New Study Claims Criminals can be Identified by Brain Scans

New Study Claims Criminals can be Identified by Brain Scans

Scientists have found evidence that different things are happening in the brains of people who break the law on purpose, compared to those who do so by accident. Consider two people. One cheated on his taxes by not declaring some income. The other intended to file his taxes honestly, but he forgot to report pay he received for a couple of days of part-time work. Both of them broke the law, yet only one did so intentionally.

A court of law would likely treat the two individuals in the above situation quite differently. One principle of justice is that a person having the intent to commit a crime makes it a more serious matter. Such individuals are usually punished more harshly than people who unknowingly break the law. New scientific evidence could be seen as providing support for this flexible approach to dealing with criminal behaviors.

Of course, scientists can’t study criminals at the actual moments they are committing real crimes. Instead, researchers asked forty people to participate in a laboratory study involving risks and rewards. Each participant was asked to carry an imaginary suitcase across a border in exchange for a reward. In some cases, the participants were told the suitcase would contain illegal drugs. In other cases, it was less clear to the participants exactly what would be in the suitcase. The experiment conditions also allowed the scientists to vary the likelihood that a participant’s bag would be checked at the border by a customs inspector. In other words, the level of risk could be adjusted so participants would be more or less likely to get caught transporting illegal drugs.

The experiment used medical technology to scan and compare participants’ brains. The

computer-enhanced images revealed that brain activity was different depending on the conditions in each situation. Most interesting to researchers was that whenever people meant to break the law, their brains showed similar patterns.

Even though the research finding is interesting, it must be interpreted with caution. The small sample size of only forty research subjects means the results can’t be applied to all criminals in all situations. Besides, it would be impossible to travel back in time to use brain scans to test exactly what a person was thinking at the moment he or she broke the law. This remains a matter for courts to decide.

Reading Comprehension

(   ) 1. What is the passage mainly concerned?

(A) All of the criminals will be brought to justice.

(B) Those who broke the law by accident would escape punishment.

(C) The experiment used medical technology to scan participants’ brains.

(D) Criminal behaviors can be identified by medical technology.

(   ) 2. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about the research finding?

(A) It is possible to travel back in time to test a criminal’s mind.

           (B) It is based on small samples.

(C) It must be interpreted with carefulness.

(D) It cannot replace the role of the courts in judging a crime.

(   ) 3. The word “caution” in the fifth paragraph is closest in meaning to “_______.”

(A) challenge                     (B) warning                     (C) care                   (D) comfort

(   ) 4. What can be inferred from the passage?

(A) Scientists can’t study criminals at the actual moments they are committing crimes.

(B) Whenever people plan to break the law, their brains show different patterns.

(C) A person having the intent to commit a crime makes it a less serious matter.

(D) In this experiment, all participants were told the suitcase would contain drugs.

(   ) 5. What is the author’s attitude toward the research finding discussed in the passage?

(A) Positive.                     (B) Neutral.                     (C) Hostile.            (D) Promising.

Vocabulary and Phrases

1.      scan [sk8n] n. [C] (用儀器)掃瞄，檢查

．Mrs. Frank’s whole-body scan during her thorough checkup showed that she was in good health.

2.      on purpose [An `p3p1s] phr. 故意，有意地

   ．The boy didn’t break the window on purpose. It was an accident.

3.      intend [In`tEnd] vt. 計畫，想要

intentionally [In`tEnS1nLI] adv. 有意地

．The local government intended to shut down some schools due to the downsizing of
education budget.

．Iris said that she had accidentally revealed the secret, but I thought she did it intentionally.

4.      justice [`dZ^stIs] n. [U] 司法制度

．The serial killer escaped from prison. The public believe that he will be brought to justice   
     soon.

5.      harshly [hArSlI] adv. 苛刻地

   ．Claire was once harshly scolded by her father in public, and she regarded it as the most   
     shameful moment in her life.

6.      unknowingly [^n`noI9lI] adv. 無意地

．Mrs. Lin got lost in this new city after unknowingly driving in the wrong direction.

7.      flexible [`flEks1bL] adj. 可變通的

．My working hours are highly flexible, so I can go to the office whenever I want to.

8.      approach [1`protS] n. [C] 方式，方法

   ．The language teacher shared a new approach to mastering a foreign language.

9.      actual [`8ktS51l] adj. 實際的，確切的

   ．Susan wasn’t sure of her mother’s actual size, so she didn’t buy that skirt for her.

10.  reward [rI`wOrd] n. [C] 報酬，回報

．Mrs. Brown gave me some homemade cakes as a reward for driving her to the train station.

11.  illegal [I`liGL] adj. 不合法的，非法的

．The gangster had engaged in many illegal activities before he was caught by the police.

12.  likelihood [`laIklI&h5d] n. [U] 可能，可能性

．The mayor, who was found guilty of corruption, must face the likelihood that he will step
  down from his post.

13.  transport [tr8ns`pOrt] vt. 運輸，運送

   ．The oysters and lobsters are transported to different countries by plane in order to keep them      

fresh.

14. enhance [In`h8ns] vt. 提高，增強

   ．Good communication and mutual trust can enhance parents’ relationships with their children.

15. interpret [In`t3pr1t] vt. 解釋，詮釋

．Mr. Wang buried himself in his work. His work performance was interpreted as a high
  degree of commitment to the company.

16. caution [`kOS1n] n. [U] 小心，謹慎

．My doctor suggested that the headache tablet should be taken with extreme caution because it
 has some serious side effects.

17. subject [`s^bdZIkt] n. [C] 實驗對象

   ．The subjects of this scientific experiment are all women aged 18-30.

Words for Recognition

1.      customs inspector [`k^st1mz In`spEkt2] n. 海關人員

負責執行國家邊境進出口監管與關稅稅務事項，工作內容包括行李檢查、徵收關稅、查禁走私違禁品等。

Translation

新研究宣稱腦部掃瞄能辨認罪行

科學家發現，故意違法的人與意外觸法的人相比，大腦活動有所不同的證據。試想以下兩個人：一人為了逃稅而故意不申報部分收入；另一人想誠實報稅，但忘記申報幾天的兼職收入。兩個人都犯了法，但只有一人故意為之。

法院對上述兩人的處置可能大有不同。司法的原則之一是故意犯法的人情節較為重大。這種人通常比無意中犯法的人罰得更重。新發現的科學證據可被視為替這種處理犯行的彈性作法提供依據。

科學家當然無法在罪犯犯下真實罪行的當下進行研究。研究人員改請四十位民眾參加涉及風險和獎勵的實驗室研究。每位參加者被要求想像攜帶一只公事包穿越邊界以交換報酬。部分參加者被告知公事包裡有非法毒品。其他參加者則未被明確告知公事包裡的內容物。實驗條件允許科學家改變參加者公事包被海關人員檢查的可能性。換句話說，風險程度可被調整，讓參加者不確定被逮到運毒的機率。

這項實驗使用醫療科技來掃瞄和比較參加者的大腦。電腦加強處理過的影像顯示依每種情境的狀況不同，大腦的活動有異。研究人員覺得最有趣的是，當人們故意犯法時，他們的大腦呈現相似的模式。
　　雖然研究結論很有趣，但必須謹慎解讀。僅四十個研究對象的樣本太少，意味著實驗結果無法在所有狀況下適用於所有罪犯。此外，這並無法回到過去，利用大腦掃描來測試一個人在犯法的當下究竟在想些什麼。這仍有賴法院定奪。

閱讀測驗解答：1. D  2. A  3. C  4. A  5. B