Recent studies in cognitive neuroscience have revealed that the human brain's ability to process language is not confined to a single region, but rather involves a complex network of areas that work in concert. The left hemisphere, particularly Broca's and Wernicke's areas, has long been associated with speech production and comprehension, respectively. However, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans have demonstrated that even simple sentence comprehension activates a distributed network, including the prefrontal cortex and the cerebellum. This suggests that language processing is highly integrative, relying on both serial and parallel pathways. Moreover, individual differences in language proficiency appear to correlate with the efficiency of this neural network, rather than with the size of any single brain area. These findings challenge the traditional modular view of language and imply that neuroplasticity plays a more significant role in linguistic ability than previously thought.
❓ What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Language processing is localized exclusively in the left hemisphere.
B. The brain's language ability depends on a coordinated network rather than a single region.
C. Broca's area is solely responsible for speech comprehension.
D. Neuroplasticity has no effect on linguistic proficiency.
✅ 正确答案
The brain's language ability depends on a coordinated network rather than a single region.
IELTS Reading Tips
Skim the questions first, underline keywords, then locate in the passage
Watch for paraphrasing; correct answers are often reworded
Be wary of absolute statements (all, always, never) — usually wrong
Pay attention to content after transition words (however, but, yet)
Manage time: about 20 minutes per passage; skip difficult questions first