Scientists are not sure how the brain follows the tracks of time．One theory hold

Scientistsare not sure how the brain follows the tracks of time．Onetheory holds that it has a group of cells specialized to record the intervals （间隔）of time, while another theory holds that some neural processes （神经突）act as an inside clock．

       Whichevertheory it may be, studies find, the cells have a poor grasp of longer interval．Timedoes seem to slow during an empty afternoon and race when the brain focuses onchallenging work．Stimulants （兴奋剂）, including caffeine, tend to makepeople feel as if．time is passing faster; complex jobs, like doing taxes, can seemto drag on longer than they actually do．And  emotional events — a breakup, a promotion, a transformative trip abroad —tend to besensed as more recent than they actually are, by months or even years．Inshort, some psychologists say, the findings support the philosopher MartinHeidegger' s observation that time "persists merely as a consequence ofthe events taking place in it．"

       Nowresearchers are finding that the opposite thing may also be true: if very fewevents come to mind, then the sense of time does not persist; the brainshortens the interval that has passed．

       Inone classic experiment, a French explorer named Michel Siffre lived in a cavefor two months, cut off from the rhythms of night and day and man-made clocks．Heappeared then, convinced that he had been isolated for only 25 days．Leftto its own devices, the brain tends to shorten time．

       Inearlier work, researchers found  that a similar case at work in people’sjudgment of intervals that last only moments．Relatively infrequentstimuli, like flashes or tones, tend to increase the speed of the brain' sinternal pacemaker．

       Onan obvious level, these kinds of findings offer an explanation for why otherpeople' s children seem to grow up so much faster than one's own．Involvedparents are all too well aware of first step in their own children; however,seeing a cousin's child once every few years, without bothering memories,shortens the time．

1.What can we infer from the first paragraph?

       A．Scientistshave agreed about how the brain records time．

       B．Scientistsall think that some cells record the intervals of time．

       C．Scientistshaven't agreed on how the brain records time．

       D. Scientists all hold thetheory that neural processes are an inside clock．

2.According．to Paragraph 3, if we havefew things to do, the brain will____．

       A．makethe intervals of time long

       B．makethe intervals of time short

       C．keepa state of rest

       D．stopworking

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

       A．MichelSiffre didn' t think he had stayed in the cave for as long as two months．

       B．Parentstend to think their own children grow faster than others．

       C．MichelDiffre actually stayed in the cave for twenty-five days．

       D．Childrenusually bring bad memories to their parents．

4.In which column of a newspaper can we find this passage?

       A．Socialnews                               B．Communityactivities

       C．．Science                              D．Childrens life

试题答案

【答案】

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】略