Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head, according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear.
Tests on healthy volunteers found that they were more likely to feel a sense of fear at the moment when their hearts are contracting(收縮) and pumping blood around their bodies, compared with the point when the heartbeat is relaxed. Scientists say the results suggest that the heart is able to influence how the brain responds to a fearful event, depending on which point it is at in its regular cycle of contraction and relaxation.
Sarah Garfinkel at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School said: “Our Study shows for the first time that the way in which we deal with fear is different depending on when we see fearful pictures in relation to our heart.”
The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces. Dr Garfinkel said, “The study showed that fearful faces are better noticed when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxed. Thus our hearts can also affect what we see and what we don’t see一and guide whether we see fear.”
To further understand this relationship, the scientists also used a brain scanner(掃描儀) to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person’s feeling of fear.
“We have found an important mechanism by which the heart and brain ‘speak’ to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear,” Dr Garfinkel said.
“We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced, we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders, and also for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder.”
【小題1】What is the finding of the study?
A.One’s heart affects how he feels fear. |
B.Fear is a result of one’s relaxed heartbeat. |
C.Fear has something to do with one’s health. |
D.One’s fast heartbeats are likely to cause fear. |
A.volunteers’ heartbeats when they saw terrible pictures |
B.the time volunteers saw fearful pictures and their health conditions |
C.volunteers’ reactions to horrible pictures and data from their brain scans |
D.different pictures shown to volunteers and their heart—brain communication |
A.Order. | B.System. |
C.Machine. | D.Treatment. |
A.treating anxiety and stress better. |
B.explaining the cycle of fear and anxiety |
C.finding the key to the heart-brain communication |
D.understanding different fears in our hearts and heads |
【小題1】A
【小題2】C
【小題3】B
【小題4】A
解析試題分析:文章大意:本文屬于科普文,介紹了心臟與恐懼的關(guān)系。通過兩次試驗,研究者發(fā)現(xiàn)這兩者之間的關(guān)系,同時借助這一發(fā)現(xiàn),研究者希望能夠減輕或者治療恐懼和壓力所帶來的諸多問題。
【小題1】根據(jù)文章第一段第一句Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head, according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear.可以得出本題答案A。C選項表述與本文無關(guān),D選項表述不正確。
【小題2】根據(jù)文章第四段第一句The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces.以及第五段第一句To further understand this relationship, the scientists also used a brain scanner(掃描儀) to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person's feeling of fear.可以得出本題答案C。
【小題3】從后面的句子:by which the heart and brain ‘speak’ to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear,"可知大腦和心臟對話來改變我們的感覺和減少恐懼,這是一個系統(tǒng),選B。
【小題4】主旨題:根據(jù)文章最后一段"We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced, we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders, and also for those for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder."可以得出這個研究可以導(dǎo)致更好的治療焦慮和壓力。本題答案是A。
考點:考查科普類短文閱讀
科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
More than a third of the babies born this year could receive a 100th birthday message from whoever happens to be on the throne in the second decade of the 22nd century, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It forecasts that 35% of the 826,000 people born in 2012 will live to become centenarians.
But a long life is not unalloyed good news. David Sinclair, head of policy and research at the International Longevity Centre UK, warned that for many the future may mean social isolation(隔離)as they live longer than friends and members of their families.
"It is of course good news that so many more people are living longer," he said, "but there is a big 'but1. We will be older, but in worse health, and at high risk of living alone. The other problem is that we are very poor at forward planning. We deal with the problems that are under our noses, but even problems two or three years away seem quite distant enough to put off.When you're talking about forecasts for a time half a century away and more, I see no evidence that we are putting in place the measures to deal with it."
This year there will be 14,500 centenarians in the UK, a number which is expected to increase to 110,000 in 2035.
Women have higher life expectancies than men at every age: the likelihood of a girl born this year reaching her century is estimated to be 39%; for boys the figure is 32%.
The estimated number of female centenarians has risen from 500 in 1961 to more than 10,000 in 2010,a figure which is projected to reach 71,000 by 2035 and 276,000 by 2060.
