Research at the University of Liverpool, UK, has found that Shakespeare’s langua

Research at the University of Liverpool, UK, has foundthat Shakespeare’s language stimulates positive brain activity.

Shakespeare uses a linguistic（语言的）technique known as functional change that involves,for example, using a noun to serve as a verb．Researchersfound that this technique allows the brain to understand what a word meansbefore it understands the function of the word within a sentence．This process causes a sudden peak in brain activityand forces the brain to work backwards in order to fully understand whatShakespeare is trying to say.

Professor Philip Davis, from the university’s Schoolof English, said: “The brain reacts to reading a phrase such as ‘he godded me’from the tragedy of Coriolanus, in a similar way to putting a jigsaw puzzle（拼图玩具）together．If it is easyto see which pieces fit together you become bored of the game．But if the pieces don’t appear to fit, when we knowthey should, the brain becomes excited．By throwingirregular words into seemingly normal sentences, Shakespeare surprises thebrain in a manner that produces a sudden burst of activity — a sense of dramacreated out of the simplest of things.”

Experts believe that this heightened brain activitymay be one of the reasons why Shakespeare’s plays have such a dramatic impacton their readers.

Professor Neil Roberts, from the university’s MagneticResonance and Image Analysis Research Center, and Professor Davis, togetherwith Dr Guillaune Thierry, from the University of Wales, UK, monitored 20participants using an electroencephalogram (EEG) as they read selected linesfrom Shakespeare’s plays.

“The brain signal is relatively stable when weunderstand the meaning of a word but when the word changes the grammar of thewhole sentence, brain readings suddenly peak．The brain isthen forced to retrace its thinking process in order to understand what it issupposed to make of this unusual word,” explains Professor Roberts.

1.The research conducted by the professors has showedthat ___________.

A．Shakespeareuses functional change to mislead readers

B．Shakespeare’s language excites positive brain activity.

C．Shakespeare’s plays have a dramatic effect on their readers.

D．Shakespeare’s language makes the brain signal relatively stable

2.Which of the following words can replace theunderlined pronoun “it” in the 2nd paragraph?

A．technique      B．word        C．brain       C．sentence

3.In the 3rd paragraph, the example of a jigsaw puzzleis used here to state___________.

A．the functionof Shakespeare’s linguistic technique

B．a sense ofdrama created by playing the game

C．theShakespeare’s thinking process

D．the brain’s reaction to reading a book

4.Based on the research, Shakespeare’s plays have agreat effect on their reader lies in_______.

A．language usedin plays

B．charactersshowed in works

C．brainactivity increased in reading

D．thinkingprocess when writing

试题答案

【答案】

1.B

2.C

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题