20．New research findings show bilingual（able to speak two languages equally well） people are great at saving brain power．To do a task，the brain recruits different networks，or the highways on which different types of information flow，depending on the task to be done．A research team from Montreal，Canada，compared what are known as functional brain connections between seniors who are monolingual （speaking or using only one language） and seniors who are bilingual．The team established that years of bilingualism change how the brain carries out tasks that require concentrating on one piece of information without becoming distracted by other information．This makes the brain more efficient and economical with its resources．
To arrive at this finding，the team asked two groups of seniors （one of monolinguals and one of bilinguals） to perform a task that involved focusing on visual information （the color of an object） while ignoring spatial information （the position of the object）．The researchers compared the networks between different brain areas as people did the task．They found that monolinguals recruited a larger circuit with multiple connections，whereas bilinguals recruited a small circuit that was more appropriate for the required information．These findings were published in the Journal of Neurolinguistics．
"After years of daily practice managing interference between two languages，bilinguals become experts at selecting relevant information and ignoring information that can distract from a task．In this case，bilinguals showed higher connectivity between visual processing areas located at the back of the brain．This area is specialized in detecting the visual characteristics of objects and therefore is specialized in the task used in this study．These data indicate that the bilingual brain is more efficient and economical，as it recruits fewer regions and only specialized regions，"explained Dr．Ansaldo，the head of the team．
Bilinguals therefore have two cognitive （connected with mental processes of understanding） benefits．First，having more centralized and specialized functional connections saves resources compared to the multiple and more diverse brain areas allocated by monolinguals to accomplish the same task．Second，bilinguals achieve the same result by not using the brain's frontal regions，which are vulnerable to aging．This may explain why the brains of bilinguals are better equipped to stave off （to delay sth．） the signs of cognitive aging or dementia （a serious mental disorder caused by brain disease or injury）．
All the benefits of bilingualism have yet to be discovered．
27．According to the passage，which of the following statements is NOT true？B
A．Bilinguals are more efficient and economical with brain resources．
B．Monolinguals do better in focusing on a piece of information while performing a task than bilinguals do．
C．Daily practice of dealing with two languages enables bilinguals to effectively avoid being influenced by irrelevant information．
D．Monolinguals use larger brain areas and more connections when doing a task．
28．The benefits of being bilingual are the following EXCEPTA．
A．Bilingual people are unlikely to develop dementia when they grow old．
B．Bilingual people have the cognitive advantages．
C．Being bilingual is helpful to saving brain resources by using more centralized and specialized functional connections．
D．Bilingual people can accomplish the same task as monolinguals do without using the frontal areas of brain．
29．What is the main purpose of the passage？C
A．To tell readers the differences between bilinguals and monolinguals．
B．To present disadvantages of being monolingual．
C．To tell readers bilingualism can save brain resources．
D．To discuss how to become a bilingual．
30．What type of writing is this text？D
A．An argumentation
B．A news report
C．A descriptive essay
D．A scientific report．
分析 本文是一篇說明文，講述了會兩種語言的人的優(yōu)勢．會兩種語言的優(yōu)點體現(xiàn)在認知方面的優(yōu)勢，他們的大腦能節(jié)約資源，并且雙語者可以完成與單語者相同的任務而不用大腦額葉區(qū)域．
解答 27-30 BACD
27．B 考查細節(jié)理解，根據(jù)"New research findings show bilingual（able to speak two languages equally well） people are great at saving brain power"可知，雙語者在執(zhí)行一項任務時會比單語言者做得更好，所以B是錯誤的．故選B．
28．A 考查細節(jié)理解，根據(jù)文章內(nèi)容可知，會兩種語言的優(yōu)點包括在認知方面的優(yōu)勢以及大腦能節(jié)約資源、高效利用腦容量．并且雙語者可以完成與單語者相同的任務而不用大腦額葉區(qū)域．但是不包括A選項．故選A．
29．C 考查主旨大意，根據(jù)文章內(nèi)容可知，本文主要講述了雙語能節(jié)省大腦資源．故選C．
30．D 考查推理判斷，根據(jù)文章的主旨大意可知，本文是一篇科學報道．故選D．
點評 閱讀理解考察學生的細節(jié)理解和推理判斷能力，做細節(jié)理解題時一定要找到文章中的原句，和題干進行比較，再做出正確的選擇．在做推理判斷題不要以個人的主觀想象代替文章的事實，要根據(jù)文章事實進行合乎邏輯的推理判斷．
