Question

The research carried out by the University of Bari in Italy could help clarify hospitals who are charged with wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients overcome discomfort and pain.

A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as Lenoardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to watch either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly paintings, or a blank panel while the team struck a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been hurt by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when considering the ugly paintings or the blank panel.

Electrodes (电极) measuring the brain’s electrical activity also confirmed a reduced response to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings. While distractions(娱乐), such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital, Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part. The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that beautiful surroundings could aid the healing process.

“Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their aesthetic(审美能力) aspects should be taken into account too,” said the neurologist. “Beauty obviously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. I think these results show that more research is needed into how a beautiful environment can reduce suffering.”

Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticellis’ Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by Pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonino Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero. “these people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world,” said Prof de Tommaso.

1.According to the first paragraph, people didn’t approve_______________.

A. hospitals spend money on medical equipment

B. hospitals decorate their rooms with works of art

C. hospitals make their environment pleasant to patients

D. hospitals treat patients with works of art

2.How did the researchers make the research?

A. By asking the subjects to listen to music.

B. By requiring the subjects to draw paintings.

C. By ordering the subjects to choose which picture is beautiful and ugly.

D. By aching the subjects’ hands while they are watching paintings.

3.According to the research, when designing a hospital, we should consider its____________.

A. convenient facilities

B. functional operating room

C. pleasing environment

D. bright waiting room

4.The best title for the passage may be__________.

A. Patients Don’t Like Pictures

B. Arts Can Be Used As a Medicine

C. Ugly Patients Feel Less Pain

D. Beautiful Art Can Ease Pain

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.D

3.C

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：意大利巴里大学做的研究显示，一个令人愉快的环境能够帮助减轻人们的病痛。有人指责医院用艺术品装饰病房是在浪费钱，这项研究可以帮医院“洗清冤屈”。

1.hospitals who are charged with wasting money on art and decoration”可知，人们指责医院用艺术品装饰病房是在浪费钱，故选B。

2.They were then asked to watch either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly paintings, or a blank panel while the team struck a short laser pulse at their hand”可知，当用激光脉冲刺被试的手时，他们被要求观看他们自己挑选出来的画作或者白板，故选D。

3.as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients overcome discomfort and pain.”可知，实验得出的结论是，一个令人愉快的环境能够帮助病人减轻病痛，故选C。

4.a pleasant environment helps patients overcome discomfort and pain”和第三段“this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part ... beautiful surroundings could aid the healing proces”可知，文章主要讲的是，实验证实，美好的环境有助于病痛的减轻，故选D。

考点：健康类短文阅读