Ask Dr. Jeffers | This month Dr. Jeffers is answering questions about the human brain and how it works. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dear Dr. Jeffers, One of my colleagues, Felix Moeller, told me that scientists are learning to use computer to "read minds". Is there any truth to this story? -Jane Leon, New York, USA Dear Ms. Leon, Well, a lot of research is being conducted in this area, but so far, the brain scanning equipment and corresponding computer programs haven"t been able to actually read thoughts. In one ex periment, test subjects(受试者)were connected to scanning equipment and shown two numbers on a screen. They were then asked to choose between adding or subtracting(减)the two numbers. Using this method, researchers were able to follow brain processes and make the correct assumptions(假设) 70 percent of the time. It"s not quite mind reading, but it"s certainly a first step. -Dr. J. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dear Dr. Jeffers, My three-year-old son loves it when I dig my fingers into his sides and tickle(胳肢)him until he laughs uncontrollably. The other day I noticed him trying to tickle himself but he couldn"t do it. Why not? -Glenn Lewis, Vancouver, Canada Dear Mr. Lewis, It"s because of how the brain works. The brain is trained to know what to pay attention to and what to ignore. It causes us to ignore physical feelings we expect to happen, but it causes a mild panic reaction when there is an unexpected feeling. For example, you don"t notice how your shoulder feels while you"re walking down the street. But if someone comes up behind you and touches you lightly on the shoulder, you may jump in fear. It"s that unexpected part that causes the tickle reaction. -Dr. J. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years ago, when I started looking for my first job, wise advisers said, "Barbara, be enthusiastic! Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience." How right they were! "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm," wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is the paste that helps you hang on there when the going gets tough. It is the inner voice that whispers, "I can do it!" when others shout, "No, you can"t!" It took years and years for the early work of Barbara Mc Clintock, a geneticist (遗传学家) who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted. Yet she didn"t let up on (放松) her experiments. Work was such a deep pleasure for her that she never thought of stopping. We are all born with wide-eyed, enthusiastic wonder and it is this childlike wonder that gives enthusiastic people such youthful air, whatever their age. At 90, cellist (大提琴家) Pablo Casals would start his day by playing Bach. As the music flowed through his fingers, his bent shoulders would straighten and joy would reappear in his eyes. As author and poet Samuel once wrote, "Years make the skin old, but to give up enthusiasm makes the soul old." Enthusiastic people also love what they do, regardless of money, title or power. Patricia Mcllrath, retired director of the Missouri Repertory Theater in Kansas City, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm. She replied, "My father, a lawyer, long ago told me, I never made a penny until I stopped working for money." If we cannot do what we love as a fulltime career, we can do it as a hobby. Elizabeth Layton of Wellsville, Kan, was 68 before she began to draw. This activity ended her sadness that had troubled her for at least 30 years, and the quality of her work led one critic to say, "I am persuaded to call Layton a genius." We can"t afford to waste tears on "might-have-beens". We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after "what-can-be". We need to live each moment whole-heartedly, with all our senses — finding pleasure in the sweet smell of a backyard garden, the simple picture of a six-year-old, and the beauty of a rainbow. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. The passage mainly shows us ____. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A. enthusiasm leads to everything B. we can do nothing without enthusiasm C. enthusiasm makes us experience more life D. enthusiasm helps us to succeed to a greater degree | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2. From the example of the Nobel Prize winner Barbara Mc Clitock, we may find ____. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A. enthusiasm can encourage us in difficult times B. enthusiastic people always get a deep pleasure from work C. you can"t make any achievement if you have no enthusiasm D. enthusiastic people are sure to gain great fame in the end | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 suggests _____. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A. time and tide wait for no man B. we grow old as time goes on C. people feel young with enthusiasm D. our soul becomes old with enthusiasm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4. The main idea of the last paragraph is ____. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A. enthusiasm can give us pleasure, though we have to sweat B. we should try heart and soul to win what we want C. we have not enough money to buy what we need D. enthusiasm with sweat is what we need | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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