Question

【题目】Anyone who has worn a cast (石膏) knows that rebuilding muscle strength once the cast is removed can be difficult. Now researchers at the Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute (OMNI) at Ohio University have found that the mind is critical in maintaining muscle strength following a long period of not moving and that mental imagination may be key in reducing the associated muscle loss.

Strength is controlled by a number of factors----the most studied by far is skeletal muscle. However, the nervous system is also an important, though not fully understood, determining factor of strength and weakness.

Brian C. Clark and colleagues set out to test how the system functions in strength development. They designed an experiment to measure changes in wrist (腕) muscle strength in three groups of healthy adults. Twenty-nine subjects wore a hard cast that extended from just below the elbow (肘) past the fingers, effectively preventing the hand and wrist from moving, for four weeks. Fifteen subjects who did not wear casts served as the control group.

Of the 29 people wearing a hard cast, half were asked to regularly perform an exercise, imagining they were strongly contracting their wrist for five seconds and then resting for five seconds. This was repeated four times in a row followed by a one-minute break for a total of 13 rounds per session and five sessions per week. The other half performed no imagination exercises.

At the end of the four-week experiment, both groups who wore casts had lost strength in their unmoving limbs (肢体) when compared to the control group. But the group that performed imagination exercises lost 50% less strength than the non-imagination group. The nervous system’s ability to fully make the muscle recover also returned more quickly in the imagination group compared to the non-imagination group.

【1】What does the underlined word “critical” mean in the first paragraph?

A. Serious. B. Disapproving.

C. Significant. D. Criticizing.

【2】Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Scientists have partly understood the nervous system.

B. Whoever has worn a cast for long may have difficulty in muscle recovery.

C. Scientists have already spent a lot of time in studying skeletal muscle.

D. The number of the subjects in the experiment was 29 in all.

【3】What can we learn from the experiment?

A. The control group lost 50% less strength than the non-imagination group.

B. The imagination group lost more strength than the non-imagination group.

C. The control group wore casts but didn’t perform the imagination exercise.

D. The speed of non-imagination group’s muscle recovery was slower.

【4】 Where can you most probably find the passage?

A. In a science magazine. B. In a storybook.

C. In a textbook . D. In a book review.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】D

【3】D

【4】A

【解析】

试题分析：研究表明精神上的想象也许是减少相关肌肉损失的关键。力量是由多个因素控制的。

【1】C词义猜测题。根据第一段第二句后半句mental imagination may be key in reducing the associated muscle loss. 精神上的想象也许是减少相关肌肉损失的关键。可知划线单词的意思是“重要的”，故选C。

【2】D细节理解题。根据第三段中的最后两句Twenty-nine subjects wore a hard cast 29名受试者戴着一个硬石膏Fifteen subjects who did not wear casts served as the control group. 十五名没有戴上石膏的受试者作为对照组。因此可知参与做实验的人数是44，故选D。

【3】D推理判断题。根据最后一段最后一句The nervous system’s ability to fully make the muscle recover also returned more quickly in the imagination group compared to the non-imagination group. 充分使肌肉恢复的神经系统的能力与非想象组相比较在想象组中也恢复的更快。故选D。

【4】A推理判断题。根据第一段第一句Now researchers at the Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute (OMNI) at Ohio University have found that---现在研究员已经发现---；第二段第一句Strength is controlled by a number of factors----the most studied by far is skeletal muscle. 力量是由多个因素控制的——最多研究的是骨骼肌；第三段第一句Brian C. Clark and colleagues set out to test how the system functions in strength development. Brian C. Clark和同事们着手测试系统功能在强度开发中的作用。因此可知这些说法是比较科学的，故选A。