C. The cause of sensitivity. D. The importance of health.

D

Can Training Your Working Memory Make YoSmarter?

We would all like to increase our cognitive(认知的) ability beyond the limits set by Mother Nature. So it’s no wonder that brain-training programmes – which typically focus on training our working memory – are a multibillion-dollar industry. But can this kind of training really make us smarter?

Cognitive training sees the brain as a kind of muscle that can be made stronger with the right kind of practice. It consists of tasks or games carried out on computersor smart phones. Despite much research, there has so far been no agreement about its effectiveness. Some think that cognitive training increases a broad range of cognitive abilities, while others less optimistic.

Yet we do know that some cognitive skills, such as working memory and intelligence, tend to go together and are predictors of real-life skills such as work performance. Thus, training one cognitive skill might lead to an improvement in many other cognitive and non-cognitive skills. That is exactly the underlying hypothesis(假设) on which working-memory training is based.

To test this hypothesis, we examined all the studies about working-memory training we could find with normally developing children: 26 experiments and 1,601 total participants. Children represent an ideal test group: during childhood, skills are still at the beginning of their development. Thus, cognitive training is more likely to succeed with children than adults.

The results were very clear. Working-memory training did not show any effect on children’s fluidintelligence, a person’s ability to solve new problems and adapt to new situations. It didn’t influence their academic achievement or other cognitive abilities, either. The only reliable effect was that children got better at what they trained to do. No more, no less. So performing working-memory tasks does seem to make yobetter at doing them. Nonetheless, the fact that participants got better at such tasks does not necessarily mean that their working-memory ability increased. They may just have learnt how to perform that particular type of task.

The results do indicate that the use of working-memory training programs as an educational tool is fruitless. More generally, together with other research, the results contribute to disproving cognitive training companies’ promises of a better brain.

The results have even more important implications theoretically. They question the hypothesis that training general cognitive mechanisms can affect other cognitive or real-life skills. Beyond working-memory training, other recent studies have shown the limitations of different types of cognitive training. For example, music training fails at improving cognitive skills outside music – including academic skills.

However, these negative results must not discourage us from training our cognitive and non-cognitive skills. We just have to be aware of the actual limitations of such practice in areas outside what we are actually training. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it – the most efficient way to develop a skill is, after all, to train that skill.

67. According to the passage, cognitive training is likely to _______.

A. uncover the secrets of human minds

B. make one’s brain stronger through practice

C.bring much profit to the training companies

D. earn a good reputation for the training company

68. To find out the effect of working memory training, the author ______.

A. made some scientific studies

B. compared different test groups

C. reviewed the previous research

D. got some children involved in the experiment

69. Children taking part in the experiments were able to_____.

A. adapt to new situations quickly

B. gain greater academic achievements

C. do better in the field that they are trained in

D. succeed when they deal with real life problems

70. What is the author’s attitude toward the cognitive training?

A. Uninterested. B. Objective. C. Disapproving. D. Optimistic.

第二节(共5小题;每小题2分，共10分)

根据短文内容，从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Community Service

Nowadays high schools are faced with a very controversial issue whether or not community service hours are needed to graduate. High schools are arguing that 40 hours of community service are needed to graduate, but many upset students are voicing protests(反对) to this demand.

Supporters of the community service project argue that while high school students are participating in community service, they will become better aware of what the real world is like. Students will learn valuable life lesson by doing community service. ___71___ They feel that if high school students are forced to do community service they will begin to see it as a punishment and as something that they have to do because it is required instead of something that they want to do. Students will in the future look back at the community service projects that they were forced to do throughout high school. ___72___

Another idea that the protestorsgive about this community service issue is time restriction. When a student goes to school full time, he is involved in after-class activities and also works. ___73___ Supporters argue back that high school students only need to fulfill 40 hours of community service throughout 4 years. If students well manage their time and start the community service in their first year in high school, all they need to do is an hour every other week.

___74___ The protestors argue that high school students do not have their driver’s license, so how are they expected to get to their community service site when their parents or friends are at work or just too busy to give them a ride. ___75____ .The supporters argue that students can find community service projects close to home or if they live in the country find another student to car pool with.

In my opinion, community service is a wonderful thing that everyone should be required to do at some point in their life, but are high school students mature and responsible enough to take on community service projects at this stage in their life?

A. Protestors have struck back with a very solid argument.

B. A final controversial issue that appears is transportation.

C. Students will feel good about themselves for helping others in need.

D. They will continue to carry a negative attitude towards community service for their lifetime.