To a chef, the sounds of lip smacking, slurping and swallowing are the highest form of flattery (恭维). But to someone with a certain type of misophonia (恐音症), these same sounds can be torturous. Brain scans are now helping scientists start to understand why.
People with misophonia experience strong discomfort, annoyance or disgust when they hear particular triggers. These can include chewing, swallowing, slurping, throat clearing, coughing and even audible breathing. Researchers previously thought this reaction might be caused by the brain overactively processing certain sounds. Now, however, a new study published in Journal of Neuroscience has linked some forms of misophonia to heightened “mirroring” behavior in the brain: those affected feel distress while their brains act as if they were imitating the triggering mouth movements.
“This is the first breakthrough in misophonia research in 25 years,” says psychologist Jennifer J. Brout, who directs the International Misophonia Research Network and was not involved in the new study.
The research team, led by Neweastle University neuroscientist Sukhbinder Kumar, analyzed brain activity in people with and without misophonia when they were at rest and while they listened to sounds. These included misophonia triggers (such as chewing), generally unpleasant sounds (like a crying baby）, and neutral sounds. The brain’s auditory (听觉的) cortex, which processes sound, reacted similarly in subjects with and without misophonia. But in both the resting state and listening trials, people with misophonia showed stronger connections between the auditory cortex and brain regions that control movements of the face, mouth and throat, while the controlled group didn’t. Kumar found this connection became most active in participants with misophonia when they heard triggers specific to the condition.
“Just by listening to the sound, they activate the motor cortex more strongly. So in a way it was as if they were doing the action themselves,” Kumar says. Some mirroring is typical in most humans when witnessing others’ actions; the researchers do not yet know why an excessive(过分的) mirroring response might cause such a negative reaction, and hope to address that in future research. “Possibilities include a sense of loss of control, invasion of personal space, or interference with current goals and actions,” the study authors write.
Fatima Husain, an Illinois University professor of speech and hearing science, who was not involved in the study, says potential misophonia therapies could build on the new findings by counseling patients about handling unconscious motor responses to triggering sounds—not just coping with the sounds themselves. If this works, she adds, one should expect to see reduced connected activity between the auditory and motor cortices.
1. It can be learnt from the new study that ______.| A．misophonia sufferers can’t help imitating the triggers |
| B．people with misophonia are more likely to flatter chefs |
| C．the brains of people with misophonia overreact to sounds strongly |
| D．misophonia sufferers tend to have similar annoying activities in their brains |
| A．suffer less severely at the resting state | B．own markedly different brain structures |
| C．react more negatively at a mirroring response | D．lose control of their facial movements easily |
| A．Improving speech and hearing science. | B．Developing a treatment for misophonia. |
| C．Drawing people’s attention to misophonia. | D．Promoting human brain structure research. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Covid-19 is not the first disease to migrate from animals to humans. The Black Death of the 14 century was spread by fleas (跳蚤). The H1N1 virus behind the epidemic of 1918 originated in birds. The list goes on.
In the last two decades alone, we’ve been haunted by zoonotic (人畜共患的) outbreaks, including SARS, MERS, Ebola, bird flu, and most recently, COVID-19 and monkey-pox. Some researchers are beginning to call this era a Pandemicene. A study published in the journal Nature in April suggests that climate change may be to blame.
“The study comes from a simple idea,” says Colin Carlson, a global change biologist and a lead author of the paper. Climate change is making many habitats inhabitable. When animals migrate toward cooler climates, they introduce viruses to new environments. “That leads to interesting problems from a viral standpoint,” says Carlson.
To predict displacement patterns, Carlson and his colleagues taught machine-learning models the kinds of habitats used by different mammals. The modeling software then predicted, under a range of possible climate futures, where such conditions might be found in 2070, he explains. Many animals will head to cooler mountains, or to coastal regions with mild climates; Indonesia, the Philippines, India’s Rift Valley, and Sahel region are all expected to have sky-high human population densities and biodiversity levels by the year 2070, making them easy to be affected by outbreaks of zoonotic disease.
