2017年6月四级真题(第一套)答案解析
全文翻译

拥有超强记忆之人的富与祸

有少数人几乎能回忆起他们生活中每天的大量细节。经过多年研究之后,神经科学专家终于开始了解他们 是怎么做到的。

A) (41) 对于大多数人而言,记忆就像一本逐渐模糊、褪色的人生画册。无论我们多想要抓住过去,即使最 痛苦的时刻也会随着时间消逝。

B) 但是,如果你问尼玛·维瑟过去15年中任意一天在做什么,他会告诉你从当时的天气状况到他的衣着 甚至去上班时他坐在火车的哪一侧等细节。“我的记忆就像一个存放录像带的图书馆,完全记录我生活中从睁 眼醒来到入睡的每一天,”他解释道。

C) (38) 维瑟其至能说出这些“录像带”开始录像的时间:2000年12月15日,那天他在最好朋友的16岁 生日晚会上遇见了初恋女友。他之前记忆力就一直很好,但是年轻人爱情的兴奋感似乎拨动了他脑中的某个机 关。从那以后,他开始能记录生活中的每个细节。“我能告诉你从那以后每天发生的所有事。”

D) 毋庸多言,神经科学专家对维瑟这样的人抱有极大的兴趣,因为他们想了解大脑是如何记录人类生活 的。最近一些学术论文终于揭开了这些人非凡记忆力的冰山一角。这些研究甚至可能指引我们找到更加清晰 地重现我们过去生活的方法。

E) (43)这种“超级自传体记忆”(简称HSAM)首次进入公众视野是在21世纪初。一天,一位名叫 吉尔·普萊斯的年轻女士给神经科学专家兼记忆研究员吉姆·麦克高夫发邮件,声称地能记起12岁以来每一 天的生活。麦克高夫能否帮助解释地的经历呢?

F) 麦克高夫邀请她来他的实验室,并开始对她进行测试:他给出一个日期,让她说出那天发生的世界大事。 结果不悖其言,她几乎每次都能回答正确。

G) (39) 没过多久,杂志和纪录片导演便来了解她的“全面回忆”。得益于这些媒体后续的兴趣,几十个其 他的受试者(包括维瑟)自告奋勇与加利福尼亚大学欧文分校的研究团队取得了联系。

H) (36) 有趣的是,他们的记忆是高度自我中心化的:尽管他们能够非常评细地记住“自传式”生活事件,但是 在记忆非个人信息方面,比如随机排列的单词,他们似乎不比晋通人强。再如,他们也不能更好地记住一圈饮料的 顺序。尽管这些人的记忆力非常强大,他们仍然很可能会承受“虚假记忆”之苦。很明显,世界上不存在什么“完美 无暇”的记忆————他们产生非凡记忆力的工具和我们普通人所依赖的是一样有暇疵的。问题在于,怎么会这样？

I) (45) 南密西西比大学的劳伦斯·帕特西斯近来研究了约20位拥有HSAM者,发现他们在幻想倾向和专 注力两方面得分特别高。幻想倾向可以理解为想象和做白日梦的倾向,而专注力则是使自己的思维全神贯注于 某种活动(对感受和经历投入全部的关注)的倾向。“我对声音、气味和视觉信息非常敏感,”尼古拉·唐纳休解 释道,他参加了不少这样的研究,“我对事物的感知的确比常人更强烈。”

J) 专注力帮助他们筑建起记忆的牢固基础,帕特西斯说,幻想倾向则意味着他们在接下来的几周或几个月 反复重现这些记忆。初次记忆轨迹每被“重播”一次,记忆就变得越来越强大。在某些方面,在某件大事,比如你 的婚礼过后,你也可能会经历这种“重播”过程————但不同的是,拥有HSAM者会在一生中的每一天都进行“重 播”,这是他们的其他心理倾向造成的。

K) (37) 但是,不是每一个有幻想倾向的人都能发展出“超级自传体记忆”,所以帕特西斯认为一定存在某 些东西触发他们不停地回忆过去。“也许他们童年时代的某种经历使得他们着迷于日历和发生过的事情,” 帕特西斯说。

L) 42) 我所来边的有图AM者青都全量这射能力祸相依。好的方面是它可以使人重温最改变 人生、最丰富的经历。比如维瑟,他年轻的时候去过很多地方。他一有空就去参观当地美术馆,而那些画作现在 深深扎根于他的自传式记忆中。

M) “想象一下能够记起近40个国家的每一个美术馆中每一面墙上的每一幅画,”他说。“这本身就是宏大 的艺术教育。凭借着对艺术史的渊博学识,他成为一名专业画家。

N) 唐纳休现在是一名历史教师,她同意HsAM对她教育的特定方面有帮助:“我能清楚记得某天在学校学 到的东西。我能回想起老师在说什么,以及书本上看起来是什么样。”

