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Taking a shower is relaxing. You can hum a song, daydream or think about nothing, leaving the real world behind you. But did you know that showering can also benefit your mind?
Research by Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist from Yale University interviewed over 3, 000 people around the world. It turned out that nearly two-thirds of the interviewees said they had experienced new ideas in the shower and were more likely to have them in the shower than at work.
So why does a simple shower have such magic power? Science can explain it.
Showering can help to raise our level of dopamine(多巴胺), a hormone closely related to our creativity. “People vary in terms of their level of creativity according to the activity of dopamine, ” explained Alice Flaherty, a famous American neuroscientist. “Taking a warm shower can make us feel relaxed and therefore make the dopamine level rise and bring ’Aha! ’ moment to us. ”
Besides the chemical changes, showering may give you a break from what you feel you have been stuck with. Especially when you have thought hard all day about a problem, jumping into the shower can keep you from the outside world so that you can focus on your inner feelings and memories.
Compared with sitting in front of a computer, taking a shower is something we do less frequently in our daily life. When showering, we get a fresh experience with the change of location, temperature and humidity. “New and unexpected experiences can lead to positive changes in thinking, ” explained Kaufman. “Getting off the couch and jumping in the shower may create a distance and force you to think from a new point of view. ”
Showering allows us to enjoy the creative juices of our minds, but it needn’t just be the bathroom where you get your inspiration. For instance, Gertrude Stein, a female American writer and poet, got new ideas by driving around a farm and stopping at different cows until she found the one that most inspired her. So try to create your own way to free your mind.
【文章大意】本文是一篇科普说明文。洗澡可以让人转移注意力并激发灵感, 但灵感产生的方式并不唯一, 人们要善于找到适合自己的激发灵感的方式。
1. According to the article, what changes can showering cause?
A. Bringing the terrible moment to us.
B. Setting the creative part of the brain free.
C. Leading to boredom or tiredness.
D. Increasing the level of dopamine.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据第四段Showering can help to raise our level of dopamine, a hormone closely related to our creativity. “洗澡可以帮助提高我们的多巴胺水平, 多巴胺是一种与我们的创造力密切相关的激素。”可知洗澡可以提高多巴胺的分泌水平。
2. If one has focused on something all day, showering can help _________.
A. turn one’s attention inward
B. draw one’s attention to the outside world
C. make an important breakthrough
D. many chemical changes to take place
【解析】选A。推理判断题。根据第五段可知, 洗澡可能会让你从你一直坚持的事情中解脱出来。尤其是当你一整天都在为一个问题苦苦思索的时候, 跳进淋浴间可以让你远离外界, 让你专注于自己内心的感受和记忆。由此推断洗澡能让人把注意力转向内心。
3. According to Kaufman, why can taking showers make us creative?
A. Because taking showers happens more often.
B. Because taking showers can make us acquire a fresh experience, inspiring us.
C. Because nothing but taking showers can get our inspiration.
D. Because taking showers can help us try something unexpected.
【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据倒数第二段可知, 洗澡时, 随着位置、温度和湿度的变化, 我们会获得全新的体验。考夫曼解释说: “新的和意想不到的经历会导致思维的积极变化。”由此可知洗澡能让我们获得全新的体验, 并对我们有积极的影响。
4. The example of Gertrude Stein in the last paragraph is used to _________.
A. encourage readers to find their own ways of getting inspiration
B. point out to readers that it’s hard to get inspiration
C. explain how to link inspiration with readers’ daily lives
D. show that creativity often comes from strange places
【解析】选A。推理判断题。根据最后一段的首句“洗澡让我们享受大脑的创造力, 但浴室不是你唯一获得灵感的地方。”可知获得灵感的方式很多, 再结合最后一句So try to create your own way to free your mind. “所以努力创造你自己的方式来解放你的思想。”可推断最后一段中Gertrude Stein的例子用来鼓励人们找到适合自己的激发灵感的方式。
