Catch yourself daydreaming while washing the dishes again? If this happens often you probably have a pretty capable working memory and a sharper brain, new research suggests.
This mind wandering, it seems, actually gives your working memory a workout. Working memory is the mental work space that allows the brain to juggle multiple thoughts at the same time. The more working memory a person has, the more daydreaming they can do without forgetting the task at hand.
Researchers studied groups of people from the University of Wisconsin-Madison community, ranging in age from 18 to 65. The volunteers were asked to perform simple tasks, like pressing a button every time they took a breath or clicking in response to a letter popping up on a computer screen; these tasks were so easy that their minds were likely to wander, the researchers figured.
The researchers checked in periodically, asking the participants if their minds were on task or wandering. When the task was over, they measured each participant's working memory capacity by having them remember letters while doing math questions. Though all participants performed well on the task, the researchers noticed that the individuals who indicated their minds had wandered more than others also scored higher on the working memory test.
“What this study seems to suggest is that, when circumstances for the task aren't very difficult, people who have additional working memory resources allocate them to think about things other than what they're doing,” said Jonathan Smallwood, a study researcher of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitve and Brain Science.
When our minds run out of working memory, these off-topic thoughts can take the main stage without us consciously meaning them to; for instance, arriving at home with no memory of the actual trip, or suddenly realizing that they've turned several pages in a book without understanding any of the words.
“It's almost like your attention was so absorbed in the mind wandering that there wasn't any left over to remember your goal to read,” study researcher Daniel Levinson, said in a statement.
People with overall higher working memory were better able to stay focused when the task at hand required it. Those who had low working memory often had their thoughts drift away from the task, and did less well at it.
The findings add to past research suggesting these mind drifts can be positive moments. For instance, daydreaming has often been associated with creativity—researchers think that our most creative and inventive moments come when daydreaming. It's likely that the most intelligent among us also have high levels of working memory, Levinson noted.
1.The word “juggle” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “________”.
A. handle B. search C. understand D. distribute
2.What can be concluded from Jonathan Smallwood's words?
A. People who often have daydreams probably own a pretty capable working memory.
B. On the working memory test, people with wandering minds will get high score.
C. Absorbed in the mind wandering, your attention left no space for your goal.
D. Dealing with some easy jobs, people with higher working memory will daydream.
3.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Mind drifts are always positive.
B. Daydreaming is good for the mind.
C. Creative moments come with working memory.
D. The more daydreaming, the more effectively one works.
高三英语阅读理解困难题
Catch yourself daydreaming while washing the dishes again? If this happens often you probably have a pretty capable working memory and a sharper brain, new research suggests.
This mind wandering, it seems, actually gives your working memory a workout. Working memory is the mental work space that allows the brain to juggle multiple thoughts at the same time. The more working memory a person has, the more daydreaming they can do without forgetting the task at hand.
Researchers studied groups of people from the University of Wisconsin-Madison community, ranging in age from 18 to 65. The volunteers were asked to perform simple tasks, like pressing a button every time they took a breath or clicking in response to a letter popping up on a computer screen; these tasks were so easy that their minds were likely to wander, the researchers figured.
The researchers checked in periodically, asking the participants if their minds were on task or wandering. When the task was over, they measured each participant's working memory capacity by having them remember letters while doing math questions. Though all participants performed well on the task, the researchers noticed that the individuals who indicated their minds had wandered more than others also scored higher on the working memory test.
“What this study seems to suggest is that, when circumstances for the task aren't very difficult, people who have additional working memory resources allocate them to think about things other than what they're doing,” said Jonathan Smallwood, a study researcher of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitve and Brain Science.
When our minds run out of working memory, these off-topic thoughts can take the main stage without us consciously meaning them to; for instance, arriving at home with no memory of the actual trip, or suddenly realizing that they've turned several pages in a book without understanding any of the words.
“It's almost like your attention was so absorbed in the mind wandering that there wasn't any left over to remember your goal to read,” study researcher Daniel Levinson, said in a statement.
People with overall higher working memory were better able to stay focused when the task at hand required it. Those who had low working memory often had their thoughts drift away from the task, and did less well at it.
The findings add to past research suggesting these mind drifts can be positive moments. For instance, daydreaming has often been associated with creativity—researchers think that our most creative and inventive moments come when daydreaming. It's likely that the most intelligent among us also have high levels of working memory, Levinson noted.
1.The word “juggle” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “________”.
A. handle B. search C. understand D. distribute
2.What can be concluded from Jonathan Smallwood's words?
A. People who often have daydreams probably own a pretty capable working memory.
B. On the working memory test, people with wandering minds will get high score.
C. Absorbed in the mind wandering, your attention left no space for your goal.
D. Dealing with some easy jobs, people with higher working memory will daydream.
3.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Mind drifts are always positive.
B. Daydreaming is good for the mind.
C. Creative moments come with working memory.
D. The more daydreaming, the more effectively one works.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Mother was busy washing dishes ________________ Father was watching TV.
A.until B.if C.since D.while
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
A.Leave his wife another dish. B.Don’t wash the dishes.
C.Wash his wife’s dishes. D.Help his wife wash dishes.
