Ready or not, here they come: Scientists who played hide-and-seek with rats found that their furry subjects seemed to love the game- and they were remarkably good at it.
The researchers taught six adolescent male rats how to play a one-on-one version of hide-and-seek. They equipped a large room with cardboard barriers and small containers to serve as hiding places for humans and rats, respectively. The game started when the rat was placed in a small box in the middle of the room. If the rat was the “seeker,” the scientist would hide and then remotely open the box. If the rat was the “hider the scientist would crouch (蹲伏) by the box when the rat came out. This prompted the little rodent to running quickly for cover. All six rats learned how to be the seeker. Five of them were able to handle hiding as well.
Compared with something like playful wrestling, hide-and-seek is more complex for several reasons. It requires an understanding of the rules, a clear grasp of players’ distinct roles and the ability to assume different roles on different rounds. This unconventional experiment sheds light on the sophisticated sense of play in these tiny rodents, and also hints at the evolutionary usefulness of this type of play.
Peggy Mason, a neurobiologist (神经生物学家) at the University of Chicago, said that she was most impressed by the discovery that the rats didn’t just learn hide and seek—they wanted to play it. Play probably helps young animals learn how to socially interact, Mason said. She pointed to evidence that when rodents are prevented from playing during early development, they don’t grow into normal adults. Instead, they become anxious, they don’t play well with others and they aren’t great parents.
1. What can we know about the experiment?| A．Rats do better than other creatures in hide-and-seek. |
| B．Rats may enjoy themselves in hide-and-seek. |
| C．Rats prefer hide-and-seek to other games. |
| D．Rats may be subject to humans in hide-and-seek. |
| A．The scientist’s getting close. |
| B．Potential danger out of the box. |
| C．Its sense of safety under the cover. |
| D．Other rats’ call for help. |
| A．Unique | B．Outdated |
| C．Easy | D．Demanding |
| A．Deep anxiety over their kids’ growth. |
| B．Unwillingness to get on well with their kids. |
| C．A lack of confidence in their kids. |
| D．Absence of play in their early life. |
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【推荐1】Until now, the oldest evidence of human ancestors outside of Africa was in Dmanisi, Georgia. Here fossils of short people thought to be early Homo erectus date back to about 1.85 million years—just after the species appears in Africa. The oldest evidence of early human activity in China can date back to 1.5 million to 1.7 million years ago, which has suggested that they didn’t leave Africa until 2 million years ago or so—and made it to eastern Asia even later.
Now evidence from the site of Shangchen in the Loess Plateau approximately 1,200 kilometers southwest of Beijing is shaking up that view. More than 2 million years ago, our ancestors were already world travelers, which shows that the ancestors of modern humans left Africa at least 250,000 years earlier than thought. It also supports a minority view that a key human ancestors, Homo erectus, may have originated in Asia, not in Africa.
The same team, led by geologist Zhao Yuzhu of the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry at the Chinese Academy of Science found that the stone tools range in age from 1.6 million to 2.1 millions years ago. This indicates humans—the family that includes humans and our ancestors—got out of Africa at least a quarter of a million years earlier than thought, and occupied Shangchen on and off for more than 850,000 years, the team reports today in Nature.
“The dates are convincing,” Zhao Yuezhu says, which suggest humans were already remarkably adaptable to the changeable climate by 2.1 millions ago—even though they had not yet developed the even bigger brains, long legs, or more advanced tools seen in later humans. Although the identity of these early travelers all over the world is unknown, the new dates raise the possibility that H. Erects weren’t the first humans to leave Africa.
1. What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?| A．The early human activity in China. |
| B．The earliest time of the human ancestor. |
| C．The oldest evidence of the human ancestor. |
| D．The time of human ancestor’s arriving at the Eastern Asia. |
| A．Human ancestors were found of travelling. |
| B．Human ancestors lived in Asia not in Africa. |
| C．Human ancestors left Africa earlier than thought. |
| D．Human ancestors occupied Shangchen for many years. |
| A．Their identities had been unfamiliar to others. |
| B．The structures in their body were different from us. |
| C．They had the same advanced tools as the later human’s. |
| D．They had abilities to adapt to the changeable environment. |
| A．The Origin of the Human. | B．The New Dates about Africa. |
| C．The ways of Studying the Human. | D．The Latest Discovery about Human Ancestors. |
【推荐2】The term “crocodile tears” refers to insincere sadness. This term has an etymology dating back several centuries. As early as the fourth century, crocodile tears are referenced in the literature with the meaning of insincere sorrow. It is said that crocodiles weep while eating their hunted animals because they are sad; however, this sadness is not honest.