O) (44) 但不是是一个拥有HSAM都能体会这些好处,对过去记得太清则很难从痛苦和遗憾中解 脱出来。 “很难忘记那些尴尬的瞬间,唐纳休说,“你会体会那些一样鲜活的情绪……无论多么努力地去尝试, 你都无法关掉回忆的闸门。”维瑟同意这个观点,说道:“就像带着永远无法愈合的伤口——它们已经成为了你的一 部分。”

P) (40) 这意味着他们常常不得不付出外的额外多的努力来放下过去。例如:比尔就常常遭遇痛苦的“闪回”,不 想要的回忆入侵他的意识,不过总体上他选择视其为避免犯同样错误的最佳方法。“有些人沉迷于过去而不愿 意开启新的记忆,但我不会这样。我期盼每一天,期盼体验新鲜事物。”

详解详析

36. People with HSAM have the same memory as ordinary people when it comes to impersonal information.

(译文)涉及非个人信息时,拥 有HSAM者和普通人的记忆水平 相同。

(定位)由题干中的 memory和 impersonal information定位到原 文画线处。

H) Interestingly, their memories are highly self-centred: although they can remember "autobiographical" life events in extraordinary detail, they seem to be no better than average at recalling impersonal information, such as random(任意选取的) lists of words. Nor are they necessarily better at remembering a round of drinks, say. And although their memories are vast, they are still likely to suffer from "false memories". Clearly, there is no such thing as a "perfect" memory——their extraordinary minds are still using the same flawed tools that the rest of us rely on. The question is, how?

(详解)定位句说明了拥有HSAM者的记忆特征是高度自我中心化的:尽管他们能够非常详细地记住“自传 式”生活事件,但是在记忆非个人信息方面,比如随机排列的单词,他们似乎不比普通人强。题干中的 have the as ordinary people是对定位句中 seem to be no better than average的同义转述,故答案为H)。

37. Fantasy proneness will not necessarily cause people to develop HSAM.

(译文)幻想倾向不一定能使人拥有 HASAM

(定位)由题干中的 Fantasy和 develop HASM定位到原文画线处。

K) Not everyone with a tendency to fantasise will develop HSAM, though, so Patihis suggests that something must have caused them to think so much about their past. "Maybe some experience in their childhood meant that they became obsessed(着迷) with calendars and what happened to them, "says Patihis.

(详解)定位句提到,不是每一个有幻想倾向的人都能具有“超级自传体记忆”的能力。题干中的 Fantasy 对应定位句中的 a tendency to fantasise; not necessanly对应定位句中的 Not everyone,故答案为K)。

38. Veiseh began to remember the details of his everyday experiences after he met his first young love.

(译文) 自从遇到他少年时的初恋,维瑟 便开始记住自己每天的生活细节。

(定位)由题干中的 Veiseh和first young love 定位到原文画线处。

C) Veiseh can even put a date on when those tapes started recording: 15 December 2000, when he met his first girlfriend at his best friend's 16th birthday party. He had always had a good memory, but the thrill of young love seems to have shifted a gear in his mind: from now on, he would start recording his whole life in detail. "I could tell you everything about every day after that."

(详解)定位段主要介绍了维瑟的超强记忆启动的经历:在最好朋友的生日晚会上遇到自己的初恋后,维 开始能记住生活中的每个细节。题干是对定位段的总结,故答案为C)。

39. Many more people with HSAM started to contact researchers due to the mass media.

(译文)大众传媒促使更多拥有HSAM者 开始和研究者取得联系。

(定位)由题干中的 contact, due to和 media定位到原文画线处。

G) It didn't take long for magazines and documentary film-makers to come to understand her "tot recall", and thanks to the subsequent media interest, a few dozen other subjects (including Veiseh) have since come forward and contacted the team at the University of California, Irvine.

(详解)由定位段可知,得益于这些媒体后续的兴趣,几十个其他的受试者(包括维瑟)自告奋勇与加利福尼 分校的研究团队取得了联系。题干中的 due to the mass media是对定位句中 theks to the 对应定位句中的 the team,故答案为G)。

40. People with HSAM often have to make efforts to avoid focusing on the past.

(译文)拥有HSAM者常常必须努力 避免专注于过去。

(定位)由题干中的 have to make efforts和 the past events定位到原文 画线处。

P) This means they often have to make a special effort to lay the past to rest. Bill, for instance, often gets painful "flashbacks", in which unwanted memories intrude into his consciousness, but overall he has chosen to see it as the best way of avoiding repeating the same mistakes. "Some people are absorbed in the past but not open to new memories, but that's not the case for me. I look forward to each day and experiencing something new."

