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| ALMOST everyone wants to get smarter. We struggle to improve our memory, intelligence, and attention span. We drink cup after cup of coffee to help us get through the day. However, a new study published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science warns that there are limits to how smart humans can get, and trying to increase your thinking ability could be urisky. Each of our body parts evolved in a certain way for a reason. For example, we are not 3 meters tall because most people's hearts are not strong enough to send blood up that high. Scientists are now saying that our thinking ability works in the same way. A baby's brain size is limited by a series of factors, such as the size of the mother's pelvis (骨盆). If our brains evolved to vbe bigger, there could be more deaths during childbirth. The study of Ashkenazi Jews (德裔犹太人), who have an average IQ much higher than other Europeans, showed that they were more likely to develop diseases of the nervous system. This might be because of their increased brainpower. If intelligence cannot be improved, can we at least get better at concentrating? Not really, say scientists. They studied drugs like caffeine that improve attention span. They found that the drugs only helped people with serious attention problems. For those who did not have trouble paying attention, the drugs could have the opposite effect. Scientists say that this suggests there is an upper limit to how much people can or should concentrate. Our memory is also a "double-edged sword (双刃剑)". People with extremely vivid (生动的) memories could end up having a difficult life because they cannot forget bad things that happen to them. Thomas Hills of the University of Warwick in the UK, one of the authors of the paper, said that considering all the problems in trying to get smarter, it's unlikely there will ever be a "supermind". |
| 1. Which of the following aspects do the scientists refer to in order to explain that there will never be a "supermind"? a. intelligence b. nervous system c. concentration ability d. memory e. heart disease |
| A. abc B. acd C. bcd D. cde |
| 2. Our heights and babies' brain size are mentioned to prove that ______. |
| A. there are limits to people's intelligence B. a baby's IQ is determined by the mother's pelvis C. most people's hearts are not that strong to make them smarter D. it's likely that people's body parts will continue to evolve |
| 3. Which of the following is TRUE on concentration in the fifth paragraph? |
| A. There is no case where concentration is improved. B. Coffee does help a little in some people's concentration. C. The drugs work for those who do not have attention trouble. D. With the help of the drugs, we can gain better concentration. |
| 4. What does the author mean by saying "Our memory is also a 'double-edged sword '"? |
| A. Good memory can lead to bad results, too. B. Good memory will lead to diseases in people's body. C. Without memory, people will lead a better life. D. Poor memory makes people more generous. |