B
Sharon Roseman was five years old when her world changed forever. She was playing Blind Man’s Bluff with friends outside her house. When she removed her blindfold(眼罩), she couldn’t recognize where she was. From that moment on, Roseman has been lost every day of her life.
Roseman is not alone in her experience. As an adult living in Denver, Colorado, in 2008, Roseman was diagnosed with a rare and newly discovered condition called Developmental Topographical Disorientation(DTD), which is a disorder that dramatically affects people’s abilities to navigate their familiar environment.
Dr. Giuseppe Iaria of the University of Calgary in Canada is credited with first identifying DTD. He confirms that odd as it sounds, people with DTD have no brain damage. He thinks genetic factors are likely to be responsible for it.
Paul Dudchenko, from the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom, has what he calls a place-cell theory. He says we get lost because all our hippocampal cells(海马神经元细胞) appear to be connected to landmarks. “They use things in the environment to orientate(确定方向) themselves and create a cognitive map,” he says. “If we don’t have things in the outside world to update the cognitive map, then it is likely to error.” That’s why people who are lost in a snowstorm, for instance, tend to go in circles. They think they’re heading in the right direction, but without external reference points their brain is unable to form a cognitive map, so they naturally tend to get lost.
“There seems to be a systematic error in the way people with DTD place landmarks in their mind,” Dudchenko says. How exactly this happens is still under investigation, but Dudchenko thinks the answer lies in the relationship between the various regions of the brain responsible for spatial cognition(空间认知).
For his part, Giuseppe Iaria is continuing with his research. Some of his recent work has focused on the role genes play in DTD. As well as helping sufferers of DTD, Iaria believes his research will offer an explanation for why some people are better at finding their way than others. While top researchers have more to learn, they are confident the answers won’t stay lost in the complexity of the brain forever.
()5. Why does the author mention Roseman’s experience?
A. To inform us of a sad story.
B. To give us background information.
C. To introduce a rare disease.
D. To support the author’s argument.
()6. What trouble would people with DTD have?
A. Navigating novel and unfamiliar environments.
B. Remembering the layout of their neighborhood.
C. Understanding the detailed information on a map.
D. Recalling the names of familiar places and people.
()7. What does Dudchenko say about DTD?
A. It gives rise to severe brain damage.
B. It happens when cognitive map fails.
C. It connects one’s brain and cognition.
D. It arises from a systematic genetic error.
()8. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Genes play the most important role in DTD.
B. The ability to find one’s way can be improved.
C. Iaria’s research has already helped sufferers of DTD.
D. The truth about DTD will be brought to light someday.

B
5.C 6.B 7.B 8.D
【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了科学家们对 DTD 这一罕见疾病的研究和解释。
5. C 解析:推理判断题。根据第一段“Sharon Roseman was five years old when her world changed forever. She was playing Blind Man's Bluff with friends outside her house. When she removed her blindfold, she couldn't recognize where she was. From that moment on, Roseman has been lost every day of her life.”以及第二段“Roseman is not alone in her experience. As an adult living in Denver, Colorado, in 2008, Roseman was diagnosed with a rare and newly discovered condition called Developmental Topographical Disorientation(DTD), which is a disorder that dramatically affects people's abilities to navigate their familiar environment.”可知,文章提到 Sharon Roseman 的经历是为了引出本文的主题,即 DTD 这种疾病的相关知识。故选 C。
6. B 解析:细节理解题。根据第二段中的“As an adult living in Denver, Colorado, in 2008, Roseman was diagnosed with a rare and newly discovered condition called Developmental Topographical Disorientation(DTD), which is a disorder that dramatically affects people's abilities to navigate their familiar environment.”可知,DTD 是一种影响人们在熟悉环境中导航能力的疾病。由此可知,患上这类疾病的人无法记住自己居住地的布局,在日常生活中容易迷失方向。故选 B。
7. B 解析:细节理解题。根据第四段中的“'They use things in the environment to orientate themselves and create a cognitive map,' he says. 'If we don't have things in the outside world to update the cognitive map, then it is likely to error.'”以及第五段中的“'There seems to be a systematic error in the way people with DTD place landmarks in their mind,' Dudchenko says. How exactly this happens is still under investigation, but Dudchenko thinks the answer lies in the relationship between the various regions of the brain responsible for spatial cognition.”可知,Dudchenko 认为患有 DTD 的人在脑海中定位地标的方式似乎存在系统性错误,从而导致无法创建认知地图。故选 B。
8. D 解析:推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“While top researchers have more to learn, they are confident the answers won't stay lost in the complexity of the brain forever.”可知,虽然关于 DTD 还有许多信息没有弄清楚,但是研究人员对于解开其真相还是有信心的。故选 D。