Question

                               C 

          Feel too old or too stupid to learn a second ：

language? It may be worth peraeven(坚持).A study that tracked hundreds of Scottish people for decays gives the strongest evidence that speaking an extra language slows the mental decline that accompanies ageing. The benefits hold regardless of your IQ and even if you learn vour second language as an adult. 

          Previous studies have shown that people with disease(老年痴呆) who are fluent in two languages exhibit symptoms of the condition four or five years later than people who are(只用一种语言的) .However,it has been difficult to explain the effects of knowing multiple languages.

          To resolve the issue,Thomas Bak of the Universi  of Edinburgh,UK turned to the study,which has tracked about l,l00 people bom in 1936 in and around Edinburgh. AH were monolingual English speakers at age 11 ,when they had taken a series of (认知的)           Although the study wasn't  designed to investigate language effects,itvv provides a unique research opportunity,says Ellen Bialystok at York University m Toronto,Canada,who was the first to discover that being bilingual delays the beginning of Alzheimer 's  disease .

          853 of the participants were tracked down when they were in their early 70s. Almost 262 of them had learned;to speak at least one additional language and 65 had learned it after the age of 18. Bak gave the participants cognitive tests and compared these with the test scores ：from when they were 11. Those who had learned an extra;language performed better in the cognitive tests in their 70s,indicating that the extra language itself is beneficial.                 Bialystok says the cognitive benefits seen in the;Scottish study agree with her own work on blllngua people with Alzheimer' s  disease,suggesting that thei same beneficial processes are at work:

         How could languages protect the brain? A theory is that people who speak several languages constantly ：activate all the available words in each one before choosing the appropriate expression,giving them some ;：mental exercise.

9. According to the text,the mental benefits of learning a second language .

   A. may decrease while ageing

   B. can change with learners’ IQ

   C. can help learners when they ’re old

   D. are related to when one starts to learn it

10. How did Thomas Bak get his conclusion?

   A. By studying Scottish history.

   B. By watching participants’ behavior.

   C. By comparing participants’ test scores.

   D. By analyzing participants’ questionnaires.

11. What can we leam about Thomas Bak's study?

   A. It was carried out in 1936. 

   B. Its result supports Bialystok's finding.

   C. It was aimed at looking into language effects.

   D. 262 of the participants failed to speak a second language.

12. Why can learning a second language benefit the brain?

   A. It can raise speakers ’ spirits.

   B. It increases mental activities.

   C. It helps reduce mental diseases.

   D. It can activate all the physical expression.

Answer 1

9. C 10. C 11. B 12. B

        C篇

一项调查显示，学习第二语言有利于减缓大脑的衰老。

9. C.细节理解题。根据第一段中的speaking an extra language slows the mental decline that accompanies ageing可知，学习一门外语说够让人

们在年老时受益。 

10. C.细节理解题。根据第五段中的Bak gave the participants cognitive tests and compared these with the test scores 可知，Thomas Bak 是通过比对参与者前后两次的测试成绩而得出结果的。

11. B.细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中的 Bialystok says the cognitive benefits seen in the Scottish study agree with her own work 可知，

Thomas Bak的研宄结果与Bialystok的研究相符。

12. B.推理判断题。根据最后一段可知，学习一门第二语言之所以会使大脑查益是因为它帮助人们增强脑部锻炼。