单项选择题

Parts of the brain Most of us learn basic facts about the human brain in our middle or high school biology classes. We study the subcortex, the "old brain’’, which is found in the brain of most animals and is responsible for basic functions such as breathing, eating, drinking, and sleeping. We learn about the neocortex, the "new brain", which is unique to humans and is where complex brain activity takes place. We find that the cerebrum, which is responsible for all active thought, is divided into two parts, or hemispheres. The left hemisphere, generally, manages the right side of the body; it is responsible for logical thinking. The right hemisphere manages the left side of the body; this hemisphere controls emotional, creative, and artistic functions. And we learn that the corpus callosum (胼胝体) is the "bridge" that connects the two hemisphere. Memorizing the names for parts of the brain might not seem thrilling to many students, but new discoveries in brain function are exciting. Recent research is teaching us a lot about creativity, memory, the differences between men and women, and the relationship between mind and body. Left brain/right brain: creativity Psychologists agree that most of us have creative ability that is greater than what we use in daily life. In other words, we can be more creative than we realize! The problem is that we use mainly one hemisphere of our brain — the left. From childhood, in school, we’’re taught reading, writing, and mathematics; we are exposed to very little music or art. Therefore, many of us might not "exercise" our right hemisphere much, except through dreams, symbols, and those wonderful insights in which we suddenly find the answer to a problem that has been bothering us—and do so without the need for logic. Can we be taught to use our right hemisphere more Many experts believe so. Classes at some schools and books (such as "The Inner Game of Tennis and Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain") claim to help people to "silence" the left hemisphere and give the right a chance to work. Memory — true or false In the 1980s in the United States, there were many cases of adults who suddenly remembered, with the help of a psychologist, things that had happened to them in childhood. These memories had been repressed—held back—for many years. Some of these newly discovered memories have sent people to prison. As people remember crimes (such as murder or rape) mat they saw or experienced as children, the police have reopened and investigated old criminal cases. In fact, over 700 cases have been filled that are based on these repressed memories. However, new students in 1990s suggest mat many of these might be false memories. At a 1994 conference at Harvard Medical School, neuroscientists(神经学科学家们) discussed how memory is believed to work. It is known that small pieces of a memory (sound, right, felling, and so on) are kept in different parts of the brain; the limbic system, in the middle of the brain, pulls these pieces together into one compete memory. But it’’s certain that people can "remember" things that have never happened. Even a small suggestion can leave a piece of memory in the brain. Most frightening, according to Dr. Michael Nash of the University of Tennessee, is that "there may be no structural difference" in the brain between a false memory and a true one. Differences in male and female brains Watch a group of children as they play. You’’ll probably notice that the boys and girls play differently, speak differently and are interested in different things. When they grow into men and women, the difference do not disappear. Many scientists are now studying the origins of these gender differences. Some are searching for an explanation in the human brain. Some of the findings are interesting. For example, they’’ve found that more men than women are left-handed; this reflects the dominance of the brain’’s right hemisphere. By contrast, more women listen equally with both ears while men listen mainly with the right ear. Men are better at reading a map without having to turning the map again and again. Women are better at reading the emotions of people in photographs. One place to look for an explanation of gender differences is in the hypothalamus, just above the brain stem. This controls anger, thirst, hunger, and sexual desire. One recent study shows that there is a region in the hypothalamus that is larger in heterosexual (异性恋的) men than it is in women and homosexual(同性恋的) men. Another area of study is the corpus callosum, the thick group of nerves that allows the right and left hemispheres of the brain to communicate with each other. The corpus callosum is larger in women than in men. This might explain the mystery of "female intuition", which is supposed to give women greater ability to "read" and understand emotional clues. The mystery of the mind-body relationship There is more and more evidence every day to prove that our minds and bodies are closely connected. Negative emotions, such as loneliness, depression, and helplessness, are believed to cause a higher rate of sickness and death. Similarly, it’’s possible that positive thinking can help people remain in good physical health or become well faster after an illness. Although some doctors are doubtful about this, most accept the success of new therapies (e.g., relaxation and meditation) that help people with problems such as ulcers, high blood pressure, insomnia, and migraine headaches. Most people probably don’’t use all their creative experiences.