What is your earliest childhood memory? Can you remember learning to walk? Or talk? The first time you heard thunder or watched a television program? Adults seldom　1　events much earlier than the year or so before entering school,　2　children younger than three or four　3　retain any specific, personal experiences.

　　A variety of explanations have been　4　by psychologists for this "childhood a mnesia" (兒童失憶癥). One argues that the hippocampus, the region of the brain which is　5　for forming memories, does not mature until about the age of two. But the most popular theory　6　that, since adults don't think like children, they cannot　7　childhood memories. Adults think in words, and their life memories are like stories or　8　―one event follows　9　as in a novel or film. But when they search through their mental　10　for early childhood memories to add to this verbal life story, they don’t find any that fit the　11　. It's like trying to find a Chinese word in an English dictionary.

　　Now psychologist Annette Simms of the New York State University offers a new　12　for childhood amnesia. She argues that there simply　13　any early childhood memories to recall. According to Dr Simms, children need to learn to use someone else’s spoken description of their personal　14　in order to turn their own short term, quickly forgotten　15　of them into long term memories. In other　16　, children have to talk about their experiences and hear others talk about　17　― Mother talking about the afternoon　18　looking for seashells at the beach or Dad asking them about their day at Ocean Park. Without this　19　reinforcement, says Dr Simms, children cannot form　20　memories of their personal experiences.

　　1. [A] figure [B] interpret [C] recall [D] affirm

　　2. [A] now that [B] even if [C] as though [D] just as

　　3. [A] largely [B] rarely [C] merely [D] really

　　4. [A] refuted [B] defied [C] proposed [D] witnessed

　　5. [A] responsible [B] suitable [C] favorable [D] available

　　6. [A] declines [B] assesses [C] estimates [D] maintains

　　7. [A] reflect [B] attain [C] access [D] acquire

　　8. [A] narratives [B] forecasts [C]communications [D] descriptions

　　9. [A] the rest [B] another [C] the other [D] others

　　10. [A] deposits [B] dreams [C] flashes [D] files

　　11. [A] model [B] pattern [C] frame [D] formula

　　12. [A] emphasis [B] assertion [C] explanation [D] assumption

　　13. [A] aren’t [B] weren’t [C] isn’t [D] was’t

　　14. [A] instincts [B] feelings [C] sensations [D] experiences

　　15. [A] impressions [B] beliefs [C] minds [D] insights

　　16. [A] senses [B] cases [C] words [D] aspects

　　17. [A] him [B] their [C]it [D]them

　　18. [A] taken [B] utilized [C] applied [D] spent

　　19. [A] habitual [B] verbal [C] unique [D] particular

　　20. [A] permanent [B] mental [C] spiritual [D] conscious

　　參考答案：

　　1.【答案】C

　　【解析】recall意為“想起”，指把忘記的東西又想起來，其動(dòng)作含有有意識的努力和意志，常與Call，could等詞連用。例如：I是remember her face but I cannot recall where I met her.我認(rèn)得她的臉，但我記不起在哪里見過她。根據(jù)上下文，此處需要填與前面的remember意思相近的動(dòng)詞，意為：成年人很少能想起一些事。故選項(xiàng)C正確。figure意為“計(jì)算，描述，估計(jì)，相像”，例如：Can you figure (out) why he did it? 你能明白他為什么做這嗎?interpret意為“解釋，說明”，例如：It is difficult to interpret these statistics without knowing how they were obtained.不知道這些數(shù)據(jù)的來源，就很難解釋。affirm通常為再度或回答某一問題時(shí)“斷言，肯定”，例如：He affirmed that he was telling the truth.他保證自己說的是事實(shí)。

　　2.【答案】D

　　【解析】just as意為“就像”，例如：Things turned out just as I expected.根據(jù)上下文的意思：成年人與小孩子一樣都不記得童年的事。故選項(xiàng)D正確。now that意為“既然”，常用于完成時(shí)態(tài)，例如：She is enjoying the job more now that she’s got more responsibility.既然她承擔(dān)了更多的責(zé)任，她就更喜歡這份工作。Even if意為“即使”，引導(dǎo)讓步狀語從句，例如：Even if you take a taxi，you’ll still miss your train.as though/if意為“似乎，好像”，例如：They stared at me as if I was crazy.