Carlson and his colleagues paired these predictions with a model that analyzes why different animals share viruses. The same flight capabilities that make bats excellent mosquito-hunters and seed-spreaders, for example, also make them more likely to transmit diseases. And while it’s easier for viruses to spread between closely related species, even viruses for our distant relatives can find purchase in us, given enough opportunities for infection.
Carlson and his colleagues estimate that by 2070, there will be at least 3,000 instances of novel cross-species infection. Not all will become pandemics, but some will.
1. Why is this era called “Pandemicene” by researchers in paragraph 2?| A．Many species are disappearing from the earth. |
| B．The climate change has become unpredictable. |
| C．Habitats for wildlife are destroyed by human activity. |
| D．Disease transmitted from animals are troubling humans. |
| A．Infectious diseases are rarely related to animals. |
| B．Migration of animals can lead to viral outbreaks. |
| C．Livable places for wild animals should be protected. |
| D．Global population and density will reach the peak in 2070. |
| A．Viruses can be spread between distantly related species. |
| B．Bats’ flight capabilities make them immune to diseases. |
| C．Wild creatures are given many opportunities to spread disease. |
| D．Humans may be infected with different viruses at the same time. |
| A．Colin Carlson, a Global Change. Biologist |
| B．Climate Change, a Reason for Animal Migration |
| C．Habitat Protection, an Effective Way to Biodiversity |
| D． Cross-species Infection, a Big Threat to Human Beings |
【推荐2】Tens of thousands of young in Britain who are struggling with their mental health are seeking help online for problems such as anxiety, self-harm, and depression.
Soaring numbers of under-18s are turning to apps, online counselling and “mood diaries” to help them manage and recover from conditions that have left them feeling low, isolated and, in some cases, suicidal.
A generation of young people are attracted by being able to receive fast, personal care and advice using their phone rather than having to wait up to 18 months to be treated by an NHS mental heath professional.
The shift comes as ministers prepare themselves for publication on Thursday of the first new figures for 13 years showing how common mental health problems are in the young mainly as a result of the emergence of social media and its use in fuelling feelings of inadequacy.
The number of under-18s using Kooth, a free online counselling(咨询的）service, has shot up from 20,000 in 2015 to 65,000 last year, and is forecast to rise further to 100,000 this year.
One hundred NHS clinical commissioning groups across England, more than half the total, have now commissioned the service. It helps young people suffering from anxiety, low mood, poor self-worth or confidence, self-harm and loneliness.
“Young people like the fact that they can talk to a counsellor either instantly, or within 10 minutes, for up to an hour in the evenings. They love that immediacy,” said Aaron Sefi, the research and evaluation director at XenZone, the company behind Kooth.
“They also love the anonymity involved, because they can sign up without giving their personal details. Plus, they’re in control, because they are choosing to contact us rather than being told to do so.”
In addition, 123,138 people in the UK download Calm Harm, an NHS-approved app that helps people self-harm less often or not at all, between April 2017 and this month.
“Users tell us that Calm Harm helps with suicidal thoughts and intent,” said Dr. Nihara Krause, the consultant clinical psychologist who developed the app. “Currently 92% of our users, who are mainly female and often aged 15-21, say the urge reduced.”
Calm Harm is among 18 apps that NHS England has endorsed(支持）to help cope with mental ill-health. They also include Bluelce, which helps young people manage their emotions using a mood diary and automatic routing(自动转接) to emergency help numbers if their urges to self-harm continue.
Experts welcomed the trend but warned that online help must complement, not replace, face-to-face appointments with therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists.
“Most young people spend much of their time online, and it can feel easier for them to communicate through messaging and online services than face-to-face,” said Tom Madders, campaigns director at Young Minds, which helps people under 26.
“Evidence-based mental health apps and online support services can be really beneficial in helping young people to look after their own mental health, develop strategies for coping with difficult emotions, and get accessible information and advice when they need it.”
Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national mental health director, said: “Technology is constantly evolving and young people are usually at the forefront, so it’s no surprise increasing numbers are turning to services like these which can certainly play a part, particularly when backed up by face-to-face support.”
The NHS’s forthcoming long-term plan, due next month, will “harness(利用）all of the benefits these advancements can bring”，she added.
