阅读理解
Notallmemoriesaresweet．Somepeoplespendalltheirlivestryingtoforgetbadexperiences．Violenceandtrafficaccidentscanleavepeoplewithterriblephysicalandemotionalscars．Oftentheyrelive(重新体验)theseexperiencesinnightmares．
NowAmericanresearchersthinktheyareclosetodevelopingapill,whichwillhelppeopleforgetbadmemories．Thepillisdesignedtobetakenimmediatelyafterafrighteningexperience．Theyhopeitmightreduce,orpossiblyerase(抹去)theeffectofpainfulmemories．
InNovember,expertstestedadrugonpeopleintheUSandFrance．Thedrugstopsthebodyreleasingchemicalsthatfixmemoriesinthebrain．Sofartheresearchhassuggestedthatonlytheemotionaleffectsofmemoriesmaybereduced,notthatthememoriesareerased．
Theresearchhascausedagreatdealofargument．Somethinkitisabadidea,whileotherssupportit．Supporterssayitcouldleadtopillsthatpreventortreatsoldiers’troublingmemoriesafterwar．
Theysaythattherearemanypeoplewhosufferfromterriblememories．“Somememoriescanruinpeople’slife．Theycomebacktoyouwhenyoudon’twanttohavetheminadaydreamornightmare．Theyusuallycomewithverypainfulemotions,”saidRogerPitman,aprofessorofpsychiatry(精神病学)atHarvardMedicalSchool．“Thiscouldrelievealotofthatsuffering．”
Butthosewhoareagainsttheresearchsaythatchangingmemoriesisverydangerousbecausememoriesgiveusouridentity(特质)．Theyalsohelpusallavoidthemistakesofthepast．“Allofuscanthinkofbadeventsinourlivesthatwerehorribleatthetimebutmakeuswhoweare．I’mnotsurewe’dwanttowipethosememoriesout,”saidRebeccaDresser,amedicalethicist(伦理学家)．
Somepeoplefearthatalthoughthedrugwouldfirstbeusedinonlyveryseriouscases,itwouldbecomemoreandmorecommon．“Peoplealwayshavetheabilitytomisusescience,”saidJosephLeDoux,aNewYorkUniversitymemoryresearcher．“Allwewanttodoistohelppeoplehavebettercontrolofmemories．”
(1)
A．
Peopleoftensufferfrombadmemories．
B．
Americanresearchersaretryingtodevelopapill．
