Can we forget bad memories?Someone might tell you that time is the only "cure".But this might be not true.
Researchers at Canada's McGill University have tested a pill that can help you forget bad memories.They tested it on 60 people and found it to be successful.
All 60 people had experienced painful romantic relationships and wanted to forget them.In the study,they were asked to write about these bad memories.Then,they took a pill that is usually used to treat high blood pressure.They then recalled their bad memories by reading what they wrote earlier.In the end,they talked about their feelings,saying that they were finally able to forget their bad experiences.
Dr.Alain Brunet,who led the study,believes that the pill can ease the pain that bad memories bring.People can take it after bad things happen to them.
How did the pill do this?In fact,your memories change all the time.They're like text files on your computer.Every time you recall and "open" the files,you might happen to make some changes and "save" them.Researchers believe that the pill can stop proteins in the brain from "re-saving" these memories.This means some details of the memory are lost.
However,there are some ethical(伦理的) worries about this treatment.Some people might use it to forget things that they should be learning from,such as when they committed a crime.People are discussing which kinds of memories should be forgotten with this pill.
How do we form memories?
The part of our brain known as the hippocampus(海马体) is important for forming new memories.Scientists found it after studying a patient named Henry Molaison in the 1950s.After Molaison's hippocampus got hurt during an operation,he couldn't store new memories.But he could remember memories from before the operation.This means long-term memories are stored outside the hippocampus.Scientists believe they are stored in the neocortex(新皮质),which controls attention and planning.
According to the study,what can the pill help people do? ______
A. Recall happy memories.
B. Remember things more easily.
C. Control their blood pressure.
D. Forget bad experiences.
The 60 people who tested the pill did NOT ______ .
A. have painful experiences
B. write down their bad memories
C. have high blood pressure
D. recall what they wrote down before
What is paragraph 5 mainly about? ______
A. How our memories change over time.
B. How the pill stops bad things from happening.
C. How the research group created the pill.
D. How the pill helps us forget bad memories.
What can we learn from the story? ______
A. The pill might come with some problems.
B. The pill can stop criminals from committing crimes.
C. The writer doesn't think the pill is good.
D. Many people want to forget bad memories.