Thematic Reading
＼Text A＼
For a More Creative Brain Travel
Brent Crane
［1］There are plenty of things to be gained from going abroad：new friends，new experiences，new stories．
［2］But living in another country may come with a less noticeable benefit，too．Some scientists say it can also make you more creative．
［3］Writers and thinkers have long felt the creative benefits of international travel．Ernest Hemingway，for example，drew inspiration for much of his work from his time in Spain and France．Aldous Huxley，the author of Brave New World，moved from the U．K．to the U．S．in his 40s to branch out into screenwriting．Mark Twain，who sailed around the coast of the Mediterranean in 1869，wrote in his travelogue Innocents Abroad that travel is“fatal to prejudice，bigotry，and narrow-mindedness．”
［4］In recent years，psychologists and neuroscientists have begun examining more closely what many people have already learned anecdotally：that spending time abroad may have the potential to affect mental change．In general，creativity is related to neuroplasticity，or how the brain is wired．Neural pathways are influenced by environment and habit，meaning they’re also sensitive to change：New sounds，smells，language，tastes，sensations，and sights spark different synapses in the brain and may have the potential to revitalize the mind．
［5］“Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and integrativeness of thought，the ability to make deep connections between disparate forms，” says Adam Galinsky，a professor at Columbia Business School and the author of numerous studies on the connection between creativity and international travel．Cognitive flexibility is the mind’s ability to jump between different ideas，a key component of creativity．But it’s not just about being abroad，Galinsky says，“The key，critical process is multicultural engagement，immersion，and adaptation．Someone who lives abroad and doesn’t engage with the local culture will likely get less of a creative boost than someone who travels abroad and really engages in the local environment．”In other words，going to Cancun for a week on spring break probably won’t make a person any more creative．But going to Cancun and living with local fishermen might．
［6］Cultural distance，or how different a foreign culture is from one’s own，may also play a role．Surprisingly，Galinsky and his colleagues found that living someplace with a larger cultural distance was often associated with lower creativity than living in a more familiar culture．The reason for that，they hypothesized，was that an especially different culture might come with a bigger intimidation factor，which may discourage people from immersing themselves in it—and no immersion，they explained，could mean none of the cognitive changes associated with living in another country．
［7］Traveling may have other brain benefits，too．Mary Helen Immordino-Yang，an associate professor of education and psychology at the University of Southern California，says that cross-cultural experiences have the potential to strengthen a person’s sense of self．“What a lot of psychological research has shown now is that the ability to engage with people from different backgrounds than yourself，and the ability to get out of your own social comfort zone，is helping you to build a strong and acculturated sense of your own self，”she says，“Our ability to differentiate our own beliefs and values is tied up in the richness of the cultural experiences that we have had．”
［8］Cross-cultural experiences have the potential to pull people out of their cultural bubbles，and in doing so，can increase their sense of connection with people from backgrounds different than their own．“We found that when people had experiences traveling to other countries it increased what’s called generalized trust，or their general faith in humanity，”Galinsky says．“When we engage in other cultures，we start to have experience with different people and recognize that most people treat you in similar ways．That produces an increase in trust．”
［9］Of course，although a new country is an easy way to leave a“social comfort zone，”the cultural engagement associated with cognitive change doesn’t have to happen abroad．If a plane ticket isn’t an option，maybe try taking the subway to a new neighborhood．Sometimes，the research suggests，all that’s needed for a creative boost is a fresh cultural scene．
（730 words）
＼Word Tips＼
1．branch out into 扩展范围
2．screenwriting n．电影剧本创作
3．travelogue n．旅行见闻讲演，游记
4．bigotry adj．偏执，顽固
5．neuroscientists n．神经学家
6．anecdotally adv．轶事地
7．neuroplasticity n．神经可塑性
8．neural pathways 神经通路
9．synapse n．突触
10．cognitive flexibility 认知灵活性
11．integrativeness n．综合，集成
12．disparate adj．不同的
13．immersion n．沉浸，投入
14．boost n．提高，改善
15．Cancun n．坎昆（墨西哥东南部城市，位
于加勒比沿岸，是世界著名的度假胜地）
16．hypothesize v．假设，猜测
17．intimidation n．恐吓，威胁(https://www.daowen.com)
18．acculturate v．适应新的文化习俗的
19．differentiate v．区分，区别
20．tie up 与……有密切联系
＼After-reading Exercises＼
I．Directions：The following are five multiple choice questions to test your understanding of the passage．Choose the best answer for each of them．
1．Among the writers who have long felt the creative benefits of traveling，which one has ever written something for movies？
A．Ernest Hemingway．
B．Aldous Huxley．
C．Mark Twain．
D．Adam Galinsky．
2．According to the passage，what have psychologists and neuroscientists been focusing on in recent years？
A．The relationship between travel and brain．
B．The influence of environment upon one’s habits．
C．The possible influence of overseas experience upon one’s mental change．
D．The importance of cognitive flexibility．
3．What does the example of going to Cancun intend to show？
A．Foreign experiences increase cognitive flexibility．
B．Spending time abroad may have the potential to affect mental change．
C．It is more advisable to live in a more familiar culture．
D．Really engaging in the local environment is better for creativity than traveling in a very short time．
4．What’s the relationship between cultural distance and creativity according to Galinsky and his colleagues？
A．A larger cultural distance may lead to higher creativity．
B．A shorter cultural distance may contribute to higher creativity．
C．Large cultural distance may result in no change in one’s creativity．
D．A shorter cultural distance may lead to lower creativity．
5．Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the potential benefit of traveling abroad？
A．Sense of fulfillment．
B．Sense of self．
C．Sense of connection．
D．An increase in trusting people．
Ⅱ．Directions：Please translate paragraphs 8 9 into Chinese．