Unit 9 - The Brain, The Most Powerful Computer in the Universe
Throughout the ages different ideas have been expressed about the working of the human brain. It is only recently, however, that science has begun to give us some idea of how the brain really works.
The Brain - The Most Powerful Computer in the Universe
Man still has a lot to learn about the most powerful and complex part of his body -- the brain.
In ancient times men did not think that the brain was the centre of mental activity. Aristotle the philosopher of ancient Greece thought that the mind was based in the heart. It was not until the 18th century that man realised that the whole of the brain was involved in the workings of the mind.
During the 19th century scientists found that when certain parts of the brain were damaged men lost the ability to do certain things. And so, people thought that each part of the brain controlled a different activity. But modern research has found that this is not so. It is not easy to say exactly what each part of the brain does.
In the past 50 years there has been a great increase in the amount of research being done on the brain. Chemists and biologists have found that the way the brain works is far more complicated that they had thought. In fact many people believe that we are only now really starting to learn the truth about how the human brain works. The more scientists find out, the more questions they are unable to answer. For instance, chemists have found that over 100,000 chemical reactions take place in the brain every second. Mathematicians who have tried to use computers to copy the way the brain works have found that even using the latest electronic equipment they would have to build a computer which weighed over 10,000 kilos. Some recent research also suggests that we remember everything that happens to us. We may not be able to recall this information, but it is all stored in our brains.
Scientists hope that if we can discover how the brain works, the better use we will be able to put it to. For example, how do we learn language? Man differs most from all the other animals in his ability to learn and use language but we still do not know exactly how this is done. Some children learn to speak and read and write when they are very young compared to average children. But scientists are not sure why this happens. They are trying to find out whether there is something about the way we teach language to children which in fact prevents children from learning sooner.
Earlier scientists thought that during a man's lifetime the power of his brain decreased. But it is now thought that this is not so. As long as the brain is given plenty of exercise it keeps its power. It has been found that an old person who has always been mentally active has a quicker mind than a young person who has done only physical work. It is now thought that the more work we give our brains, the more work they are able to do.
Other people now believe that we use only 1% of our brains' full potential. They say that the only limit on the power of the brain is the limit of what we think is possible. This is probably because of the way we are taught as children. When we first start learning to use our minds we are told what to do, for example, to remember certain facts, but we are not taught how our memory works and how to make that best use of it. We are told to make notes but we are not taught how our brains accept information and which is the best way to organise the information we want our brains to accept.
This century man has made many discoveries about the universe -- the world outside himself. But he has also started to look into the workings of that other universe which is inside himself -- the human brain.
参考译文——大脑——宇宙中最强大的计算机
多个世纪以来，人们对大脑的工作机理表达了不同的观点或看法。但是，直到最近，科学家才开始让我们对大脑的运作方式有所了解。
大脑——宇宙中最强大的计算机
人们仍需大量地了解其身体最强大、最复杂的部分——大脑。
在远古时代，人们并不认为大脑是精神活动的中心。古希腊哲学家亚里士多德（Aristotle）就认为，思想来源于心脏。直到18世纪，人类才意识到整个大脑都参与了思维的运作过程。
在19世纪，科学家发现，当大脑的某部分受损时，人就会失去做某些能力。因此，人们认为大脑的各部分控制着不同的活动。但是，现代研究发现事实并非如此。确切地说出大脑每个部分的功能并不容易。
在过去50年中，对大脑的研究量大大增加了。化学家和生物学家发现，大脑工作方式比他们想象的要复杂得多。实际上，许多人认为我们才真正开始学习人脑工作原理的真相。科学家发现得越多，他们无法回答的问题也就越多。例如，化学家已发现，在大脑中每秒发生超过十万个化学反应。试图用计算机复制大脑工作方式的数学家发现，即便使用最新的电子设备，他们也必须制造重量超过一万公斤的计算机。最近一些研究还表明，我们记得发生在我们身上的一切。我们可能无法回忆起这些信息，但它们全都存储在我们的大脑中。
科学家希望，如果我们能发现大脑工作原理，那么我们将能够更好地利用大脑。例如，我们如何学习语言？人类在学习和使用语言方面的能力与其他动物最大不同，但我们仍然不知道该怎么做。与普通儿童相比，有些儿童在很小的时候就会学习说、读、写。但科学家不确定为什么会这样。他们试图找出我们向孩子教授语言的方式是否存在某些问题，实际上它反而阻止了孩子学得更快。
早期的科学家认为，在一个人的一生中，他的大脑能力会下降。但现在认为事实并非如此。只要大脑进行足够活动，它就可保持其能力。已发现，一直活跃于精神活动的老年人，比仅从事体力劳动的年轻人具有更快的头脑。现在人们认为，我们付出更多的精力，他们就可以做更多的工作。
现在其他人认为，我们仅使用了大脑全部潜能的1％。他们说，对大脑能力的唯一限制是我们认为可能的限制。这可能是因为我们小时候的教育方式。当我们第一次开始学习思考时，我们会被告知该做些什么，例如记住某些事实，但是却没有被教导我们记忆是如何工作及如何最好地利用它。有人告诉我们要做笔记，但我们没有被教导大脑如何接受信息，以及如何组织我们希望大脑接受的信息的最佳方法。
这个世纪的人已经发现了许多关于宇宙的发现-宇宙是他自己以外的世界。但是他也开始研究人体内的另一个宇宙即大脑的运作方式。
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