Question

    Have you ever forgotten where your socks are when you wake up in the morning? Can you remember what you ate for lunch a week ago? You may think that being forgetful is not a good thing. But now you should be thankful.

Scientists from University of Toronto found that forgetting actually is a key part of learning. Getting rid of (除去) unnecessary information can help our brains work better.

What kind of information is unnecessary? Scientists say that this may have something to do with the environment you live in.

In an environment that is always changing, our brains may require us to remember less. For example, a supermarket cashier (收银员) meets many people every day and will probably only remember them for a short time. But a designer (设计师) who often meets his or her clients (客户) will remember longer.

“That’s because our brains keep making new neurons (神经元) from stem cells (干细胞). ”said Paul Frankland, a professor at the University of Toronto.

There is a special area in our brains called hippocampus (海马体). It is important for us to learn and remember. When new neurons fit in the hippocampus, they renew our old memories. This could explain why you forget so much information about the time when you were very young.

However, being forgetful is not always good. When you don’t have enough sleep, you may have a hard time remembering new information. Sleep helps the brain store and keep new facts and information. Matthew Walker from the University of California told the Huffington Post.        

根据短文内容，选择最佳选项，并在答题卡上将选定答案的字母标号涂黑。

1.Scientists found that forgetting things can help      .

A.keep making new neurons B.our brains work better

C.change the environment D.have a good sleep

2.We may      in an environment that is always changing.

A.remember more B.remember less

C.sleep better D.sleep worse

3.According to the passage, the underlined word This refer to (指的是)         .

A.making new neurons from stem cells

B.learning and remembering new things

C.new neurons’ renewing our old memories

D.getting rid of unnecessary information

4.      helps the brain store and keep new facts and information.

A.Having enough sleep B.Changing environment

C.Neurons’ fitting in the hippocampus D.Working hard

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A.How to remember new information

B.How to forget things easily

C.Sleeping is important.

D.Forgetting is not bad.

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.D

4.A

5.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。本文主要向我们介绍了遗忘并不一定是坏事，遗忘是学习的一个关键部分，忘记不必要的信息可以帮助大脑更好的运作；当然，如果睡眠不足的话记新信息就会很难，所以健忘也并不总是好的。

1.

细节理解题。根据第二段“Getting rid of unnecessary information can help our brains work better”除去不必要的信息可以帮助我们的大脑更好的工作。故选B。

2.

细节理解题。根据第四段“In an environment that is always changing, our brains may require us to remember less”可知，在一个不断变化的环境中，我们的大脑可能会要求我们记住更少的东西。故选B。

3.

词义猜测题。根据第六段“There is a special area in our brains called hippocampus. It is important for us to learn and remember. When new neurons fit in the hippocampus, they renew our old memories” 当新的神经元在海马体中生长时，它们会删除我们的旧记忆。this指代的是getting rid of unnecessary information。故选D。

4.

细节理解题。根据最后一段“Sleep helps the brain store and keep new facts and information”有足够的睡眠帮助大脑储存信息和保持新的信息。故选A。

5.

标题概括题。根据第一段“You may think that being forgetful is not a good thing. But now you should be thankful” 以及第二段“forgetting actually is a key part of learning”文章主要讲述的是遗忘并不一定是坏事，遗忘是学习的一个关键部分。故选D。