Luis國際資訊事務所

A Bright Idea　靈光一閃

Watch any old cartoon, and you're bound to see a villain trying to outwit his innocent victim. _(1)_ As the story unfolds, our hero says, "A-ha!" and a light bulb appears over his head as he figures out what he's going to do to outsmart the bad guy.

　　This "light bulb moment" is something that we have all experienced at one point or another. _(2)_ Researchers have been trying to discover what exactly happens in the brain when we get an idea out of the blue, or when we know, as if by magic, the answer to a difficult question. John Kounios, a psychology professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia, says that sudden bursts of insight actually set off "lights" in our brains. _(3)_ The subjects were given numerous random things and asked to show their connection. _(4)_ This light was actually electrical activity in the part of the brain that makes connections among unrelated things.

　　Cartoonists have known for ages what brain researchers are just now discovering. _(5)_ In essence, when you're trying to be smart, you usually are.

──by Rachel A. Black

(A) It's that brief moment in time when all of a sudden we know what to do, almost as if a bulb lights up over our heads.

(B)However, researchers noted that people who tend to keep an open mind have more light bulb moments than others.

(C) Subjects who suddenly knew the answer had a "light" spark in their brains 0.3 seconds before they said the answer.

(D) The villain tries to trick the good guy into getting caught in order to eat him, use his power to take over the world, or do something else equally disturbing.

(E) Kounios and Mark Jung-Beeman, Ph.D, of Northwestern University in Chicago, studied several people's brain patterns.

　　看看以前的卡通片，你一定會看到有壞蛋想要欺瞞無辜的受害者。他們企圖算計好人以便將他抓來吃、利用他的力量統治世界或做些同樣擾人的事情。隨著劇情展開，我們的英雄想到如何智取壞人時，他會叫道：『啊哈！』，然後頭上會出現一個燈泡。

　　我們都曾有過一兩次『靈光一閃』的時刻。在這短暫的瞬間，我們猛然想到該如何行事，幾乎就像燈泡在我們頭上閃了一下一樣。研究人員一直努力想要找出，當我們突然有了主意或神來一筆解出某道難題時，我們的腦子究竟是發生了什麼事。一名費城卓克索大學的心理學教授，約翰．考尼爾斯說，頓悟實際上會使我們的腦部釋放出『閃光』。考尼爾斯和芝加哥西北大學的馬克．喬畢曼博士研究了一些人的腦部模式。他們隨意給受試者很多東西，並要求他們指出其中的關聯性。突然想到答案的受試者在回答的零點三秒前，腦海裡會有『亮光』閃過。這亮光事實上是腦部將不相關的事物連結時，所產生的電力活動。

　　卡通畫家早在大腦專家發現前就知道這件事了。不過，研究人員注意到容易變通的人通常比其他人有更多『靈光一閃』的時刻。也就是說，當你想要耍聰明時，通常就真的會機靈起來。


標準答案: 1. (D) 2. (A) 3. (E) 4. (C) 5. (B)

單字:

1. villain n. 惡棍, 壞蛋

2. unfold vi. 展開

3. light bulb n. 電燈泡

4. psychology n. 心理學

5. burst n. 湧現, 爆發

6. insight n. 領悟, 頓悟; 洞察力

7. numerous a. 眾多的

8. connection n. 連結

9. electrical a. 電力的

10. unrelated a. 不相關的

片語:

1. figure out...　 　想清楚/弄明白……

2. the answer to...　 　(針對)……的答案

3. for ages　　長久以來

1. be bound to V　　必定會……
例:The candidate is bound to be elected if he runs next year.
（那位候選人明年再選的話一定會被選上。）

2. outwit vt. 以機智勝過
=outsmart vt.
例:The art thief outwitted the security guard at the museum.
（那名藝術品大盜瞞過了美術館的安全警衛。）
Mark outsmarted his opponent to win the chess championship.
（馬克智取對手，獲得西洋棋賽冠軍。）

3. at one point or another　　在某些時刻; 偶爾
例:At one point or another, we all have to say we're sorry when we really aren't.
（偶爾我們都有不覺得自己有錯卻必須道歉的時刻。）

