MEMORY AND LEARNING  5

THINK AND DISCUSS

Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. My earliest memory is my mother picking me up from my crib when I was about 3 years old.

2. I think some people have better memories because they focus more on what they are doing. But some people are better at remembering pictures, while others are better at remembering facts.

EXPLORE THE THEME

A Answers will vary.

B Answers will vary. Possible answers: According to the graph, memory declines with age. Verbal recall actually increases slightly from the age

of 16 to 32, but then declines steadily after that. Visual recall drops approximately 30 percent from the age of 48 to 80.

C technique; gradually; complex

Reading 1

PREPARING TO READ

A 1. familiar; 2. text; 3. internal; 4. external;

5. visualize; 6. memorize; 7. achievement

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. My kitchen is a place that is very familiar to me.

It’s a big room with a large wooden table and a green and white floor.

2. I find it difficult to study when people are talking on the phone or watching TV. I also find it difficult to study if the room is messy. I need a clean space to study well.

C Answers will vary. Possible answers:

Things i make lists for: food shopping; household chores; homework assignment due dates

Things i try to memorize: irregular verbs; history dates; passwords; locker combinations

D Answers will vary. Possible answers: technique, loci, visualize, remember

UNDERSTANDING THE READING

A b (Explanation: The passage discusses memorization techniques from the past until now.)

B 1. Answers will vary. Possible answers: The loci method is a way to remember things by visualizing them in different areas of a place that

you know well. (See paragraphs B and C.)

1. He was able to memorize religious texts, poems, speeches, etc., and could take them everywhere he went, in his mind. (See paragraph D.)

3. because most people didn’t have books or pens

to write notes with, so they had to remember

things to preserve their society’s cultural heritage

(See paragraph E.)

4. memorizing religious texts or myths and folktales

(See paragraph F.)

C 1. I; 2. E; 3. E; 4. I; 5. E

D Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. I’d separate the words by topic and visualize them around my kitchen. Words about memory could be in my refrigerator. Words about oceans could be near my stove because I cook fish!

2. I’d picture my bedroom and create different areas for one name and one date. For example, 1066 is the date that William the Conqueror conquered England. I would visualize William by my desk,

writing 1066.

E Answers will vary. Possible answers: Yes, I think we have lost an important skill. For example, we don’t have to remember phone numbers now because we can store them in our phones. If

we lose the phone, we may lose all the phone numbers, too.

DEVEOPING READING SKILLS

A Five cause-effect relationships:

People often use mnemonics—like poems or pictures—because it’s easier to remember rhymes or images than plain facts and lists.

… it may be hard to remember the colors of the rainbow in the order that they appear. Someone therefore made an acronym for this: ROY G BIV.The name Roy G. Biv is meaningless, but it’s short, so it’s easier to remember than the list.English spelling rules can also be difficult to learn, so some students use rhymes to help them remember the rules. By learning “i before e except after c (where you hear ee),” students of English can remember the spelling of words like niece and receipt.

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

By using the loci method, he was able to “read” books stored in his memory palaces. (Paragraph D) A person with a good memory was special because they could help preserve the society’s cultural heritage. (Paragraph E) We’ve invented devices so we don’t have to store

information in our brains. (Paragraph G)

Video

BEFORE VIEWING

A 1. Answers will vary. Correct answer: 18.65 seconds

2. Answers will vary. Possible answer: They could connect the cards with objects around a living room and attach the same number and suit of

each card to that object. For example, a mirror on the wall could have 8 hearts on the frame, and it would be the 8 of hearts.

B 1. mental map

2. associated

3. code

WHILE VIEWING

A Step 1: b; Step 2: a; Step 3: e

B 1. girlfriend’s

2. sword

3. dancing

4. boss

AFTER VIEWING

A Answers will vary. Possible answer: Strange or unusual images are more memorable, so they are easier to recall. These images may seem strange to us, but they all have meaning for Dellis. These

images are very personal to him based on his life experiences.

