Question

Are you having difficulty falling asleep? Try drinking a glass of warm milk. If that doesn’t work, listen to some soft, beautiful music. Still no luck? Try think about sheep jumping over a fence. If you are still awake, take a sleeping pill. People who take pills often become dependent on the drugs. So you lie awake knowing that the new workday will soon arrive. If you have been in such condition for at least one month, you may have primary insomnia(失眠症).

A new study has found that you might fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep longer if you try “cerebral hypothermia.” It is not a complex medical process. It just means cooling down your brain. Eric Nofzinger and Naniel Buysse from the University of Pittsburgh Medical School led the study. They examined twelve people who had sleeping problems. Twelve others had no sleeping problems. Each of them wore a soft plastic cap on their head at bedtime.

The caps had tubes inside filled with water. The researchers moved the water through the tubes and then changed the temperature of the water. Other studies showed that people who had sleeping problems often had more chemical reactions in the front of their brain. The researchers thought cooling down the brain might help.

On the first two nights of testing, the patients wore caps with no water. On the next two nights, the caps were worn, but the water was not cooled. Then the researchers cooled the water a little for another two nights. On the final two nights of the study, the temperature of the water was made much cooler. The researchers found that the water caps didn’ t help the patients until the temperature was about 14℃. Most of the patients fell asleep faster and slept better when the coolest water was moving around their head.

Dr Nfzinger and Dr. Buysse noted that this was only the beginning of the brain temperature study. But they believed they had discovered something important that needed more research.

1.The first paragraph is written to _________.

A. put forward the topic of the passage.

B. explain how serious insomnia is

C. tell us the causes of sleeping problems.

D. tell us the danger of having sleeping problems.

2.From the passage we know that “cerebral hypothermia” is actually _________.

A. a complex medical process.

B. a psychological treatment.

C. a simple physical treatment.

D. a difficult scientific theory.

3.In the study, researchers helped people fall asleep faster through _________.

A. increasing chemical reactions in the front of their brain.

B. making them feel safe with a cap on their head

C. asking them to drink water to cool down

D. lowering the temperature of their brain

4.What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A. The cause of the study.

B. The function of the caps.

C. People’s reactions to the study.

D. Some details of the study.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.D

4.D

【解析】试题分析：本文是一篇说明文，讲述最近的一项研究发现，降低大脑的温度有助于失眠者睡一个好觉。

1.篇章结构题。第一段用问答的方式介绍了几个对付失眠的方法，接下来提到If you have been in such condition for at least one month, you may have primary insomnia(失眠症).，进而下文介绍一个有关治疗失眠的新的研究发现，可见第一段是为了引出主题。故选A。

2.词句猜测题。根据第二段的句子It is not a complex medical process. It just means cooling down your brain. 可知“cerebral hypothermia”实际上是简单的物理疗法。故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段中的Other studies showed that people who had sleeping problems often had more chemical reactions in the front of their brain. The researchers thought cooling down the brain might help.可知，研究人员通过冷却人们的大脑让他们更快地入睡。故选D。

4.段落大意题。根据第四段的内容可知这段主要介绍这个实验的细节。故选D。