Meanwhile, 37% of the young people referred to NHS child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) in England last year were refused help, the children’s commissioner has revealed.
In an analysis of Camhs care published on Thursday, the children’s commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, says that despite promises by politicians and NHS bosses to improve access, “a vast gap remains between what is provided and what children need”.
While she found improvements in several areas of care, including care for eating disorders, new mothers and under-18s in the criminal justice system, overall “the current rate of progress is still not good enough for the majority of children who require help but are not receiving it”.
1. Online help can be characterized as__________.| A．attractive, convenient and symbolic | B．considerate, authentic and impractical |
| C．instant, confidential and controllable | D．effective, accessible and controversial |
| A．they tend to be more self-centred | B．social media make them feel less confident |
| C．they lack professional guidance | D．social media keep them distant from each other |
| A．improve their self-identity and confidence | B．keep a journal of their moods |
| C．reduce the urge to harm themselves | D．manage their feeling of stress |
| A．serve as a complement to face-to-face appointments |
| B．replace face-to-face appointments with professionals |
| C．strengthen bonds between teenagers with mental illnesses |
| D．play a role in pushing forward the cutting-edge advance |
| A．have lived up to their expectations and promises |
| B．are reluctant to help teenagers with mental illnesses |
| C．will complete their ambitious forthcoming long-term plan |
| D．need to struggle to meet the increasing needs of teenagers |
| A．The drawbacks with the existing adolescent mental health services. |
| B．The influence of teenagers’ mental illnesses on online help services. |
| C．The contrasts between online help services and face-to-face support. |
| D．The popularity of online apps in treating teenagers’ mental illnesses. |
【推荐3】Two 5-year-old girls, best friends, held hands in Tolson’s office at Van Ness Elementary School in Washington, D.C., one saying she didn’t feel well. Tolson, the school nurse, asked, “How long has your stomach been hurting?” “It just started,” she said.
The other one said her head hurt last night, too. Tolson knew she had a history of fevers, so she checked her temperature and asked her what she ate, whether she went to the bathroom, and whether her head still hurt. It could be that these two little girls that went to Tolson’s office were fine. Or maybe they had mental problems. And that is what school nurses have to judge every day.
School nurses generally get very little training when it comes to mental health. Mazyck said she herself was astounded when she was a school nurse. She saw upset, anxiety, sadness and students who didn’t even know what to do to calm themselves down. She never expected these. So Mazyck went back to school for a graduate degree in counseling (咨询) and now she focuses on getting nurses more training in mental health.
Sharon Stephan, who co-directs the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland, tells nurses there are two simple questions to ask themselves to see if a child needs help:
Is the student acting or behaving differently than he/she was before?
Is the student somehow far outside the norm (标准) of what you would expect?
The only time everyone pays attention is when there’s a tragedy(悲剧), like a school shooting. However, we actually can catch the students who might harm others and recognize the students who might want to kill themselves.
Mental health is ranked one of the top problems all school nurses deal with, and school nurses need to be better at it.
1. Why does the author mention the two little girls?| A．To show school nurses do a difficult job. |
| B．To show the importance of school nurses. |
| C．To show school nurses need much patience. |
| D．To show the importance of students’ health. |
| A．Tired. | B．Troubled. |
| C．Shocked. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．To give nurses more training in mental health. |
| B．To find school students with mental problems. |
| C．To learn what mental problems students may have. |
| D．To improve her skills of dealing with mental health. |
| A．There are too many kids in need of help. |
| B．Something tragic often happens at school. |
| C．Students’ mental health is always ignored. |
| D．It’s hard to find students with mental problems. |
【推荐1】When facing an extremely annoying problem, we often gather a group to brainstorm, aiming to get the best ideas quickly. I love seeing it happen — except for one tiny wrinkle. Group brainstorming usually backfires.
In brainstorming meetings, many good ideas are lost — and few are gained. Extensive evidence shows that when generating ideas together, we fail to maximize collective intelligence. Surprisingly enough, individuals working alone tend to produce more and better ideas compared to brainstorming in groups.
