2．Rene Descartes'explanation of pain has long been acknowledged in medicine．He proposed that pain is a purely physical phenomenon-that tissue injury makes specific nerves send a signal to the brain，causing the mind to notice pain．The phenomenon，he said，is like pulling on a rope to ring a bell in the brain．It is hard to overstate how deeply fixed this account has become．In medicine，doctors see pain in Descartes'terms-as a physical process，a sing of tissue injury．
The limitations of this explanation，however，have been apparent for some time，since people with obvious injuries sometimes report feeling no pain at all．Later，researchers proposed that Descartes'model be replaced with what they called the gate control theory of pain．They argued that before pain signals reach the brain，they must first go through a gating mechanism in the spinal cord（脊髓）．In some cases，this imaginary gate could simply step gain signals from getting to the brain．
Their most amazing suggestion was that what controlled the gate was not just signals from sensory nerves but also emotions and other"output"from the brain．They were saying that pulling on the rope need not make the bell ring．The bell itself-the mind-could stop it．This theory led to a great deal of research into how such factors as mood，gender，and beliefs influence the experience of pain．In a British study，for example，researchers measured pain threshold and tolerance levels in 53 ballet dancers and 53 university students by using a common measurement：after immersing your hand in body-temperature water for two mintues to establish a baseline condition，you put your hand in a bowl of ice water and start a clock running．You mark the time when it begins to hurt：that is your pain threshold．Then you mark the time when it hurts too much to keep your hand in the water：that is your pain tolerance．The test is always stopped at 120 seconds，to prevent injury．
The results were striking．On average female students reported pain at 16 seconds and pulled their hands out of the ice water at 37 seconds．Female dancers were almost three times as long on both counts．Men in both groups had a higher threshold and tolerance for pain，but the difference between mals dancers and mals nondancers was nearly as large．What explains that difference？Probably it has something to do with the psychology of ballet dancers-a group known for self-discipline，physical fitness，and competitiveness，as well as by a high rate of chronic（慢性）injury．Their driven personalities and competitive culture evidently accustom them to pain．Other studies along these lines have shown that outgoing people have greater pain tolerance and that，with training，one can reduce one's sensitivity to pain．
There is also striking evidence that very simple kinds of mental suggestion can have powerful effects on pain．In one study of 500 patients undergoing dental procedures，those who were given a placebo injection and promised that it would relieve their pain had the least discomfort-not only less than the patients who got a placebo and were told nothing but also less than the patients who got actual drug without any promise that it would work．
Today it is abundantly evident that the brain is actively involved in the experience of pain and is no more bell on a string．Today every medical textbook teaches the gate control theory as fact．There's a problem with it，though．It explains people who have injuries but feel no pain，but it doesn't explain the reverse，which is far more common-the millions of people who experience chronic pain，such as back pain，with no signs of injury whatsoever．So where does the pain come from？The rope and clapper are gone，but the bell is still ringing．
50．The primary purpose of the passage is toA．
A．describe how modern research has updated an old explanation．
B．support a traditional view with new data．
C．promote a particular attitude towards physical experience．
D．suggest a creative treatment for a medical condition．
51．Which statement best describes Descartes theory of pain presented in paragraph 1？D
A．The brain can shut pain off at will．
