A new study finds that our brains are wired t...

A new study finds that our brains are wired to make music-color connections depending on how the music makes us feel. Mozart’s “Flute Concerto No.1 in G Major” is most often associated with bright yellow and orange, whereas his “Requiem in D Minor” is linked to bluish gray, the findings revealed.

US researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, enlisted nearly 100 subjects for a study on music and color. With 37 colors, the UC Berkeley study found that people tend to pair faster-paced music in a major key with lighter, more vivid, yellow colors, whereas slower-paced music in a minor key is more likely to be teamed up with darker, grayer, bluer colors.

“Surprisingly, we can predict with 95 percent accuracy how happy or sad the colors people pick will be based on how happy or sad the music is that they are listening to,” said lead author and UC Berkeley vision scientist Stephen Palmer.

In three experiments, the subjects listened to 18 classical music pieces that varied in pace (slow, medium, fast) and in major VS minor keys. In the first experiment, participants were asked to pick five of the 37 colors that best matched the music to which they were listening. Separately, they rated each piece of music on a scale of happy to sad, strong to weak, lively to dull, and calm to angry.

Next, the research team plans to study particiapants in Turkey where traditional music employs a wider range of scales than just major and minor. “We know that in Mexico and the US the responses are very similar,” Palmer said. “But we don’t yet know about China or Turkey.”

1.What can we know about Mozart’s “Flute Concerto No. 1 G Major”?

A. It is fast in pace.

B. It is slow in pace.

C. It makes us feel upset.

D. It makes us feel optimistic.

2.What did the US researchers find from the result of the new study?

A. There are colors that do not match any music.

B. People tend to connect happy colors to slow-paced music

C. There is a one-to-one connection between music and color.

D. People nearly do the same in picking colors for different music.

3.How did the researchers do the research?

A. By making predictions.　　　　 B. By researching journals.

C. By conducting experiments.　　 D. By studying famous musicians.

4.According to the text, the research mainly deals with __________

A. how colors or music influence our emotions

B. how emotions affect music-color connections

C. why we have different feelings towards music

D. why we have different feelings towards colors

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A new study finds that our brains are wired to make music-color connections depending on how the music makes us feel. Mozart’s “Flute Concerto No.1 in G Major” is most often associated with bright yellow and orange, whereas his “Requiem in D Minor” is linked to bluish gray, the findings revealed.

US researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, enlisted nearly 100 subjects for a study on music and color. With 37 colors, the UC Berkeley study found that people tend to pair faster-paced music in a major key with lighter, more vivid, yellow colors, whereas slower-paced music in a minor key is more likely to be teamed up with darker, grayer, bluer colors.

“Surprisingly, we can predict with 95 percent accuracy how happy or sad the colors people pick will be based on how happy or sad the music is that they are listening to,” said lead author and UC Berkeley vision scientist Stephen Palmer.

In three experiments, the subjects listened to 18 classical music pieces that varied in pace (slow, medium, fast) and in major VS minor keys. In the first experiment, participants were asked to pick five of the 37 colors that best matched the music to which they were listening. Separately, they rated each piece of music on a scale of happy to sad, strong to weak, lively to dull, and calm to angry.

Next, the research team plans to study particiapants in Turkey where traditional music employs a wider range of scales than just major and minor. “We know that in Mexico and the US the responses are very similar,” Palmer said. “But we don’t yet know about China or Turkey.”

1.What can we know about Mozart’s “Flute Concerto No. 1 G Major”?

A. It is fast in pace.

B. It is slow in pace.

C. It makes us feel upset.

D. It makes us feel optimistic.

2.What did the US researchers find from the result of the new study?

