Not all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget b

 Notall memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget badexperiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terriblephysical and emotional scars. Often they relieve these experiences innightmare(梦魇).

  Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which willhelp people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediatelyafter a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase(抹去) the effect of painful memories.

  In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drugstops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far theresearch has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may bereduced, not that the memories are erased.

  The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea,while others support it.

  Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers’ troublingmemories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer fromterrible memories.

  “Some memories can ruin people’s lives. They come back to you when you don’twant to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with verypainful emotions,” said Roger Pitman, a professor of Psychiatry(精神病学) at Harvard MedicalSchool. “This could relieve a lot of that suffering.”

But those who are against the research say that changing memories isvery dangerous because memories give us our identity(特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.

“All of uscan think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make uswho we are. I’m not sure we want to wipe those memories out,” said RebeccaDresser, a medical ethicist(伦理学家).

57. 1.Thepassage is mainly about_____.

A. a newmedicalinvention            

B. a newresearch on the pill

C. a wayof erasing painful memories    

D. anargument about the research on the pill

58. 2. The drugtested on people can_____.

  A. cause the brain to fix memories

  B. stop people remembering bad experiences

  C. prevent body producing certain chemicals

  D. wipe out the emotional effects of memories

59. 3.We caninfer from the passage that_____.

  A. people doubt the effects of the pills

  B. the pill will stop people’s bad experiences

  C. taking the pill will do harm to people’s health

  D. the pill has been produced in America

60. 4. Which ofthe following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?

  A. Some memories can ruin people’s lives

  B. People want to get rid of bad memories.

  C. Experiencing bad events makes us different from others.

  D. The pill will reduce people’s sufferings from bad memories.

试题答案

【答案】

1.D

2.C

3.A

4.C

【解析】略