The term “crocodile tears” became widely popular after it was documented in a fifteenth-century book titled The Voyage and Travel of Sir John Maundeville. A passage from the book reads: “These crocodiles kill men and they eat them weeping.”
As you may already know, crocodiles likely feel bad about little-especially feeding. However, the assumption of the crocodile-tears metaphor may be true. In a 2007 paper published in BioScience titled “Crocodile Tears: And they eat them weeping”, researchers observed 7 crocodiles in cages during feeding time at a reserve (4 caimans and 3 American alligators). The researchers observed the crocodiles outside of water at feeding stations to better find out whether weeping developed.
Five of the seven crocodiles developed something like tears in their eyes before, during or after feeding. The researchers suggest that these crocodile tears occur because a crocodile hisses (发嘶嘶声) while it eats, and this hissing forces air through the spaces in the bone behind the nose and out of the eyes in the process of picking up nasolacrimal secretions (鼻泪分泌物).
In humans, crocodile tears are a medical condition that causes a person to weep while eating. Crocodile tears typically occur because of a temporary loss of facial control due to damage of the facial nerve. Specifically, when the facial nerve grows again, it does so incorrectly thus resulting in tears during chewing food.
1. From the 2007 paper published in BioScience, we can know that ________.| A．not all the 7 crocodiles developed weeping |
| B．crocodiles especially feel bad about feeding |
| C．the crocodiles were carefully observed inside the water |
| D．crocodile tears occur because a crocodile hisses after it eats. |
| A．is a medical condition that causes a crocodile to weep |
| B．became widely popular as early as the fourth century |
| C．refers to pretended sadness |
| D．proved to be only an assumption |
| A．a reference book containing articles on various topics |
| B．the origin and history of a particular term |
| C．a printed sheet of paper that are given free to advertise |
| D．the application and influence of a new theory |
| A．when the term “crocodile tears” got popular in literature |
| B．how researchers made the experiment on crocodiles |
| C．why crocodile tears typically occur in humans |
| D．what the real truth is about crocodile tears |
【推荐3】Every animal species carries unique viruses that have specifically adapted to infecting it. Over time, some of these have jumped to humans — these are known as “zoonotic” (动物传染的) viruses.
As the population grows, we move into wild areas, which brings us into more contact with animals we don’t normally have contact with. Thus, viruses can jump from animal to humans and they can spread between humans, through close contact with body fluids (体液) like blood or urine (尿液).
Because every virus has evolved to target a particular species, it’s rare for a virus to be able to jump to another species. When this does happen, it’s by chance, and it usually requires a large amount of contact with the virus.
At first, the virus is usually not well-suited to its new host and doesn’t spread easily. Overtime, however, it can evolve in the new host to produce variants (变体) that are better adapted.
When viruses jump to a new host, they often cause more severe disease. This is because viruses and their first hosts have evolved together, and the species has time to build up resistance (抵抗力). The new host species, on the other hand, might not have evolved the ability to deal with the virus. For example, when we come into contact with bats and their viruses, we may develop rabies (狂犬病) or Ebola virus (埃博拉病毒) disease, while the bats themselves are less affected.
It’s likely that bats are the original source of three recently known coronaviruses: SARS-CoV (2003), MERS-CoV (2012) and SARS-CoV-2 (whose current official name is COVID-19). All of these jump from bats to humans via an intermediate animal; in the case of SARS-CoV-2, this may have been pangolins (穿山甲), but more research is needed.
1. Why is it rare for a virus to infect another species?| A．The new host can deal with the virus. |
| B．The new species builds up resistance. |
| C．None of the virus can adapt to the new species. |
| D．Each virus develops to target a specific species. |
| A．The resistance of the old species. | B．The ability of the new host species. |
| C．The infection process of virus. | D．The case of stronger disease. |
| A．Humans should not move into wild areas. |
| B．Wild animals are actually our best friends. |
| C．A virus can spread from animals to humans. |
| D．A virus can evolve to infect another species. |
Teaching English in Egypt in general and in my town Damietta in particular, is mainly directed towards helping students to pass their final exams. Unfortunately, most teachers do not adopt a long -term approach that guarantees that their students will be able to use English outside the classroom. So students only concentrate on one skill which is writing. Thus their listening and speaking skills are disabled. What is important to them is to pass the exam which is primarily based on writing .Teachers are not only concentrated with providing their students with questions that are similar to those of the final exam, particularly General Secondary Education Certificate (GSEC) Examination, so students spend most of their time answering typical exam questions.
