一、高中英语任务型阅读
1．请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
Decoding the young brain
There was a funny experiment to see how a young child would answer a specific question
compared to an adult. After the adult had spent some time speaking with the child, he asked the
child, “What do you think about me？” The child answered, “You talk too much.” When the adult
performed the same experiment with another adult, the reply to the same question was, “I think
you're a very interesting person.” Even if the adult felt the same way as the child, his brain
allowed him to take a moment，consider the question, and come up with an answer. He could
have been annoyed, but his answer didn't reflect it because he was being polite.
The secret lies in the science of the developing brain. The child's honest answer was reflected
in the fact that his brain wasn't equipped to filter(过滤) information before answering the
question. As a result, he was honest, but he said something that may have been hurtful. However,
the child did not intentionally hurt the adult; it's just the way his brain works. As a child grows
into adolescence and then into adulthood, that changes.
The human brain is made up of billions of neurons(神经元). In order for our body to execute a
command, like getting up from a chair and walking to the other room, the neurons in the brain
have to communicate with each other. They also help us employ our senses like taste and touch
and help us remember things.
When the neurons send messages, perhaps one sensation(感觉) the person feels is excitement
about eating a cookie because it is so delicious. Later, if that person smells a cookie or hears
someone talking about a cookie, it can spark the electrical signals that call up the memory of
eating the delicious cookie. In an adult, he or she may remember that eating too many cookies
can have consequences, like weight gain. But because the younger brain is more impulsive(冲动的), the desire to feel the pleasure of the sweet treat outweighs the consequences.
That is because when a child is young, his brain is “wired” in such a way that he seeks pleasure
and is more willing to take risks than an adult. This affects his decision-making process and it is
why younger people tend to be more impulsive. Sometimes parents have to tell their children
over and over again before the child remembers that something is dangerous or risky. How many
times have we heard a parent say, “I tell her this all the time, but she never listens！”
To conclude, what we know about the young brain is that children are more likely than adults
to be impulsive. It isn't always necessarily because they are being naughty; it may very well be
because of their brains. So the next time you ask a child what he really thinks of you, be prepared
for any kind of answer.
Decoding the young brain
An experiment on a young
child A young child answered the question ________ the top of his
head while an adult paused, and ________twice before he
found an answer. Causes of the
________ reflected in the
experiment The developing brain of the young child contributed to his
honest answer.
◆He was more likely to hurt or offend others ________ he
didn't intend to do so.
◆It's just the way his brain works and with him growing up,
that changes.
Billions of neurons ________up the human brain have their
own mechanism for functioning.
◆The neurons have to communicate with each other, helping
us employ our senses and remember things.
◆A person may ________ the smell of a cookie with the
memory of eating it.
◆A younger brain is more impulsive compared with an adult's.
A young child's having a natural ________ to seek pleasure and
take risks results from his young brain.
◆This affects his decision-making process and it is why
younger people act in an impulsive way.
◆Warned many times before, a young child will still try
something ________ or risky.
A conclusion drawn from the
experiment An adult's ability to control his impulses is much ________ and
a young child is not ________ being naughty when they make
hurtful or offensive answers.
【答案】 off；thought；phenomenon；although/though；making；associate；Tendency；dangerous；stronger/greater；necessarily
【解析】【分析】本文是一篇说明文，说明了小孩子说一些伤人的、冒犯性的语言并不是故意为之，而是因为儿童的大脑还没有发育完全，不具备在回答问题前过滤信息的功能导致的。
（1）考查信息归纳的能力。根据第一段“‘What do you think about me？’ The child answered,
‘You talk too much.’”可知，对于提出的问题，孩子的回答总是答非所问，脱离话题。故填off“脱离；离开”。
（2）考查信息归纳的能力。根据第一段中的“his brain allowed him to take a moment，consider the question, and come up with an answer”可知孩子得出答案前总是会考虑再三。且实验已经发生在过去，故填一般过去时thought。
（3）考查信息归纳的能力。第一段通过实验引出后文中分析造成这种现象的原因，故填phenomenon。
（4）考查信息归纳的能力。根据第二段“As a result, he was honest, but he said something
that may have been hurtful. However, the child did not intentionally hurt the adult;”可知虽然孩子会说一些伤人的话，但是他们并不是有意的。故第四题填连词although/though“虽然；尽管”。
（5）考查信息归纳的能力。根据第三段中的“The human brain is made up of billions of