(详解) 定位句提到,这意味着他们常常不得不付于出额外的努力来放下过去。根据上下文可知, they指的就 是题干中的 People with HSAM。题干中的 avoid focusing on the past是对定位句中 lay the past to rest的同 义转述，故答案为P)。

41. Most people do not have clear memories of past events.

(译文)大部分人对过去发生的事件没有清晰的记忆。

(定位)由题干中的 Most people, memories和past events定位到原文画线处。

A) For most of us, memory is a mess of blurred and faded pictures of our lives. As much as we would like to cling on to our past, even the saddest moments can be washed away with time.

(详解)定位段指出,对于大多数人而言,记忆就像一本逐渐模糊、褪色的人生画册。无论我们多想要抓住过 去,即使最痛苦的时刻也会随着时间消逝。也就是说,大部分人对过去发生的事件没有清晰的记忆。题干是 对定位段的概括,故答案为A)。

42. HSAM can be both a curse and a blessing.

(译文)拥有HSAM是福也是 祸。

(定位)由题干中的HSAM和 blessing定位到原文画线处。

L) The people with HSAM I've interviewed would certainly agree that it can be a mixed blessing. On the plus side, it allows you to relive the most transformative and enriching experiences. Veiseh. for instance, travelled a lot in his youth. In his spare time, he visited the local art galleries, and the paintings are now lodged deep in his autobiographical memories.

(详解)定位句提出了文章主题:拥有HSAM的人福祸相依。下文分别举例解释福和祸的具体内容。题干中 的 both a curse and a blessing是对定位句中 a mixed blessing的同义转述,故答案为L)。

43. A young woman sought explanation from a brain scientist when she noticed her unusual memory.

(译文)当一位年轻的女士注意到自己非凡的 记忆力时,她曾向一位大脑科学家寻求解释。

(定位)由题干中的 A young woman, explanation 和 brain scientist定位到原文画线处。

E) 'Highly superior autobiographical memory'( or HSAM for short), first came to light in the early 2000s, with a young woman named Jill Price. Emailing the neuroscientist and memory researcher Jim McGaugh one day, she claimed that she could recall every day of her life since the age of 12. Could he help explain her experiences?

(详解)定位段提到,一位名叫吉尔·普菜斯的年轻女士给神经科学专家兼记忆研究员吉姆·麦克高夫发邮 件,声称她可以回忆起12岁以来每一天的生活。麦克高夫能否帮助解释她的经历呢?题干中的her unusual memory 是对定位段中 she could every day of her life since the age of 12的概括。整个题干是对定位 段的归纳,故答案为E)。

44. Some people with HSAM find it very hard to get rid of unpleasant memories.

(译文)一些拥有HSAM的人发 现很难摆脱不开心的记忆。

(定位)由题干中的HSAM和 find it very hard定位到原文画线处。

O) Not everyone with HSAM has experienced these benefits, however. Viewing the past in high definition can make it very difficult to get over pain and regret. "It can be very hard to forget embarrassing moments," says Donohue. "You feel the same emotions——it is just as raw, just as fresh... You can't turn off that stream of memories, no matter how hard you try." Veiseh agrees:" It is like having these open wounds——they are just a part of you," he says.

(详解)定位句提到,不是每一个拥有HSAM的人都能体会这些好处。对过去记得太清楚就会很难从痛苦和 遗憾中解脱出来。题干中的 get rid of unpleasant memories 对应定位句中的 set over pain and regret。题干 的同义转述,故答案为O)。

45. A recent study of people with HSAM reveals that they are liable to fantasy and full absorption in an activity.

(译文)近期一项对拥有HSAM 者的研究表明,他们易于幻想,并 且在活动中易于全神贯注。

(定位)由题干中的 fantasy, absorption in an activity定位到原 文画线处。

I) Lawrence Patihis at the University of Southern Mississippi recently studied around 20 people with HSAM and found that they scored particularly high on two measures: fantasy proneness(倾向) and absorption. Fantasy proneness could be considered a tendency to imagine and daydream, whereas absorption is the tendency to allow your mind to become fully absorbed in an activity——to pay complete attention to the sensations(感受) and the experiences. "I'm extremely sensitive to sounds, smells and visual detail," explains Nicole Donohue, who has taken part in many of these studies. "I definitely feel things more strongly than the average person."

(详解) 定位句指出,南密西西比大学的劳伦斯·帕特西斯近来研究了约20位拥有HSAM者,发现他们在 想倾向和专注力两方面得分特别高。幻想倾向可以理解为想象和做白日梦的倾向,而专注力则是使自己的思 维全神贯注于某种活动(对感受和经历投入全部的关注)的倾向。题干是对定位句的同义转述,故答案为I)。