Most students' scores are high; a lot of students get full marks. However, few students are able to communicate in English because their role plays. As a result, a lot of students complain that they are unable to understand and talk fluently with native speakers of English.
To enable students to communicate freely and spontaneously(自然地) in English, I bring features of real communication into language practice, I always ask students about their own experiences, and suggest groups of students practice what they have learned outside the classroom. This helps lower-achieving students absorb language. Furthermore, role play is a very effective way to improve speaking skills particularly if it is connected to the experience of the students.
1. Who probably write this passage?
| A．a teacher | B．a governor | C．a student | D．a reporter |
| A．listening skill | B．speaking skill | C．reading skill | D．writing skill |
| A．what they learn in the class |
| B．What their parents expect |
| C．The questions that are similar to those of GSEC |
| D．The ability that will be used outside the classroom |
| A．Most of the students can't get high marks but can communicate with the native speakers of English. |
| B．Communicating skill is more important than writing skill. |
| C．Role play connected to the speaker's experience is more effective in improving his skill. |
| D．The lower--achieving students can do better in speaking skill than the upper achieving students. |
| A．Their parents | B．The students | C．The school | D．The education sys tem |
【推荐2】In the past few months, Sam Altman, the father of ChatGPT, has become the hottest face in the world of AI. Many industry leaders, AI researchers see ChatGPT as a fundamental technological shift, as significant as the creation of the web browser or the iPhone. But few can agree on the future of this technology.
Some believe it will deliver a utopia (乌托邦) where everyone has all the time and money ever needed. Others believe it could destroy humanity. Still others spend much of their time arguing that the technology is never as powerful as everyone says it is, insisting that neither heaven nor hell is as close as it might seem.
Mr. Altman, a slim, boyish-looking, 37-year-old businessman and investor from the suburbs of St. Louis, sits calmly in the middle of it all. As chief executive of OpenAI, he somehow embraces each of these seemingly distinct views, hoping to balance the numerous possibilities as he moves this strange, powerful, unperfect technology into the future.
He believes that artificial intelligence will happen one way or another, that it will do wonderful things that even he can’t yet imagine and that we can find ways of reducing the harm it may cause. It is an attitude that mirrors Mr. Altman’s own path.
He is not necessarily motivated by money. Like many personal fortunes in Silicon Valley that are tied up in a wide variety of public and private companies, Mr. Altman’s wealth is not well recorded. But he said the only money he stands to make from the company is a yearly salary－ “whatever the minimum for health insurance is,” he said.
Georgeann Kepchar, who taught Advanced Placement computer science course, saw Mr. Altman as one of her most talented computer science students－and one with a rare knack for pushing people in new directions. “He had creativity and vision, combined with the ambition and force of personality to convince others to work with him on putting his ideas into action,” she said.
1. Which of the following is the latest technological shift?| A．iPhone. | B．ChatGPT. | C．Web browser. | D．AI. |
| A．optimistic | B．pessimistic | C．similar | D．contradictory |
| A．Altman is very thin and well-looking. |
| B．Altman can accept different views quietly. |
| C．AI will be a destructive technology. |
| D．AI probably has few possibilities. |
| A．AI will be fantastic. | B．AI will be harmful. |
| C．AI will be visualizable. | D．AI will bring him fame. |
| A．Vision. | B．Skill. | C．Discovery. | D．Thought. |
【推荐3】Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, the aged, and children who have lost their parents, but also friends, workmates, relatives and neighbors whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Many years ago, when a Cleveland man noticed that some people, such as children who lost their parents and patients who lay in bed, too often felt forgotten and neglected, he developed in his mind the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by giving them small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he gave those people small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. Over time, the Sweetest Day’s idea of spreading cheer to the poor, the sick and children who had lost their parents was broadened(扩大) to include everyone, and the day became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small gift. Soon the idea spread to other cities all over the USA.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious beliefs or on a family relationship. It is a reminder(提醒人记忆之物) that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning. Because of most people remembering to take the form of gift giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care in a positive way.