A. There are colors that do not match any music.

B. People tend to connect happy colors to slow-paced music

C. There is a one-to-one connection between music and color.

D. People nearly do the same in picking colors for different music.

3. How did the researchers do the research?

A. By making predictions.

B. By researching journals.

C. By conducting experiments.

D. By studying famous musicians.

4.According to the text, the research mainly deals with __________

A. how colors or music influence our emotions

B. how emotions affect music-color connections

C. why we have different feelings towards music

D. why we have different feelings towards colors

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It sounds almost too good to be true，but a new study on sleeping brains suggests that listening to languages while you sleep can actually help you to learn them．

For the study，researchers played recordings of foreign words and their translations to subjects enjoying slow-wave sleep，a stage when a person has 1ittle consciousness of their environment．To ensure that the results were not compromised by foreign language words that subjects may have had some contact with at some point in their waking lives，researchers made up totally nonexistent foreign words．

When the subjects woke up，they were presented with the made-up words again without their translations．The subjects were then asked to imagine whether this made-up word indicated an object that was either smaller or larger．This vague(模糊的)way of testing their understanding of the words is an approach that is supposed to tap into the unconscious memory．

Unbelievably，the subjects were able to correctly classify the words in this way at an accuracy rate that was 10 percent higher than random chance．That’s not a rate high enough to have them suddenly communicating in a foreign tongue，but it is enough to suggest that the brain is still absorbing information on some level，even during sleep．

Researchers have long known that sleep is important for memory，but previously its role in memory was thought to relate only to the preservation and organization of memories acquired during wakefulness．This is the first time that memory formation has been shown to be active during sleep．

In other words，our brains are listening to the world，and learning about it，even when our conscious selves are not present．

The next step for researchers will be to see if new information can be 1earned quicker during wakefulness if it was already presented during sleep．If so，it could forever change how we train our brains to learn new things．Sleep learning might become a widespread practice．

1.Why did researchers use some made-up words in the study?

A.To guarantee the accuracy of the test result．

B.To increase the difficulty of testing information．

C.To avoid the subjects cheating in the experiment．

D.To test if our brain are good at learning something new．

2.What were the subjects asked to do in the study?

A.Classify what they heard by size．

B.Make up a word to represent“large”or“small”．

C.Repeat the words they heard in the sleep．

D.Imagine the meanings of the made-up words．

3.What conclusion did researchers draw from this study?

A.Sleep is necessary for a good memory．

B.Memory formation goes on during sleep．

C.Listening during sleep is good for our brain．

D.Learning languages in sleep has better effects．

4.What will be the researchers’next plan?

A.To train people how to learn during sleep．

B.To prove the existence of unconscious memory．

C.To dig out the reason for unconscious learning．

D.To study the effect of sleep learning on conscious learning．

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It sounds almost too good to be true，but a new study on sleeping brains suggests that listening to languages while you sleep can actually help you to learn them．

For the study，researchers played recordings of foreign words and their translations to subjects enjoying slow-wave sleep，a stage when a person has 1ittle consciousness of their environment．To ensure that the results were not compromised by foreign language words that subjects may have had some contact with at some point in their waking lives，researchers made up totally nonexistent foreign words．

When the subjects woke up，they were presented with the made-up words again without their translations．The subjects were then asked to imagine whether this made-up word indicated an object that was either smaller or larger．This vague(模糊的)way of testing their understanding of the words is an approach that is supposed to tap into the unconscious memory．

Unbelievably，the subjects were able to correctly classify the words in this way at an accuracy rate that was 10 percent higher than random chance．That’s not a rate high enough to have them suddenly communicating in a foreign tongue，but it is enough to suggest that the brain is still absorbing information on some level，even during sleep．

Researchers have long known that sleep is important for memory，but previously its role in memory was thought to relate only to the preservation and organization of memories acquired during wakefulness．This is the first time that memory formation has been shown to be active during sleep．

In other words，our brains are listening to the world，and learning about it，even when our conscious selves are not present．

The next step for researchers will be to see if new information can be 1earned quicker during wakefulness if it was already presented during sleep．If so，it could forever change how we train our brains to learn new things．Sleep learning might become a widespread practice．

1.Why did researchers use some made-up words in the study?

A. To guarantee the accuracy of the test result．

B. To increase the difficulty of testing information．

C. To avoid the subjects cheating in the experiment．

D. To test if our brain are good at learning something new．

2.What were the subjects asked to do in the study?

A. Classify what they heard by size．

B. Make up a word to represent“large”or“small”．

C. Repeat the words they heard in the sleep．

D. Imagine the meanings of the made-up words．

3.What conclusion did researchers draw from this study?

