Question

Parents who feel disappointed at their teenagers’ failure to pay attention in class, and inability to sit quietly long enough to finish homework or plan ahead, should take solace. Their children are not being lazy or careless, according to new research.

The research has found that teenagers’ brains continue developing far longer into adulthood than we used to think. Teens may look like young adults but their brain structure is similar to that of much younger children.

“It is not always easy for teens to pay attention in class without letting their minds wander, or to ignore distractions from their younger brothers or sisters when trying to solve a maths   problem,” said Dr Iroise Dumon-theil. “But it’s not the fault of teenagers that they can’t pay attention and are easily distracted. It’s to do with the structure of their brains. Teens simply can’t think as well as an adult.”

The research showed that the brain of a teenager works less effectively than that of an adult. “We knew that the front of the brain of teens functioned in a chaotic  (混亂的) way but we  didn’ t realize it continued until the late 20s or early 30s,” said Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, who led the research.

Chaotic thought patterns are a result of teenagers’ brains containing too much grey matter — the cell bodies and connections which carry messages within the brain. As we age, the amount of grey matter in our brain reduces.

“What our research has shown is that there is simply too much going on in the brains of teens,” said Blakemore. “The result is that their brain energy and resources are wasted and their decision-making process is badly influenced. Adults, on the other hand, have less grey matter. This means that the brain works far more effectively.”

1.The underlined word “solace” in Paragraph 1 may mean _____.

A． notice           B．medicine          C． comfort          D．action

2.When making decisions, _____.

A． teens’ brains continue to do much needless work

B． the grey matter in young children’s front brain becomes active

C． people are not likely to be distracted until their late 30s

D． adults are more independent than teens

3.What is the effect of having too much grey matter?

A． It makes us always feel disappointed.

B． It makes us more intelligent.

C． It had a bad effect on the growth of teens.

D． It had a bad effect on decision-making.

4.What’s the text mainly about?

A． Teens have different brains from those of children.

B． Adults work more effectively than teens.

C． Grey matter makes teens unable to pay attention.

D． Brain energy is wasted in the brain’s activity.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

試題分析：本文主要分析的就是青少年不能集中注意力的原因——大腦中的灰質層太多，影響了人們的正常思維。

1.C 推理題。根據下句Their children are not being lazy or careless, according to new research.說明他們孩子表現不好，這不是因為孩子懶或者粗心。這讓那些父母感覺有所安慰，故C正確。

2.A 細節題。根據第三段前3行“It is not always easy for teens to pay attention in class without letting their minds wander, or to ignore distractions from their younger brothers or sisters when trying to solve a maths   problem,”說明孩子的腦海中會有很多其它的東西在干擾，故A項內容正確。

3.D 推理題。根據倒數第二段1,2行Chaotic thought patterns are a result of teenagers’ brains containing too much grey matter — the cell bodies and connections which carry messages within the brain.說明大腦中的灰質太多會影響我們的思維和決定，故D項正確。

4.C 主旨大意題。本文主要分析的就是青少年不能集中注意力的原因——大腦中的灰質層太多，影響了人們的正常思維。故C正確。

考點：考查科普類短文閱讀

點評：科普類短文最大的障礙是詞匯以及考生對閱讀內容的不熟悉，需要考生在閱讀的時候有足夠的耐心。要養成在上下文串聯中猜測詞義的能力，根據上下文中出現的同義詞，近義詞，反義詞，以及詞義的解釋來理解生詞。同時要抓住文章的中心，不要受其他信息的影響。要根據題目及選項以及文章的上下文串聯合理的判斷推理。