大脑五大谜思.docVIP

大脑五大谜思 　　千百年来，大脑一直都是科学探索的神秘对象。随着研究的深入，一些言之凿凿的结论公布开来，再加上想象力的渲染等因素，人们心中对大脑有了一些普遍的认识。只是，这些认识是否正确？ 　　 　　We use only 10 percent of our brains. 　　我们只用到大脑的10％。 　　This one sounds so compelling1)―a precise number, repeated in pop culture for a century, implying that we have huge reserves of untapped2) mental powers. But the supposedly unused 90 percent of the brain is not some vestigial3) appendix4). Brains are expensive―it takes a lot of energy to build brains during fetal5) and childhood development and maintain them in adults. Evolutionarily, it would make no sense to carry around surplus6) brain tissue. Experiments using scans show that much of the brain is engaged even during simple tasks, and injury to even a small bit of brain can have profound consequences for language, sensory perception, movement or emotion. 　　True, we have some brain reserves. Autopsy7) studies show that many people have physical signs of Alzheimers disease in their brains even though they were not impaired8). Apparently we can lose some brain tissue and still function pretty well. And people score higher on IQ tests if theyre highly motivated, suggesting that we dont always exercise our minds at 100 percent capacity. 　　这一说法听起来很有说服力，不仅数据精确，而且百年来在流行文化中被反复提及，暗示我们还有巨大的脑力资源尚未开发。然而，所谓大脑中没用到的那90%并不是什么残余的累赘。大脑“造价不菲”，在胎儿和童年阶段，大脑的发育要消耗大量的能量，成年后又要消耗大量能量来保证它的正常运转。从进化的角度讲，人体内没道理会留下多余的大脑组织。很多实验通过扫描大脑发现，即便是执行简单的任务也需要大脑的大部分部位参与，因而即便是大脑的一小点儿地方受到损伤都可能对人的语言、感官知觉、运动或情绪产生深远的影响。 　　没错，我们是有一部分大脑没用到。解剖研究发现，很多人大脑中都有老年痴呆症的体征，虽然他们并没有患病。显然，失去某些脑组织后，我们的机体仍然能正常运转。而且，如果人们有足够的动力，就能在智力测试中取得更高的分数，这一现象表明我们并不总是动用全部大脑做事。 　　 　　 Flashbulb memories9) are precise, detailed and persistent. 　　 闪光灯记忆鲜明、准确而又持久。 　　 　　We all have memories that feel as vivid and accurate as a snapshot, usually of some shocking, dramatic event. People remember exactly where they were, what they were doing, who they were with, what they saw or heard. But several clever experiments have tested peoples memory immediately after a tragedy and again seve