4. out of the blue　　意外地, 突如其來地
例:The man on the bus started to sing a rap song out of the blue.
（公車上有個男人突然唱起饒舌歌。）

5. set off...　 　引燃/發射……; 引發……
例:The news of a pop quiz set off whispers among the students in the class.
（臨時小考的消息引發班上學生竊竊私語。）

6. random a. 任意的, 隨便的
＊random亦可做名詞, 用於下列片語中:
at random　　任意地
例:The contestants for the game show were chosen at random.
（遊戲大賽的參賽者是隨機挑選的。）

7. in essence　　本質上
例:This course, in essence, will help you become better at selling our products.
（這個課程基本上會讓你更會銷售我們的產品。）

解題:

1.第一題空格應選 (D)

理由:
空格前說有壞蛋想要欺騙無辜的受害者 (a villain trying to outwit his innocent victim)。選項(D)則進一步說明這壞蛋引好人上勾的目的為何 (the villain tries to trick the good guy...in order to...), 語意延續空格前說法, 且兩句中的villain形成關鍵字, 故(D)為正選。

大補丸:

a. trick sb into Ving　　欺騙某人 (做)……
例:The conman tricked Maureen into buying a part of the Golden Gate Bridge.
（那名騙徒欺騙莫琳購買一部分的金門大橋。）

b. take over...　　佔領/接手……
例:I will take over the project if you don't think you can handle the job.
（如果你覺得自己無法勝任，我會接手這項專案。）

c. equally adv. 對等地, 同樣地

d. disturbing a. 干擾的; 令人不安的



2.第二題空格應選 (A)

理由:
空格前說我們所有人都曾有過『靈光一閃』的時刻 (This "light bulb moment" is something that we have all experienced...)。而選項(A)說這短暫瞬間就像燈泡在我們頭上閃了一下一樣 (It's that brief moment...as if a bulb lights up over our heads.), 承接前面語意, 且選項中的brief moment和a bulb lights up指的就是空格前的light bulb moment, 故(A)應為正選。

大補丸:

a. all of a sudden　　突然地
例:We were walking down the street when all of a sudden a dog started chasing us.
（我們走在路上時突然有隻狗衝過來追我們。）

b. as if...　　彷彿/好像……
例:Don't act as if you didn't hear me!
（別裝得像沒聽見我一樣。）

c. light up (...)　　點亮 (……); (使……) 發光
例:That lamp will help light up this dark room.
（那盞燈能照亮這漆黑的房間。）



第三題空格應選 (E)

理由:
空格前句提到一名心理學教授約翰．考尼爾斯說, 此一現象實際上會使我們腦部釋放出『閃光』(John Kounios, a psychology professor...says that sudden bursts of insight actually set off "lights" in our brains.)。而(E)選項則接著說考尼爾斯和馬克．喬畢曼針對一些人的腦部模式進行研究 (Kounios and Mark Jung-Beeman...studied several people's brain patterns.), 語意前後連貫, 且句中的Kounios和brain(s)亦形成關鍵字, 故(E)應為正選。



4.第四題空格應選 (C)

理由:
空格前說這些受試者被隨意給予很多東西, 並被要求指出其中的關聯性 (The subjects were given numerous random things and asked to show their connection.)。(C)選項則說明受試者的反應 (Subjects who suddenly knew the answer...), 語意前後連貫, 且subjects為兩句之關鍵字, 故(C)為正選。

大補丸:

spark n. 閃光



5.第五題空格應選 (B)

理由:
空格前說卡通畫家早在科學家發現之前就知道這件事了 (Cartoonists have known for ages what brain researchers are just now discovering.)。(B)選項則說不過科學家注意到有關『靈光一閃』的另一些事情 (However, researchers noted that...), 句首的However為前句語意的轉折, 且句中的researchers指的就是空格前的brain researchers, 形成關鍵字, 故(B)為正選。

大補丸:

a. tend to V　　往往會/易於 (做)……
例:Sally tends to eat more at night if she skips lunch.
（莎莉要是沒吃午餐，晚餐往往會吃得比較多。）

b. keep an open mind　　敞開心胸 (不預設立場)
例:Please try to keep an open mind when you meet your son's new girlfriend.
（見你兒子的新女友時，請先別預設立場。）

from 常春藤解析英語雜誌