高三英语短对话中等难度题查看答案及解析
What might the man be doing now?
A.Doing the cooking. B.Washing the dishes. C.Setting the table.
高三英语短对话中等难度题查看答案及解析
What might the man be doing now?
A.Doing some cooking. B.Washing dishes. C.Setting the table.
高三英语短对话中等难度题查看答案及解析
--The last one ________ the meal washes the dishes.
--Agreed!
A.finishes B.finishing C.to finish D.finished
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Even a small increase in light activity such as washing dishes, or walking around the house might help prevent an early death among older adults, researchers say.
“It is important for elderly people, who might not be able to do much moderate intensity(强度)activity, that just moving around and doing light intensity activity will have strong effects and is beneficial,” said Ulf Ekelund, who led the research.
Published in the BMJ, the latest research was based on a review of eight studies involving a total of more than 36,000 people with an average age of almost 63 years. Participants were followed for five to six years; 2,149 deaths were recorded. All of the studies involved monitoring the physical activity of individuals who had activity trackers, and the studies did not rely on self-reporting, which, the experts noted, could be unreliable.
For each study participants were split into four equal-sized groups, based on the total amount of time spent actively, and the risk of death assessed, taking into account factors such as age, sex, body mass index, and socioeconomic status. This was then repeated for an amount of activity at different levels of intensity. The results were analyzed together to give an overview. The team found a greater amount of activity was linked to a lower risk of death. The results held for different intensities of activity. The team said the study supported the message “sit less and move more and more often”.
However, the study had limitations. It only looked at the situation for middle age and older adults, most of whom lived in the US or Europe, and some of the effect could be due to those people with a higher risk of death being less likely to be related to physical activity. Physical activity levels also were only measured over one period of time.
Dr Gavin Sandercock, from the University of Essex, said the results suggested moving more brought bigger benefits than simply reducing the time of sitting, another factor measured in the study.
“This study reinforces the important message that getting the least active people to do even just a little bit more physical activity can have important public health benefits,” he said.
1.Which of the following may Ulf Ekelund suggest elderly people do?
A.lying on the sofa reading.
B.Doing a little gentle gardening.
C.Going out to hike with friends.
D.Playing basketball sometimes.
2.What can we know about the research?
A.It lasted about 8 years.
B.The researchers admitted they used fake data.
C.The participants didn't include younger people.
D.Some participants died because of doing too much physical activity
3.What is the author’s attitude towards the researchers' conclusion?
A.Doubtful B.Critical
C.Supportive D.Neutral
4.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “reinforces” in the last paragraph?
A.Highlights B.Conveys
C.Excludes D.Denies
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
As I wash dishes at the kitchen sink, my husband, Scott, paces behind me, annoyed. “Have you seen my keys?” he asks. In the past I would have turned off the tap and joined the hunt while trying to comfort my husband. But that only made him angrier. Now, I focus on the wet dish in my hands. I don’t turn around. I don’t say a word. I’m using a technique I learned from a dolphin trainer.
For a book I was writing about animal trainers’ school, I started spending my days watching professional trainers do the seemingly impossible: teaching dogs to dance on command and chimps to skateboard. Eventually it hit me that the same techniques might work on that stubborn but lovable species, the American husband. The central lesson I learned is that I should reward behaviour I like and ignore behaviour I don’t. After all, you don’t get a sea lion to balance a ball on the end of its nose by talking. The same goes for the American husband.
I began thanking Scott if he threw one dirty shirt into the laundry basket. If he threw in two, I’d kiss him. I was using what trainers call “approximations”, rewarding the small steps toward learning a whole new behaviour. With Scott the husband, I began to praise every small act every time: if he drove just a mile an hour slower, or was on time for anything.
I followed the students to Sea World San Diego, where a dolphin trainer introduced me to Least Reinforcing Scenario (L. R. S.). When a dolphin does something wrong, the trainer doesn’t respond in any way. The idea is that any response, positive or negative, fuels a behaviour. If a behaviour causes no response, it typically dies away. It was only a matter of time before he was again searching for his keys, at which point I said nothing and kept at what I was doing. It took a lot of discipline to maintain my calm, but results were immediate. I felt as if I should throw him a small fish.
1.What can we infer about the writer?
A. She treats her husband like animals.
B. She often quarrels with her husband.
C. She behaves differently to her husband.
D. She’s determined to learn from the dolphin.
2.How did the writer get the idea of treating her husband?
A. By rewarding her husband.
B. By writing a book on animals.
C. By watching professional training.
D. By focusing on washing the dishes.
3.What will happen if the trainer doesn’t respond to the dolphin’s mistake?
A. It will feel embarrassed.
B. It will forget the mistake.
C. It will remember its mistake.
D. It will repeat the wrong action.
4.What is the tone of the text?
A. Humorous. B. Serious. C. Aggressive. D. Doubtful.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
You _______ have washed the dishes. I would’ve put them in the dishwasher.
A. shouldn’t B. wouldn’t C. couldn’t D. needn’t
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
— You should have helped your mom wash the dishes.
—I meant________.But she is always telling me to study.
A.to do B.to C.doing so D.doing
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析