Men are also living far longer, although their numbers are far fewer. There were an estimated 92 male centenarians in 1961 and just below 2,000 in 2010.
【小題1】The underlined word centenarians probably means people who_____.
A.a(chǎn)re born this year | B.live longer than their friends |
C.a(chǎn)re in poor health | D.a(chǎn)re a hundred or more years old |
A.he doesn't believe so many people are living longer |
B.the older we are, the more likely we are to live alone and in poor health |
C.the people who are good at forward planning are likely to live longer |
D.too distant planning is not always necessary for most of us |
A.About 289,100 people born in 2012 will live to 100. |
B.More men will reach their century than women in the future. |
C.The number of the female centenarians was 1,000 in 1970s |
D.More than 600 people reached their century in 1961. |
A.A long life is not always good news. |
B.A long life also means social and physical isolation |
C.In the future, more people will live to 100 in the UK. |
D.It is good to live to 100. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
One of the most important recent medical breakthroughs has been the impact of gut flora(腸道菌群)on overall health. This dynamic mix of bacteria in the digestive tract(消化道)may affect everything from obesity to asthma(哮喘).
The Gut-Mood Link
Anyone who's ever experienced "butterflies" in his or her stomach knows that the gut and the brain are connected. But until recently, scientists hadn't realized that the trillions of bacteria in our digestive tract may be driving the relationship.
One recent experiment suggests that you can control calm. Canadian researchers gave healthy mice a mixture of antibiotics, which change the makeup of GI-tract(胃腸道)bacteria. Over two weeks, some animals became more anxious and some less, depending on which drugs they received. In another study, when gut bacteria from calm mice were transferred to anxious mice, the jittery(緊張的)creatures seemed less nervous.
UCLA professor Kirsten Tillisch, doctor of medicine, recently had healthy women eat a yogurt
rich in certain types of "good" probiotic(益生菌的)bacteria. Two 'Control groups ate yogurt without such bacteria or ate nothing. Brain scans of the probiotic-yogurt eaters indicated changes in regions that could be associated with a less-anxious response in fearful or stressful situations compared with the control groups.
Scientists are even exploring whether gut microbes(微生物)might treat some brain disorders. A new study in Cell found that mice with features of autism(自ICJ癥)given a type of bacteria in healthy human GI tracts exhibited less autism-like behavior. In a recent case report, a Boston ps. chiatrist says a course of certain probiotics and antibiotics helped relieve a patient's compulsive disorder. -We tend to focus on how your mood affects your body from the top down, not the bottom up," says Dr. Tillisch. "Now we know that the gut affects how your brain responds to the environment- it's a remarkable change in thinking.”
How Bacteria Talk to the Brain Scientists aren't sure how gut flora affect brain chemistry. One theory is that the bacteria access pathways along the nerve, the main highway in the nervous system that links the brain to the gut. Another is that the bacteria influence the immune system, releasing chemicals that affect conditions like depression. Finally, researchers believe that bacteria produce or affect the metabolism(新陳代瀉'i) of chemicals, which change brain function.
Dr. Tillisch told me that patients always ask which probiotics will lift their mood.Her answer:
"We don't know yet, but we hope to one day." In the future, patients might receive probiotics or transplant(移植) in which bacteria from the gut of a healthy person are transferred to the gut of a sic': one-to prevent or treat mental health issues. But these approaches are years away from primary time.Until then, a diet rich in fruit and veggies helps cultivate(培養(yǎng))better-balanced microbes than a typical Western diet high in animal and processed products. Avoiding unnecessary antibiotics, particularly in early childhood, may also establish healthier gut bacteria.
【小題1】 According to the passage, gut bacteria might help us in many ways EXCEPT__.
