2023高考英语真题阅读精读含答案.docx

2023高考英语真题阅读精读含答 案本文是说明文。没有人是一座孤岛，文章陈述了 "群体智慧效应。实 验表明，在某些情况下大量独立估计的平均值可能是相当准确的。DOn March 7, 1907, the English statistician Francis Galton published a paper which illustrated what has come to be known as the "wisdom of crowds" effect. The experiment of estimation he conducted showed that in some cases, the average of a large number of independent estimates could be quite accurate.This effect capitalizes on the fact that when people make errors, those errors arenz t always the same. Some people will tend to overestimate, and some to underestimate. When enough of these errors are averaged together, they cancel each other out, resulting in a more accurate estimate. If people are similar and tend to make the same errors, then their errors won' t cancel each other out In more technical terms, the wisdom of crowds requires that people7 s estimates be independent. If for whatever reasons, people7 s errors become correlated or dependent, the accuracy of the estimate will go down.But a new study led by Joaquin Navajas offered an interesting twist （转折）on this classic phenomenon. The key finding of the study was that when crowds were further divided into smaller groups that were allowed to have a discussion, the averages from these groups were more accurate than those from an equal number of independent individuals. For instance, the average obtained from the estimates of four discussion groups of five was significantly more accurate than the average obtained from 20 independent individuals.In a follow-up study with 100 university students, the researchers tried to get a better sense of what the group members actually did in their discussion. Did they tend to go with those most confident about their estimates? Did they follow those least willing to change their minds? This happened some of the time, but it wasn7 t the dominant response. Most frequently, the groups reported that they "shared arguments and reasoned together/' Somehow, these arguments and reasoning resulted in a global reduction in error.Although the studies led by Navajas have limitations and many questions remain the potential implications for group discussion and decision-making are enormous.12. What is paragraph 2 of the text mainly about?A. The methods of estimation.B. The underlying logic of the effect.C. The causes of people' s errors.D. The design of Galton7 s experiment.13. Navajas7 study found that the average accuracy could increase even if.A. the crowds were relatively smallB. there were occasional underestimatesC. individuals did not communicateD. estimates were not fully independent14. What did the follow-up study focus on?A. The size of the groups.B. The dominant members.C. The discussion process.D. The individual estimates.15. What is the author7 s attitude toward Navajas7 studies?A. Unclear.B. Dismissive.C. Doubtful.D. Approving.BDCDBeware of the Two-Coffee Tipping Point健康喝咖啡的"临界点''，你知道吗？We are a nation of fully-fledged coffee addicts, consuming approximately 98 million cups per day, according to the British Coffee Association.But we forget that, fundamentally, caffeine is a fairly powerful stimulant: it makes you feel more awake and focused, but too much can potentially leave you in an anxious spiral.As my colleague Bryony Gordon has written, ncoffee is essentially panic juice11 .Which goes to show that, clearly, if you are prone to anxiety, coffee is not the drink you should turn to to calm down.Why does this happen?nCaffeine blocks adenosine receptors (which promote sleep), which increases the production of dopamine, noradrenaline and glutamate neurotransmitters that play a role in cognitive function/1 explains Clare Thornton-Wood, a dietician and British Dietetics Association (BDA) spokesperson."That makes you more alert and increases your blood pressure and heart rate.In many cases, this is beneficial."That's why coffee boosts your mood and helps you concentrate.But there's a tipping point."The negative impacts of caffeine are caused when this effect goes too far and promotes anxiety/1 she says.There is no clear reason why drinking two cups of coffee seems to tip some of us over the edge, while others can easily tolerate four or five cups.Genetics play a role, and generally your caffeine tolerance is greater if you are heavier, says Thornton-Wood.HOnly some people are susceptible to the effects of caffeine; if you are more anxious in any case, you're probably more susceptible.11Too much caffeine leaves you "feeling restless, nervous, not being able to sleep, feeling nauseous, having a headache and general anxiety", says Thornton-Wood.The formal classification for this group of symptoms is "caffeine-induced anxiety", which is actually "a recognised disorder in the DSM-5 - the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders/1 she says.The good news is that research shows a coffee habit can have significant benefits for physical health.A 2021 study published in the journal PLOS Medicine found that moderate caffeine intake cuts the risk of a stroke by almost a third and that of dementia by a quarter.Another major study from scientists at the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh found that two cups of coffee per day reduces the risk of liver cancer by a third.These benefits are all associated with a "moderate" caffeine intake of roughly one to four coffees per day - drinking five or more can have adverse health effects.And yet, for some, drinking more than one cup (or in some cases, any at all) can wreak havoc.There is no golden rule for when you should drink coffee in order to enjoy the buzz and skip the jitters.HIt all depends on the dose of caffeine in your coffee and how close together you're having them/1 says Thornton-Wood."Ifs personal to you.Everybody's different."How much you should drink is a more complicated question.While 400mg of caffeine per day is the recommended limit (200mg for pregnant women), the amount of caffeine in various high-street coffees varies wildly, which can make it difficult to keep track of your consumption.The variations are not only down to how many shots of coffee each chain uses, but also on the coffee beans themselves: of the two most commonly used, Robusta beans contain roughly double the caffeine of Arabica beans.So you may find you feel the negative effects of too much caffeine after two flat whites from a coffee shop, but not after four weaker instant coffees, or after a latte from one chain but not from another.How can you beat the two-coffee tipping point?Know your limits: if you often find yourself in a cappuccino-induced spiral, cut down and stick to one caffeinated coffee, one decaf, which has some of the health benefits of caffeinated coffee with none of the stimulating effect.