Tony Buzan’s grades were going down at university. Disappointed with his low marks, he went to the library to find a book on how to use his brain. He was directed to the medical section. Confused, he said to the librarian, “I don’t want to take my brain out, I just want to learn how to use it.” Her reply was simple: “There’s no book on that.”
“I thought to myself,” says Buzan, “if I buy a little radio, I get an instruction manual (说明书). If I buy a microwave, I get an instruction manual. But for the most important machine in the world, no instruction manual?”
Fifty years later, Buzan has become the world’s leading speaker on the brain and learning. In the late 1960s, he invented the mind map, a visual representation of thought processes.
This kind of thinking has become a popular tool for planning, organizing, problem solving, and communicating across the world. He has since authored and co-authored over 100 books that have appeared in more than 30 languages.
“I think in most cases, people use less than 1 percent of their brains,” he says.
But how do you expand this 1 percent? How do you become the best student you can be?
According to Buzan, the answer is simple. You take a section of whatever it is that you are trying to learn, he says, and you read it for its essence (精髓、要素). Then you make a mind map of all the important details. For a truly effective mind map, you start with a colored image in the center of your page. Draw the first image that comes to mind on the topic you are mind mapping. Branch off from your central image and create one of your main ideas. From your main branches draw some sub-branches and from those sub-branches you can draw even more branches. He emphasizes that you should use plenty of images and colors as these help with memory recall and encourage creativity.
By using this visual format (形式), according to Buzan, your mind will begin to make associations that will help you remember more information for longer periods of time.
Buzan believes that traditional note-taking methods, such as lists and summaries, do not stimulate the brain’s recall capacity or ability in the same way. Because of this, students will often find themselves locked away in their rooms for hours, trying hard to memorize separate details. Buzan believes that for a more effective and lasting way of studying, you must first understand how your brain works.
“Everyone is born smart,” he says. “You just have to learn how to learn.”

1. 1.

   What is the main purpose of the first two paragraphs?

   1. A.
      To show that Tony Buzan was worried about his study
   2. B.
      To invite us to think about the importance of manuals
   3. C.
      To prove that the mind map is a useful tool for the brain
   4. D.
      To show why Tony Buzan studies the brain and learning
2. 2.

   What does the word “stimulate” mean in the passage?

   1. A.
      Excite
   2. B.
      Improve
   3. C.
      Encourage
   4. D.
      Affect
3. 3.

   What can we infer from the passage?

   1. A.
      If we learn the mind map, we will become the best student
   2. B.
      The mind map will help your brain connect separate details
   3. C.
      The mind map will be more effective if we put more details in it
   4. D.
      We will solve the problem if we make connections between ideas
4. 4.

   What is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      How to make the mind map?
   2. B.
      Is the mind map widely used?
   3. C.
      Can your memory be mapped?
   4. D.
      Is the mind map helpful in thinking?