A.lightening our mood | B.treating autism |
C.relieving depression | D.transplanting gut flora |
A.Paragraph 2 | B.Paragraph 3 |
C.Paragraph 4 | D.Paragraph 5 |
A.Cultivating a Happier Gut |
B.Growing Bacteria in the Future |
C.Balancing Microbes and Diet |
D.Living a Happy Healthy Life |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Grasshoppers are having to change their song — one of the iconic sounds of summer — to make themselves heard above the noise of road traffic, ecologists have discovered. The study, published in the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ecology, is the first to show that human-made noise affects natural insect populations. Animals use sound to communicate for many reasons, including marking out territory, warning of predators and finding mates, and although previous research shows birds, whales and even frogs change their calls in noisy environments, the impact of human-made noise on insects has been neglected until now. Ulrike Lampe and colleagues from the University of Bielefeld in Germany caught 188 male bow-winged grasshoppers, half from quiet locations and half from beside busy roads. The grasshoppers use their song to attract mates.
The team then studied the differences in the two groups' songs in the laboratory. To encourage them to sing they exposed the males to a female grasshopper, and then recorded their courtship songs. Analysis of almost 1,000 recordings revealed grasshoppers living beside noisy roads produced different songs to those living in quieter locations.
According to Lampe: "Bow-winged grasshoppers produce songs that include low and high frequency components. We found that grasshoppers from noisy habitats increase the volume of the lower-frequency part of their song, which makes sense since road noise can mask signals in this part of the frequency spectrum(頻譜)."
The team's findings are important because traffic noise could be upsetting the grasshopper's mating system(交配系統(tǒng)). "Increased noise levels could affect grasshopper courtship in several ways. It could prevent females from hearing male courtship songs properly, prevent females from recognizing males of their own species, or impair females' ability to estimate how attractive a male is from his song," Lampe explains.
Having discovered that human-made noise affects insect communication, the researchers now want to learn more about how the mechanism works, and whether the grasshoppers adapt to noise during their development as larvae(幼蟲), or whether males from noisy habitats produce different songs due to genetic differences.
The bow-winged grasshopper is a common species in Central Europe. Adults occur mainly between July and September, preferring dry grasslands. Around 1.5 cm long, they vary in colour from green and browns to red and purple. The male's song consists of 2 second-long phrases that increase in amplitude (振幅) towards the end. The beginning of a phrase is characterized by slower ticking sounds that increase in speed and amplitude, leading to a buzzing sound towards the end of the phrase. A courtship song usually includes 2 phrases.
【小題1】The author wrote the article to _________________.
A.introduce how grasshoppers make noises to attract mates. |
B.raise the awareness of protecting bow-winged grasshoppers. |
C.inform us of a recent discovery of ecological research. |
D.warn us that human-made noise has changed ecological system. |
A.Bow-winged grasshoppers use their songs to communicate. |
B.Grasshoppers change their songs to adapt to the noisy environment. |
C.Grasshoppers’ songs include both low and high frequency components. |
D.Bow-winged grasshoppers are a common species in Central Europe. |
A.repair | B.develop |
C.weaken | D.improve |
A.Road noise can cover the lower-frequency part of their song. |
B.Animals make sounds only for the purpose of finding mates. |
C.Grasshopper larvae learn to adapt to human-made noise. |
D.Bow-winged grasshoppers grow up into adults in spring. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Think about the different ways that people use wind. You can use it to fly a kite or to sail a boat. Wind is one of our cleanest and richest power sources, as well as one of the oldest. Evidence shows that windmills (風(fēng)車) began to be used in ancient Iran back in the seventh century BC. They were first introduced to Europe during the 1100s, when armies returned from the Middle East with knowledge of using wind power.
For many centuries, people used windmills to grind (磨碎) wheat into flour or pump water from deep underground. When electricity was discovered in the late 1800s, people living in remote (偏僻的) areas began to use them to produce electricity. This allowed them to have electric lights and radio. However, by the 1940s when electricity was available to people in almost all areas of the United States, windmills were rarely used.
During the 1970s, people started becoming concerned about the pollution that is created when coal and gas are burned to produce electricity. People also realized that the supply of coal and gas would not last forever. Then, wind was rediscovered, though it means high costs. Today, there is a global movement to supply more and more of our electricity through the use of wind.
【小題1】From the text we know that windmills _______.
