Question

Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn (打哈欠) and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well， obviously it’s because we have mirror neurons (神经元) in our brains.

Put simply， the presence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something， our brains model after it， whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile， talk， walk， dance or play sports. But the idea goes further： mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions，they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.

Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains，but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages，and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example： “The hand took hold of the ball”)， the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example， actually taking hold of a ball).

Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning (行使职责). However， it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.

Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information about how humans behave， communicate and spend time together. Indeed， it may turn out to be nearly the same important thing for neuroscience as what Einstein’s theory of relativity (相对论) was for physics. And the next time you have the strong feeling to cough in the cinema when someone else does – well， perhaps you’ll understand why.

1. Mirror neurons can explain ______.

A. why we cry when we are hurt

B. why we cough when we catch a cold

C. why we smile when we see someone else smile

D. why we yawn when we see someone else get up late

2.The word “triggered” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.

A. set off B. cut off

C. broken out D. found out

3.We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons _______.

A. relate to human behavior and communication

B. decide our knowledge and language abilities

C. result in bad behavior and social disorders

D. control human actions and appearances

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Ways to find mirror neurons.

B. Problems of mirror neurons.

C. Discovery of mirror neurons.

D. Functions of mirror neurons.

Answer 1