2014届高三英语二轮专题复习提高训练：阅读理解7.docVIP

2014届高三英语二轮专题复习提高训练：阅读理解7 1. He wrote that the “human mind is capable of excitement without the application of gross(粗俗的) and violent stimulants(刺激物)”. And it appears that simply reading those words by William Wordsworth proves his point. Researchers at the University of Liverpool found the works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth and the like had a beneficial effect on the mind, lifting the readers’ spirits by catching their attention and leading to moments of self-reflection. Using equipment, they examined the brain activity of volunteers as they read pieces of classical English literature both in their original form and in a more simplified, modern translation. And, according to the Sunday Telegraph, the experiment showed the more “challenging” works set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the ordinary versions. The research also found poetry, in particular, increased activity in the right hemisphere (脑半球) of the brain, an area concerned with “autobiographical memory”, which helped the reader to reflect on and reevaluate their own experiences in light of what they had read. The academics said this meant the classics were more useful than self-help books. The brain responses of 30 volunteers was monitored in the first part of the research as they read Shakespeare in its original and “modern” form. In one example, volunteers read a line from King Lear, “A father and a gracious(仁慈的) aged man: him have you madded ”, before reading the simpler “A father and a gracious aged man: him you have enraged(使暴怒)”. Shakespeares use of the adjective “mad” as a verb caused a higher level of brain activity than the straightforward translation. “Reading classics is not just a matter of style. It is a matter of deep versions of experience that promotes the cognitive(认知的) ability,” said Prof Davis, who will present the findings at the North of England education conference in Sheffield this week. 72. What does the author suggest by saying “simply reading those words by Willi