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TELEPATHY
Can human beings communicate by thought alone? For more than a century the issue of telepathy has divided the scientific community, and even today it still sparks bitter controversy among top academics
Since the 1970s, parapsychologists at leading universities and research institutes around the world have risked the derision of sceptical colleagues by putting the various claims for telepathy to the test in dozens of rigorous scientific studies. The results and their implications are dividing even the researchers who uncovered them.
Some researchers say the results constitute compelling evidence that telepathy is genuine. Other parapsychologists believe the field is on the brink of collapse, having tried to produce definitive scientific proof and failed. Sceptics and advocates alike do concur on one issue, however: that the most impressive evidence so far has come from the so-called 'ganzfeld' experiments, a German term that means 'whole field'. Reports of telepathic experiences had by people during meditation led parapsychologists to suspect that telepathy might involve 'signals' passing between people that were so faint that they were usually swamped by normal brain activity. In this case, such signals might be more easily detected by those experiencing meditation — like tranquillity in a relaxing 'whole field' of light, sound and warmth.
The ganzfeld experiment tries to recreate these conditions with participants sitting in soft reclining chairs in a sealed room, listening to relaxing sounds while their eyes are covered with special filters letting in only soft pink light. In early ganzfeld experiments, the telepathy test involved identification of a picture chosen from a random selection of four taken from a large image bank. The idea was that a person acting as a 'sender' would attempt to beam the image over to the 'receiver' relaxing in the sealed room. Once the session was over, this person was asked to identify which of the four images had been used. Random guessing would give a hit-rate of 25 per cent; if telepathy is real, however, the hit-rate would be higher. In 1982, the results from the first ganzfeld studies were analysed by one of its pioneers, the American parapsychologist Charles Honorton. They pointed to typical hit-rates of better than 30 per cent — a small effect, but one which statistical tests suggested could not be put down to chance.
The implication was that the ganzfeld method had revealed real evidence for telepathy. But there was a crucial flaw in this argument — one routinely overlooked in more conventional areas of science. Just because chance had been ruled out as an explanation did not prove telepathy must exist; there were many other ways of getting positive results. These ranged from 'sensory leakage' — where clues about the pictures accidentally reach the receiver — to outright fraud. In response, the researchers issued a review of all the ganzfeld studies done up to 1985 to show that 80 per cent had found statistically significant evidence. However, they also agreed that there were still too many problems in the experiments which could lead to positive results, and they drew up a list demanding new standards for future research.
After this, many researchers switched to autoganzfeld tests — an automated variant of the technique which used computers to perform many of the key tasks such as the random selection of images. By minimising human involvement, the idea was to minimise the risk of flawed results. In 1987, results from hundreds of autoganzfeld tests were studied by Honorton in a 'meta-analysis', a statistical technique for finding the overall results from a set of studies. Though less compelling than before, the outcome was still impressive.
Yet some parapsychologists remain disturbed by the lack of consistency between individual ganzfeld studies. Defenders of telepathy point out that demanding impressive evidence from every study ignores one basic statistical fact: it takes large samples to detect small effects. If, as current results suggest, telepathy produces hit-rates only marginally above the 25 per cent expected by chance, it's unlikely to be detected by a typical ganzfeld study involving around 40 people: the group is just not big enough. Only when many studies are combined in a meta-analysis will the faint signal of telepathy really become apparent. And that is what researchers do seem to be finding.
What they are certainly not finding, however, is any change in attitude of mainstream scientists: most still totally reject the very idea of telepathy. The problem stems at least in part from the lack of any plausible mechanism for telepathy.
Various theories have been put forward, many focusing on esoteric ideas from theoretical physics. They include 'quantum entanglement', in which events affecting one group of atoms instantly affect another group, no matter how far apart they may be. While physicists have demonstrated entanglement with specially prepared atoms, no-one knows if it also exists between atoms making up human minds. Answering such questions would transform parapsychology. This has prompted some researchers to argue that the future lies not in collecting more evidence for telepathy, but in probing possible mechanisms. Some work has begun already, with researchers trying to identify people who are particularly successful in autoganzfeld trials. Early results show that creative and artistic people do much better than average: in one study at the University of Edinburgh, musicians achieved a hit-rate of 56 per cent. Perhaps more tests like these will eventually give the researchers the evidence they are seeking and strengthen the case for the existence of telepathy.
Questions 27-30
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-G, below.
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.
27 Researchers with differing attitudes towards telepathy agree on
28 Reports of experiences during meditation indicated
29 Attitudes to parapsychology would alter drastically with
30 Recent autoganzfeld trials suggest that success rates will improve with
A the discovery of a mechanism for telepathy
B the need to create a suitable environment for telepathy.
C their claims of a high success rate.
D a solution to the problem posed by random guessing.
E the significance of the ganzfeld experiments.
F a more careful selection of subjects.
G a need to keep altering conditions.
Questions 31-40
Complete the table below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 31-40 on your answer sheet.
Telepathy Experiments
Name/Date
Description Result Flaw
Ganzfeld
Studies
1982 Involved a person
acting as a
31..............
who picked out one
32............from
a random selection
of four, and a
33..............,
who then tried to
identify it. Hit-rates were
higher than with
random guessing. Positive results
could be produced
by factors such as
34..............or
35.............. .
