An algorithm is called MINDWATCH that analyzes a person’s brain activity from data collected through any wearable device that can monitor electrodermal（皮膚電的） 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.

（材料選自Science Daily網(wǎng)站，有刪改）

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：細(xì)節(jié)理解題。材料第二段的第一句提到“在最近發(fā)表在《自然科學(xué)報(bào)告》上的MINDWATCH研究中，戴著皮膚監(jiān)控腕帶和大腦監(jiān)控頭帶的受試者在聽音樂、喝咖啡和聞香水時(shí)完成了認(rèn)知測(cè)試，以反映他們的個(gè)人喜好”。由此可知，他們需要戴上設(shè)備來完成測(cè)試。C選項(xiàng)與材料內(nèi)容相符，故選C。

2. A。解析：推理判斷題。材料第三段的第二句提到“MINDWATCH目前仍在研發(fā)中，但研究人員的最終目標(biāo)是希望其有助于開發(fā)一種技術(shù)，讓任何人都能實(shí)時(shí)監(jiān)控自己的大腦認(rèn)知興奮度，檢測(cè)急性壓力或認(rèn)知脫離的時(shí)刻”。由此可知，MINDWATCH還在開發(fā)中。A選項(xiàng)與材料內(nèi)容相符，故選A。

3. D。解析：細(xì)節(jié)理解題。材料第四段的最后一句提到“人工智能產(chǎn)生的音樂在這三種音樂中收益最大”。由此可知，人工智能合成的音樂效果是最好的。D選項(xiàng)與材料內(nèi)容相符，故選D。

4. A。解析：詞義猜測(cè)題。材料第五段中提到“與聽音樂相比，喝咖啡帶來了明顯但沒那么明顯的表現(xiàn)提升，而聞香水帶來的提升最微不足道”。由此可知，喝咖啡所帶來的效果不如聽音樂，而緊跟著的內(nèi)容中沒有任何具有轉(zhuǎn)折性質(zhì)的詞匯，從而可以大膽推測(cè)聽音樂的效果是最好的，其次是喝咖啡，最后是聞香水。這說明聞香水的效果是最小的，“paltry”應(yīng)有“微小的”之意，與A選項(xiàng)“smallest”的意思相似，故選A。