A.were invented by Europeans armies |
B.have a history of more than 2800 years |
C.used to supply power to electric lights in remote areas |
D.have rarely been used since electricity was discovered |
A.Sailing a boat. | B.Producing electricity. |
C.Grinding wheat into flour. | D.Pumping water from underground. |
A.wind power is cleaner |
B.it is one of the oldest power sources |
C.it was cheaper to create energy from wind |
D.the supply of coal and gas failed to meet ends |
A.The advantages of wind power. |
B.The design of wind power plants. |
C.The worldwide movement to save energy. |
D.The global trend (趨勢) towards producing power from wind. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
When asked about happiness, we usually think of something extraordinary, an absolute delight, which seems to get rarer the older we get.
For kids, happiness has a magical quality. Their delight at winning a race or getting a new bike is unreserved(毫無掩飾的).
In the teenage years the concept of happiness changes. Suddenly it's conditional on such things as excitement, love and popularity. I can still recall the excitement of being invited to dance with the most attractive boy at the school party.
In adulthood the things that bring deep joy—love, marriage, birth—also bring responsibility and the risk of loss.For adults, happiness is complicated(復(fù)雜的).
My definition of happiness is “the capacity for enjoyment”.The more we can enjoy what we have, the happier we are.It's easy to overlook the pleasure we get from the company of friends, the freedom to live where we please, and even good health.
I experienced my little moments of pleasure yesterday. First I was overjoyed when I shut the last lunch-box and had the house to myself. Then I spent an uninterrupted morning writing, which I love. When the kids and my husband came home, I enjoyed their noise after the quiet of the day.
Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a mix of enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work.I don't think that my grandmother, who raised 14 children, had much of either. She did have a network of close friends and family, and maybe this is what satisfied her.
We, however, with so many choices and such pressure to succeed in every area, have turned happiness into one more thing we've got to have. We're so self-conscious about our “right” to it that it's making us miserable. So we chase it and equal it with wealth and success, without noticing that the people who have those things aren't necessarily happier.
Happiness isn't about what happens to us—it's about how we see what happens to us. It's the skillful way of finding a positive for every negative. It's not wishing for what we don't have, but enjoying what we do possess.
【小題1】As people grow older, they ________.
A.feel it harder to experience happiness . |
B.a(chǎn)ssociate their happiness less with others |
C.will take fewer risks in pursuing happiness |
D.tend to believe responsibility means happiness |
A.She cares little about her own health. |
B.She enjoys the freedom of traveling. |
C.She is easily pleased by things in daily life. |
D.She prefers getting pleasure from housework. |
A.Psychologists think satisfying work is key to happiness. |
B.Psychologists' opinion is well proved by Grandma's case. |
C.Grandma often found time for social gatherings. |
D.Grandma's happiness came from modest expectations of life. |
A.consider pressure something blocking their way |
B.stress their right to happiness too much |
C.a(chǎn)re at a loss to make correct choices |
D.a(chǎn)re more likely to be happy |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Global Positioning Systems(GPS) are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.
We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype (網(wǎng)絡(luò)電話軟件). He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay. BARRY BROWN: “And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'.”
Mr Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. BARRY BROWN: “One problem with a lot of the GPS units is that they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.”
It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues(時機問題) related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says, “ To make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.”
【小題1】In paragraph 2, Mr. Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to _______.
A.build up his own reputation |
B.laugh at his stupid friend |
C.prove the GPS system is only garbage |
D.describe an example of human error |
A.They just provide the next turn. | B.They are harmful to eyes. |
C.They make drivers tired easily. | D.They often break down suddenly. |
A.GPS units are to blame for most GPS service failures. |
B.We should introduce higher standards for the driving license. |
C.Cameras are urgently needed to help improve GPS systems. |
D.Drivers, GPS systems and passengers should unite to improve GPS systems. |
A.Unconcerned. | B.Prejudiced. |
C.Objective. | D.Critical. |
A.Driving with GPS can be difficult. |
B.Driving confusions can be caused by small screens. |
C.Driving without GPS should be much more convenient. |
D.GPS equipment in driving to be deserted or improved |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
London has become a cycle friendly zone after the launch of a new bike hire scheme. It has been designed to encourage more people to cycle in and around central London.
