What We Know About the Brain

by Vocafy Проверено

Английски (САЩ) B2 Въпроси: 12 Science

Explore how the brain learns, senses, and adapts—and separate reliable findings from common myths.

1. 1. Изберете верния отговор.

   Which statement gives a more accurate picture?

   A friend says, “We use only 10 percent of our brain, so most of it stays inactive.”

   • Most brain regions remain unused until we learn a new skill.
   • We use many brain regions, but they are not all equally active at once.
   • The entire brain works at full capacity all the time.

   Think about the different things your brain manages during an ordinary day.

   Show solution

   • We use many brain regions, but they are not all equally active at once.

   Even at rest, the brain supports processes such as breathing, memory, and monitoring the body. The idea that most of it stays unused is a myth.

2. 2. Изберете верния отговор.

   What is a better explanation of her creativity?

   Maya enjoys painting, and her friend describes her as “right-brained.”

   • Creative tasks usually involve cooperation between both sides of the brain.
   • Her painting skills show that the left side of her brain is generally less active.
   • Creative work belongs to the right side, while logical work belongs to the left.

   A favorite activity does not show how a person's whole brain works.

   Show solution

   • Creative tasks usually involve cooperation between both sides of the brain.

   Some functions depend more on one side, but this does not divide people into creative and logical brain types.

3. 3. Изберете верния отговор.

   Why can sleep help his preparation?

   After practicing a presentation, Luis considers getting a full night's sleep instead of reviewing it until dawn.

   • Sleep removes older memories so only the latest material remains.
   • Sleep replaces the need to practice the material.
   • Sleep helps stabilize memories formed during practice.

   Consider what happens to a memory after you first learn something.

   Show solution

   • Sleep helps stabilize memories formed during practice.

   During sleep, the brain can reactivate patterns linked to recent learning. Sleep supports practice rather than replacing it.

4. 4. Изберете верния отговор.

   How do nerve cells usually pass these messages?

   When you touch a warm cup, nerve cells carry information from your hand toward your brain.

   • Chemical messengers travel through the blood directly from one nerve cell to the next.
   • Electrical signals travel along cells, and chemical messengers usually carry signals across gaps between them.
   • Chemical messengers carry signals along cells, and electrical signals cross most gaps between them.

   Traveling along a cell and crossing a gap involve different processes.

   Show solution

   • Electrical signals travel along cells, and chemical messengers usually carry signals across gaps between them.

   The connection between nerve cells is called a synapse. At most synapses, chemical messengers act on the receiving cell.

5. 5. Изберете верния отговор.

   What does this finding illustrate?

   Adults practice juggling for several weeks. Brain scans show changes in regions involved in vision and movement.

   • Learning a skill permanently increases the size of the whole brain.
   • Adult learning changes behavior but leaves the brain's structure fixed.
   • The adult brain can adapt in response to experience.

   Consider whether brain development must stop when childhood ends.

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   • The adult brain can adapt in response to experience.

   This ability to adapt is called plasticity. Practice can change connections between brain cells, although not every change is permanent.

6. 6. Изберете верния отговор.

   Which feature of perception helps explain this mistake?

   In dim light, a coat on a chair briefly looks like a person. A closer look reveals what it really is.

   • The brain interprets sensory information using context and expectations.
   • The eyes provide a complete image that the brain displays without interpretation.
   • The brain recognizes objects independently of earlier experience.

   Think about how past experience might help you understand an unclear shape.

   Show solution

   • The brain interprets sensory information using context and expectations.

   Perception is not just a recording of the outside world. The brain's predictions are useful, but unclear information can lead to mistaken interpretations.

7. 7. Изберете верния отговор.

   What is the most likely effect on the student's work?

   A student writes an essay while stopping to reply to messages every few minutes.

   • Higher efficiency because both language tasks are processed as one activity.
   • More mistakes and lost time as attention shifts between tasks.
   • No loss of focus because each interruption lasts only a short time.

   Consider what happens when the student returns to the essay.

   Show solution

   • More mistakes and lost time as attention shifts between tasks.

   Switching tasks often means rebuilding focus and remembering where you left off. Even brief interruptions can carry this cost.

8. 8. Изберете верния отговор.

   Which view of stress fits this pattern?

   A minor deadline makes Nora feel alert, but weeks of intense pressure make it harder for her to concentrate.

   • Stress always improves attention, even when it continues for weeks.
   • Stress affects attention only when a task is boring.
   • The effects of stress can change with its intensity and duration.

   Compare the two periods of pressure.

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   • The effects of stress can change with its intensity and duration.

   A brief stress response can help prepare the body for action. Prolonged intense stress can impair attention and memory, with effects varying between people.

9. 9. Изберете верния отговор.

   Which expectation is best supported?

   Someone wants to support brain health over time and wonders whether regular brisk walks are worthwhile.

   • Regular activity can support memory and thinking as part of a healthy routine.
   • Daily walking can completely prevent memory loss.
   • Walking benefits muscles but cannot affect the brain.

   Be careful with promises that guarantee the same result for everyone.

   Show solution

   • Regular activity can support memory and thinking as part of a healthy routine.

   Exercise supports circulation and processes that help brain cells stay healthy. Its benefits vary, and it is not a guaranteed cure for memory problems.

10. 10. Изберете верния отговор.

    What can researchers reasonably conclude?

    A brain scan shows increased activity in a region while someone views an upsetting photograph. That region also takes part in other kinds of processing.

    • The person definitely felt fear, because this region was active.
    • The region was involved, but its activity alone does not identify a specific emotion.
    • The region controls the person's emotions independently of other brain areas.

    Think about the difference between observing brain activity and hearing a person's report.

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    • The region was involved, but its activity alone does not identify a specific emotion.

    Mental processes usually involve networks of regions. Researchers combine scans with behavior, reports, and other evidence rather than treating one active area as a complete explanation.

11. 11. Изберете верния отговор.

    What does this study establish?

    Researchers compare adults' usual social activity with their memory test scores. More socially active adults tend to score higher, but the researchers do not change anyone's behavior.

    • Social activity caused the higher memory scores.
    • Better memory caused people to become more socially active.
    • Social activity and memory scores were related in this group.

    The researchers observed existing habits rather than assigning activities.

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    • Social activity and memory scores were related in this group.

    A relationship alone does not show that one factor caused the other. Another factor, such as general health, could influence both social activity and memory.

12. 12. Изберете верния отговор.

    Which conclusion stays within the evidence?

    In a controlled study, adults using a brain-training app improved more on the app's tasks than adults who did not use it. No tests of everyday attention or other thinking skills were included.

    • Training improved performance on the tested tasks, but wider benefits remain untested.
    • Improvement on the app proves that general intelligence increased.
    • The lack of everyday tests proves that the training has no useful effects.

    Check which abilities were actually measured.

    Show solution

    • Training improved performance on the tested tasks, but wider benefits remain untested.

    Improvement does not automatically transfer to different activities. Wider benefits need separate tests; missing evidence is not proof that those benefits are absent.