《2025年凤凰新学案高中英语必修第一册译林版》

C
From ancient myths to modern research, it is undeniable that we often see labels attached to being left-handed. Left-handed people, or "lefties" as they are often called, are generally believed to be good at art—Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso and Michelangelo are all left-handed. But what exactly makes someone left-handed or right-handed?
Our brain is divided into two parts: the left hemisphere(半球), and the right hemisphere. The left hemisphere, linked to logic and analysis, is responsible for the right side of the body. The right hemisphere, linked to creativity and imagination, controls the left side of the body. So, people tend to believe lefties are controlled by the right side of the brain and are more creative than right-handers. Some also think that lefties may not be as good as their right-handed counterparts in mathematics and problem-solving skills.
However, a study carried out by scientists from the University of Liverpool in the UK and the University of Milan in Italy proved this theory wrong. The study involved more than 2,300 students in Italy aged between 6 and 17 years old. They were asked to complete several mathematical tasks of different levels. It turned out the left-handers outperformed the others when the tasks involved difficult problem-solving. This pattern was particularly clear in male adolescents. It was also discovered that those who are "severely" right-handed performed less well in all the experiments compared to "moderate" right-handers and left-handers.
"Taken together, these findings show that handedness does influence abilities to some extent," the study's authors wrote. "Nevertheless, handedness is just an indirect expression of brain function," wrote psychology professor Giovanni Sala from the University of Liverpool in the UK, the lead author of the study. Sala also noted that only one third of people with a highly-developed right side of the brain are left-handed. It means that there are lots of right-handed people with a similar brain function as left-handers.
8. Why are left-handed people usually believed to be more creative?
A. Because they are believed to be controlled by the creative right hemisphere.
B. Because their left hemisphere of the brain is more developed.
C. Because they have a special gene for creativity.
D. Because they outperformed others in art.
9. What did the experiment in Paragraph 3 discover?
A. There was no difference between left-handers and right-handers.
B. Male adolescents performed worse than female adolescents in all tasks.
C. Left-handers always performed better than right-handers in all experiments.
D. Left-handers are good at solving difficult problems.
10. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Not all people with a highly developed right side of the brain are left-handed.
B. There is no relationship between handedness and mathematical performance.
C. Being left-handed is what determines a person's creativity.
D. All right-handers have similar brain functions as left-handers.
11. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Left-handed: naturally smarter
B. Left-handed: beyond common belief
C. Left-handed: superior creators
D. Left-handed: the genius marker

答案： 8.A 细节理解题。根据第二段第三、四句可知，与创造力和想象力有关的大脑右半球控制着身体的左侧。所以，人们倾向于认为左撇子比右撇子更有创造力。故选 A项。
9.D 推理判断题。根据第三段第四句中的 the left-handers outperformed the others when the tasks involved difficult problem-solving 可知，实验发现了在解决难题方面左撇子的表现优于其他人。故选 D项。
10.A 细节理解题。根据第四段倒数第二句中的 only one third of people with a highly-developed right side of the brain are left-handed 可知，只有三分之一右脑高度发达的人是左撇子。由此可知，不是所有右脑高度发达的人都是左撇子。故选 A项。
11.B 标题归纳题。文章先是阐述了人们对于左撇子常见的一些看法，然后通过实验研究说明左撇子在很多方面和人们传统认知是不一样的，所以“Left-handed：beyond common belief(左撇子：超出常规认知)”这个标题最能概括文章内容。故选 B项。