B．The brain plays no part in the body's experience of pain．
C．Pain can be caused in many different ways．
D．Pain is an automatic response to bodily injury．
52．The author implies that the reason why the gate control was"amazing"was that itA
A．offered an extremely new and original explanation．
B．was just opposite to people's everyday experiences．
C．was grounded in an ridiculous logic．
D．was so sensible it should have been proposed centuries before．
53．The author refers to"chronic back pain"as an example of something that isB
A．costly，because it troubles millions of people．
B．puzzling，because it sometimes has no obvious cause．
C．disappointing，because it does not improve with treatment．
D．worrying，because it lies beyond the reach of medicine．
54．The last sentence of the passage serves mainly to express thatC
A．scientific judgments are difficult to understand．
B．theoretical investigations are generally useless．
C．researchers still have a long way to go before the puzzle is made clear．
D．there is always something puzzling at the heart of science．
分析 本文介紹了人類對于疼痛的研究理論的發(fā)展變化，早期Rene Descartes認為疼痛是一種純粹的生理現(xiàn)象，受傷的器官讓特別的神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)發(fā)送信號給大腦，使得大腦注意到疼痛，而后來又知道我們的身體上有控制疼痛的門，而疼痛的信號不僅僅來自神經(jīng)而且也和情感以及其他大腦產(chǎn)生的東西有關(guān)，但是控制門的理論可以解釋人們受傷了卻沒有感到疼痛，但是它不能解釋反面的例子，數(shù)百萬的人有慢性的疼痛，例如后背的疼痛，可是他們卻沒有受傷的跡象，所以在弄清楚這個困惑之前研究者仍舊有很長的一段路要走．
解答 50．答案：A．主旨大意題．根據(jù)每一段的第一句Rene Descartes'explanation of pain has long been acknowledged in medicine（Rene Descartes的介紹在醫(yī)療屆一直被認可）；The limitations of this explanation，however，have been apparent for some time，since people with obvious injuries sometimes report feeling no pain at all（這種解釋的局限性在有時候是非常明顯的，因為有時候人們明顯是受傷了卻根本沒有感到疼痛）；Their most amazing suggestion was that what controlled the gate was not just signals from sensory nerves but also emotions and other"output"from the brain（這些研究者最令人吃驚的研究結(jié)果控制疼痛的門的信號不僅僅來自神經(jīng)而且也和情感以及其他大腦產(chǎn)生的東西有關(guān)）；The results were striking（這個結(jié)果是令人震驚的）；There is also striking evidence that very simple kinds of mental suggestion can have powerful effects on pain（有證據(jù)表明非常簡單的精神因素就會對疼痛產(chǎn)生有力的影響）；Today it is abundantly evident that the brain is actively involved in the experience of pain（今天又明顯的證據(jù)表明大腦積極參與了疼痛的體驗），所以知道答案是A describe how modern research has updated an old explanation（描述現(xiàn)代研究更新了一個原有的解釋．）
51．答案：D．根據(jù)每一段的第二句He proposed that pain is a purely physical phenomenon-that tissue injury makes specific nerves send a signal to the brain，causing the mind to notice pain．可以知道他認為疼痛是一種純粹的生理現(xiàn)象，受傷的器官讓特別的神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)發(fā)送信號給大腦，使得大腦注意到疼痛，所以知道答案是D．Pain is an automatic response to bodily injury（疼痛是對身體傷害的自動反應(yīng)．）
52．答案：A．細節(jié)推理題．根據(jù)每一段的第二句He proposed that pain is a purely physical phenomenon-that tissue injury makes specific nerves send a signal to the brain，causing the mind to notice pain可以知道原來的理論認為疼痛是一種純粹的生理現(xiàn)象，受傷的器官讓特別的神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)發(fā)送信號給大腦，使得大腦注意到疼痛，而第三段的第一句Their most amazing suggestion was that what controlled the gate was not just signals from sensory nerves but also emotions and other"output"from the brain表明有控制疼痛的門，而疼痛的信號不僅僅來自神經(jīng)而且也和情感以及其他大腦產(chǎn)生的東西有關(guān)，所以選擇A．offered an extremely new and original explanation提出了一個極度新的根本的解釋．
53．答案：B．細節(jié)題．根據(jù)末段第二行It explains people who have injuries but feel no pain，but it doesn't explain the reverse，which is far more common-the millions of people who experience chronic pain，such as back pain，with no signs of injury whatsoever．So where does the pain come from可以知道控制門的理論可以解釋人民受傷了卻沒有感到疼痛，但是它不能解釋反面的例子，數(shù)百萬的人有慢性的疼痛，例如后背的疼痛，可是他們卻沒有受傷的跡象，所以選擇B puzzling，because it sometimes has no obvious cause這個現(xiàn)象是令人困惑的，因為有時候沒有明顯的原因．
54．答案：C．細節(jié)題．根據(jù)劃線句子的前幾句可以知道控制門的理論可以解釋人民受傷了卻沒有感到疼痛，但是它不能解釋反面的例子，數(shù)百萬的人有慢性的疼痛，例如后背的疼痛，可是他們卻沒有受傷的跡象，即繩子和拍手沒有了，可鈴仍舊在響，所以選擇C．researchers still have a long way to go before the puzzle is made clear在弄清楚這個困惑之前研究者仍舊有很長的一段路要走．
點評 考查閱讀理解．
這是閱讀表達題，這種題的解答方法主要是：
1．根據(jù)題干中的定位詞尋找信息句
2．根據(jù)需要對信息句進行重組，整合
3．根據(jù)上下文，結(jié)合構(gòu)詞法進行猜測
