Section
2---Unit 16 Science and Technology
Mad
about Memory?
"You
forgot once again, didn't you?" Caroline asks as she glares at her
boyfriend. Tom tries to remember if there was something important that he was
supposed to do today, but his girlfriend only grows angrier. It’s my birthday,
you idiot!" Caroline says. “Why can't you ever seem to remember a simple
date?"
This
is a common scene in relationships. Recent studies have begun to show that
there are scientific reasons behind the differences between men and women.
Women score higher on tests for long-term memory episodic memory, and men do
better with visuospatial memories.
To
put it more simply, women tend to hold onto memories about events, such as
weddings, accidents, and everyday occurrences. Men, however, are better with
tactical memories, like traveling directions and sports facts. In addition, if
the memory involves faces, smells, or emotions, women usually remember more
clearly. This explains why it's more likely for a woman to remember the date of
the first day a couple met.
The
way people remember has to do with how the brain processes and stores information.
The part of the brain that deals with emotions is bigger for women, so it's
easy to understand that they would process memories of emotional events more
easily. On the other hand, one reason men recall directions and certain visual
details more accurately may be their larger space-perception brain area.
With
these differences, is it any wonder that men and women remember things
differently? You shouldn't use this new knowledge as an excuse for forgetting
things, though. Instead, forget about memory misunderstandings and create
special moments that everyone will enjoy remembering.
Reading Comprehension
( ) 1. Which of the following is true,
according to the article?
(A)
Women don't usually remember events well.
(B)
Men can remember how to get somewhere more easily than women.
(C)
There aren't any scientific reasons for memory differences between men and
women.
(D)
Women are more likely to remember visual details.
( ) 2. What is the purpose of the article?
(A)
To learn why women get upset when men forget something
(B)
To show how men forget more easily than women
(C)
To introduce how men and women remember differently
(D)
To explain why women are more willing to remember things
( ) 3. What benefit does a larger
space-perception brain area have?
(A)
It helps people recall directions and certain visual details more accurately.
(B)
It helps people be more accurate when storing information.
(C)
It helps people have more long-term episodic memory.
(D)
It helps people remember faces, smells, and emotions more clearly.
( ) 4. According to the article, what should
you use this new knowledge for?
(A)
Use it as an excuse for forgetting things
(B)
Use it to increase your visuospatial memories
(C)
Use it to recall certain visual details
(D)
Use it to create memories that can be enjoyed by everyone