Extra fingers are not that rare. About one or two in every 1,000 babies are born with extra fingers. If the extras are just small nubs (肿块), they may be surgically removed at birth. But some extra fingers can prove helpful, a new study shows.
An extra finger can be incredibly handy. People born with six fingers per hand can tie their shoes, flexibly manage phones and play a complicated video game — all with a single hand. What’s more, their brains had no trouble controlling the more complex movements of their extra fingers, the new study finds. Its results also highlight how flexible the human brain can be. That information can guide people who design brain controlled robots.
Researchers worked with a 52-year-old woman and her 17-year-old son, both of whom were born with six fingers on each hand. Their extra fingers grew between the thumb and index finger. And they resemble thumbs in how they can move. The researchers studied the subjects’ hands with MRI (核磁共振成像), which can map body structures. They also looked at activity in the parts of the brain that control the hands. Those scans showed a dedicated brain system that controls the extra fingers. The sixth fingers had their own muscles and tendons (肌腱). That means they don’t just depend on the muscles that move the other fingers, as some doctors had thought. The brain had no trouble directing the extra fingers, the researchers showed. It suggests someone’s mind would be able to control robotic fingers or limbs. However, it might be harder for a person not born with extra fingers.
Living in a world designed for people with five fingers has led the mom and son to adapt in interesting ways. For instance, eating tools are too simple for them, so they constantly change the posture on the eating tools and use them in a different way. Still, not everyone with extra fingers may show improved flexibility. In some cases, extra fingers may be less well developed.
12. What does the new research find about extra fingers?
A. They are always useless. B. They are very uncommon.
C. They are usually necessary. D. They are sometimes beneficial.
13. What can we infer about extra fingers from the text?
A. Extra fingers’ muscles and tendons are stronger.
B. Extra fingers are more flexible than normal ones.
C. The extra nubs removed at birth are actually helpful.
D. Brain-controlled Robots can be designed to have extra fingers.
14. What can we know from the last paragraph?
A. The mom and son live an interesting life.
B. Some people enjoy the life with extra fingers.
C. Eating tools are quite simple for people with extra fingers.
D. Some people with extra fingers are not more flexible than ordinary people.
15. What can be the best title for the text?
A. Sixth Finger Can Improve Ability
B. Sixth Finger Can Prove Extra Handy
C. Sixth Finger Should Be Treated Properly
D. Sixth Finger Should Develop in Many Ways
【答案】
An extra finger can be incredibly handy. People born with six fingers per hand can tie their shoes, flexibly manage phones and play a complicated video game — all with a single hand. What’s more, their brains had no trouble controlling the more complex movements of their extra fingers, the new study finds. Its results also highlight how flexible the human brain can be. That information can guide people who design brain controlled robots.
Researchers worked with a 52-year-old woman and her 17-year-old son, both of whom were born with six fingers on each hand. Their extra fingers grew between the thumb and index finger. And they resemble thumbs in how they can move. The researchers studied the subjects’ hands with MRI (核磁共振成像), which can map body structures. They also looked at activity in the parts of the brain that control the hands. Those scans showed a dedicated brain system that controls the extra fingers. The sixth fingers had their own muscles and tendons (肌腱). That means they don’t just depend on the muscles that move the other fingers, as some doctors had thought. The brain had no trouble directing the extra fingers, the researchers showed. It suggests someone’s mind would be able to control robotic fingers or limbs. However, it might be harder for a person not born with extra fingers.
Living in a world designed for people with five fingers has led the mom and son to adapt in interesting ways. For instance, eating tools are too simple for them, so they constantly change the posture on the eating tools and use them in a different way. Still, not everyone with extra fingers may show improved flexibility. In some cases, extra fingers may be less well developed.
12. What does the new research find about extra fingers?
A. They are always useless. B. They are very uncommon.
C. They are usually necessary. D. They are sometimes beneficial.
13. What can we infer about extra fingers from the text?
A. Extra fingers’ muscles and tendons are stronger.
B. Extra fingers are more flexible than normal ones.
C. The extra nubs removed at birth are actually helpful.
D. Brain-controlled Robots can be designed to have extra fingers.
14. What can we know from the last paragraph?
A. The mom and son live an interesting life.
B. Some people enjoy the life with extra fingers.
C. Eating tools are quite simple for people with extra fingers.
D. Some people with extra fingers are not more flexible than ordinary people.
15. What can be the best title for the text?
A. Sixth Finger Can Improve Ability
B. Sixth Finger Can Prove Extra Handy
C. Sixth Finger Should Be Treated Properly
D. Sixth Finger Should Develop in Many Ways
【答案】
苏19057182-3号