B Answers will vary. Possible answer: I’d use a method of association. As I meet each person, I’d try to find an unusual feature—ears, forehead,

eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, etc. Then I would form an association between this characteristic and the person’s name

Reading 2

PREPARING TO READ

A 1. drug

2. mental

3. proof

4. state (Note: In this context, the noun state is often followed by “of + noun.” Examples: in a state of excitement, confusion, exhaustion)

5. stress

6. physical

7. transferring (Note: Transfer can be a noun or a verb. Here, it is used as a verb.)

8. routes (Note: This word is related to the word routine.)

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. I like a lot of physical activities. I enjoy cycling, swimming, and skiing. I find these activities fun and challenging.

2. My route from school to home is easy to remember. Routes that are harder to memorize are ones that I don’t use often, like the route to

my friend’s house in the countryside. It’s also hard to remember this route because there aren’t a lot of landmarks along the way.

C Answers will vary. Possible answers:

Underlined words: sleep; memory; stages; brain; lifelong

I think the reading passage is about how stages of sleep help the brain store long-term memories.

UNDERSTANDING THE READING

A 1; 2; 4

(Note: Option 3 is incorrect; long-term memories are stored in the neocortex. Option 5 is incorrect; the rats couldn’t remember the route because they were given a drug that stopped brain-wave

activity.)

B 1. hippocampus (Note: Paragraph C; this is implied, though not explicitly stated.)

2. non-REM (Note: In the flow chart, the step after this is “The brain creates sharp wave ripples ...” As mentioned in paragraph C, this occurs during the deepest level of sleep, so Non-REM Stage 3 is the

correct answer here.)

3. hippocampus

4. neocortex

C Answers will vary. Possible answers:

causes: One group of rats was given a drug that stopped brain-wave activity; the Rutgers study.

effects: This improves memory.

D Answers will vary. Possible answers:

acronyms; rhymes; loci method; avoiding stress; playing games

Writing

eXPlOriNG WriTTeN eNGliSH

A 1. C

2. E (Note: Remind students of ROY G BIV in exercise

A on page 88.)

3. E

4. E

5. C (Note: Having self-esteem means that you feel

good about yourself.)

6. E

LANGUAGE FOR WRITING

B 1. By getting a good night’s sleep, you help your brain form long-term memories.

2. You can memorize the order of a deck of cards by using the loci method.

3. The scientists stopped the rats’ brain waves by giving them a drug.

4. By making a shopping list, you can remember what items you need to buy.

C Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. I try to relieve stress by listening to good music.

2. By meditating every morning, I start my day in a relaxed way.

3. By planning all my meals for the day in the morning, I can avoid eating junk food.

WRITING SKILLS

D a, c, d, e, f, h, i

E g, j, b

F Answers will vary. Possible answers:

You can also memorize a route by creating a mental picture of it. (Note: Sentence f)By visualizing the route, you will learn it faster. (Note: Sentence i)Many people use driving apps nowadays, so they

don’t need to memorize a route. (Note: Sentence b)

WRITING TASK

A Answers will vary. Possible answers: stop multitasking and concentrate on one task at a time; take naps; take regular breaks from

technology; meditate; try new and challenging tasks

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

Topic Sentence: There are many different ways to improve memory, including using the loci method, using acronyms, and getting enough sleep.

Supporting Idea 1: loci method (memory palace)

Details: USA Memory champion organizes a deck of cards

Supporting Idea 2: acronyms

Details: ROY G BIV (rainbow)

Supporting Idea 3: getting enough sleep

Details: brain-wave activity—long-term memory

REVISING PRACTICE

b, a, a, d, c

EDITING PRACTICE

1. You can’t remember all of the information in a lecture just by listening to it.

2. By taking notes while you listen, you can remember information better.

3. By writing a summary of your notes after a lecture, you will remember the information more easily.

4. By taking notes and making lists, you transfer information from internal to external memory. (Explanation: Both take and make should be in the gerund form. They both are part of the by +

gerund phrase.)

5. One study shows that by getting a good night’s sleep, people remember a skill (such as playing the piano) 30 percent better.

6. You can improve your memory by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.