单选题
Brain Train

Millions of copies of console and computer- based" brain trainers" are sold worldwide every year, claiming to make peoples'brains younger, better, faster or bigger. The theory seems to make sense: regularly exercising the brain with tests and puzzles can improve brain skills and help people become better at everyday thinking tasks.
But recent research suggests scientific evidence is lacking.
The BBC's Brain Test Britain experiment wants to find out if brain training really works, and is aiming to get thousands of members of the public to train for 10 minutes a day ,three times a week ,for at least six weeks.
Scientific experiments and their findings should be evaluated by independent experts in a process called "peer review". This is the minimum standard by which the quality of any research is judged.
Very little research on commercial brain trainers has been peer reviewed.
Instead, manufacturers often quote unsupported testimonials from" satisfied users". None of these are acceptable substitutes for peer review.
A proper" control group" is the backbone of any valid scientific study.
With a brain training study, the control group of participants should do the same amount of a mental activity as the brain - training group, but using a" non - brain training" activity such as a crossword.
Scientists should then be able to compare the results from the two groups to see how genuinely effective the brain training tasks were.
Studies that have been used to support the claims made by commercial brain trainers often have no control group at all, or a control group that is not as mentally active as the trained group.
In order to see how much you have improved, you need to know where you were at the start. To do this. scientists use a" benchmarking test"—the same test, taken at the beginning and end of an experiment.
Benchmarking tests should he different from the brain training tasks. This way, scientists can see if the effects of brain training are transferable to other mental tasks.
Studies used to support the claims made by commercial brain trainers often use tests for benchmarking that are identical—or very similar—-to the tests used during training

单选题 What is the writer's attitude towards the "brain trainers"?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】考查作者对特定事物的态度定位到文章原句Millions of copies of console and computer-based "brain trainers" are sold worldwide every year…claiming to make peoples’brains younger，better，faster or bigger．But recent research suggests scientific evidence is lacking，每年商家卖掉成千上万的大脑训练产品，声称其能使大脑变得更好更年轻，更快。最近的这些研究缺少科学的证据，可见作者的态度是怀疑的，故选择D。
单选题 What description is right about BBC's Brain Test Britain experiment?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】考查具体事物发生的方式由题干关键词BBC's Brain Test Britain experiment，定位到文章原句The BBC's Brain Test Britain experiment wants to find out if brain training really works, and is aiming to get thousands of members of the public to train for 10 minutes a day, three times a week, for at least six weeks, BBC大脑训练实验想知道大脑训练活动是不是真的有效，这个实验是数千名参与者每次训练十分钟，一周训练3次，至少持续6周，可见选项D是合文意的，故选择D。选项C认为每天都训练10分钟是不合文意的。
单选题 Which statement about" peer review" is right?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】考查特定概念的理解定位到文章原句Scientific experiments and their findings should be evaluated by independent expels in a process called "peer review"．This is the minimum standard by which the quality of any research is judged。科学实验和发现需要经过独立的专家的检验，这称“同伴检验”。对于任何一个科学研究和科学成果鉴定中，这是最基本的标准。可见选项B是合题意的。
单选题 What should a control group do in the BBC's brain training study?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】考查特定条件下具体发生的事情定位到文章原句the control group of participants should do the same amount of a mental activity as the brain-training group，but using a "non-brain training" activity such as a crossword，控制组的成员和训练组的成员参加同样数量的脑力活动，但其活动内容于大脑训练无关，可见选项D是正确的。
单选题 How do the researchers know the brain -training activity is useful?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】考查具体事情发生的方式题干考查研究者如何知道大脑训练活动是否有效，定位到文章原文To do this, scientists use a "benchmarking test" —the same test，taken at the beginning and end of an experiment，科学家采用基准测试即在训练结束时，用在训练开始前使用的测试对参与者进行测试，以观察训练是否有效。可见选项B是合文意的。