Question

【题目】 People born in winter are more likely to suffer mental health disorders, according to a recent study carried out by researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.

Researchers raised baby mice from birth to weaning in either “summer” light cycles of 16 hours of light and 8 hours of dark or “winter” cycles of 8 hours of light and 16 hours of dark. A third group experienced 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark a day.

Then half the winter mice stayed in a winter cycle, while half switched to a summer schedule. The summer mice were similarly split. The mice raised in equal periods of light and dark were split into three groups, one of which stayed on the 12hour schedule, one of which joined the winter group, and one of which joined the summer group.

After 28 days, it turns out the summerborn mice behaved the same whether they stayed on the summer cycle or switched to winter. But among the winterborn mice, those that stayed in winter kept their previous schedule, while those that switched to summer stayed active for an extra hour and a half, which indicates that mice born and weaned in a winter light cycle showed dramatic disruptions in their biological clocks.

The finding is the first of its kind in mammals, and it could explain why people born in winter are at higher risk for mental health disorders.

“We know that the biological clock regulates mood in humans,” said study researcher McMahon. “If the mechanism similar to the one that we found in mice operates in humans, then it could not only have an effect on a number of behavioral disorders, but also have a more general effect on personality.”

【1】What’s the main idea of the text?

A.The biological clock regulates mood in humans.

B.Being born in winter has a negative effect on people’s mental health.

C.People born in winter are at higher risk for physical health disorders.

D.The length of light will influence the behavior of the mice.

【2】The underlined word “split”(Paragraph 3) can be replaced by ________.

A.dividedB.torn

C.hitD.ended

【3】Who is probably the reader of the passage?

A.A jobhunter.B.A student in the university.

C.A newlymarried couple.D.An experienced dentist.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】A

【3】C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。美国田纳西州范德比尔特大学的研究人员最近进行的一项研究显示，冬天出生的人更容易出现心理健康问题。文章介绍了这项研究进行的过程，以及这一情况对人会产生的一些影响。

【1】

主旨大意题。根据第一段People born in winter are more likely to suffer mental health disorders, according to a recent study carried out by researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.可知美国田纳西州范德比尔特大学的研究人员最近进行的一项研究显示，冬天出生的人更容易出现心理健康问题。以及文章还介绍了这项研究进行的过程，以及这一情况对人会产生的一些影响。由此可知，这篇文章的主旨是出生在冬天对人的心理健康有负面影响。故选B。

【2】

词义猜测题。根据上文Then half the winter mice stayed in a winter cycle, while half switched to a summer schedule.可知然后，一半的“冬季”老鼠停留在“冬季”周期中，另一半则切换到“夏季”周期中。以及后文were split into three groups可推知在相同光照和黑暗环境下长大的老鼠被分为三组，划线单词“split”表示“被分开”。A. divided被分开；B. torn被撕开；C. hit被打击；D. ended被结束。故选A。

【3】

推理判断题。美国田纳西州范德比尔特大学的研究人员最近进行的一项研究显示，冬天出生的人更容易出现心理健康问题。文章介绍了这项研究进行的过程，以及这一情况对人会产生的一些影响。再结合四个备选项可推知，新婚夫妇应是最合适的读者。故选C。