4.Directions: Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A,B,C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

　　When you say that someone has a good memory, what exactly do you mean? Are you saying that the person has fast recall or that he or she ___（1）___ information quickly? Or maybe you just mean that the person remembers a lot about her or his childhood. The truth is that it is ___（2）__ to say exactly what memory is. Even scientists who have been studying memory for decades say they are still trying to ___（3）___ exactly what it is. We do know that a particular memory is not just one thing stored somewhere in the brain. ___（4）__, a memory is made up of bits and pieces of information stored all over the brain. Perhaps the best way to ___（5）___ memory is to say that it is a process—a process of recording, storing, and getting back information. Practice and repetition can help to ___（6）___ the pieces that make up our memory of that information.

　　Memory can be ___（7）___ affected by a number of things. ___（8）___ nutrition can affect a person’s ability to store information. Excessive alcohol use can also weaken memory and cause permanent ___（9）___ to the brain over the long term. A vision or hearing problem may affect a person’s ability to notice certain things, thus making it ___（10）___ to register information in the brain.

　　When people talk about memory, they often ___（11）___ short-term memory and long-term memory. If you want to call a store or an office that you don’t call often, you look in the telephone book for the number. You dial the number, and then you forget it! You use your short-term memory to remember the number. Your short-term memory lasts about 30 seconds, or half a minute. ___（12）___, you don’t need to look in the telephone book for your best friend’s number, because you already know it. This number is in your long-term memory, which ___（13）___ information about things you have learned and experienced through the years.

　　Why do you forget things sometimes? The major reason for forgetting something is that you did not learn it well enough ___（14）___. For example, if you meet some new people and right away forget their names, it is because you did not ___（15）___ the names at the first few seconds when you heard them.

（1） A. collects           B. processes              C. publishes           D. absorbs

（2）A. necessary          B. important          C. difficult               D. convenient

（3） A. figure out          B. take out              C. put out                D. give out

（4）A. After all          B. Instead              C. By contrast           D. Besides

（5）A. recall           B. refresh               C. describe               D. decrease

（6） A. lose               B. organize            C. identify               D. strengthen

（7）A. positively          B. negatively          C. actively               D. directly

（8） A. Poor             B. Adequate              C. Special               D. Various

（9） A. benefit            B. offence            C. effect               D. damage

（10） A. easier           B. more impressive     C. harder                D. more convenient

（11） A. refer to           B. apply for              C. come across          D. break down

（12） A. Furthermore     B. However              C. Consequently          D. Otherwise

（13）A. leaks           B. transmits              C. checks                D. stores

（14） A. in the middle      B. at the end          C. in the beginning       D. ahead of time

（15） A. restore             B. record             C. replace              D. respond