase the number of new neurons in your brain's learning region, try exercising. Moderate aerobic exercise like jogging, power walking, and swimming have been found to increase the number of neurons making important connections in our brains.

When we forget the names of certain clients and details about old jobs, our brain is making a choice that these details do not matter. Although too much forgetfulness can be a cause for concern, the occasional lost detail can be a sign of a perfectly healthy memory system. The researchers found that our brains facilitate decision­making by stopping us from focusing too much on minor past details. Instead, the brain promotes generalization, helping us remember the most important gist of a conversation.

“One of the things that distinguishes an environment where you're going to want to remember stuff versus an environment where you want to forget stuff is this question of how consistent the environment is and how likely things are to come back into your life，” Richards said.

If you're an analyst who meets with a client weekly, your brain will recognize that this is a client whose name and story you need to remember. If this is someone you may never meet again, your brain will weigh that information accordingly.

These findings show us that total recall can be overrated. Our brains are working smarter when they aim to remember the right stories, not every story.

Title：Being Forgetful Might Actually Mean You're 1.

Introduction	Recent research proves that being forgetful can be a strength, for forgetting and selective memory are of 2.importance in our decision­making.
The goal of memory	People take advantage of memory to make good decisions rather than 3. information.
4. of  being forgetful	It helps us forget outdated information.	●Making wise decisions involves the existing memories making 5.for the latest information. ●Meanwhile, too much contradictory information in memory can do harm to our decision­making. ●Exercising helps increase neurons, contributing to our 6. decision­making.
It helps us see the big 7.．	●After 8.the information it gets, the brain chooses to focus on the key points, occasionally forgetting unimportant past details. ●Whether to remember or forget particular stuff is 9.by the degree of the consistency of the environment and the 10. of things reappearing later in life.
Conclusion	Our brains are working smarter when aiming to remember the right stories, not every story.

Answer

1.Smarter

2.equal

3.transmit

4.Advantages/Benefits

5.way/space/room

6.improved/better

7.picture

8.weighing/comparing

9.determined/decided

10.likelihood/chance/possibility/probability

【解析】

本文是说明文，大脑通过权衡比较后，有选择的遗忘一些旧的或无关紧要的信息，选择性遗忘会使我们的大脑更聪明。

1.考查对文章的理解和形容词。根据文章最后一段These findings show us that total recall can be overrated. Our brains are working smarter when they aim to remember the right stories, not every story.可知研究结果表明当我们只记住重点而不是所有内容时，选择性遗忘会使我们的大脑更聪明。与句中Our brains are working smarter一致，故填Smarter.

2.考查对文章的理解和形容词。根据第一段……being forgetful can be a strength—in fact, selective memory can even be a sign of stronger intelligence.和第二段……that the neurobiology of forgetting can be just as important to our decision­making as what our minds choose to remember.可知健忘可能是一种力量——事实上，选择性记忆和我们的决定一样重要。根据as important as,故填equal.

3.考查对文章的理解和动词。根据第三段中The goal of memory is not the transmission of information through time. Rather, the goal of memory is to help improve decision­making.可知记忆的目标不是通过时间传递信息。相反,记忆的目标是帮助提高决定。根据the transmission of information此处用其动词形式，故填transmit.

4.考查对文章的理解和名词。根据本项内容中It helps us forget outdated information.和It helps us see the big ____7____．可知此项是介绍健忘的好处或优点，故填Advantages/Benefits.

5.考查对文章的理解和名词。根据第四段And that means clearing up space in your memory palace for the most up­to­date information on situations.可知健忘能够清理大脑空间，为记住最新信息做准备。根据clearing up space可知是清理空间，腾地方，故填way/space/room.

6.考查对文章的理解和形容词。根据第六段If you want to increase the number of new neurons in your brain's learning region, try exercising. ……increase the number of neurons making important connections in our brains.可知锻炼有助于增加大脑学习区域的新神经元的数量，帮助我们更好地做决定。故填improved/better.

7.考查对文章的理解和名词。根据后面内容可知大脑通过权衡比较后，有选择的遗忘一些旧的或无关紧要的信息。记住或忘记特定的东西取决于环境的一致性程度和事情在以后的生活中重现的可能性。这些都说明健忘能够帮助我们记住重要信息，顾全大局。故填picture.

8.考查对文章的理解和动词。根据第七段When we forget the names of certain clients and details about old jobs, our brain is making a choice that these details do not matter.可知大脑通过权衡比较后，有选择的遗忘一些旧的或无关紧要的信息。指权衡比较，故填weighing/comparing.

9.考查对文章的理解和动词形式。根据第八段One of the things that distinguishes an environment where you're going to want to remember stuff versus an environment where you want to forget stuff is this question of how consistent the environment is and how likely things are to come back into your life.中how consistent the environment is可知记住或忘记特定的东西取决于环境的一致性程度，故填determined/decided.

10.考查对文章的理解和名词。根据第八段One of the things that distinguishes an environment where you're going to want to remember stuff versus an environment where you want to forget stuff is this question of how consistent the environment is and how likely things are to come back into your life.中how likely things are to come back into your life.可知记住或忘记特定的东西取决于环境的一致性程度和事情在以后的生活中重现的可能性。与likely意思一致，此处用名词，表示“可能性”，故填likelihood/chance/possibility/probability.