Question

    Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the classical writers like Shakespeare and Wordsworth has a great effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and triggers moments of self-examination.

Using a special machine, they monitored the brain activity of 30 volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S. Eliot and others.

In the first part of the research, the brain activity of 30 volunteers was monitored as they read passages from Shakespeare’s plays, including King Lear, Othello, Coriolanus and Macbeth, and again as they read the text rewritten in a simpler form or modern language.

While reading the common texts, normal levels of electrical activity were shown in their brains. When they read the works of Shakespeare, however, the levels of activity jumped because of his use of words which were unfamiliar to them. The result of the test showed that the more challenging passages cause a greater degree of electrical activity in the brain than the common ones.

Scientists went on to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and recorded how it lit up as the readers came across unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentences in the classical works. As a result, this lightening up process of the mind lasted longer than that when volunteers read common texts, encouraging further reading.

The research also found that reading poetry especially increases activity in the right hemisphere(半球) of the brain, an area connected with “autobiographical memory”, driving the readers to think carefully about their own experiences based on what they have read. The academics said this meant the classical works of literature are more useful than self-help books.

Philip Davis, an English professor who has worked on the study in the university’s magnetic resonance center, announced this week: “Classical literature acts like a rocket-booster（火箭加速器） to the brain, which provides extra power for the brain. You may never imagine how powerful it is. The research shows such kind of literature can create new thoughts and connections in the young and the old.”

1.The underlined word “trigger” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to “______”.

A.depends on B.picks up

C.sets off D.changes into

2.Which of the following is NOT true about reading classical literature?

A.It makes readers’ brain more active than reading common texts.

B.It makes readers’ electrical activity of brain return to normal.

C.It’s helpful for readers to come up with new ideas.

D.It’s an activity that is suitable for people of all ages.

3.From the research, we can learn that ______.

A.the readers prefer Shakespeare’s works to the other writers’ works

B.the words of classical works make it hard for volunteers to read further

C.reading classical works produces a good and long-lasting effect on the mind

D.poetry increases left-brain activity more than other literary forms

4.What does the author mainly tell us in this passage?

A.Shakespeare’s plays deserve to be read.

B.Common books are unpopular anymore.

C.Poetry is best for developing people’s brain.

D.Classical works help the brain develop better.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.C

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了科学家们发现阅读莎士比亚及其他古典作家的作品对心智发展大有裨益。

1.词义猜测题。根据文章第一段中“Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the classical writers like Shakespeare and Wordsworth has a great effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and triggers moments of self-examination.”可知，利物浦大学的科学家、心理学家和英国学者发现，阅读莎士比亚和华兹华斯等古典作家的作品对心理有很大的影响，引起读者的注意并引发自我反省。与catches the reader’s attention并列且意思相近，故“trigger”是引发的意思。结合选项，故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第四段中“The result of the test showed that the more challenging passages cause a greater degree of electrical activity in the brain than the common ones.”可知，测试结果表明，较具挑战性的段落比普通段落在大脑中产生更大程度的电活动。B项表述和原文不符，故选B。

3.细节理解题.根据文章倒数第三段中“As a result, this lightening up process of the mind lasted longer than that when volunteers read common texts, encouraging further reading.”可知，阅读经典作品对心灵产生良好而持久的影响。故选C。

4.主旨大意题。根据第一段 reading the works of the classical writers like Shakespeare and Wordsworth has a great effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and triggers moments of self-examination.和下文的研究结果可知，本文介绍了最新研究的成果，作者引述了一些人的观点和研究成果来证明经典的文学对提高大脑的活动非常有益。结合选项，故选D。