Question

What would it be like to be able to remember anything you ever learned? Would it be a blessing or a curse?

Since the early 20th century, psychologists have identified countless cases of people with super memories that allow them to learn and retain (保持) new information with total accuracy. The most famous was Solomon Sherashevski, the subject of Alexander Luria’s classic book, The Mind of a Mnemonist (记忆大师).

Sherashevski could recall an amazing number of facts due to his talent for eidetic imagery(照相式记忆), which allowed him to recall sights, sounds, smells etc. Sadly enough, he seemed to have significant difficulty living a normal life due to his inability to forget anything he learned and the continual daydreaming caused by his constant recall.

There are certainly other mnemonists, whose memory feats (功绩) are also surprisingly impressive. Strangely enough though, research suggests these professional mnemonists are no better than average people’s peaking of remembering events out of their own lives.

But there are also people whose memories seem to work differently. They are able to recall almost every moment of their lives even the early childhood, a condition commonly called hyperthymesia (超忆症).

Unlike mnemonists, people with hyperthymesia don’t rely on any techniques to memorize, it seems to happen automatically. While no former studies have found the reasons, a recent laboratory test shows they aren’t any better than average people in terms of learning new information.

Recently Neuropsychology presents a study of a 63-year-old man identified as “MM”. He didn’t realize his memory skills until 29 when he found he could recall events from American history with amazing accuracy. Despite his superior memory, his life seemed completely unaffected. He did poorly in school, no friends at all. Besides, though his recall resembled that of people with hyperthymesia, his memories weren’t quite as vivid.

So far there isn’t enough information to make any real conclusions about the super memory. However, as new studies become available, we are sure to learn about what makes these brains so unusual.

1.What made it difficult for Sherashevski to live a normal life?

A. His poor social skills.

B. His great interest in history.

C. His inability to forget things.

D. His early childhood experience.

2.People with hyperthymesia differ from mnemonists in that ________.

A. they remember things without intention

B. they count on techniques to memorize

C. they are better at learning new information

D. they can’t recall as vividly as mnemonists

3.What can be learned from the passage?

A. Former studies have found the roots for unusual memory.

B. It’s hard to tell whether super memory is good or not.

C. MM’s life has been greatly improved by his memory.

D. Super memory contributes to better academic performance.

4.Where is the passage probably taken from?

A. A book review.

B. A public speech.

C. A popular science magazine.

D. A report on mental health.

Answer

1. C

2. A

3. B

4. C

【解析】

本文为说明文。文章主要介绍了什么是超忆症，超忆症与记忆超群的区别等。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第三段Sadly enough, he seemed to have significant difficulty living a normal life due to his inability to forget anything he learned and the continual daydreaming caused by his constant recall.可知，使Sherashevski很难过正常生活的是他不能忘记自己所学的任何东西。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第五段Unlike mnemonists, people with hyperthymesia don’t rely on any techniques to memorize, it seems to happen automatically.可知，hyperthymesia的人不是是用某种技巧记忆的，他们是自动记忆的，是没有意图的，所以A正确，B错误。而根据第五段While no former studies have found the reasons, a recent laboratory test shows they aren’t any better than average people in terms of learning new information.可知，C错误。根据第六段Besides, though his recall resembled that of people with hyperthymesia, his memories weren’t quite as vivid.可知，D项错误。

3.推理判断题。根据文章第七段So far there isn’t enough information to make any real conclusions about the super memory.可知，目前对于这种超忆症还不能评判好坏，因此B正确。

4.推理判断题。根据文章第二段Since the early 20th century, psychologists have identified countless cases of people with super memories that allow them to learn and retain (保持) new information with total accuracy.陈述心理学家的发现以及最后一段However, as new studies become available, we are sure to learn about what makes these brains so unusual.可以判断出本文与科学研究有关，出自科学杂志。容易误选D项，本文并不是一篇有关大脑健康的报告，只是讲述超忆症、超忆症的表现和记忆超群的区别。