Scientists long believed that two nerve clusters in the human hypothalamus, called suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCNs), were what controlled our circadian rhythms. Those rhythms are the biological cycles that recur approximately every 24 hours in synchronization with the cycle of sunlight and darkness caused by Earth's rotation. Studies have demonstrated that in some animals, the SCNs control daily fluctuations in blood pressure, body temperature, activity level, and alertness, as well as the nighttime release of the sleeppromoting agent melatonin. Furthermore, cells in the human retina dedicated to transmitting information about light levels to the SCNs have recently been discovered.

Four critical genes governing circadian cycles have been found to be active in every tissue, however, not just the SCNs, of flies, mice, and humans. In addition, when laboratory rats that usually ate at will were fed only once a day, peak activity of a clock gene in their livers shifted by 12 hours, whereas the same clock gene in the SCNs remained synchronized with light cycles. While scientists do not dispute the role of the SCNs in controlling core functions such as the regulation of body temperature and blood pressure, scientists now believe that circadian clocks in other organs and tissues may respond to external cues other than light—including temperature changes—that recur regularly every 24 hours.


The author of the passage would probably agree with which of the following statements about the SCNs?


The SCNs are found in other organs and tissues of the body besides the hypothalamus.

The SCNs play a critical but not exclusive role in regulating circadian rhythms.

The SCNs control clock genes in a number of tissues and organs throughout the body.

The SCNs are a less significant factor in regulating blood pressure than scientists once believed.

The SCNs are less strongly affected by changes in light levels than they are by other external cues.

考题讲解

题目分析:

文章推断题:作者可能同意以下哪个关于SCNs的观点?

这道题看一遍会发现有的选项把文章中的一些点混在一起,比如A里面在其他地方发现的是genes而不是SCNs,误以为有原文可以对应的部分。但正确选项是需要搞清作者的意图,总结出来——SCNs不是唯一可以控制CR的,但不可否认它的重要性


选项分析:


A选项: 除了下丘脑,在其它器官、组织也发现了SCNs: 文章一开始提到了在下丘脑发现SCNs,但没有提到是否其它地方有。


B选项:正确。SCNs在控制生物周期上起到关键但不是绝对作用:和文章叙述脉络一致——从认为SCNs独自调控到发现还有别的genes和SCNs一起调控。


C选项:SCNs控制身体中许多器官的生物钟:文章中的小白鼠实验证明了有些器官不受SCNs控制。


D选项:
SCNs在调控血压方面没科学家想的那么重要:文章第二段提到“科学家不否认SCNs在调控血压方面的作用”。


E选项:
光线变化没有外部因素对SCNs影响大:文章说的是SCNs受光线影响,其他组织的生物钟可能受外部因素影响;未将二者比较。

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