《2026年学易优高考二轮总复习英语》

B
（2025·沅澧共同体高三一模）
“There's research showing that we tend to postpone breaks when we finish what we've got to do.”, says psychology professor Claudia Hammond, whereas microbreak studies indicate that it is more beneficial to build regular downtime into a busy schedule.
Neuroscientists have shown that continuous mentally taxing work can even lead to poorer decision - making, since it reduces “cognitive（认知的）control”, which is our ability to flexibly direct our thoughts and behavior in order to reach a long - term goal.
In an experiment in 2022, behavioral researcher Antonius Wiehler and his colleagues asked participants to perform simple or demanding tasks on a computer for 6.5 hours. To measure the running - down of cognitive control, the computer periodically interrupted the participants to ask questions such as “Would you like $22 now or $50 in six months?” “In the morning, you're fresh. And you know the best choice is to take the money later,” says Wiehler. But the people doing exhausting tasks increasingly chose the immediate rewards of lower value.
Why would this be? Wiehler and his team showed that people who had done harder tasks had higher levels of glutamate（谷氨酸）in their prefrontal cortex than those doing easy ones. The implication was that perhaps it is the build - up of glutamate that causes a reduction in cognitive control. However, Wiehler's study didn't prove this.
“There are many exciting questions waiting to be solved,” says Wiehler, not least concerning how brains recover and how much rest is needed to maintain or restore normal glutamate levels and cognitive control.
Besides improving decision - making, regular periods of downtime may also aid effective learning. Neuroscientists have long known that memory consolidation occurs during sleep, but now studies suggest that waking rest can also help the brain's records of what we have just learned. “If you rest for a few minutes after you learn something, your memory is better later,” says Erin Wamsley, a psychologist.
1. What can we know from the experiment in 2022?
A. Normal glutamate levels can be restored after the break.
B. People doing simple tasks have better cognitive control.
C. Higher levels of glutamate lead to a reduction in cognitive control.
D. The levels of glutamate can change according to the working intensity.
2. What is the tone of the author?
A. Negative.
B. Critical.
C. Objective.
D. Humorous.
3. What will probably be discussed next in the text?
A. How to promote sleep.
B. How to consolidate memory.
C. How to enhance effective learning.
D. How to improve decision - making.
4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?
A. Glutamate Determines Memory
B. Regular Downtime Brings Benefits
C. Mental Work Reduces Cognitive Control
D. Demanding Tasks Cause Poor Decision - Making

答案： 1.D 细节理解题。根据第四段“Wiehler and his team showed that people who had done harder tasks had higher levels of glutamate(谷氨酸) in their prefrontal cortex than those doing easy ones.（维勒和他的团队发现，完成较难任务的人，其前额叶皮层中的谷氨酸水平比完成简单任务的人高。）”可知，谷氨酸的水平会根据工作强度而变化。故选D项。
2.C 观点态度题。根据第二段中的“Neuroscientists have shown that continuous mentally taxing work can even lead to poorer decision-making，since it reduces ‘cognitive (认知的)control’，which is our ability to flexibly direct our thoughts and behavior in order to reach a long-term goal.（神经科学家已经证明，持续的高强度脑力劳动甚至会导致决策能力下降，因为它会削弱‘认知控制’——即我们灵活引导自己的思维和行为以实现长期目标的能力。）”、第三段中的“In an experiment in 2022，behavioral researcher Antonius Wiehler and his colleagues asked participants to perform simple or demanding tasks on a computer for 6.5 hours.（在2022年的一项实验中，行为研究人员安东尼乌斯·维勒和他的同事让参与者在电脑上执行简单或复杂的任务6.5小时。）”以及第四段中的“Wiehler and his team showed that people who had done harder tasks had higher levels of glutamate(谷氨酸) in their prefrontal cortex than those doing easy ones.（维勒和他的团队发现，完成较难任务的人，其前额叶皮层中的谷氨酸水平比完成简单任务的人高。）”可知，作者只是客观地介绍了各项研究的结果和相关观点，没有加入自己的主观评价或情感倾向。由此可推断，作者的语气是客观的。故选C项。
3.B 推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“Neuroscientists have long known that memory consolidation occurs during sleep，but now studies suggest that waking rest can also help the brain’s records of what we have just learned. “If you rest for a few minutes after you learn something，your memory is better later，” says Erin Wamsley，a psychologist.（神经科学家早就知道记忆巩固发生在睡眠中，但现在的研究表明，清醒时的休息也有助于大脑记录我们刚刚学到的东西。心理学家艾琳·万斯利说:“如果你在学习后休息几分钟，之后你的记忆力会更好。”）”可知，记忆巩固发生在睡眠中，而研究发现，清醒时的休息也有助于大脑记录我们刚刚学到的东西。由此可推断，接下来可能会讨论如何巩固记忆。故选B项。
4.B 主旨大意题。通读全文，尤其是首段“‘There’s research showing that we tend to postpone breaks when we finish what we’ve got to do.’says psychology professor Claudia Hammond，whereas microbreak studies indicate that it is more beneficial to build regular downtime into a busy schedule.（‘有研究表明，我们往往会等到完成手头的工作后再休息，’心理学教授克劳迪娅·哈蒙德说道，而微休息研究则表明，在繁忙的日程中安排规律的休息时间更有益处。）”可知，文章开篇提到在繁忙的日程中安排规律的休息时间更有益处，接着通过实验和研究说明定期休息不仅能改善决策能力，还有助于有效学习等好处，所以题目“定期休息有好处”可以概括文章的主题，适合作为文章标题。故选B项。