1. What can we learn about Sweetest Day from the first paragraph?| A．It’s a day to bring happiness to others. |
| B．It’s an occasion for lovers to express love. |
| C．It’s celebrated on the third Sunday in October. |
| D．It’s just an occasion for caring about disabled people. |
| A．Giving friends small gifts. | B．Giving flowers to sweethearts. |
| C．Visiting children without parents. | D．Visiting sick people in the hospital. |
| A．Hated. | B．Disappointed. |
| C．Looked down on. | D．Paid too little attention to. |
| A．Give them gifts. | B．Offer help directly. |
| C．Give them some money. | D．Send them their greetings. |
【推荐1】Most people aren’t good at creative problem solving for two reasons: (1) They are not trained in how to be creative. (2) They don’t understand group strength well enough to harness (驾驭) their power to maximize group creativity.
A key element of creativity is applying existing knowledge to a new problem. The more people getting involved in solving it, the more knowledge there is to work on it. Unfortunately, research shows that the traditional brainstorming methods fail to achieve that goal. When groups get together to exchange ideas, they actually come up with fewer ideas overall than if they each had worked alone.
To fix this problem, you should consider the two stages of group problem-solving: divergence (分散) and convergence (集中). Divergence happens when the group considers as many different potential solutions as possible. Convergence happens when the various proposed solutions are evaluated and reduced to a smaller set of candidate solutions to the current problem.
The essential principle of group creativity is that individuals working alone diverge, whereas group members working together converge. In groups, once a member states a potential solution, that makes others think about the problem similarly. That is why groups working together diverge less than individuals working alone.
Therefore, be aware of when to diverge and when to converge. For example, early in the problem-solving process, have group members work alone to write down statements describing the problem. Then get them back to discuss their descriptions. The group discussion will lead everyone to accept one or a small number of these statements to work on — this is healthy convergence.
When starting to generate solutions, you again want divergence. Have people work alone to start. Then collect people’s initial ideas and send them around to others and allow the divergence to continue as everyone individually builds on the ideas of other members.
Finally, let the group discuss the resulting ideas. This discussion will gradually lead the group to converge on a small number of candidate solutions.
This simple method works effectively, because it respects what individuals and groups do best.
1. According to Para. 4, when a member presents an idea, others tend to_____.| A．think the other way round |
| B．follow his way of thinking |
| C．be more confident in their own ideas |
| D．be less willing to share their own ideas |
| A．Discuss the problem. |
| B．Simplify the problem. |
| C．Put down group statements together. |
| D．Write down their individual descriptions. |
| A．By adding in collected evidence. |
| B．By reorganizing his own words. |
| C．By drawing on others’ ideas. |
| D．By making his statement briefer. |
| A．To advocate a way to make group thinking more effective. |
| B．To demonstrate the difficulty in organizing group thinking. |
| C．To highlight the differences between divergence and convergence. |
| D．To show the advantage of group thinking over individual thinking. |
【推荐2】We do not usually think about how our language works. Talking is such a natural, everyday activity that we do not often stop to consider how it actually works. When we do study our language, though, we are often surprised that we are able to understand our conversations. Words can mean so many different things. However, it turns out that the speaking situation helps a lot in making language work.
First, the speaking situation helps make words more particular. For example, the word "dog" can describe a dog that a speaker saw in a dream. It can also be used to discuss a neighbor's dog. No language has a separate word for the idea "dog that I saw yesterday" and another word for the idea "dog that I saw in a dream". This is because the speaking situation makes it clear what speakers mean when they use words. So, when you have a conversation with your neighbor, the knowledge that you have a dog tells your neighbor what the word "dog" probably means in that situation.
The speaking situation also helps make language clearer. For example, the word "bank" has two possible meanings. It can mean "a place where people keep money", but it can also mean "the side of a river". So the sentence "I went to the bank." Is not clear. It could mean I went to the side of the river or it could mean I went to the place where my money is kept. However, if the speaker is talking about fishing or going to the mountains, others probably know that "bank" means "the side of a river".
The things that speakers say may not always be clear. Sometimes the words are not very particular, but the speaking situation can provide the meaning. Other times words may have many meanings. Then the speaking situation limits the right meaning. This extra knowledge from the situation is very important to understand language.
