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  3. Researchers have discovered that spending a few minutes thinking about your ancestors before an exam or job interview can signif

Researchers have discovered that spending a few minutes thinking about your ancestors before an exam or job interview can signif

admin2012-07-11  58
问题     Researchers have discovered that spending a few minutes thinking about your ancestors before an exam or job interview can significantly boost your chances of success. The so-called "ancestor effect" appears to work by acting as a reminder to the brain that seemingly impossible hurdles can be overcome. Psychologists think the effect may be rooted in the fact that those who familiarize themselves with their family history—such as in the hit TV series Who Do You Think You Are? —appear to gain a stronger sense of identity and self-esteem,which somehow boosts intellectual performance. In intelligence tests on 80 volunteers, scientists found a marked improvement among those who,prior to the tasks,were asked to spend a short while considering what previous generations of their families had endured. Those who simply had to recall a more mundane (平凡的，平淡的) memory,such as a recent shopping trip,did not fare as well.
    The findings, published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, suggest remembering the hardships of grandparents,great grandparents and even long forgotten ancestors,seems to have a direct benefit on the brain’s ability to cope with demands on its intelligence. Dr. Peter Fischer,from the University of Graz in Austria and a member of the research team,said: "Our ancestors managed to overcome a multitude of problems,such as severe illnesses, wars,loss of loved ones or severe economic declines. So when we think about them, we are reminded that humans who are genetically similar to us can successfully overcome a multitude of problems and adversities. "
    To test their theory,scientists from the University of Graz,together with colleagues from Berlin and Munich universities, recruited 80 students. They were asked to spend five minutes thinking about their 15th century ancestors, their great-grandparents or a recent trip to the shops. Immediately afterwards, the students were asked how confident they felt about upcoming exams. Those in the two groups that remembered lost generations were more confident about their chances of success. The students then underwent a range of intelligence tests. In one,the "ancestor effect" boosted scores to 14 out of a maximum 16, compared with just ten out of 16 in the rival group. In a report on their findings the researchers said:" We showed that an easy reminder about our ancestors can significantly increase intellectual performance. Whenever people are in a situation where such performance is extraordinarily important,such as exams or job interviews, they have an easy technique to increase their success. "
The intelligence tests among the 80 volunteers suggest______.
选项 A、ancestor effect group boosts 2 scores less than the rival group
B、reminder of recent trip to the shops provides an easy technique to increase success
C、reminder of ancestors can greatly increase intellectual performance
D、easy techniques to success can be found among the intelligent people
答案C
解析 主旨大意题。本题考查对志愿者进行智力测试所得出的结论。文中第三段指出回想祖先的志愿者在测试中成绩较高，而在定位句中研究人员进一步明确结论：祖先效应能促进智力表现。故答案为C)。A)“祖先效应那一组比对手组少两分”和B)“回忆最近一次购物之旅能促进成功”，与文中意思相反，故排除；D)“聪明的人更能找到成功的诀窍”文中未提及，故排除。
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