Patients can recall what they hear while under general anesthetic even if they don't wake up, concludes a new study.
Several studies over the past three decades have reported that people can retain conscious or subconscious memories of things that happened while they were being operated on. But failure by other researchers to confirm such findings has led skeptics to speculate that the patients who remembered these events might briefly have regained consciousness in the course of operations.
Gitta Lubke, Peter Sebel and colleagues at Emory University in Atlanta measured the depth of anesthesia using bispectral analysis, a technique which measures changes in brainwave patterns in the frontal lobes moment by moment during surgery. Before this study, researchers only took an average measurement over the whole operation, says Lubke.
Lubke studied 96 trauma patients undergoing emergency surgery, many of whom were too severely injured to tolerate full anesthesia. During surgery, each patient wore headphones through which a series of 16 words was repeated for 3 minutes each. At the same time, bispectral analysis recorded the depth of anesthesia.
After the operation, Lubke tested the patients by showing them the first three letters of a word, such as “lim”, and asking them to complete it. Patients who had had a word starting with these letters played during surgery—“limit”, for example—chose that word an average of 11 percent more often than patients who had been played a different word list. None of the patients had any conscious memory of hearing the word lists.
Unconscious priming was strongest for words played when patients were most lightly anaesthetized. But it was statistically significant even when patients were fully anaesthetized when the word was played.
This finding, which will be published in the journal Anesthesiology could mean that operating theatre staff should be more discreet. What they say during surgery may distress patients afterwards, says Philip Merikle, a psychologist at the University of Waterloo, Ontario.
1.Scientists have found that deep anesthesia （ ）.
2.By the new study, the technique of bispectral analysis helps the scientists （ ）.
3.To test the patients, the scientists （ ）.
4.The results from the new study indicate that it was possible for the patients （ ）.
5.What we can infer from the finding?
问题1选项
A.is likely to affect hearing
B.cannot block surgeons' words
C.can cause serious damages to memory
D.helps retain conscious or subconscious memories
问题2选项
A.acquire an average measurement of brainwave changes over the whole surgery
B.decide whether the patient would retain conscious or subconscious memories
C.relate their measurements and recordings to the verbal sounds during surgery
D.assure the depth of anesthesia during surgery
问题3选项
A.prepared two lists of words
B.used ninety-six headphones for listening
C.conducted the whole experiment for three minutes
D.voiced only the first three letters of sixteen words during surgery
问题4选项
A.to regain consciousness under the knife
B.to tell one word from another after surgery
C.to recall what had been heard during surgery
D.to overreact to deep anesthesia in the course of operations
问题5选项
A.How surgical malpractice can be prevented.
B.Why a surgeon cannot be too careful.
C.Why surgeons should hold their tongues during surgery.
D.How the postoperative patients can retain subconscious memories.
第1题:B
第2题:B
第3题:A
第4题:C
第5题:C
第1题:
【选项释义】
Scientists have found that deep anesthesia ____. 科学家发现深度麻醉____。
A. is likely to affect hearing A. 可能会影响听力
B. cannot block surgeons’ words B. 无法阻挡外科医生的话
C. can cause serious damages to memory C. 能对记忆造成严重损害
D. helps retain conscious or subconscious memories D. 有助于保留有意识或潜意识的记忆
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干信息可定位到第一段“病人在全身麻醉的情况下，即使他们没有醒来，也能回忆起他们听到的东西。”也就是说全麻不会阻止病人听到医生说的话，选项B符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“可能会影响听力”，文中没有体现，属于无中生有；
