Question

The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are “rocket-boosters” to the brain and better therapy than self-help books, researchers will say this week.

Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the Bard and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and cause moments of self-reflection.

Using scanners, they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S Eliot and others.

They then “translated” the texts into more “straightforward”, modern language and again monitored the readers’ brains as they read the words.

Scans showed that the more “challenging” prose （散文）and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the more pedestrian versions.

Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it “l(fā)it up” as the readers encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure.

This “l(fā)ighting up” of the mind lasts longer than the initial electrical spark, shifting the brain to a higher gear, encouraging further reading.

The research also found that reading poetry, in particular, increases activity in the right hemisphere （半球）of the brain, an area concerned with “autobiographical memory”, helping the reader to reflect on and reappraise their own experiences in light of what they have read. The academics said this meant the classics were more useful than self-help books.

Philip Davis, an English professor who has worked on the study with the university’s magnetic resonance centre, will tell a conference this week: “Serious literature acts like a rocket-booster to the brain.

"The research shows the power of literature to shift mental pathways, to create new thoughts, shapes and connections in the young and the elderly alike.”

1.How do classics such as Shakespeare and Wordsworth benefit the readers?

A．They set off far less electrical activity in the brain.

B．They light up the mind shorter than the initial electrical spark.

C．They shift physical pathways in the young and the elderly.

D．They draw readers’ attention and help make self-examination.

2.Why does the author mention” They then” translated”… modern language“？

A．To prove that classics are more useful than ordinary versions.

B．To show self-help books act like rocket-boosters to the brain.

C．To tell serious literature sets off far less electrical activity.

D．To make known ordinary versions set off more electrical activity

3.What can we conclude according to the researchers?

A．Self-help books are more valuable than classics.

B．Serious literature lights up the mind shorter than ordinary versions.

C．The right hemisphere of the brain is related to autobiographical memory.

D．Literature has a beneficial effect only on the mind of the young.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Ordinary Versions Create New Thoughts

B．Modern Language Increases the Brain

C．Classics Help lmprove the Brain Activity

D．Self-help Books, Rocket-boosters

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.D

2.A

3.C

4.C

【解析】

試題分析：本文介紹了最新研究的成果，作者引述了一些人的觀點(diǎn)和研究成果來證明經(jīng)典的文學(xué)對提高大腦的活動(dòng)非常有益。

1.細(xì)節(jié)題。從文章reading the works of the Bard and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and cause moments of self-reflection. 可知，讀這些經(jīng)典著作有助于自我的反省，故選D

2.細(xì)節(jié)題。從文章Scans showed that the more “challenging” prose （散文）and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the more pedestrian versions.可知作者之所以提到以上的話是為了給我們說明經(jīng)典的書要比普通的書要更加有用，故選A

3.推斷題。從文章The research also found that reading poetry, in particular, increases activity in the right hemisphere （半球）of the brain, an area concerned with “autobiographical memory”,可知，大腦的右半球與自傳式記憶有關(guān)，故選C

4.主旨題。從第一段The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are “rocket-boosters” to the brain and better therapy than self-help books, researchers will say this week.及最后一段可知，本文的標(biāo)題應(yīng)該為經(jīng)典的東西能夠提高大腦的活動(dòng)，故選C

考點(diǎn)：科普類說明文

點(diǎn)評：本文文脈清晰，句意中生詞有一定的難度。說明文是歷年高考很常見的文體，對于科技類的說明文比較難。本文中，把握好一個(gè)中心即作者對讀經(jīng)典著作的好處進(jìn)行了對比介紹。同時(shí)，此類文章中推斷題要理解作者寫作的意圖，方可作答。