We often hear people say, “I have a good memory for things like that” or “I can remember names”. But do you know memory is the single most important thing and it has played a very important part?

For early men, there were dangerous all around them----bad weather, wild animals. The keys to keep on living lay in man's ability to remember these dangers and the ways he had dealt with them in the past. In order for memories to be stored, the human brain became more complex. And as man learned how to deal with them, he became civilized（文明）.Surprisingly, scientists today understand little about memory and how it works. They have not yet found a way to open up the brain and observe its function without destroying it. Perhaps there are two types of memory: short-term and long-term. Short-term refers to those facts that stay with us for a few seconds to a few hours. For instance, when you stay at a hotel, you remember the room number and forget as soon as you leave. Long-term memory, on the other hand, means you remember things for a long period of time. If you spend your honeymoon in a particular hotel, it's likely that you'll remember your stay quite clearly.

Scientists also believe that a short-term memory can become a long-term memory through consolidation（鞏固）. A lot of chemical and physical changes take place in the part of the brain. Although the human brain weighs three pounds, it contains 30 billion nerve cells（神經細胞）acting like a computer. When those changes strengthen the links（聯(lián)系）in certain nerve cells, a though becomes a part of the long-term memory.

60. According to the author, without the development of man's memory there would be _____.

A. no modern world         B. no recorded history          C. no animals           D. no dangers

61. Scientists' knowledge about the function of brain is _____.

A. interesting                   B. not enough                      C. great                   D. encouraging

62. Short-term memory can change into long-term memory on condition that _____.

A. memory is good

B. it acts like a computer

C. people do more exercise

D. the links in nerve cells are strengthened by certain changes

63. So far the great discovery scientists have made about the function of brain is _____.

A. the weight of brain                                                   B. two types of memory

C. 30 billion nerve cells                                                 D. chemical and physical changes

We often hear people say, "I have a good memory for things like that. " or "I can remember names."

But do you know memory is the single most important thing and it has played a very important part? For early men, there were dangers all around them--bad weather, wild animals. The keys to keep on living lay in man's ability to remember these dangers and the ways he had dealt with them in the past. And as man learned how to deal with them, he became civilized. Surprisingly, scientists have not yet found a way to open up the brain and observe its function without destroying it. Perhaps there are two types of memory: long-term and short-term. Short-term refers to those facts that stay with us for a few seconds to a few hours. For example, when you stay at a hotel, you remember the room number and forget it as soon as you leave. Long-term memory, on the other hand, means you remember things for a long period of time. If you spend your honeymoon in a special hotel, it's likely that you'll remember your stay quite clearly.

Scientists also believe that a short-term memory can become a long-term memory if a lot of chemical and physical changes take place in the part of the brain. Although the human brain weighs three pounds, it contains 30 billion nerve cells (神經細胞) acting like a computer. When those changes strengthen (加強) the links in certain nerve cells, a thought becomes a part of the long-term memory.

56. From the first paragraph, we know that someone is good at remembering _____.

A. names             B. figures             C. pictures            D. actions

57. To live safely, people in the past should be able to remember

A. the learning ability                        B. the dangers around them

C. some wild plants                           D. their friends' addresses

58. How many types of memory are mentioned in the passage?

A. 1.                  B. 2.                  C. 3.                 D. 4.

59. A short-term memory can become a long-term memory when _____.

A. certain nerve cells get destroyed in daily life

B. the facts stay in the brain for quite a few hours

C. people become strong through different exercise

D. some nerve cells link strongly by certain changes

60. What's the best title for this passage?

A. Living skills                               B. Chemical changes

C. Memory types                            D. Physical changes