A. Sleep is necessary for a good memory．

B. Memory formation goes on during sleep．

C. Listening during sleep is good for our brain．

D. Learning languages in sleep has better effects．

4.What will be the researchers’next plan?

A. To train people how to learn during sleep．

B. To prove the existence of unconscious memory．

C. To dig out the reason for unconscious learning．

D. To study the effect of sleep learning on conscious learning．

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists study ____ human brains work to make computers.

A. when　　　　　　　　　 B. how　　　　　　　　　　 C. that　　　　　　　 D. whether

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists study ________ human brains work to make computers.        (2012·四川，17)

A．when                              B．how

C．that　                             D．whether

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

(2012·四川)Scientists study ________ human brains work to make computers.

A．when　 B．how　 C．that　 D．whether

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Conventional wisdom says that hardship can make us old before our time. In fact, a new study suggests that violence not only leaves long-term scars on children’s bodies, but also changes their DNA, causing changes that are equal to seven to ten years of premature aging (过早老化).

Scientists measured this by studying the ends of children’s chromosomes (染色体), called telomeres, says Idan Shalev, lead author of a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Telomeres are special DNA sequences (序列) which prevent the DNA in chromosomes from separating. They get shorter each time a cell divides, until a cell cannot divide any more and dies.

Several factors have been found to shorten telomeres, including smoking, radiation and psychological stresses such as being treated badly when young and taking care of a chronically ill person.

In this study, researchers examined whether exposure to violence could make children’s telomeres shorten faster than normal. They interviewed the mothers of 236 children at ages 5, 7 and 10, asking whether the youngsters had been exposed to domestic violence between the mother and her partner, physical maltreatment by an adult or bullying. Researchers measured the children’s telomeres—in cells obtained from the insides of their cheeks—at ages 5 and 10.

Telomeres shortened faster in kids exposed to two or more types of violence, says Shalev. Unless that pattern changes, the study suggests, these kids could be expected to develop diseases of aging, such as heart attacks or memory loss, seven to 10 years earlier than their peers.

Shalev says there is hope for these kids. His study found that, in rare cases, telomeres can lengthen. Better nutrition, exercise and stress reduction are three things that may be able to lengthen telomeres, he says.

The study confirms a small­but­growing number of studies suggesting that early childhood hardship imprints itself in our chromosomes, says Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School.

1.The new study has found that ________.

A. violence leaves scars on a child’s mind

B. violence can speed up a child’s aging

C. hardship can change a child’s aging

D. hardship has a long-term effect on children

2.According to the text, telomeres ________.

A. probably cause a cell to divide quickly

B. can help prevent DNA from separating

C. can make a cell die quickly

D. become shorter before they die

3.All of the following things can shorten telomeres EXCEPT ________.

A. maltreatment　　　 B. radiation

C. smoking　　　　 　　 D. exercising

4.Which of the following is TRUE, according to the text?

A. Researchers measured the children’s telomeres from their legs in the study.

B. Kids interviewed in the study are exposed to two or more types of violence.

C. Children who have shorter telomeres may suffer from a heart attack earlier.

D. Victims of domestic violence have no hopes of lengthening their telomeres.

5.What is the best title for the text?

A. Violence aging children’s DNA

B. Children’s changing DNA patterns

C. Violence and children

D. The function of telomeres

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Conventional wisdom says that hardship can make us old before our time. In fact, a new study suggests that violence not only leaves long-term scars on children’s bodies, but also changes their DNA, causing changes that are equal to seven to ten years of premature aging.

Scientists measured this by studying the ends of children’s chromosomes(染色体), called telomeres, says Idan Shalev, lead author of a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Telomeres are special DNA sequences which prevent the DNA in chromosomes from separating. They get shorter each time a cell divides, until a cell cannot divide any more and dies.

Several factors have been found to shorten telomeres, including smoking, radiation and psychological stresses such as being treated badly when young and taking care of a chronically ill person.

