Question

    Teenagers who talk on the cell phone a lot, and hold their phones up to their right ears, score worse on one type of memory test. That’s the finding of a new study. That memory impairment might be one side effect of the radiation (放射线) that phones use to keep us connected while we’re on the go.

Nearly 700 Swiss teens took part in a test of figural memory. This type helps us remember abstract symbols and shapes, explains Milena Foerster. The teens took memory tests twice, one year apart. Each time, they had one minute to remember 13 pairs of abstract shapes. Then they were shown one item from each pair and asked to match it with one of the five choices. The study volunteers also took a test of verbal memory. That’s the ability to remember words. The two memory tests are part of an intelligence test. The researchers also surveyed the teens on how they use cell phones. And they got call records from phone companies. The researchers used those records to figure out how long the teens were using their phones. This allowed the researchers to work out how big radiation exposure (接触) each person could have got while talking.

A phone user’s exposure to the radiation can differ widely. Some teens talk on their phones more than others. People also hold their phones differently. If the phone is close to the ear, more radiation may enter the body, Foerster notes. Even the type of network signal that a phone uses can matter. Much of Switzerland was using an older “second-generation” type of cell phone networks, the study reports. Many phone carriers (通讯公司) have moved away from such networks. And more companies plan to update their networks within the next few years.

The teens’ scores in the figural memory tests were roughly the same from one year to the next. But those who normally held their phones near the right ears, and who were also exposed to higher levels of radiation, scored a little bit worse after a year. No group of teens showed big changes on the verbal memory test. Why might one type of memory be linked to cell phone use, but not another? Foerster thinks it could have to do with where different memory centers sit in the brain. The site that deals with the ability to remember shapes is near the right ear.

1.The underlined word “impairment” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean “________”.

A.application. B.loss.

C.damage. D.improvement.

2.According to Paragraph 2, we can learn that ______________________.

A.Researchers paid little attention to the teens’ habits of using phones.

B.The teens needed to report the average time spent on their phones.

C.The teens took two types of memory tests four times in total.

D.The teens’ ability of remembering words is shown in figural memory test.

3.What can we infer from Paragraph 3?

A.How people hold their phones has no effect on their bodies.

B.Phone users can make more money with new networks.

C.The cell phone network type has little to do with the cell phone use.

D.Radiation levels are affected by the cell phone network types.

4.What might be the best title for the text?

A.Cell phone use and safety warnings .

B.Teen’s cell phone use linked to memory problems.

C.Dangerous levels of cell phone use among teens.

D.Facts about cell phone use at school.

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.D

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。一项新研究的结果表明，青少年用手机接听电话很多，把手机托到右耳，在记忆测试中得分更差。这种记忆障碍可能是手机用来保持连接的辐射的副作用之一。

1.词义猜测题。根据第一段中的…score worse on one type of memory test.(在一项记忆测试中得分差)，接着就是划线词所在句That memory impairment might be one side effect of the radiation (放射线) that phones use to keep us connected…解释记忆的impairment是辐射的副作用之一。由此推知，划线词应该是worse近义词。4个选项中B、C选项应是要考虑的选项，loss 损失，一般指财产损失；damage 损坏，一般指客观事物的破坏，损伤；此处指记忆力差。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中的Nearly 700 Swiss teens took part in a test of figural memory. The teens took memory tests twice, one year apart.(近700名瑞士青少年参加了一项图形记忆测试。参加两次测试，间隔一年)及The study volunteers also took a test of verbal memory.(研究志愿者还接受了语言记忆测试)，接着The two memory tests are part of an intelligence test.(两种记忆测试是智力测试的一部分)可知，青少年共参加了两种测试，每种测试做两次，共4次。由此可知，青少年参加了两种共4次的测试。故选C。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段中的A phone user’s exposure to the radiation can differ widely. Some teens talk on their phones more than others. People also hold their phones differently. If the phone is close to the ear, more radiation may enter the body, Foerster notes. Even the type of network signal that a phone uses can matter.可知，手机用户暴露于辐射中有差异，在电话上说话多的受辐射大；手机使用的网络信号类型也至关重要。由此可知，辐射水平受手机网络类型的影响。故选D。

4.主旨大意题。根据第一段中的Teenagers who talk on the cell phone a lot, and hold their phones up to their right ears, score worse on one type of memory test. That’s the finding of a new study. That memory impairment might be one side effect of the radiation (放射线) that phones use to keep us connected while we’re on the go.可知，一项新研究的结果表明，青少年用手机接听电话很多，把手机托到右耳，在一种记忆测试中得分更差。这种记忆障碍可能是手机用来保持连接的辐射的副作用之一。接着下文用两种四次的测试数据证明了这一事实，再接着对产生这一结果的原因进行了解释，所以文章就是说明了青少年的手机使用与记忆问题有关。由此可知，B项Teen’s cell phone use linked to memory problems.(青少年的手机使用与记忆问题有关)适合做本文最佳标题。故选B。