A
[2019·长沙市南昌市第一次联考]We all have our own tricks to cheer up when we're feeling down; these little tricks can make you feel a little bit happier every day. While there are certainly happy memories tied up in the wedding ring you and your spouse (配偶) purchased together years ago or your teddy bear from childhood, new research finds that we typically feel calmer and experience a greater sense of wellbeing when we focus on a place that reminds us of happier times rather than a thing, even if it holds great value.
The report, called Places That Make Us, was conducted by National Trust's and Surrey University's researchers. Experts performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (磁共振成像) scans on 20 volunteers and conducted an online survey of 2,000 people to better understand this deep draw toward special places.
“Working with leading researchers and academics, and using cuttingedge MRI brain technology, we examined how places affect people, how they become special, and why we feel a pull towards them，”explained Nino Strachey, head of research for the National Trust.
The 20 volunteers were shown images of landscapes, houses, and other locations, as well as personally meaningful objects. Measuring their brain activity, the researchers found that it was the places, as opposed to the objects, that caused the brain to get the most excited.
Volunteers were also interviewed at great length two times, once at home and the other time at their special place. The research made discoveries that had never known before — the favorite places awoke feelings of belonging, physical and emotional safety, and an intense internal pull to the place.
Dr. Andy Myers weighed_in_on the research, saying, “For the first time we have been able to prove the physical and emotional benefits of places, far beyond any research that has been done before.”
体裁：说明文 题材：幸福 主题：回忆美好时光提升幸福感
【解题导语】 文章介绍了回忆某个与美好时光相关的地方时，我们会感到平静，幸福感也更加强烈。
【难句分析】 Measuring their brain activity，the researchers found that it was the places，as opposed to the objects，that caused the brain to get the most excited.
分析：这是一个复合句。the researchers found是主句，it was the places, as opposed to the objects，that caused the brain to get the most excited是宾语从句。Measuring their brain activity是非谓语动词作状语，it was... that...是强调句式。
译文：通过检测他们的大脑活动，研究人员发现能使大脑最为兴奋的是这些地方，而不是物品。
1．How was the research conducted?
A．By performing MRI on 2,000 volunteers.
B．By measuring the participants' brain by MRI.
C．By doing rough interviews with the participants.
D．By showing meaningful objects to the participants.
答案与解析：B 考查细节理解。根据第二段中的“Experts performed... on 20 volunteers”和第三段中的“using cuttingedge MRI brain technology”可知，研究者使用磁共振成像检查技术对参与者的大脑进行检测，故选B项。
2．How would the author feel about the findings of the study?
A．It is pioneering. B．It is groundless.
C．It is imperfect. D．It is uncommon.
答案与解析：A 考查推理判断。根据第五段中的“The research made discoveries that had never known before”可知，该研究的发现是前所未有的，故pioneering“开创性的，先驱的”符合题意。
3．What does the underlined phrase “weighed in on” mean?
A．Think highly of. B．Look down on.
C．Pay attention to. D．Make fun of.
答案与解析：A 考查词义猜测。根据最后一段Dr. Andy Myers的话“For the first time we have been able to prove the physical and emotional benefits of places, far beyond any research that has been done before”可推知，Dr. Andy Myers认为这个研究开辟了先河，比之前的任何研究都好，所以对它“高度评价”。
4．What does the text mainly talk about?
A．Everyone has his way to be happy.
B．Valuable places can make people happy.
C．Teddy bears are best memories for children.
D．Meaningful objects lead to greater wellbeing.
答案与解析：B 考查主旨大意。根据第一段中的“new research finds that we typically feel calmer and experience a greater sense of wellbeing when we focus on a place that reminds us of happier times rather than a thing”及下文的内容可知，本文主要讲的是与某件物品相比，当我们集中精神回忆某个与美好时光相关的地方时，我们尤其会感到平静，幸福感也更加强烈。所以选B项。