To unearth the hidden potential in teams, instead of brainstorming, a shift to a process called “brainwriting” is more effective. Initially, you ask everyone to generate ideas independently. Next, you pool them and share them anonymously (匿名地) among the group. To preserve independent judgment, each member evaluates them on their own. Only then does the team come together to select and refine the most promising options. By developing and assessing ideas individually before choosing and detailing them, teams can surface and advance possibilities that might not get attention otherwise.
For instance, during the 2010 Chilean mine rescue, time pressing, the rescue team established a global brain writing system to crowd source independent ideas, avoiding time-consuming brainstorming. An entrepreneur offered a tiny plastic telephone that became the sole means of communicating with the miners while a 24-year-old engineer’s suggestion resulted in the creation of a specialized drill that ultimately saved the miners.
Research by organizational behavior scholar Anita Woolley and her colleagues helps to explain why this method works. They find that a key to collective intelligence is balanced participation. In brainstorming meetings, participation can easily become dominated by the most influential people. The brainwriting process ensures that all ideas are brought to the table and all voices are brought into the conversation. The goal isn’t to be the smartest person in the room — it’s to make the room smarter.
Collective intelligence begins with individual creativity, but it doesn’t end there. Individuals working alone produce greater varieties of novel ideas, both brilliant and terrible, than groups. It takes collective judgment to locate the signal within the noise and extract the best ideas.
1. Which of the following best describes “group brainstorming” according to this passage?| A．Creative. | B．Productive. |
| C．Inefficient. | D．Fundamental. |
| A．To illustrate the significance of specific equipment in the rescue. |
| B．To show the importance of brainstorming in emergency situations. |
| C．To highlight the role of influential people in collective intelligence. |
| D．To demonstrate the effectiveness of brainwriting in generating ideas. |
| A．The importance of collective intelligence. |
| B．The goal of becoming the smartest person. |
| C．The power of equal involvement in brainwriting. |
| D．The influence of powerful individuals in decision-making. |
| A．Identifying the top ideas. | B．Finding more good solutions. |
| C．Replacing individual creativity. | D．Encouraging group brainstorming. |
【推荐2】How Plants Branch Out to Access Water
New research has discovered how plant roots sense the availability of water in soil and then adapt their shape to acquire water. The discovery could enable crops to be bred which are more adaptive to changes in climate conditions, such as water scarcity, and help ensure food security in the future.
These findings, published in the journal Science, describe a new mechanism discovered by cooperating teams at the universities of Nottingham and Durham.
Roots are critical for plants to acquire water and nutrients from the soil. Water is essential for plant growth, yet changing climatic conditions makes acquiring water from soil even more challenging. Plants are able to adapt to different soil moisture(湿润) conditions by altering their root architecture, but up until now, it was not understood how this is done.
The researchers discovered that plant roots lacking a branching master gene were no longer able to branch out. They found that when roots are exposed to moisture, the certain gene remains active and promotes root branching, but when exposed to air, the gene is inactivated, blocking root branching.
Professor Sadanandom explained: ''Plants are relatively immobile and therefore their growth is very much dependent on their environment. Our research has identified the particular protein which can inactivate root branching, therefore limiting plant growth and development. ''
''This is hugely exciting as it opens up the possibility for us to help develop plants that could continue to branch roots even in challenging conditions such as water scarcity. ''
Professor Bennett concluded: ''Water is critical for plant growth, development and their survival. By studying how plant roots change their branching in response to water availability, we have uncovered a novel mechanism. This represents a major step forward and opens the way for breeders to develop new crops better adapted to climate change and helping deliver global food security. ''
It is absolutely imperative to ensure food security worldwide. Crop production must double by 2050 to keep pace with global population growth. This target is even more challenging given the impact of climate change on water availability and the drive to reduce fertilizers to make agriculture become more environmentally sustainable. In both cases, developing crops with better ability to acquire water would provide a solution.