So how does it work? First you have to sign up to the scheme to be sent a key. The key will unlock one of the bikes, which are kept at docking stations in and around central London. You have to pay an access fee for the key and then you pay as you go, for the length of time you use the bike.
Transport for London, which runs the scheme, is hoping to have 6,000 bikes and 400 docking stations in place by the end of the year. The new hire system is hoping to ease congestion (擁擠 ) in London and is expected to create up t0 40 ,000 extra cycle trips a day into the city centre. London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the scheme and said London had been 6ifilled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as commonplace on our roads as black cabs and red buses".
However, there have been a few problems since the scheme was launched last Friday. On the first day some people found they couldn't dock their bike properly and their usage of the bike had not registered. Transport for London did admit they had been expecting a few "teething problems" and have said they wouldn't charge for the first day as a "gesture of goodwill". Some other people have criticized the lack of docking stations and locks for the bikes as well as the price it costs to hire the bicycles.
Despite the comments, the green-thinking London Mayor still seems very positive about things, saying, "My campaign for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a big pedal-powered push forwards. "
【小題1】. London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the new bike scheme in order to______.
A.reduce the air pollution of the city |
B.deal with the city's traffic problems |
C.increase employment opportunities |
D.encourage the citizens to take exercises |
A.b→a→c→d | B.b→d→c→a |
C.d→c→b→a | D.d→b→c→a |
A.the high cost to hire a bike |
B.docking the bikes properly |
C.not registering their usage of the bikes |
D.not charging for the first day of the scheme |
A.the cycling revolution is not successful |
B.a(chǎn)ll the citizens in London support the scheme |
C.the London Mayor is confident in the scheme |
D.the scheme will be cancelled because of the problems |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
DNA left at a crime scene could be used in the future to build up a picture of an offender’s face, it was revealed tonight.
A first step towards genetic mugshots has been taken by researchers in the US who link specific DNA markers with face shape. To identify the genes, they focused on known mutations(突變) that cause changes of the face and head. Normal versions of these genes were found to influence individual features. For instance, one gene affected the lips, another the shape and configuration of bones around the eyes, and a third the appearance of the mid-face and skull. In total, 20 genes had “significant effects” on facial appearance.
Lead scientist Professor Mark Shriver, from Pennsylvania State University, said: “We use DNA to match to an individual or identify an individual, but you can get so much more from DNA. Currently we can’t go from DNA to a face, or from a face to DNA, but it should be possible.” The implications are far reaching, raising the possibility of creating a data bank of facial types based on genetic markers. DNA from a crime scene could then be used to produce a rough image of the face of an offender or victim. Such genetic mugshots may be more reliable than computer-generated “e-fits” based on witnesses’ recollections. Other uses of the technique might include proving the identity of fathers in paternity cases, or visualising our remote ancestors from fossil DNA.
The scientists wrote in the online journal Public Library of Science Genetics: “Such predictive modelling could be forensically useful; for example, DNA left at crime scenes could be tested and faces predicted in order to help to narrow the pool of potential suspects. Further, our methods could be used to predict the facial features of descendants, deceased ancestors, and even extinct human species. In addition, these methods could prove to be useful diagnostic tools.” The team developed a model which first established a range of physical face shapes from people of mixed West African and European ancestry from the US, Brazil and Cape Verde. Measurements were taken of thousands of point co-ordinates on grids placed over 3D images of the faces.
Statistical methods were then used to determine the relationship between facial differences and the effects of gender, ethnic ancestry and individual gene variants.
【小題1】The underlined word “mugshots” in the second paragraph most probably means _________.
A.different faces | B.characteristics | C.pictures of faces | D.genders |
A.they can merely match to an individual or identify an individual |
B.there is a possibility of going from DNA to a face |
C.DNA could be used to produce a rough image of an offender’s face |
D.this technology is more reliable than computer-generated “e-fits” |
A.Creating a data bank of DNA |
B.Recognizing the DNA of criminals |
C.Predicting the location of offence using DNA |
D.Building image of offender’s face from DNA |
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