The Need to Remember

Some people say they have no memory at all: "I just can't rememB.er athing !" B.ut of coursewe all have amemory. Our memory tells us who we are. Our memory helps us to make use in thepresent of what we have learnt in the past.

In fact we have different types of memory. For example, our visual memory helps us recallfacts and places. Some people have such astrong visual memory that they can remember exactlywhat they have seen, for example, pages of abook, as acomplete picture.

Our verbal( 言语的 )memory helps us rememB.er words and figures we may have heard butnot seen or written: Items of ashopping list, achemical formula, dates, or arecipe.

With our emotional(情感的)memory, we recall situations or places where we had; strongfeelings, perhaps of happiness or unhappiness. We also have special memories for smell, taste,touch and sound, and for performing physical movements.

We have two ways of storing any of these memories. Our short-term memory stores items forup to thirty seconds--enough to remember atelephone number while we dial. Our long-term mem-ory, on the other hand, may store items for alifetime. Older people in fact have amuch biterlong-term memory than short-term. They may forget what they have done only afew hours ago, buthave the clearest remembrance (记忆) of when they were very young.

Psychologists tell us that we only remember afew facts about our past, and that we invent therest. It is as though we remember only the oudine of astory. We then make up the details. We of-ten do this in the way we want to remember them, usually so that we appear as the heroes of ourown past, or maybe victims needing sympathy (同情).

Visual memory helps us recall aplace we have been to.

A.Right

B.Wrong

C.Not mentioned

参考答案：A

参考解析：根据文章第二段第二句话可知，视觉记忆可以帮助我们记起事实和地方，故本题表述正确，视觉记忆可以帮我们记起曾经去过的地方。

Visual memory may be used when we read astory.

A.Right

B.Wrong

C.Not mentioned

参考答案：A

参考解析： 根据文章第二段最后一句话中的“Some people have such…pages of A.book…”可知题干正确，故本题表述正确。

Verbal memory helps us read words we have never heard.

A.Right

B.Wrong

C.Not mentioned

参考答案：B

参考解析： 根据文章第三段中的“…words and figures we may have heard but not seen or writ.ten…”可知题干表述错误。

Emotional memory is used when we perform physical movements.

A.Right

B.Wrong

C.Not mentioned

参考答案：B

参考解析： 根据文章第四段最后一句可知，perform physical movements说的是special memories。

因此题干错误。

Animals do not have along-term memory.

A.Right

B.Wrong

C.Not mentioned

参考答案：C

参考解析： 联系全文，本文主要说的是人的记忆，而未提及动物。

Long-term memory is more important than short-term memory.

A.Right

B.Wrong

C.Not mentioned

参考答案：C

参考解析： 文章倒数第二段对short-term memory和long-term memory作了区分，并未进行重要性的比较。

Generally we rememB.er only afew facts aB.out the past.

A.Right

B.Wrong

C.Not mentioned

参考答案：A

参考解析： 根据文章最后一段第1句话可知，关于过去我们只记得一部分，剩下的都是自己编造的，故本题表述正确。