良好的情绪有利于增强认知功能

An algorithm is called MINDWATCH that analyzes a person’s brain activity from data collected through any wearable device that can monitor electrodermal（皮肤电的） activity. This activity reflects changes in electrical conductance caused by emotional stress， linked to sweat responses.

In this recent MINDWATCH study， published in Nature Scientific Reports， subjects wearing skin-monitoring wristbands and brain monitoring headbands completed cognitive tests while listening to music， drinking coffee and smelling perfumes reflecting their individual preferences. They also completed those tests without any of those stimulants.

The MINDWATCH algorithm revealed that music and coffee measurably changed subjects’ brain excitement， essentially putting them in a physiological “state of mind” that could adjust their performance in the working memory tasks they were performing. Right now MINDWATCH is still under development， but Researchers’ eventual goal is that it will contribute to technology that could allow any person to monitor his or her own brain cognitive excitement in real time， detecting moments of acute stress or cognitive disengagement. At those times， MINDWATCH could push a person towards simple and safe interventions — perhaps listening to music — so they could get themselves into a brain state in which they feel better and perform job or school tasks more successfully.

In the study， researchers tested three types of music — energetic and relaxing music familiar to the subject， as well as novel AI-generated music that reflected the subject’s tastes. Consistent with prior MINDWATCH research， familiar energetic music delivered bigger performance gains — as measured by reaction times and correct answers — than relaxing music. AI-generated music produced the biggest gains among all three.

Drinking coffee led to notable but less-pronounced performance gains than music， and perfume had the paltriest gains.

Ongoing experimentation by the MINDWATCH team will confirm the effectiveness of the technology’s ability to monitor brain activity consistently， and the general success of various interventions in adjusting that brain activity. But determining a category of generally successful interventions does not mean that any individual person will find it works for them.

（材料选自Science Daily网站，有删改）

1. What did subjects do during the experiment？

A. They needed to buy wristbands.

B. They published MINDWATCH study.

C. They finished tests with wearable device.

D. They showed their individual preferences.

2. What can be inferred from paragraph 3？

A. Researchers need to continue their research.

B. Subjects enjoy listening to music and drinking coffee.

C. Researchers can monitor subjects’ brain cognitive excitement.

D. Subjects perform their job better with the help of MINDWATCH.

3. What benefits subjects most？

A. Light music. B. Relaxing music.

C. Energetic music D. AI-generated music.

4. What does the underlined word “paltriest” mean？

A. Smallest. " B. Wisest.

C. Fattest. " D. Bravest.

1. C。解析：细节理解题。材料第二段的第一句提到“在最近发表在《自然科学报告》上的MINDWATCH研究中，戴着皮肤监控腕带和大脑监控头带的受试者在听音乐、喝咖啡和闻香水时完成了认知测试，以反映他们的个人喜好”。由此可知，他们需要戴上设备来完成测试。C选项与材料内容相符，故选C。

2. A。解析：推理判断题。材料第三段的第二句提到“MINDWATCH目前仍在研发中，但研究人员的最终目标是希望其有助于开发一种技术，让任何人都能实时监控自己的大脑认知兴奋度，检测急性压力或认知脱离的时刻”。由此可知，MINDWATCH还在开发中。A选项与材料内容相符，故选A。

3. D。解析：细节理解题。材料第四段的最后一句提到“人工智能产生的音乐在这三种音乐中收益最大”。由此可知，人工智能合成的音乐效果是最好的。D选项与材料内容相符，故选D。

4. A。解析：词义猜测题。材料第五段中提到“与听音乐相比，喝咖啡带来了明显但没那么明显的表现提升，而闻香水带来的提升最微不足道”。由此可知，喝咖啡所带来的效果不如听音乐，而紧跟着的内容中没有任何具有转折性质的词汇，从而可以大胆推测听音乐的效果是最好的，其次是喝咖啡，最后是闻香水。这说明闻香水的效果是最小的，“paltry”应有“微小的”之意，与A选项“smallest”的意思相似，故选A。