Question

    Contrary to popular belief, when a person makes a mistake while learning, it improves their memory for the right information, but only if the error is close to the correct answer, according to their recent findings made by Baycrest researchers.

To figure out the influence of making mistakes on learning, researchers carried out the study. They asked 32 young adults with no Spanish background to guess the English definitions of certain Spanish words. The Spanish words selected either resemble an English word with similar meaning or look like an English word, but mean something different. Participants were first shown a Spanish word and asked to guess its meaning. Then, they were briefly shown the correct translation before being  shown  another  Spanish  word. After  repeating this  process with  16

Spanish words, participants had a short break before their memory for the translations was tested.

Researchers found that people were better able to think of the correct translations of Spanish words that were similar to the English words. They had greater difficulty retrieving the meaning of words that look misleading.

“Our research found evidence that mistakes that are a ‘near miss’ can help a person learn the information better than if no errors are made at all,” says Dr. Nicole Anderson. “These types of errors can serve as stepping stones to remembering the right answer. But if the error made is a wild guess and out in left field, then a person doesn't learn the correct information easily.”

"Based on these findings, someone studying for an exam should only take practice quizzes after reviewing the materials,” says Dr. Anderson. “If a person takes a practice test and is unfamiliar with the content, they risk making guesses that are nowhere near the right answer. This could make it harder for them to learn the correct information later.”

“Even if a person makes a mistake while testing themselves, as long as their error is close to the right answer, they’re more likely to remember the right information,” adds Dr. Anderson.

1.What do we know about the subjects in the recent study?

A.They have a good memory for new words

B.They know nothing about any foreign language

C.They get answers by making wild guesses in the test

D.They need to translate Spanish words into English ones

2.What does the underlined word “retrieving” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A.Guessing. B.Remembering.

C.Distinguishing. D.Understanding.

3.Which of the following reflects Dr. Anderson’s opinion?

A.Errors of certain kind are likely to help with learning

B.It is rewarding to make wild guesses during learning

C.Taking practice tests before exams is an unwise practice

D.It is hard to make “near miss” types of errors during learning

4.What can be the best title for the passage?

A.The art of making mistakes.

B.The way of improving memory.

C.Good guesses while learning matter a lot.

D.Making mistakes may bring unexpected benefits.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章说明在最新的研究中发现在学习过程中“接近错误”比完全没有错误能更好地提高人们对正确信息的记忆。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第二段“They asked 32 young adults with no Spanish background to guess the English definitions of certain Spanish words.”可知，研究的主题是让32名没有西班牙背景的年轻人将西班语转换成英语。故选D项。

2.词句猜测题。根据文章第三段“Researchers found that people were better able to think of the correct translations of Spanish words that were similar to the English words. ”研究人员发现，人们能更好地想到与英语单词相似的西班牙语单词的正确翻译。他们很难记得那些看起来有误导性的词的意思。根据上下文的语境判断出，retrieving的意思为“ 记得”。故选B项。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段“Our research found evidence that mistakes that are a ‘near miss’ can help a person learn the information better than if no errors are made at all.”可知，我们的研究发现，有证据表明，“接近错误”比完全没有错误更能帮助人们学习信息。由此判断出“某些错误可能有助于学习”反映了安德森博士的观点。故选A项。

4.主旨大意题。根据文章第一段“Contrary to popular belief, when a person makes a mistake while learning, it improves their memory for the right information, but only if the error is close to the correct answer, according to their recent findings made by Baycrest researchers.”可知根据Baycrest研究人员最近的发现，与普遍的看法相反，当一个人在学习时犯了错误，它可以提高他们对正确信息的记忆，但前提是错误接近正确答案。所以短文的最佳标题为“犯错误可能会带来意想不到的好处”。故选D项。