14．Can Training Your Working Memory Make You Smarter？
We would all like to increase our cognitive（認(rèn)知的） ability beyond the limits set by Mother Nature．So it's no wonder that brain-training programmes-which typically focus on training our working memory-are a multibillion-dollar industry．But can this kind of training really make us smarter？
Cognitive training sees the brain as a kind of muscle that can be made stronger with the right kind of practice．It consists of tasks or games carried out on computers or smart phones．Despite much research，there has so far been no agreement about its effectiveness．Some think that cognitive training increases a broad range of cognitive abilities，while others less optimistic．
Yet we do know that some cognitive skills，such as working memory and intelligence，tend to go together and are predictors of real-life skills such as work performance．Thus，training one cognitive skill might lead to an improvement in many other cognitive and non-cognitive skills．That is exactly the underlying hypothesis（假設(shè)） on which working-memory training is based．
To test this hypothesis，we examined all the studies about working-memory training we could find with normally developing children：26 experiments and 1，601 total participants．Children represent an ideal test group：during childhood，skills are still at the beginning of their development．Thus，cognitive training is more likely to succeed with children than adults．
The results were very clear．Working-memory training did not show any effect on children's fluid intelligence，a person's ability to solve new problems and adapt to new situations．It didn't influence their academic achievement or other cognitive abilities，either．The only reliable effect was that children got better at what they trained to do．No more，no less．So performing working-memory tasks does seem to make you better at doing them．Nonetheless，the fact that participants got better at such tasks does not necessarily mean that their working-memory ability increased．They may just have learnt how to perform that particular type of task．
The results do indicate that the use of working-memory training programs as an educational tool is fruitless．More generally，together with other research，the results contribute to disproving cognitive training companies'promises of a better brain．
The results have even more important implications theoretically．They question the hypothesis that training general cognitive mechanisms can affect other cognitive or real-life skills．Beyond working-memory training，other recent studies have shown the limitations of different types of cognitive training．For example，music training fails at improving cognitive skills outside music-including academic skills．
However，these negative results must not discourage us from training our cognitive and non-cognitive skills．We just have to be aware of the actual limitations of such practice in areas outside what we are actually training．But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it-the most efficient way to develop a skill is，after all，to train that skill．
67．According to the passage，cognitive training is likely toC．
A．uncover the secrets of human minds
B．make one's brain stronger through practice
C．bring much profit to the training companies
D．earn a good reputation for the training company
68．To find out the effect of working memory training，the authorC．
A．made some scientific studies
B．compared different test groups
C．reviewed the previous research
D．got some children involved in the experiment
69．Children taking part in the experiments were able toC．
A．a(chǎn)dapt to new situations quickly
B．gain greater academic achievements
C．do better in the field that they are trained in
D．succeed when they deal with real life problems
70．What is the author's attitude toward the cognitive training？B
A．Uninterested．B．Objective．C．Disapproving．D．Optimistic．
分析 短文主要講了通過培訓(xùn)你的工作記憶能否使你變聰明這個問題，通過一些研究報告展示了這樣的訓(xùn)練會讓你訓(xùn)練的那一方面有所提高，但不會使你變聰明．
解答 67．C，推理判斷題，由短文最后一句的總結(jié)性句子But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it-the most efficient way to develop a skill is，after all，to train that skill．可以推測出認(rèn)知訓(xùn)練有可能會給培訓(xùn)公司帶來很大的利益，故答案為C．
68．C，細(xì)節(jié)理解題，根據(jù)句子To test this hypothesis，we examined all the studies about working-memory training we could find with normally developing children：26 experiments and 1，601 total participants可知，為了檢測這個假設(shè)，作者研究了之前的所有研究報告，故答案為C．
69．C，推理判斷題，根據(jù)句子Beyond working-memory training，other recent studies have shown the limitations of different types of cognitive training．For example，music training fails at improving cognitive skills outside music可知，這種工作記憶的訓(xùn)練，只能增強他們訓(xùn)練的那一方面，故答案為C．
70．B，態(tài)度觀點題，短文主要講了通過培訓(xùn)你的工作記憶能否使你變聰明這個問題，通過一些研究報告展示了這樣的訓(xùn)練會讓你訓(xùn)練的那一方面有所提高，但不會使你變聰明，作者正反方都有提及，可見其是客觀的，故答案為B．
點評 解答任務(wù)型閱讀理解題，首先對原文材料迅速瀏覽，掌握全文的主旨大意．因為閱讀理解題一般沒有標(biāo)題，所以，速讀全文，抓住中心主旨很有必要，在速讀的過程中，應(yīng)盡可能多地捕獲信息材料．其次，細(xì)讀題材，各個擊破．掌握全文的大意之后，細(xì)細(xì)閱讀每篇材料后的問題，弄清每題要求后，帶著問題，再回到原文中去尋找、捕獲有關(guān)信息．最后，要善于抓住每段的主題句，閱讀時，要有較強的針對性．對于捕獲到的信息，要做認(rèn)真分析，仔細(xì)推敲，理解透徹，只有這樣，針對題目要求，才能做到穩(wěn)、準(zhǔn)．
