Question

    Don't get mad the next time you catch your teenager texting when he promised to be studying. He simply may not be able to resist. A UI (University of Iowa) study found teenagers are far more sensitive than adults to the immediate effect or reward of their behaviors. The findings may help explain why the initial rush of texting may be more attractive for adolescents than the long-term payoff of studying

“For the teenager, the rewards are attractive, ” says Professor Jatin Vaidya, an author of the study. “They draw adolescents. Sometimes, the rewards are a kind of motivation for them. Even when a behavior is no longer in a teenager's best interest to continue, he will still go on. That’s because the effect of the reward is still there and lasts much longer in adolescents than in adults.”

For parents, that means limiting distractions so teenagers can make better choices. Take the homework and social media dilemma for example: At 9 p.m., shut off everything except a computer that has no access to Facebook or Twitter, the researchers advise. "I m not saying they shouldn’t be allowed access to technology, Vaidya says. "But some help in netting their concentration is necessary for them so they can develop those impulse(冲动)-control skills.

In their study, Vaidya and co-author Shaun Vecera note researchers generally believe teenagers are impulsive, make bad decisions, and engage in risky behavior because the frontal lobes(额叶) of their brains are not fully developed. But the UT researchers wonder whether something more fundamental is going on with adolescents to cause behaviors independent of higher-level reasoning.

“We want to try to understand how the brains reward system changes from childhood to adulthood, "says Vaidya, who adds the reward character in the human brain is easier than decision-making. "We’ve been trying to understand the reward process in adolescence and whether there is more to adolescence behavior than an underdeveloped frontal lobe, "he adds. For their study, the researchers persuaded 40 adolescents, aged 13 and 16, and 40 adults, aged 20 and 35 to participate.

In the future, researchers hope to look into the psychological and neurological aspects of their results.

1.What does the passage mainly tell us?

A. Adolescents care more about instant rewards.

B. Adolescents cannot resist temptation of bigger rewards.

C. Adolescents are most fond of texting to friends.

D. Adolescents are sensitive to the effect of their behaviors.

2.What is the underlined word distractions closest in meaning to?

A. Immediate rewards. B. The pull of social media.

C. Concentration training. D. Obstacles to attention.

3.Which statement agrees with Jatin Vaidya's idea?

A. Children should have access to the Internet

B. Children need help in maintaining their attention.

C. Parents should help children in making decisions.

D. The influence of the reward is weak in adolescents

4.What result does teenagers’ brain underdevelopment lead to?

A. Making good decisions B. Avoiding risky behavior

C. Joining in dangerous actions D. Doing things after some thought

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要讲了青少年对即时效应和奖励比成人更敏感，所以奖励对青少年总是很有吸引力。

1.主旨大意题。根据第一段中的“teenagers are far more sensitive than adults to the immediate

effect or reward of their behaviors. The findings may help explain why the initial rush of texting may be more attractive for adolescents than the long-term pay off of studying.“可知，本文介绍了青少年对即时效应和奖励比成人更敏感，所以奖励对青少年总是很有吸引力，故选A。

2.词义猜测题。下文Take the homework and social media dilemma for example: At 9 p.m., shut off everything except a computer that has no access to Facebook or Twitter, the researchers advise.（以家庭作业和社交媒体困境为例：晚上9点。研究人员建议，除了一台无法访问Facebook或Twitter的电脑外，关掉所有的东西。）由此推断出For parents, that means limiting distractions so teenagers can make better choices.意思是对于父母来说，这意味着要限制孩子们的分心，让他们做出更好的选择。distractions的意思是分心，干扰，故选D。

3.推理判断题。答案定位在第三段But some help in netting their concentration is necessary for them so they can develop those impulse(冲动)-control skills. 可知Jatin Vaidya认为帮助孩子们集中注意力是必要的，这样他们就能发展控制冲动的技能，故选B。

4.细节理解题。答案定位在第四段In their study, Vaidya and co-author Shaun Vecera note researchers generally believe teenagers are impulsive, make bad decisions, and engage in risky behavior because the frontal lobes(额叶) of their brains are not fully developed. 可知，大脑前庭发育不良会导致青少年冲动、做错误的决定和参与危险的行为，故选C。