　　3.【答案】B

　　【解析】rarely否定副詞，意為“很少”，與主句中seldom(很少)前后照應(yīng)。largely意為“主要地”，例如：The accident was largely due to his carelessness.事故主要是由于他的疏忽造成的。merely意為“僅僅”，例如：He is not merely a good artist，but a great one.really意為“真正地”。本題句意為：成年人很少想起比入學(xué)前一年左右更早的事情，就像三四歲以前的孩子很少能記得任何具體的個(gè)人經(jīng)歷。

　　4.【答案】C

　　【解析】propose sth./doing;propose that(should)表示“提出意見”，例如：I propose a short rest before we continue the work.我提議繼續(xù)干活之前先休息一會(huì)兒。根據(jù)文章意思：心理學(xué)家提出了這種解釋，故選項(xiàng)C正確。refute意為“反駁，駁斥”，例如：We refuted his claim that the world was flat.我們反駁了他的“世界是平坦的”主張。defy意為“公然違抗，蔑視”，例如：How long can those criminals continue to defy the law! witness意為“目擊，作證”，例如：He witnessed to having seen the man enter the room.他親眼看見他進(jìn)了這個(gè)房間。本題句意為：心理學(xué)家已經(jīng)為這種“兒童失憶癥”提出了各種各樣的解釋。

　　5.【答案】A

　　【解析】 be responsible for意為“有責(zé)任的，成為……的原因”，例如：The pilot of an airliner is responsible for the safety of the passengers.再如：Mechanical defects were responsible for.the accident.醫(yī)療失誤是事故發(fā)生的原因。根據(jù)上下文的意思和結(jié)構(gòu)，此句意指大腦中的一個(gè)負(fù)責(zé)記憶的區(qū)域，作為hippocampus的同位語，故選項(xiàng)A項(xiàng)正確。(be)suitable(to/for)意為“合適的”;favorable意為“滿意的，有利的”，例如：We can sail there in an hour if the wind is favorable to us.如果風(fēng)向?qū)Φ脑�，我們一小時(shí)之內(nèi)就可以到達(dá)那里。available意為“可用的，有空的”，例如：It’s vital that food is made available to the famine area.鬧饑荒的地區(qū)有食物可吃是至關(guān)重要的。本題句意為：有心理學(xué)家認(rèn)為，大腦中的海馬，即形成記憶的大腦區(qū)，直到大約兩歲時(shí)才成熟。

　　6.【答案】D

　　【解析】maintain意為“堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為，維持”，例如：He maintained that he was innocent.= He maintained his innocence.再如：We should maintain friendly relations with neighboring countries.我們需與鄰國保持睦鄰友好關(guān)系。根據(jù)上下文，前一句講有人認(rèn)為兒童失憶癥是因?yàn)槿四X中的海馬區(qū)不成熟，此句講別的理論有什么看法，故選項(xiàng)D正確。decline意為“婉拒，衰落”，例如：I offered him a lift to his house，but he declined with thanks.再如：The party’s popularity/has declined in the opinion polls.assess意為“評估”，例如：They assessed the cost of the flood damage at $50，000.再如：Examinations are not the only means of assessing someone’s ability.考試并不是評估一個(gè)人能力的唯一途徑。estimate意為“估計(jì)，評價(jià)”，例如：It was difficult to estimate how many trees had been damaged.

　　7.【答案】C

　　【解析】 access名詞，意為“接近，人口”;動(dòng)詞，意為“存取(計(jì)算機(jī)類用語)”，例如：The system has been designed to give the user quick and easy access to the required information.再如：Branch officials can access the central databank.此處需一個(gè)動(dòng)詞與memory搭配，故選項(xiàng)C正確。reflect意為“反映，深思熟慮”，例如：His unhappy face reflected his inner despair.再如：The manager demanded time to reflect on what to do.經(jīng)理要來給予時(shí)間讓他考慮該干什么。attain意為“獲得”，有較強(qiáng)的抱負(fù)和渴望的意味，如：attain one’s goal/independence.acquire尤指通過努力“獲得養(yǎng)成習(xí)慣、嗜好等”，如：acquire a habit，acquire a little Spanish學(xué)會(huì)了一點(diǎn)西班牙語。本題句意為：但最流行的理論堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為：由于成年人不像兒童那樣思考，所以他們不能存取童年的記憶。

　　8.【答案】A

　　【解析】 narrative意為“敘事”，常指按順序講述，例如：She gave a narrative of her strange experience.根據(jù)下文one event follows another，是按順序來講述，故選項(xiàng)A符合題意。forecasts意為“預(yù)報(bào)，預(yù)料”，如：a weather forecast天氣預(yù)報(bào);communications意為“交流，通訊設(shè)施(復(fù)數(shù))”;description意為“記述，敘述，描寫”，常指用語言來描述，例如：Please give me a brief/full description of the accident.

