2020考研复试：六级听力短文精读

你永远不可能听懂你读不懂的文章，要解决听力问题，首先需要解决阅读问题，今天我们一起来精读2017年六级听力的一篇短文吧!

v 听力原文

Psychological research shows we consistently underestimate our mental powers. If you think this does not apply to you, then here is a simple test to show you’re wrong. Write down the names of all the American states you can remember. Put the list away, and then set yourself the same task a week later. Provided you have not cheated by consulting an atlas, you will notice something rather surprising. The two lists will contain roughly the same number of states, but they will not be identical. Some names will have slipped away, but others will have replaced them. This suggests that somewhere in your mind you may well have a record of virtually every state. So it is not really your memory letting you down, just your ability to retrieve information from it.

We would remember a lot more if we had more confidence in your memories and knew how to use them properly. One useful tip is that things are more likely to be remembered if you are in exactly the same state and place as you were when you learn them. So if you are a student who always reviews over black coffee, perhaps it would be sensible to prime yourself with a cup before the exam. If possible, you should also try to learn information in the room where it is going to be tested.

When you learn is also important. Lots of people swear they can absorb new information more efficiently at some times of the day than at others. Research shows this is not just imagination. There is a biological rhythm for learning, though it affects different people in different ways. For most of us, the best plan is to take in new information in the morning and then try to consolidate it into memory during the afternoon. But this does not apply to everyone, so it is essential to establish your own rhythm. You can do this by learning a set number of lines of poetry at different times of the day, and see when most lines stick. When you have done this, try to organize your life so that the time set aside for learning coincides with the time when your memory is at its best.

Avoid learning marathons—they do not make the best use of your mind. Take plenty of breaks, because they offer a double bonus: the time off gives your mind a chance to do some preliminary consolidation and it also gives a memory boost to the learning.

v 单词积累

1. consistently adv. 一贯地;一致地

2. underestimate v. 低估 (overestimate v. 高估)

3. provided conj. 如果;假如

4. atlas n. 地图册;地图集

5. roughly adv. 大约;大致

6. identical adj. 完全同样的

7. virtually adv. 几乎;差不多

8. sensible adj. 明智的;理智的;合理的 (sensitive adj. 易生气的)

9. prime adj. 主要的;首要的 / n. 盛年 / v. 使(某人)做好准备

10. absorb v. 吸收;理解;掌握

11. consolidate v. 使加强;使巩固

12. marathon n. 马拉松赛跑

13. preliminary adj. 初步的;开始的

v 词组积累

1. apply to 适用于;应用于

2. slip away 悄悄溜走

3. retrieve from 取回;索回

4. biological rhythm 生物节律

5. set aside 省出;抽出

6. coincide with 符合;与……相一致

7. make the best use of 充分利用

v 全文参考翻译

心理学研究表明，我们总是低估自己大脑的能力。如果你认为这并不适用于你，那么这里有一个简单的测试来证明你是错的。写下你能记住的所有美国州的名字。把清单收起来，一周后再给自己设定同样的任务。如果你没有通过查阅地图集作弊，你会注意到一些相当令人惊讶的事情。这两个列表将包含大致相同数量的州的名字，但它们并不完全相同。有些名字会被遗忘，但有其他名字来取代他们的位置。这表明，在你的脑海中，你很可能有几乎所有州的记录。所以并不是你的记忆让你失望，而是你从记忆中获取信息的能力让你失望。

如果我们对你的记忆有更多的信心并且知道如何正确使用它们，我们会记住更多的东西。一个有用的建议是，如果你和你在学习这件事的时候处于完全相同的状态和位置，那么这件事就更有可能被记住。所以，如果你是一个经常喝黑咖啡复习的学生，那么在考试前喝杯咖啡来让自己做好准备可能是明智的。如果可能的话，你也应该试着在将要测试的房间里学习。

什么时候学习也很重要。很多人发誓他们在一天中的某些时候比其他时候能更有效地掌握新信息。研究表明，这不仅仅是想象。学习是有生物节律的，尽管这个节律通过不同的方式影响不同的人。对我们大多数人来说，最好的计划是在早上吸收新信息，然后在下午努力把它巩固到记忆中。但这并不适用于每个人，所以建立自己的节奏很重要。你可以通过在一天的不同时间学习几行诗来看看什么时候大多数诗都能被记下来。当你这样做的时候，试着安排你的生活，以便留出学习的时间与你记忆最好的时候相一致。

避免学习马拉松——它们不能充分利用你的头脑。多休息，因为休息有双重好处：休息能让你的大脑有机会进行一些初步的巩固，也能提高学习的记忆力。