In this study, researchers examined whether exposure to violence could make children’s telomeres shorten faster than normal. They interviewed the mothers of 236 children at ages 5, 7 and 10, asking whether the youngsters had been exposed to domestic violence between the mother and her partner; physical maltreatment by an adult; or bullying. Researchers measured the children’s telomeres—in cells obtained by swabbing the insides of their cheeks—at ages 5 and 10.

Telomeres shortened faster in kids exposed to two or more types of violence, says Shalev. Unless that pattern changes, the study suggests, these kids could be expected to develop diseases of aging, such as heart attacks or memory loss, seven to 10 years earlier than their peers.

Shalev says there is hope for these kids. His study found that, in rare cases, telomeres can lengthen. Better nutrition, exercise and stress reduction are three things that may be able to lengthen telomeres, he says.

He study confirms a small but growing number of studies suggesting that early childhood adversity imprints itself in our chromosomes, says Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School.

1.The new study found that ________.

A. violence leaves scars on a child’s mind

B. hardship can change a child’s aging

C. violence can speed up a child’s aging

D. hardship has a long-term effect on a child’s mind

2.According to the text, telomeres ________.

A. can make a cell die quickly

B. can help prevent DNA from separating

C. become shorter before they die

D. are at the ends of people’s chromosomes

3.All of the following things can shorten telomeres EXCEPT ________.

A. smoking        B. cell division        C. maltreatment        D. doing exercise

4.Which of the following is TRUE, according to the text?

A. Violence can cause quick cell division in children’s body.

B. Being treated badly will make a child’s telomeres shorten faster.

C. Researchers measured the children’s telomeres from their legs in the study.

D. Children who have shorter telomeres may have a heart attack earlier.

5.Which is the best title for the passage?

A. Violence Ages Children’s DNA

B. Children’s Changing DNA Patterns

C. Violence and Telomeres

D. the Function of Telomeres

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Conventional wisdom says that hardship can make us old before our time. In fact, a new study suggests that violence not only leaves long-term scars on children’s bodies, but also changes their DNA, causing changes that are equal to seven to ten years of premature aging.

Scientists measured this by studying the ends of children’s chromosomes(染色体), called telomeres, says Idan Shalev, lead author of a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Telomeres are special DNA sequences which prevent the DNA in chromosomes from separating. They get shorter each time a cell divides, until a cell cannot divide any more and dies.

Several factors have been found to shorten telomeres, including smoking, radiation and psychological stresses such as being treated badly when young and taking care of a chronically ill person.

In this study, researchers examined whether exposure to violence could make children’s telomeres shorten faster than normal. They interviewed the mothers of 236 children at ages 5, 7 and 10, asking whether the youngsters had been exposed to domestic violence between the mother and her partner; physical maltreatment by an adult; or bullying. Researchers measured the children’s telomeres—in cells obtained by swabbing the insides of their cheeks—at ages 5 and 10.

Telomeres shortened faster in kids exposed to two or more types of violence, says Shalev. Unless that pattern changes, the study suggests, these kids could be expected to develop diseases of aging, such as heart attacks or memory loss, seven to 10 years earlier than their peers.

Shalev says there is hope for these kids. His study found that, in rare cases, telomeres can lengthen. Better nutrition, exercise and stress reduction are three things that may be able to lengthen telomeres, he says.

The study confirms a small ­but­ growing number of studies suggesting that early childhood adversity imprints itself in our chromosomes, says Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School.

1.The new study found that ________.

A. hardship can change a child’s aging

B. violence leaves scars on a child’s mind

C. violence can speed up a child’s aging

D. hardship has a long ­term effect on a child’s mind

2.According to the text, telomeres ________.

A. are at the ends of people’s chromosomes

B. can help prevent DNA from separating

C. can make a cell die quickly

D. become shorter before they die

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A. Violence can cause quick cell division in children’s body.

B. Researchers measured the children’s telomeres from their legs in the study.

C. Being treated badly will make a child’s telomeres shorten faster.

D. Children who have shorter telomeres may have a heart attack earlier.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A. Violence Aging Children’s DNA

B. Children’s Changing DNA Patterns

C. Violence and Telomeres

D. The Function of Telomeres

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析