1. The findings of the research may have a positive effect on several global issues EXCEPT ________.| A．solving water scarcity | B．increasing crop production |
| C．preserving the agriculture | D．ensuring food security |
| A．branch out without a special gene | B．grow in challenging conditions |
| C．alter inactivated roots | D．breed soluble nutrients |
| A．fascinating | B．influential |
| C．enormous | D．urgent |
| A．Why plants have different abilities to adapt to soil moisture conditions. |
| B．How a branching master gene responds to a particular fertilizer. |
| C．How plant roots alter their shape according to the soil moisture. |
| D．How the particular protein inactivates root branching when exposed to water. |
It’s summertime — time once again for mosquitoes to make their appearance. And once they appear, mosquitoes are a total pain. They land on you, bite you, suck out some blood and leave behind an itchy welt (发痒的红肿).
Mosquitoes’ weapons Mosquitoes have perfected three different types of sensors. First, mosquitoes can sense several different chemicals. Mosquitoes can smell carbon dioxide and lactic acid (乳酸) up to 100 feet away.
After she has bitten you, some saliva (唾液) remains in the wound.
Our defense methods
Because mosquitoes are both a nuisance (讨厌的东西) and a danger, people prefer to stay away from mosquitoes. One way to do that is to use a chemical called DEET, which seems to black a mosquito’s chemical sensors.
| A．Another way to control mosquitoes is with insecticides (杀虫剂) that kill them. |
| B．How mosquitoes work is unknown to most of us. |
| C．Once a mosquito lands on you, it is time to bite. |
| D．Some bites of mosquitoes are more serious than you thought. |
| E．Mammals and birds give off these gases as part of their normal breathing. |
| F．The proteins from the saliva create an immune response from your body. |
| G．But if you ignore the fact that mosquitoes are so annoying they really are amazing. |
【推荐1】A new service gives new life to the past by using artificial intelligence to change still images into moving videos.
Called Deep Nostalgia, the service creates animations (动画) by using deep learning to analyze a single facial photo. Then, the system animates the facial image through a “driver" — a pre-determined sequence (次序) of movements and gestures. The process is completely automated.
Launched by the Israeli genealogy company My Heritage, some of Deep Nostalgia's early results are impressive. But that's not to say the animations are perfect. There's still an uncanny air to the images, with some of the facial movements appearing slightly unnatural. What's more, Deep Nostalgia is only able to create deepfakes of one person's face from the neck up, so you couldn't use it to animate group photos, or photos of people doing any sort of physical activity.
But for a free deep-fake service, Deep Nostalgia is pretty impressive, especially considering you can use it to create deepfakes of any face, human or not. So, is creating deepfakes of long-dead people a bit frightening? Some people seem to think so. “Some people love the feature with Deep Nostalgia and consider it magical while others think it is scary and dislike it, ”My Heritage wrote on its website. “We invite you to create movies using this feature and share them on social media to see what your friends and relatives think. This feature is intended for nostalgic (怀旧的) use, that is, to give life back to beloved ancestors.”
Deep Nostalgia isn't the first project to create deepfakes from single images. In 2019, researchers working at the Samsung AI Center in Moscow published a paper describing how machine-learning techniques can produce deepfakes after “looking" at only one or a few images.
While the results from the Samsung researchers were impressive, the Deep Nostalgia project shows how deepfake technology is advancing at a rapid pace. As these tools have become increasingly popular, media experts have raised concerns about how bad actors might use deepfakes and “cheap fakes” to trick the public. My Heritage seemed to sense Deep Nostalgia's potential or abuse, writing: “Please use this feature on your own historical photos and not on photos of living people without their agreement.”
1. What can we infer from the passage?| A．Deep Nostalgia enhances the images to make the animations perfectly natural. |
| B．Deep Nostalgia is able to create deepfakes of people's physical activity. |
| C．People hold different opinions about Deep Nostalgia. |
| D．The Samsung Al Center in Moscow produced deepfakes after Deep Nostalgia. |
| A．Strange. |
| B．Artificial. |
| C．Perfect. |
| D．Impressive. |
| A．Optimistic. |
| B．Alarmed. |
| C．Ambiguous. |
| D．Pessimistic. |
| A．Deepfake technology raises concern among experts. |
| B．Deepfake technology advances at a fast pace. |
| C．Deep Nostalgia brings old photos to life. |
| D．Deep Nostalgia goes viral on social media. |
【推荐2】Do you want a simple T-shirt that could cool you down by up to 5℃ on the hot summer days? Thanks to a recent discovery, the possibility is getting closer. While there are many alternatives that manage to keep the body warm, this amazing invention aims to offer real relief for those who are eager to feel comfortable and fresh in the outdoors on extremely hot days.
