15.Nothing is more tiresome than being stuck in a boring class.Every second takes ages to tick by.A recent survey of American kids revealed that 91percent experience boredom.In fact,adolescence is considered a peak period for the problem.One study showed that roughly one in three teenagers was bored at school.
Peter Stromberg,professor at the University of Tulsa says,"Our brains adapt really quickly to certain levels of stimulation(刺激).We get used to the media providing levels of highly emotional stimulation,and when we're not getting them we feel bored.As our society develops various ways of keeping us entertained,we may discover that rather than getting rid of boredom,we're multiplying it."Luckily,new research is implying a way that we can battle the trend.
Professor John D.Eastwood of the University of York developed a new theory of boredom,which links it to the brain's attention system-the part of the brain that we use to focus.Anything the attention system in your brain locks onto will be automatically sucked up into your conscious awareness-it might be a bird outside the window,the pleasant smell of lunch,or even someone sleeping in the back of the class.
The problem is that your attention system doesn't like being told what to do.It wants to focus on stuff that you find fun and interesting.For the parts of school that you enjoy,this isn't a problem.But for those classes that don't interest you,or present too much or too little challenge,the story is very different.In those situations,you're going to have to spend a lot of effort constantly redirecting your attention system to focus on things it would rather ignore.And the effort is going to wear you out.Eastwood describes it as"wanting,but being unable,to binvolved in a satisfying activity."It's like a block in the system.And it's the awareness of that block combined with a sense that the environment is to blame that leads to feelings of boredom.
When we're bored we blame the world around us,but Eastwood's theory challenges this assumption:Boredom doesn't exist out there; it exists inside your brain.What that means is-hard as it may be to hear-boring lessons aren't only the fault of your teacher or the subject,they're your fault too.
32.What's Peter Stromberg's opinion?D
A.Teenagers are victims of boredom
B.Our brains demand much stimulation
C.We've grown dependent on media for fun
D.The way we have fun makes us become bored
33.What can we learn about the attention system according to Paragraph 4?C
A.It doesn't like challenges.
B.It does what you want it to do.
C.It enjoys interesting things.
D.It can make our efforts fruitless.
34.What might the author suggest about a boring class?B
A.Focusing more attention on it.
B.Changing the way we look at it.
C.Employing various teaching methods.
D.Challenging the disturbing environment.
35.What might be the best title for the passage?A
A.Escape Your Boredom
B.Battle Your Attention
C.Fun or Boredom?
D.Who Is to Blame?
分析 大约三分之一的青少年在学校都很无聊,本文探究了无聊这一感觉产生的原因以及摆脱无聊的方法.
解答 32.D.理解推断题.由第二段We get used to the media providing levels of highly emotional stimulation,and when we're not getting them we feel bored,可知我们习惯了高度情绪化的刺激的方式,而当我们得不到的时候就会觉得无聊,故选D.
33.C.细节理解题.由第四段It wants to focus on stuff that you find fun and interesting,可知注意力系统偏向于享受有趣的东西,故选C.
34.B.理解推断题.由最后一段Boredom doesn't exist out there; it exists inside your brain,无聊本身并不存在,它存在于你的大脑中,可知对待无聊的课程需要你改变自己的看法,故选B.
35.A.A主旨归纳题.本文讲述了无聊产生的原因以及拜托无聊的方法,故选A.
点评 在做阅读理解时,考生可快速阅读短文,通读测试题,明确考察点,在对应细读,加快做题速度.有时间还可以复查校对答案.