Autoganzfeld
studies
1987 36.............
were used for key
tasks to limit the
amount of
37..............
in carrying out the
test. The results were
then subjected to
a 38............. The 39..........
between different
test results was
put down to the
fact that sample
groups were not
40...................(as
with most ganzfeld
Studies).
Question 27
答案: E
關(guān)鍵詞: researchers with differing attitudes, agree on
定位原文:第2段第3句“Sceptics and advocates…”
解題思路:通過題目中定位詞找到文章中的具體表 達:第二段第3句。題目中的differing attitudes 對應(yīng)文章中的 skeptics and advocates,題目中的 agree on 對應(yīng)文章中的do concur on。由本句名詞性從句的主干 evidence...come from... experiments 即可得出答案。所有選項中提到 experiment 的只有一個。
Question 28:
答案: B
關(guān)鍵詞: experiences, meditation
定位原文:第2段第5句話“In this case, such signals might …”
解題思路:題目中要求找到實驗的 啟示,答案出現(xiàn)在下一句中,其中 in a relaxing‘whole field’of light, sound and warmth 是題目中 的 suitable environment 的具體表現(xiàn)。
Question 29:
答案: A
關(guān)鍵詞: attitudes, parapsychology, alter
定位原文:第8段第4、5句“Answering such questions would…”
解題思路:第四句中的transform對應(yīng)題干中的alter,第五句中才提及研究者們的attitude,即該研究的未來在于探究可能的機制(mechanisms)。故正確答案為A。
Question 30:
答案: F
關(guān)鍵詞: autoganzfeld trials, success
定位原文:第8段倒數(shù)第2、3句“Some work has begun already …”
解題思路:此題通過定位詞可以迅速定位到第八段倒數(shù)第三句,倒數(shù)第二句指出有創(chuàng)造力和藝術(shù)性的人們表現(xiàn)得更好。因此可知樣本的選擇對命中率會有很大影響。故正確答案為F。
Question 31:
答案: sender
關(guān)鍵詞: Ganzfeld studies, 1982, person, acting as, four
定位原文:第3段第3句“The idea was that a person…”
解題思路:由空格前冠詞和空格后的定語從句引導詞 who 可知本題需填入一個指代人的單數(shù)可數(shù)名詞。通過題目中數(shù)字 1982 迅速定位至文章第三段。再通過數(shù)字 four 定位至該段第 5 行。本題答案為 sender。
Question 32:
答案: picture/image
關(guān)鍵詞: one, random selection, four
定位原文: 第3段第2句“In early ganzfeld experiments…”
解題思路: 此題輕微亂序,但定位詞很明顯且定位句是上一題定位句的前一句??崭袼钤~應(yīng)為從random selections of four中picked out的賓語。所以此題填picture/image。題干中的picked out與原文中的chosen from屬于同義轉(zhuǎn)述。
Question 33:
答案: receiver
關(guān)鍵詞: ichthyosaurs, can be determined by, appearance
定位原文:第3段第4句“Once the session was over, this …”
解題思路:此題定位較易??崭袼钤~應(yīng)為 identify這一動作的發(fā)出者,定位句中與之相對應(yīng)的是指代詞this person,于是倒著往回看上一句,即第31題對應(yīng)句,可以找出this person的具體指代對象。所以此題填receiver。
Question 34:
答案: sensory leakage
關(guān)鍵詞: flaw, positive results
定位原文:第4段第4句“...there were many other ways of getting positive results. These ranged from ‘sensory leakage…”
解題思路:此題根據(jù)定位詞及順序原則可定位至第四段第四行最后,其中many other ways對應(yīng)題干中的factors,具體內(nèi)容在接下來的一句中。所以此題填sensory leakage。
Question 35:
答案: outright fraud
關(guān)鍵詞: or
定位原文:第4段第4句““...there were many other ways of getting positive results. These ranged from ‘sensory leakage…”
解題思路:此空與34題為并列關(guān)系。很明顯答案為 outright fraud。
Question 36:
答案: computers
關(guān)鍵詞: 1987, key tasks
定位原文:第5段第1句“…technique which used computers to …”
解題思路: 空格所填詞應(yīng)為被用來完成key tasks的對象,文中的perform對應(yīng)題干中的were used for。所以此題填computers。
Question 37:
答案: human involvement
關(guān)鍵詞: limit
定位原文:第5段第2句“By minimising human involvement...”
解題思路:此題按照順序原則定位,原文中的 minimising對應(yīng)題干中的limit,空格所填詞應(yīng)為被限制的對象。所以此題填human involvement。
Question 38:
答案: meta-analysis
關(guān)鍵詞: results, subjected to a
定位原文: 第5段倒數(shù)第2句“In 1987, results from hundreds…”
解題思路: 空格所填詞應(yīng)為 subject to的對象。所以此題填meta?-analysis。
Question 39:
答案: lack of consistency
關(guān)鍵詞: flaw, different test results
定位原文: 第6段第1句“Yet some parapsychologists…”
解題思路: 此題定位較難,文中的individual ganzfeld studies與題干中的different test對應(yīng)??崭袼钤~應(yīng)為不同實驗結(jié)果之間的關(guān)系。所以此題填lack of consistency。
Question 40:
答案: big/large enough
關(guān)鍵詞: fact, sample group, not
定位原文:第6段倒數(shù)第3句“...the group is just not big enough.”
解題思路:此題定位較易??崭袼钤~應(yīng)為 sample groups的特征,而且此題可以通過否定詞not幫助判斷答案。所以此題填big/large enough。
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