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新素材 科普知识 Do you have memories from when you were a baby? Most of us don't have them. This is called “childhood amnesia(童年失忆症)”. However, these memories are actually kept in the brain until we become adults, even though we aren't aware of them.
Professor Cristina Alberini at New York University found that the experiences in infancy(婴
幼儿期) are kept as hidden memories. It happens in the hippocampus when an infant's(婴儿的) brain is growing. Changes in brain chemicals help this process. Alberini did experiments on mice and found that adding some chemicals later can bring back hidden memories. This shows that early memories aren't lost but are kept. “If the children are learning difficult situations in early childhood, their brains are going to be shaped based on that experience,” Alberini said. Her study shows these hidden memories may influence people's learning abilities throughout their lives and lead to some mental(精神的) health illnesses.
Although most of us can't remember the things that happened to us when we were little, the age at which each person has their first memory can be different.
Different backgrounds may explain the difference. Professor Wang Qi at Cornell University in the USA has shown that the earliest memories of Americans date back to around 3.5 years of age, almost six months earlier than in Chinese people. Wang said that this is because American people are more self-focused(以自我为中心的). However, in Asia, people play more roles in society and have more relationships with others. So it may take more time for Asian babies to remember many details.
How often parents talk about past experiences with their children can also influence when first memories appear. New Zealand's Maori people have their first memories as early as at the age of 2.5. It's because the Maori culture values stories and deep conversations about past events. Conversations are the key to keeping memories when kids can form mental images of the things that happened to them.
()29. According to the passage, “childhood amnesia” refers to “”.
A. inability to recall early childhood experiences
B. difficulty children have forming(形成) memories
C. worry about the truth of early memories
D. loss of memory abilities in the childhood
()30. According to the passage, the underlined word “hippocampus” is probably .
A. a name of a scientific experiment
B. a part of human brain
C. a kind of special medicine
D. a kind of chemicals
()31. According to the passage, people are the ones who form first memories earliest.
A. Chinese
B. American
C. European
D. Maori
()32. On which website can we probably read the above passage?
A. www.crossculture.com
B. www.mentalhealth.com
C. www.brainandmemory.com
D. www.scienceandtech.com
The 65-year-old Steve was found suffering from early Alzheimer's(阿尔茨海默病). He was losing his memory.
Steve, a professional software engineer, was also a lover of the piano and the only musician in his family. Music was his true passion, though he had never performed outside the family.
Melissa, his daughter, felt it more worthwhile(值得的) than anything else to save his music. So she thought about hiring a professional pianist to work with her father.
Naomi, Melissa's best friend and a talented pianist, knew about this and showed willingness to help.
Naomi drove to the Goodwin home. She told Steve she'd love to hear him play. Steve moved to the piano and sat at the bench to play for the first time in his life for a stranger.
“It was beautiful,” Naomi said after listening. “The music was really worth saving.”
Naomi and Steve met every other week and spent hours together. He'd move his fingers slowly on the piano, and then she'd take his place. He struggled to explain what he heard in his head. He stood by the piano, listening for the first time to his own work being played by someone else.
Working with Naomi did wonders for Steve. It had excited his belief that he could write one last song. One day, Naomi received an email. Attached was a recording, a recording of loss and love, of the fight. Steve called it “Melancholy Flower”.
Naomi heard plenty of stops and starts, Steve struggling, searching while his wife Joni called him “honey” and encouraged him. The task was so hard, and Steve, angry and upset, said he would give up. Joni praised him, telling him this could be his signature(署名) piece.
Naomi managed to figure out 16 of Steve's favourite and most personal songs. With Naomi's help, the Goodwin family found a sound engineer to record Naomi playing Steve's songs. Joni thought that would be the end. But it wasn't.
In the months leading up to the 2016 Oregon Repertory Singers Christmas concert, Naomi asked for Steve's permission to adding his music to the playing list. He considered it an honour.
After the concert, Naomi said that Steve's music was beautiful and professional. It needed to be shared in public.
The family rented a former church in downtown Portland and scheduled a concert. By the day of the show, more than 300 people had said they would attend.
By then, Steve was having a hard time remembering the names of some of his friends. He knew he was now taking the path of his hard life. But he was brave enough to tell his family he was at peace.
Steve arrived and sat in the front row, surrounded by his family. The lights faded, and then Naomi took the stage. Her fingers. His heart.
()33. Why did Melissa want to save her father's music?
A. His music could stop his disease from worsening.
B. His music was the most valuable to be left for the family.
C. She wanted to increase her father's sense of contribution.
D. She wanted to make her father a professional musician.
()34. Before Steve finished his last music work, his wife Joni .
A. brought his music career to perfection
B. thought his music talent was fully lost
C. didn't find him suffering from a disease
D. didn't fully realize the value of his music
()35. How did Steve feel at the concert held in downtown Portland?
A. He felt concerned about his illness.
B. He sensed a responsibility for music.
C. He got into a state of quiet and peace.
D. He gained his faith in music once more.
()36. What can be the best title for the passage?
A. The Kindness of Friends
B. The Power of Music
C. The Work of a Musician
D. The Value of Alzheimer's