1. The passage is mainly about ________.| A．the best time and place to talk to others |
| B．how the speaking situation helps language work |
| C．what to say in difficult situations |
| D．how our language works |
| A．the speaking situation does not affect the meaning of words |
| B．speaking is not very natural for most people |
| C．the speaking situation is not important |
| D．people often do not consider how talking works |
| A．a word may need to be explained in a conversation |
| B．a word may have different meanings |
| C．the speaking situation helps people understand the particular meaning of a word |
| D．the meaning of words is not particular |
| A．the attitude of the speakers in the conversation |
| B．the occupation of the person who uses the word |
| C．earlier or later parts of the conversation |
| D．a reliable dictionary |
【推荐3】In the latest romance-drama, Descendants of the Sun (《太阳的后裔》), a handsome soldier Yoo Shi-jin（柳时镇） (Song Joong-ki)(宋仲基) meets the pretty doctor Kang Mo-yeon（姜暮烟） (Song Hye-kyo)（宋慧乔） in a hospital, and he doesn’t hesitate to hit on her.
The dialogue, which takes place early in the first episode( 集）, immediately indicates that this is no ordinary South Korean drama. There’s no family feud （不睦）, or love tangles, or guesses and misunderstandings. The 16-episode show is set in the fictional war-torn country of Uruk （乌鲁克）. Song Joong-ki is the leader of a special warfare command unit, while Song Hye-kyo plays a doctor who works for a humanitarian medical organization. Both are sent in the midst of disaster and disease as part of their work with UN peacekeeping troops. Both know and show clearly what they want and what they hate.
But what stands out the most are Song’s skills as a pick-up artist（撩妹技能）.
Boldness and creativity are the key weapons in his arsenal. When Kang invites Yoo to drink wine with her, Yoo , who is not allowed to drink alcohol as a soldier, says, “There is a way” before kissing her. Forget about the “eighth-episode rule” . This kiss happens in the fourth.
Humor also does the trick. On their first date in a cinema, Yoo says, “This is the most exciting moment of my life. The moment I am with a beautiful woman before the theater lights go out.” When Kang tries to give Yoo a hard time, Yoo jokes, “I mistook you for a beautiful woman because it’s dark.”
And actor Song Joong-ki, who just came back from two years of military service last May, makes sure he delivers his pick-up lines just right.
“In Deep Rooted Tree (《树大根深》) and The Innocent Man (《善良的男人》), he [Song Joong-ki] showed he had the steel to play fearless and heartless men – that he could be taken seriously as an actor, despite his pretty face. In Descendants, he hits the emotional core of every scene, whether he has to be bold and amorous, guarded and mysterious, or sad,” said critic Foong Woei Wan in The Straits Times.
1. What is the relationship between Song Joong-ki and Song hye-hyo?| A．lover | B．colleague | C．actor | D．doctor-patient |
| A．Because actors know and show clearly what they want and what they hate. | B．It broke the previous Korean old story. |
| C．It exits family feud and love tangles. | D．The pick-up artist is unique and special. |
① humor ② Boldness and creativity ③ bold ④ emotional
| A．①② | B．①②③ | C．②③④ | D．above all |
| A．Introduce a drama called the Descendants of the sun. |
| B．Song Zhongji could be taken seriously as an actor, despite his pretty face. |
| C．The Descendants of the sun open a new pattern to pick-up woman. |
| D．The reason why the Descendants of the sun gain success. |
【推荐1】If you’re looking to buy cheap theater tickets, then you’ve come to the right place! Whether it be on Broadway (百老汇), or a show at your local theater, here at Sizzling Tickets we’ve got some great deals for you!
Aladdin the Musical
Run Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission (幕间休息) of 15 minutes
Audience: All ages
This musical comedy provides generous family entertainment with lively dance routines and constant action. Well-loved songs such as A Whole New World and Prince Ali will have members of the audience singing along. This timeless story and its beauty, energy and magic will take your breath away.
Lion King the Musical
Run Time: 2 hours and 45minutes, including one intermission of 15 minutes
Audience: All ages
The Lion King musical was first staged on Broadway in 1997, when it achieved great success. In fact, the Lion King musical has won several awards over the years for the way that this popular story has been displayed and the cartoon characters really come to life in a very exciting way when they reach the stage.
The Book of Mormon
Run Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission
Audience: Young teens and older
Winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical and many other awards, the Book of Mormon is entertaining from start to finish and looks set to stay on Broadway in the near future.
Phantom of the Opera
Run Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission of 15 minutes
Audience: All ages
The box office revenue (票房收入) for this show is higher than for any other movie or stage production. Some people love it so much that they have seen it twice, perhaps even again and again. The opera has been playing continuously at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London since its first performance in 1986. And it’s not just audiences that love the show. Phantom has won many awards, including Olivier Awards and Tony Awards.