C选项“能对记忆造成严重损害”，文中第二段提到“人们在接受手术时可以保留对所发生事情的有意识或潜意识记忆”，并没有说对记忆造成损害，该选项属于反向干扰；
D选项“有助于保留有意识或潜意识的记忆”，文中第二段提到“人们在接受手术时可以保留对所发生事情的有意识或潜意识记忆”，说的是能够保留意识，而不是深度麻醉有助于保留意识，该选项属于过度推断。
第2题:
【选项释义】
By the new study, the technique of bispectral analysis helps the scientists ____. 通过这项新的研究，双谱分析技术帮助科学家____。
A. acquire an average measurement of brainwave changes over the whole surgery A. 获得整个手术过程中脑电波变化的平均测量值
B. decide whether the patient would retain conscious or subconscious memories B. 判断病人是否保留有意识或潜意识的记忆
C. relate their measurements and recordings to the verbal sounds during surgery C. 将他们的测量和录音与手术期间的口头声音联系起来
D. assure the depth of anesthesia during surgery D. 保证手术时麻醉深度
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干信息可定位到第三段“亚特兰大埃默里大学的Gitta Lubke、Peter Sebel和同事们使用双谱分析技术测量了麻醉深度，这种技术可以在手术过程中时刻测量额叶脑电波模式的变化。”也就是说，这种技术可以在检测人们麻醉时脑电波变化，而脑电波变化则代表病人保留记忆，因此可以推断双谱分析技术可以判断人们是否保留意识。因此选B。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“获得整个手术过程中脑电波变化的平均测量值”，文中第三段提及“在这项研究之前，研究人员只对整个操作进行了平均测量”，并不是在这个研究下进行的，该选项属于张冠李戴；
C选项“将他们的测量和录音与手术期间的口头声音联系起来”文中没有提及，该选项属于无中生有；
D选项“保证手术时麻醉深度”，文中没有提及，该选项属于无中生有。
第3题:
【选项释义】
To test the patients, the scientists ____. 为了测试这些患者，科学家____。
A. prepared two lists of words A. 准备了两张单词表
B. used ninety-six headphones for listening B. 用96个耳机听
C. conducted the whole experiment for three minutes C. 整个实验进行了三分钟
D. voiced only the first three letters of sixteen words during surgery D. 在手术中只会发音16个单词的前三个字母
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干信息可定位到第五段“在手术期间播放以这些字母开头的单词——例如‘limit’——的患者比播放不同单词列表的患者选择这个单词的频率平均高出11%。”由此可知，有两个不同的单词表，选项A符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“用96个耳机听”，文章第四段提到“Lubke研究了96名接受紧急手术的创伤患者……每位患者都戴上耳机”由此可知是患者用耳机听而不是科学家，该选项属于张冠李戴；
C选项“整个实验进行了三分钟”文中第四段提及“耳机中有16个单词，每个单词重复3分钟”是每个单词播放三分钟而不是整个实验进行了三分钟，该选项属于曲解原文；
D选项“在手术中只会发音16个单词的前三个字母”，文中第五段提到“手术后，Lubke对患者进行测试，向他们展示一个单词的前三个字母，比如‘lim’，并要求他们完成它。在手术期间播放以这些字母开头的单词”由此可知，是手术中播放以这三个字母开头的单词，而不是前三个字母，该选项属于偷换概念。
第4题:
【选项释义】
The results from the new study indicate that it was possible for the patients ____. 这项新研究的结果表明，对患者来说，____是可能的。
A. to regain consciousness under the knife A. 病人在手术后恢复意识
B. to tell one word from another after surgery B. 在手术后可以分辨出不同的单词
C. to recall what had been heard during surgery C. 回忆起手术期间听到的内容
D. to overreact to deep anesthesia in the course of operations D. 对深度麻醉反应过度
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干信息可定位到第一段“一项新的研究表明，病人在全身麻醉的情况下，即使他们没有醒来，也能回忆起他们听到的东西。”因此C选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“病人在手术后恢复意识”，该选项属于无中生有；
B选项“在手术后可以分辨出不同的单词”该研究没有体现，属于无中生有；
D选项“对深度麻醉反应过度”，该研究没有体现，属于无中生有。
第5题:
【选项释义】
What we can infer from the finding? 我们可以从这一发现中推断出什么？
A. How surgical malpractice can be prevented. A. 如何预防外科事故。
B. Why a surgeon cannot be too careful. B. 为什么外科医生再小心也不为过。
C. Why surgeons should hold their tongues during surgery. C. 为什么外科医生在手术时要保持缄默。
D. How the postoperative patients can retain subconscious memories. D. 术后患者如何保留潜意识记忆。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干信息可定位到最后一段“这项将发表在《麻醉学》杂志上的发现可能意味着手术室工作人员应该更加谨慎。医生在手术中说的话可能会让患者术后感到痛苦。”由此可推断医生在手术中最好保持沉默。因此选C。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“如何预防外科事故。”文中没有体现，该选项属于无中生有；
B选项“为什么外科医生再小心也不为过。”这个发现是指手术后病人能恢复意识，与外科医生小心无关，该选项属于曲解原文；
D选项“术后患者如何保留潜意识记忆。”，这个发现并不能推断出患者如何保留意识，该选项属于过度推断。
【参考译文】
一项新的研究得出结论：即使病人没有醒来，他们也能回忆起在全身麻醉时听到的声音。
在过去的三十年里，有多项研究报告称，人们可以有意识或潜意识地回忆起在接受手术时发生的事情。但其他研究人员未能证实这些发现，因此怀疑论者猜测，那些记得这些事情的病人可能在手术过程中短暂恢复了意识。
亚特兰大埃默里大学的吉塔·卢布克、彼得·塞贝尔及其同事使用双谱分析法测量了麻醉深度，这种技术可以测量手术过程中额叶脑电波模式每时每刻的变化。卢布克说，在这项研究之前，研究人员只对整个手术过程进行平均测量。
卢布克研究了96名接受紧急手术的外伤病人，其中许多人伤势严重，无法忍受全麻。在手术过程中，每个病人都戴着耳机，耳机里重复播放一系列16个单词，每个单词播放3分钟。与此同时，双谱分析记录了麻醉深度。
手术后，卢布克向患者展示了一个单词的前三个字母，如“lim”，并要求他们完成这个单词。在手术过程中播放过以这些字母开头的单词——例如“limit”——的病人比播放过不同单词表的病人选择该单词的频率平均高出11%。所有患者都没有听到过这些单词表的有意识记忆。
在病人麻醉最轻的时候播放的单词，无意识引物作用最强。但即使在播放单词时患者处于完全麻醉状态，无意识引物作用也具有统计学意义。
这一发现将发表在《麻醉学》杂志上，它可能意味着手术室工作人员应该更加谨慎。安大略省滑铁卢大学的心理学家菲利普·梅里克尔说，他们在手术过程中所说的话可能会在手术后给病人带来痛苦。
