2016年6月大学英语四级考试阅读理解真题
Section C
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
Declining mental function is often seen as a problem of old age, but certain aspects of brain function actually begin their decline in young adulthood, a new study suggests.
The study, which followed more than 2,000 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 60, found that certain mental functions—including measures of abstract reasoning, mental speed and puzzle-solving—started to dull as early as age 27.
Dips in memory, meanwhile, generally became apparent around age 37.
On the other hand, indicators of a person’s accumulated knowledge—like performance on tests of vocabulary and general knowledge—kept improving with age, according to findings published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.
The results do not mean that young adults need to start worrying about their memories. Most people’s minds function at a high level even in their later years, according to researcher Timothy Salthouse.
“These patterns suggest that some types of mental flexibility decrease relatively early in adulthood, but that the amount of knowledge one has, and the effectiveness of integrating it with one’s abilities, may increase throughout all of adulthood if there are no diseases,” Salthouse said in a news release.
The study included healthy, educated adults who took standard tests of memory, reasoning and perception at the outset and at some point over the next seven years.
The tests are designed to detect subtle (细微的)changes in mental function, and involve solving puzzles, recalling words and details from stories, and identifying patterns in collections of letters and symbols.
In general, Salthouse and his colleagues found, certain aspects of cognition (认知能力)generally started to decline in the late 20s to 30s.
The findings shed light on normal age-related changes in mental function, which could aid in understanding the process of dementia(痴呆), according to the researchers.
“By following individuals over time,” Salthouse said, “we gain insight in cognition changes, and may possibly discover ways to slow the rate of decline.”
The researchers are currently analyzing the study participants’ health and lifestyle to see which factors might influence age-related cognitive changes
(1).What is the common view of mental function?
A.It varies from person to person.
B.It weakens in one’s later years
C.It gradually expands with age.
D.It indicates one’s health condition.
参考答案：B
解题思路：
由题干中的mental function定位到文章第一段。第一段第一句提到：心智功能衰退常被认为是老龄化的问题。由此可知，人们都以为人老了心智功能就会减弱。因此，正确答案为B项。
(2).What does the new study find about mental functions?
A.Some diseases inevitably lead to their decline.
B.They reach a peak at the age of 20 for most people.
C.They are closely related to physical and mental exercise.
D.Some of them begin to decline when people are still young.
参考答案：D
解题思路：
由题干中的the new study定位到文章第一段。第一段第二句提到：新的研究表明大脑功能的某些方面在成年早期就开始退化。由此可知，正确答案为D项。
(3).What does Timothy Salthouse say about people’s minds in most cases?
A.They tend to decline in people’s later years.
B.Their flexibility determines one’s abilities.
C.They function quite well even in old age.
D.Their functioning is still a puzzle to be solved.
参考答案：C
解题思路：
由题干中的Timothy Salthouse定位到文章第五段。第五段第二句提到：根据蒂莫西·索尔特豪斯的说法，大多数人的思维即便是到了晚年，也会高水平运作。由此可知，在大多数情况下，人类思维在老年也能发挥正常功能。正确答案为C
(4).Although people’s minds may function less flexibly as they age, they ______.
A.may be better at solving puzzles
B.can memorize things with more ease
C.may have greater facility in abstract reasoning
D.can put what they have learnt into more effective use
参考答案：D
解题思路：
由题干中的function和flexibly定位到文章第六段。第六段提到：有些类别的心智灵活性会在成年早期相对减小，但是一个人拥有的知识量以及将之与个人能力融合的有效性却会在整个成年阶段持续增加。由此可知，人类思维在老年时期的灵活度会减小，但运用知识的能力会增加。正确答案为D项。
(5).According to Salthouse, their study may help us ______.
A.find ways to slow down our mental decline
B.find ways to boost our memories
C.understand the complex process of mental functioning
D.understand the relation between physical and mental health
参考答案：A
解题思路：
根据题意定位到文章倒数第二段。倒数第二段提到：我们对认知改变有了深刻的见解，或许有可能发现减缓衰退速度的方法。由此可知，索尔特豪斯团队有可能帮助人类找到延缓大脑衰退的方法。正确答案为A项。
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