Question

    As a famous doctor, Sigmund Freud has problems telling his left from his right. He writes in his diary: I do not know whether it is obvious to other people which is their own or other’s right or left. In my case, I have to think which is my right and no organic feeling tells me. To make sure which is my right hand, I have to make a few writing movements quickly.

Neuroscientist Eric Chudler at the University of Washington referred to a recent study where 71 of 364 (19.5 percent) college professors and 311 of 1,185 (26.2 percent) college students said that they occasionally, frequently or all of the time had difficulty when they had to quickly identify right from left. Chudler told The Washington Post that 95 percent of the 3,719 people who tried his test reported more difficulty with left/right than with up/down.

In most cases, left/right confusion is rarely a big deal. But knowing your directions obviously can be critical if you’re a surgeon or a pilot. That’s why in key situations, there are plans in place to minimize（使减到最少）the chance of problems. In a health care situation, someone may write “not this leg” on a limb（肢）, for example. And in the air, because distractions（分心）can cause any number of errors, pilots must avoid all non—essential conversation during the critical phases of flight.

Experts say that right/left confusion doesn’t mean you’re not smart. But scientists aren’t totally sure what causes the right/left confusion. There does, however, seem to be a link between right/left confusion and brain lateralization（偏侧性）—the fact that the right and left halves of the brain each control unique functions.

There may, however, be an association with gender（性别）. Several studies have found that women are more likely than men to say they are sometimes unable to distinguish between their right and their left. But some researchers say that’s only because women are more likely than men to admit they may have a problem.

1.According to Sigruund Freud’s diary, he       .

A.can’t tell the right directly

B.doesn’t know which is his right hand

C.is more foolish than other people

D.isn’t satisfied with his organic feeling

2.Eric Chudler mentions the numbers in Paragraph 2 to tell us that       .

A.it is easy to tell up from down

B.left/right is as important as up/down

C.many people have trouble with left/right

D.most people can judge left/right easily

3.Which of the following may be the important moment of flight according to the text?

A.When the plane is taking off.

B.When the plane is coming down.

C.When the pilot is talking with others.

D.When the pilot is judging the directions.

4.Where can you probably read the text?

A.In a private diary. B.In a science fiction.

C.In a latest newspaper. D.In a fashion magazine.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.D

4.C

【解析】

本文为记叙文。文章以一位医生的日记为话题切入点，并通过最近的一些研究，介绍了许多人在区分左右方向有一定的困难。在作者看来清楚的区分左右有时候十分重要。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段“As a famous doctor, Sigmund Freud has problems telling his left from his right. He writes in his diary: I do not know whether it is obvious to other people which is their own or other’s right or left....To make sure which is my right hand, I have to make a few writing movements quickly”作为一个著名的医生，西格蒙德·弗洛伊德很难分辨他的左右。他在日记中写道：对他人来说区分他们自己的还是别人的左右很容易，而我却不知道如何区分。而我为了确定哪只手是我的右手，我必须快速地做一些书写动作。由此可知，该医生不能直接判断左右方向。故选A。

2.推理判断题。该段提供了一系列数字和比例，根据其中的 “...71 of 364 (19.5 percent) college professors and 311 of 1,185 (26.2 percent) college students said that they occasionally, frequently or all of the time had difficulty when they had to quickly identify right from left ... 95 percent of the 3,719 people who tried his test reported more difficulty with left/right than with up/down.”其中364名大学教授中有71名（19.5%）和1185名大学生中有311名（26.2%）说，当他们不得不快速地从左向右识别时，他们偶尔、经常或一直有困难... 在3719名接受测试的人中，95%的人报告说辨别左/右比上/下更难。由此可以推知，许多人对区分左右有一定的困难。故选C。

3.推理判断题。第三段开始的第一句In most cases, left/right confusion is rarely a big deal介绍了在有些情况下区分左右的重要性。下面But knowing your directions obviously can be critical if you’re a surgeon or a pilot....for example. And in the air, because distractions（分心）can cause any number of errors, pilots must avoid all non—essential conversation during the critical phases of flight. 但如果你是一名外科医生或飞行员，知道自己的方向显然是至关重要的...如在空中，因为分心会导致许多错误，飞行员在飞行的关键阶段必须避免所有不必要的对话。由此可以推断出，飞行员判断方向很重要，不容分心，如果在飞行的关键时刻由于不知道方向而与别人对话会导致错误的发生。由此可推断出在飞行的关键时刻，飞行员判断方向非常重要。故选D。

4.推理判断题。本文话题是有关区分左右的困惑，为此作者引用了科学家们最新的研究成果，由此可以推知，读者应该在最新的报纸上可以阅读到这篇文章。故选C。