Its inventors, engineers Ma Yaoguang of Zhejiang University and Tao Guangming of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China, took a completely creative approach. They designed a special textile (纺织物) that can absorb body heat and re-emit (重发出) its energy into space as mid-infrared radiation (MIR). This textile cools both the objects and their surroundings through a technique that is known as radiative cooling. Science reveals. This means that even when it looks like you are wearing a regular shirt, you are actually wearing a device that works like a mirror.
A research conducted at Stanford University in 2017 had already managed to cool the wearer by 3℃, but this previous study was limited. So researchers still need to test the new approach to determine how effectively the new fabric cools while the wearers are standing or walking. and not directly facing the sky. They also need to examine and measure how well it works when T-shirts are no in close contact with the skin.
Inventors Yaoguang and Guangming are now looking out for textile manufacturers (制造商) and clothing brands that are interested in using their fabric. They estimate that the new material will increase clothing manufacturing costs by just 10 percent. “We can make it with mass production, which means everybody can get a T-shirt and the cost is basically the same as their old stuff,” Yaoguang said.
So if you are an athlete or simply someone that has to deal with the extremely high temperatures, be patient because your days of feeling hot and bothered may be coming to an end!
1. What is the purpose of the new invention?| A．To warm up people’s body. | B．To cool people off in hot weather. |
| C．To detect the wearers’ temperature. | D．To protect clothes from becoming wet. |
| A．By turning sunlight into energy. | B．By sending out absorbed heat. |
| C．By keeping heat out completely. | D．By using light colors to reflect sunlight |
| A．The invention needs further testing. |
| B．The previous studies lack evidence. |
| C．The new fabric has a good cooling effect. |
| D．The new fabric applies to various situations. |
| A．Barking up the wrong tree. | B．Robbing Peter to pay Paul. |
| C．Kill two birds with one stone. | D．Putting the cart before the horse. |
【推荐3】Jennifer Udler was in the middle of a 50-minute session with a patient when it started to rain. Walking and talking about anxiety and stress, she and her teenage patient got wet. But when they made it back indoors, Jennifer said, “ Hey, look at us! We’re wet, but we got through it! Now you can use that next time you have anxiety before and during an event. ” This kind of insight is key to her practice.
Jennifer, a social worker whose practice focuses on adolescents, has been a therapist （治疗师 ）for 20 years. For most of that time, she practiced in a traditional office, but she noticed how easy it was for her running partners to open up about their problems. After doing some research, in 2013, Jennifer founded Positive Strides Therapy, where she conducts sessions while walking outdoors. She conducts all of her sessions outdoors and in all kinds of weather.
“When somebody asks me if I specialize in walking therapy, I say, ‘No, that’s how I practice,’ ” Udler said. “I specialize in family systems theory. Walking in the park is just where I practice. ”
Despite the lack of formal research, Jennifer believes strongly in the benefits, saying that it can be helpful. “We’ll be talking about ‘moving forward’ as we are actually moving forward on the path, building muscle memory of how they can move forward and leave the anxiety behind. ”
And outdoor walking therapy doesn’t just benefit teens. Jennifer says the adults in her practice welcome the humanizing effect of taking therapy outdoors.
1. What lesson did Jennifer teach her teenage patient through the rain?| A．Rain and suffering are a part of life. |
| B．She is ready to help the young man. |
| C．We can beat our difficulty after all. |
| D．Rain can help us deal with our trouble. |
| A．qualification | B．foresight |
| C．awareness | D．prediction |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Confident. |
| C．Unconcerned. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．The lack of formal research about the therapy. |
| B．Building physical memory of past experience. |
| C．Treating her teen patients in a traditional office. |
| D．Conducting walk — and — talk therapy for teens. |
| A．Walking outdoors is similar to managing worries. |
| B．Moving in the rain is a bit too difficult to tolerate. |
| C．The rain can make one excited and face the trouble. |
| D．Running in the rain or storm will make one healthy. |
