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 (北京市北大附中2007年5月高三最后适应测试E篇)

Even facts “forgotten” by people during a busy day may be retrieved if this is followed by a good night’s sleep.

Researchers from the University of Chicago asked volunteers to remember simple words.Many found their memories letting them down towards the end of the day, but the following morning, those who had slept well could recall much more.

Researchers, writing in the journal Nature, said the brain could “rescue” lost memories during the night.

When the brain is first asked to remember something that memory is laid down in an “unstable” state, meaning that it is possible that it could be lost.At some point, the brain consolidates those it deems important into a “stable”, more permanent state.However, the Chicago researchers suggested that it was possible for a “stable” memory to be made “unstable” again.This would mean that memories could be modified then filed away again in the face of new experiences.

The 12 volunteers tested in the experiment were played words created through a speech synthesizer which were purposely difficult to understand.Initially, the written version of the word  from the audio version only.Tests revealed that the ability to recall the right word tended to tail off as the day ended.

However, when the volunteers were retested after a good night’s sleep, they were able to recall some words that they had “ forgotten” the previous evening.

Dr Daniel, one of the study authors, said: “Sleep consolidates memories, protecting them against subsequent interference or decay.Sleep also appears to “recover” or restore memories.” He said: “If performance is reduced by decay, sleep might actively recover what has been lost.”

Dr Karim Nader, from the Department of Psychology in McGill University in Montreal, said: “Memory research is undergoing a transformation---no longer is memory thought to be a hard-writing of the brain, instead it seems to be a process of storage and restorage.”

Sleep helps some memories “mature” and also prunes out unimportant memories.

72.What does the first paragraph implies?

       A.A busy day makes people forget things easily.

       B.People need a good night’s sleep after a busy day.

       C.A good night’s sleep helps memories.

       D.A good night’s sleep helps people forget a busy day.

73.The words the 12 volunteers played in the experiment were not ____

       A.created through a speech synthesizer

       B.hard to understand

       C.available at the beginning

       D.designed to test people’s ability of understanding

74.According to the passage, memory_____

       A.is a hard-writing of the brain

       B.is not a process of storage

       C.is not a process of restorage

       D.will be mature with the help of sleep

75.Which of the following is NOT true?

       A.When people first remember something, the memory is in an “unstable state”.

       B.The brain will change those important unstable memories into stable.

       C.Once the memory become stable, it will never become unstable again.

       D.Sleep can protect memories from being harmed.

答案  72.C  73.D  74.D  75.C

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 (北京市北大附中2007年5月高三最后适应测试A篇)

Animals are more like us than we ever imagined.They feel pain, they experience stress, they show affection, excitement and love.All these findings have been made by scientists in recent years---and such results are beginning to change how we view animals.

Strangely enough, some of this research was sponsored by fast food companies like McDonald’s and KFC.Pressured by animal rights groups , these companies felt they had to fund scientists researching the emotional and mental states of animals.

McDonald’s, for instance, funded studies on pig behavior at Purdue University, Indiana.This research found that pigs seek affection and easily become depressed if left alone or prevented from playing with each other.If they become depressed, they soon become physically ill.Because of this, and other similar studies, the European Union has banned the use of isolating pig stalls from 2010.In Germany, the government is encouraging pig farmers to gibe each pig 20 seconds of human contact a day, and to provide them with toys to prevent them from fighting

Other scientists have shown that animals think and behave like humans.Koko, the 300-pound gorilla at the Gorilla Foundation in Northern California, for instance, has been taught sigh language.Koko can now understand several thousand English words, more than many humans who speak English as a second language.On human IQ tests, she scores between 70 and 95.

Before such experiments, humans thought language skills were absent from the animal kingdom.Other myths are also being overturned, like the belief that animals lack

self-awareness.Studies have also shown that animals mourn their dead, and that they play for pleasure.

These striking similarities between animal and human behavior have led some to ask a question: “If you believe in evolution, how can’t you believe that animals have feelings that human beings have?”

Until recently, scientists believed that animals behaved by instinct and that what appeared to be learned behavior was merely genetically-programmed activity.But as Koko the Gorilla shows, this is not the case.In fact, learning is passed from parent to offspring far more often than not in the animal kingdom.

So what implications does this knowledge have for humans? Because of this, should we ban hunting and animal testing? Should we close zoos? Such questions are being raised by many academics and politicians.Harvard and 25 other American law schools have introduced courses on animal rights.Germany meanwhile, recently guaranteed animal rights in its constitution---the first country to do so.

68.McDonald’s and KFC give money to support scientist to do research on animals,because_____

A.they are international big companies.

B.they love animals.

C.they are pressured by animal right groups.

D.they earn a large amount of money and want to do some good deeds.

69.The research on pigs at Purdue University shows that______

A.pigs love being alone.

B.pigs easily become physically ill.

C.pigs need affection.

D.pigs don’t like to play with each other.

70.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

       A.Animals behave by instinct.

       B.Animals have self-awareness.

       C.Animals have feelings and love.

       D.Animals do not have language skills.

71.Should we ban hunting and animal testing?

       A.Yes.

       B.No

       C.Not certain

       D.Not mentioned

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