Scientists，psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the classical writers like Shakespeare and Wordsworth has a great effect on the mind，catches the reader's attention and triggers moments of self-examination．
   Using a special machine，they monitored the brain activity of 30 volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare，William Wordsworth，T．S．Eliot and others．
   In the first part of the research，the brain activity of 30 volunteers was monitored as they read passages from Shakespeare's plays，including King Lear，Othello，Coriolanus and Macbeth，and again as they read the text rewritten in a simpler form or modern language．
   While reading the common texts，normal levels of electrical activity were shown in their brains．When they read the works of Shakespeare，however，the levels of activity jumped because of his use of words which were unfamiliar to them．The result of the test showed that the more challenging passages cause a greater degree of electrical activity in the brain than the common ones．
   Scientists went on to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and recorded how it lit up as the readers came across unusual words，surprising phrases or difficult sentences in the classical works．As a result，this lightening up process of the mind lasted longer than that when volunteers read common texts，encouraging further reading．
   The research also found that reading poetry especially increases activity in the right hemisphere（半球） of the brain，an area connected with "autobiographical memory"，driving the readers to think carefully about their own experiences based on what they have read．The academics said this meant the classical works of literature are more useful than self-help books．
   Philip Davis，an English professor who has worked on the study in the university's magnetic resonance center，announced this week： "Classical literature acts like a rocket-booster to the brain，which provides extra power for the brain．You may never imagine how powerful it is．The research shows such kind of literature can create new thoughts and connections in the young and the old．"

（1）The underlined word "trigger" in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to " "．
A．depends on
B．picks up
C．sets off
D．changes into
（2）Which of the following is NOT true about reading classical literature？
A．It makes readers' brain more active than reading common texts．
B．It makes readers' electrical activity of brain return to normal．
C．It's helpful for readers to come up with new ideas．
D．It's an activity that is suitable for people of all ages．
（3）From the research，we can learn that ．
A．the readers prefer Shakespeare's works to the other writers' works
B．the words of classical works make it hard for volunteers to read further
C．reading classical works produces a good and long-lasting effect on the mind
D．poetry increases left-brain activity more than other literary forms
（4）What does the author mainly tell us in this passage？
A．Shakespeare's plays deserve to be read．
B．Common books are unpopular anymore．
C．Poetry is best for developing people's brain．
D．Classical works help the brain develop better．

【考點】科普知識；說明文．

【答案】C；B；C；D