Question

    What is the most stressful thing in school? It is probably exams. Exams can put us under a lot of pressure. But some students do better under pressure. while others do not. So, why do some students perform better under stress?

It all comes down to dopamine(多巴胺). Dopamine is a chemical in our body that sends signals(信号) in the brain. It has many important roles: affecting memory, attention and how we learn. Our brains work best when there is a balance of dopamine--not too much or too little.

Our brains control dopamine in two ways. It either takes out dopamine quickly, or gradually. Exam success can be linked to how fast dopamine goes back to an even balance, according to new research from the University of Missouri, reported Yahoo.

What happens when we take an exam? If you become stressed, your brain will start to overload on dopamine. It is like a cup overflowing with water. The quicker you are able to go back to an even balance of dopamine, the quicker you can concentrate, helping you perform better on a test.

Scientists found that, during a test, people who slowly got back to an even balance of dopamine scored 8 percent lower. That’s the difference between a good mark and a bad mark.

But don’t fear, there is good news for every student. The study also found that the more practice you get, the less stress you’ll have.

So, it turns out that practice really does make perfect.

1.Dopamine is a chemical in our body that ______.

A.puts us under a lot of pressure

B.sends signals in the brain

C.keeps our brains working

2.Which things does dopamine play a role in?

① remembering something

②having a good rest

③paying attention to the teachers

④choosing the way we learn

A.①②③ B.①③④ C.②③④

3.What does the underlined word “overload” mean in Chinese?

A.产生 B.超载 C.下载

4.Some students do better under stress because ______.

A.they can go back to a good balance of dopamine quickly

B.they have a lot of dopamine

C.they go back to a balance of dopamine slowly

5.What can’t we learn from story?

A.Our brain either takes out dopamine quickly, or gradually.

B.The quicker you can go back to an even balance of dopamine, the better you can do on a test

C.Practice cannot help you do better under stress

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.B

4.A

5.C

【解析】

这篇短文主要介绍了高压状态下，有些学生能学得更好，而有些学生却不能。这是由于大脑中多巴胺的平衡能力起着重要的作用。

1.

细节理解题。根据文中“Dopamine is a chemical in our body that sends signals(信号) in the brain.” 巴胺是人体内的一种化学物质，在大脑中发出信号。故选B。

2.

细节理解题。根据文中“It has many important roles: affecting memory, attention and how we learn. Our brains work best when there is a balance of dopamine--not too much or too little.” 它有许多重要的作用：影响记忆、注意力和我们如何学习。当多巴胺平衡时，我们的大脑工作得最好——不太多也不太少。可知remembering something记住某事；paying attention to the teachers注意老师；choosing the way we learn选择我们的学习方式。故选B。

3.

词句猜测题。根据文中“It is like a cup overflowing with water. The quicker you are able to go back to an even balance of dopamine, the quicker you can concentrate, helping you perform better on a test.” 它就像一个装满水的杯子。你恢复多巴胺平衡的速度越快，你就越能集中精力，帮助你在测试中表现得更好。可知上文是“如果你感到压力，你的大脑就会开始对多巴胺产生超负荷的反应。”可知，overload的意思是“超载”。故选C。

4.

细节理解题。根据文中“Exam success can be linked to how fast dopamine goes back to an even balance, according to new research from the University of Missouri, reported Yahoo.” 据雅虎报道，密苏里大学的最新研究表明，考试成功与多巴胺恢复平衡的速度有关。故选A。

5.

细节理解题。根据文中“Our brains control dopamine in two ways. It either takes out dopamine quickly, or gradually.” 我们的大脑通过两种方式控制多巴胺。它要么迅速地，要么逐渐地排出多巴胺。根据文中“Scientists found that, during a test, people who slowly got back to an even balance of dopamine scored 8 percent lower. That’s the difference between a good mark and a bad mark.” 科学家发现，在一次测试中，那些慢慢恢复多巴胺平衡的人得分要低8%。这就是好分数和坏分数的区别。可知，这个“练习不能帮助你在压力下做得更好”说法不对。故选C。