Why is the human brain so mighty? It has billions of nerve cells to carry out its commands. Without the brain, you would not be able to think, feel, move, remember, or do all the things that make you the special person you are.

At birth, the brains of infants (婴儿) weigh the same. But by adulthood, that changes. The average male brain weighs about 11 to 12 percent more than woman’s brain. But brain weight and size have nothing to do with intelligence. What matters is what’s inside the brain.

Despite its small size (about 3 pounds), the brain is able to receive and send an unlimited number of messages. It does this with the help of the spinal cord, the sense organs, and the automatic nervous system. The brain carries out this task by assigning jobs.

It puts the cerebellum in charge of balance and coordination.

The brainstem regulates heartbeat, breathing, and blood pressure.

And the largest parts of the brain, the cerebral cortex and the cerebrum, control thoughts, feelings, and actions.

The cerebrum is divided into two halves. Each controls the muscles on the opposite side of the body. So, if you usually eat with your right hand and kick with your right foot, then your brain’s left half is said to “dominate”, and you’re right-handed. When the opposite is true, your brain’s’ right half takes the lead and you’re left-handed.

People use both halves of the brain, but the left half is especially good at helping you with words and numbers and helping you read and speak. The right side is better at creative tasks, such as music and art. And your sense of humor develops there.

Each half has four sets of lobes (脑叶). The frontal lobes behind your forehead do lot of the thinking and planning. The parietal lobes toward the back of your head sense pain. And the occipital lobes at the base of the brain allow you to see. The temporal lobes behind your ears store memories of music, taste, vision, and touch.

【小题1】What is the writing purpose of starting the text with a question?

A．To stress the importance of the brain.

B．To explain reasons for the power of the brain.

C．To leads readers into the main topic.

D．To share with readers the author’s problem.

【小题2】Which of the following parts is in charge of regulating breathing?

A．The cerebral cortex.

B．The cerebrum.

C．The cerebellum.

D．The brainstem.

【小题3】Based on the text, what would people with dominant right half brains likely do?

A．Draw with the right hand.

B．Write with the left hand.

C．Eat with the right hand.

D．Kick a soccer ball with the right foot.

【小题4】What does the text mainly talk about?

A．The brain is a small organ that does a lot for the human body.

B．An intelligent person has a bigger brain size than other people.

C．The brain has two halves that control which hand you write with.

D．The lobes in the brain play an important role and do different tasks.