1. If you want to see a play longer than 2 hours and 30minutes, you can choose_____.| A．Aladdin the Musical | B．Lion King the Musical |
| C．The Book of Mormon | D．Phantom of the Opera |
| A．is suitable for all ages |
| B．will not be played on Broadway in the future |
| C．has won a lot of awards |
| D．is telling an unhappy story |
| A．Its box office revenue was the highest in 1986. |
| B．It was first staged on Broadway. |
| C．It has won two awards. |
| D．It is worth seeing again and again. |
【推荐2】There is a chill wind blowing through the campus of Keele University these days and it’s nothing to do with the weather.
Students fear the recession(经济衰退) and the downturn in graduate recruitment may mean their studies lead them nowhere. Students’ Union president Talah Omran AI Rubaie already has her degree, and will give up her union post this summer, but she’s not looking forward to launching herself onto the job market.She said, “For most of us, the fact that you are graduating today or tomorrow but might not be able to get a job is a very scary prospect.I think it also has an impact on the students that have just graduated from high school, who’re thinking ‘Is it worth coming to university, is it worth getting a degree?’”
In the Union café, students’ life goes on as it always has.But these undergraduates know the bubble of academia will not protect them from the recession for long.Particularly over Christmas and Easter when you’re only home for months, no one’s got any jobs to give out for a few weeks.
As the recession deepens, some students find themselves in a dilemma: to stay at university, continue their studies, and hope the graduate job market improves by the time they leave, or to start right now and take a job, any job, so they don’t get left on the employment shelf.
Keele’s performance in the graduate jobs market has been good so far.The latest figures available show 95% of students leaving do get a job, but that was before the economy fell off a cliff, and the university is working hard to equip its students with the skills to compete in an ever gloomier employment field.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To attract the readers. | B．To present the opinion. |
| C．To introduce the Keele University. | D．To describe the British weather. |
| A．Its students are well-equipped with necessary skills for competition. |
| B．Its students care little about whether the jobs they get are good or not. |
| C．Its students are well-protected by the bubble of academia from the recession. |
| D．Its students are not bothered by whether to step into real society right now or not. |
| A．Graduates of Keele University are faced with a dilemma. |
| B．To find a job is difficult for the students of Keele University. |
| C．The recession does impact the graduates of Keele University. |
| D．Keele University is trying its best to help its graduates to get a good job. |
【推荐3】A special device (设备) worn on the head that sends electrical charges into the brain may improve the memory abilities of older people. The device may even give them the ability to remember things as well as a person 20 to 30 years younger than them. These are the findings of a study published in Nature Neuroscience earlier this month.
Researchers working on the study found that the age-related damage to working memory can be repaired. This is possible through stimulating (刺激) two important areas of the brain at a special rhythm. Working memory is the information held temporarily for use in immediate activities such as reasoning and decision-making.
42 younger adults aged 20 to 29 and 42 older adults aged 60 to 76 took part in the study. The researchers tested all subjects for their performance in a working memory activity. The findings are still early and only relate to healthy volunteers. But the findings could point to new ways to increase brain operation in older people suffering from diseases that affect these operations, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s patients.
Electroencephalography, or EEG, is a method of observing brain activity. Transcranial alternating current stimulation, or tACS, is the means of sending electrical charges into the brain. Using both EEG and tACS, the scientists stimulated the brains of the group of young and old people. They were able to make small changes to the brainwave connections linked to their working memory.
Without brain stimulation, the older people were slower and less correct in their memories than the younger ones. This was because the younger people had higher levels of connections of certain brain wave rhythms.
Robert Reinhart, a researcher at Boston University, said that when older adults received active brain stimulation, they improved their working-memory test scores to the levels of the younger people. The effect lasted for at least 50 minutes after the stimulation was given.
1. How can the device help the old people?| A．It can record what has happened for them. |
| B．It can stimulate the brain and make it active. |
| C．It can turn an old person into a twenty-something. |
| D．It can delay the brain for a short while. |
| A．They repaired some age-related memory damage. |
| B．They found the brain made up of two vital parts. |
| C．They had 200 volunteers join in their research. |
| D．They kept track of two groups of people. |
| A．EEG is a method to give motivation to brain |
| B．EEG can change the brainwave connections |
| C．tACS can send electrical charges to the brain |
| D．tACS is a means to help see how the brain runs |
| A．Electric Shocks May Help Older People’s Memory |
| B．As People Age, Their Memory Is Decreasing |
| C．Plenty of Stimulation Can Make a Man Look Young |
| D．The Young Have a Problem with Memory |