　　9.【答案】B

　　【解析】one...another常指兩個(gè)以上，為固定搭配，故選項(xiàng)B正確。the rest意為“剩余的”;the other意為“兩個(gè)人中的另一個(gè)”;others意為“另外的人/物”。本題句意為：成年人用語言思考。他們生活的記憶就像故事或敘事――一件緊接著另一件事，就像小說中或電影中講述的那樣。

　　10.【答案】D

　　【解析】files文件夾，此處指大腦中的記憶庫。deposit意為“沉淀物，押金”，例如：There are rich deposits of gold in those hills。dream意為“設(shè)想”;flash意為“閃光”，現(xiàn)也用于計(jì)算機(jī)類語言，如：flash memory(閃存)，例如：Last week，Intel Corp，said it had developed a way to double the storage capacity of so-called flash memory chips.英特爾公司上周稱已開發(fā)出使所謂閃存芯片的存儲(chǔ)量翻倍的方法。

　　11.【答案】B

　　【解析】pattern意為“模式，方式”，例如：The pattern of family life has been changing over recent years.最近幾年家庭生活的模式已經(jīng)發(fā)生了變化。根據(jù)原句意思，找不到適合描述童年的模式，故選項(xiàng)B正確。mode意為“模型”;frame意為“框架”;formula意為“公式，慣例”，例如：a formula for settling a border dispute.本題句意為：但是當(dāng)他們通過大腦文件庫(即記憶)尋找早期的童年記憶來進(jìn)一步說明他們的生活故事時(shí)，他們沒有找到適合這種模式的任何記憶。

　　12【答案】C

　　【解析】offer explanation for意為“為……提出解釋”，兒童失憶癥并不是一個(gè)假設(shè)，而是一個(gè)事實(shí)。上文提到針對其成因有許多種explanations，所以C項(xiàng)正確。emphasis意為“強(qiáng)調(diào)”，常與介詞On搭配;assertion意為“斷言”，例如：make an assertion that...斷言，堅(jiān)稱;assumption意為“假設(shè)”，例如：I was under the assumption that you were coming tomorrow.我還曾想，你明天會(huì)來。本題句意為：現(xiàn)在美國紐約州立大學(xué)的心理學(xué)家Annette Simms針對“兒童失憶癥”提出了一種新的解釋。

　　13.【答案】A

　　【解析】根據(jù)上下文的意思，根本不存在童年記憶可供回想才是Simms博士的看法。

　　14.【答案】D

　　【解析】experience意為“(不可數(shù)名詞)經(jīng)驗(yàn);(可數(shù)名詞)經(jīng)歷”，此處需要一個(gè)由personal修飾的名詞，所以D項(xiàng)正確。instincts意為“本能”;feelings意為“情感”;sensations意為“感覺”。

　　15.【答案】A

　　【解析】impressions意為“印象”，與前面第14題的experiences(經(jīng)歷)前后照應(yīng)，故選項(xiàng)A正確。beliefs意為“信念”;minds意為“頭腦，想法”;insights意為“洞察力，深刻見解等”，例如：She has a woman’s quick insight into character.本題句意為：根據(jù)Simms博士的看法，兒童必須學(xué)會(huì)利用別人對其個(gè)人經(jīng)歷的口頭描述，從而把他們自己的、短期的、迅速遺忘的印象轉(zhuǎn)變成長期記憶。

　　16.【答案】C

　　【解析】in other words意為“換句話說”，根據(jù)上下文，前一句談及兒童必須學(xué)會(huì)利用別人對其經(jīng)歷的口頭描述，下一句談到兒童必須談?wù)撈鋫�(gè)人經(jīng)歷，并聽他人談?wù)撨@些經(jīng)歷，后者是對前面句子的解釋，故選項(xiàng)C正確。senses：in all senses意為“從各方面”，in one/a sense意為“從某種意義上說”;case：in some cases意為“在有些情況下”，in this/that case意為“在這樣(那樣)的情況下”;aspects意為“方面”，如：to consider a problem in all aspects.從各方面考慮問題。

　　17.【答案】D

　　【解析】根據(jù)上下文意思，可知此處需要一個(gè)代詞來指代前面的experiences，其他選項(xiàng)均不符合題意。

　　18.【答案】D

　　【解析】 spend( time) doings出表示“(花多少時(shí)間)做某事”，此處需要過去分詞修飾the afternoon一詞，只有D項(xiàng)符合句意及結(jié)構(gòu)。take表示此意的用法應(yīng)為It takes/took sb some time to do sth花某人時(shí)間做某事;utilize意為“利用”，如：utilize solar energy利用大陽能;apply意為“應(yīng)用，申請”，例如：Scientific discoveries are often applied to industrial production methods.科學(xué)發(fā)現(xiàn)經(jīng)常被應(yīng)用在工業(yè)生產(chǎn)工藝上。本題句意為：換句話說，孩子們必須談?wù)撍麄兊膫�(gè)人經(jīng)歷，并且聽其他人談?wù)撨@些經(jīng)歷――母親談?wù)撓挛缭谏碁┱邑悮せ蚋赣H詢問他們白天在海洋公園玩得怎么樣。

　　19.【答案】B

　　【解析】verbal意為“口頭的”，與前文的spoken description，talk，ask等詞相照應(yīng)，故選項(xiàng)B正確。habitual意為“習(xí)慣性的”;unique意為“獨(dú)一無二的”;particular意為“特別的”，如：a matter of particular importance.特別重要的問題。

　　20.【答案】A

　　【解析】 permanent意為“永久的，長期不變的”，例如：permanent brain damage永久性腦損傷;此句指經(jīng)過。