涨知识！人类最早记忆的形成竟在幼儿期！

     

        Perhaps your earliest memory is of a happy time on holiday, or a traumatic event such as a  fall. But if that memory is from before the age of two, it’s almost certainly impossible, researchers said yesterday.
        In the largest ever study on early memory, 6,641 people were questioned about their first memory. They were told the memory should not be linked to photos of themselves, a family story, or any other source apart from direct experience. 60% of first memories were from the average age of 3.24 years – matching research showing this is when we develop the mental faculties to form memories.
        These memories included “the first time I walked” and “the first word I spoke”. The authors said for older people, early memories could be explained by a need to “complete” the story of their life to their earliest years. They said 30 percent were about family relationships such as “my parents were going on holiday” and a further 18 percent remembered “feeling sad”.
        Professor Martin Conway said: “When we looked through the responses from participants we found that a lot of these first memories were frequently related to infancy. For this person, this type of memory could have resulted from someone saying something like ‘mother had a large green pram’. The person then imagines what it would have looked like. Over time these then become a memory and often the person will start to add things in such as toys along the top. In fact, when people are told that their memories are false they often don’t believe it.” He added: “It’s not until we’re five or six that we form adult-like memories due to the way that the brain develops.”

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1.What does the underlined word “traumatic” mean?

A happy

B painful

C important

D surprising

解析：选B。词义推测题。根据第一段第一句的or（或者）可知前后是两种相反的情景，前面是happy，则后面应选happy的反义词，故选B。

2.What could people do when reporting their first memory?

A They could ever look at their own photos.

B They could only use the mental faculties.

C They could just recall their own experience.

D They could know everything when 3.24.

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据第二段第二句They were told the memory should not be linked to photos of themselves, a family story, or any other source apart from direct experience.可知那些参与调研的人只能根据自身的经历来回答问题。故选C。

3.Why did old people tend to give a complete story about their early years?

A They wanted to have a complete life.

B They needed very good relationship.

C They showed they were good at walking.

D They only got some sad memories.

解析：选A。A。细节理解题。根据第三段第二句The authors said for older people, early memories could be explained by a need to “complete” the story of their life to their earliest years.可知老人想让他们早期的生活更加完整才编出一个完整的记忆。故选A。

4.How did participants form their early memory?

A They had adult-like memories.

B Their brains developed fast.

C They made up their own story.

D They got interested in toys.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据第四段第二句至第四句的内容可知这些参与调研的人是听了关于他们自己的故事后进行想象和加工，从而形成他们最早的回忆的。故选C。