If you think English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the earlier people learn a second language, the greater the effect is.
A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London(UCL), took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals(通两种语言的人)”, who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference was.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills.
“Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible,” he said, “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of 2 and 34. Reading, writing and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the earlier they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.
【小题1】 What does the underlined part “grey matter” (in Paragraph 2) refer to?
A.Grey hair. | B.Material of the brain. |
C.Intelligence. | D.Difficult situations. |
A.change one’s brain completely | B.improve one’s maths skills |
C.make one smarter than others | D.increase the ability to learn |
A.the researchers from UCL did another study in Italy |
B.a similar study was done on native Italian speakers who learn English as a second language |
C.the research done on the Italians showed a totally different result |
D.it will be easier for one to travel around the world by learning a second language |
A.Learning a second language can help improve your brain power. |
B.You should learn a second language that is not your native language. |
C.If you want to learn a second language, you should do it at a certain age. |
D.The research done by the researchers from UCL is very successful. |
【小题1】B
【小题2】D
【小题3】B
【小题4】A
解析【小题1】B 词义猜测题。选项A意为“斑白的头发;灰发”;选项B意为“大脑的材料”;选项C意为“智力”;选项D意为“困境”。根据短文第二段“This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.”可知B为最佳选项。
【小题2】D 细节理解题。根据短文中的““Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.”可知D为最佳选项。
【小题3】B 根据短文的最后一段可知选项B为最佳答案。
【小题4】A 主旨大意题。根据短文第二段第一句“According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power.”可知选项A为最佳答案。
科目:高中英语 来源:河北省邢台一中2011-2012学年高二下学期第四次月考英语试题 题型:053
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项,选项中有两项为选项.
Ea sy Way s to Keep Your Brain SharpEveryone i s forgetful, but a s we age, we start to feel like our brain s are slowing down a bit-and that can be a very annoying thing. 1 Read on for some technique s worth trying.
1. 2
People who regularly made plan s and looked forward to upcoming event s had a 50 percent reduced chance of Alzheimer' s di sea se(老年性痴呆症), according to a recent study. 3 Something a s simple a s setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do.There' s evidence that people who have a purpo se in life or who are working on long or short-term goal s appear to do better.In other word s, keep your brain looking forward.
2.Go for a walk.
Mildly rai sed glucose(葡萄糖)level s can harm the area of the brain that help s you form memorie s and phy sical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal level s.In fact, exerci se produce s chemical s that are good for your brain. 4
3.Learn something new.
Take a Spani sh cla s s online, join a drawing club, or learn to play card s.A study found that mental stimulation limit s the weakening effect s of aging on memory and the mind.But the be st thing for your brain i s when you learn something new and are phy sically active at the same time. 5 Or you can ju st go dancing with your friend s.
A.Focu s on the future.
B.Thi s can be e specially harmful to the aged.
C.It should be something like learning gardening.
D.So take a few minute s each day to do some reading.
E.But don't worry if our schedule i sn't filled with life-changing event s.
F.Luckily, re search show s there i s a lot you can do to avoid tho se moment s.
G.In other word s, when you take care of your body, you take care of your brain.
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科目:高中英语 来源:安徽省期中题 题型:完形填空
完形填空 | |||
One afternoon I was sitting at my favorite table in a restaurant, waiting for the food I had ordered to arrive. Suddenly I 1 that a man sitting at a table near the window kept glancing in my direction, _ 2 he knew me. The man had a newspaper 3 in front of him, which he was 4 to read, but I could 5 that he was keeping an eye on me. When the waiter brought my 6 , the man was clearly puzzled by the 7 way in which the waiter and I 8 each other. He seemed even more puzzled as 9 went on and it became 10 that all the waiters in the restaurant knew me. Finally he got up and went into the 11 . When he came out, he paid his bill and 12 without another a glance in my direction. I called the owner of the restaurant and asked what the man had 13 . "Well, "he said, "That man was a detective(侦探). He 14 you here because he thought you were the man he 15 ." "What ?"I said, showing my 16 . The owner continued, "He came into the kitchen and showed me a photo of the wanted man. I 17 say he looked very much like you! Of course since we know you, we told him that he had made a __18_." "Well, it's really 19 I came to a restaurant where I'm known, "I said. " 20 , I might have been in trouble." | |||
( )1.A. knew ( )2.A. since ( )3.A. flat ( )4.A. hoping ( )5.A. see ( )6.A. menu ( )7.A .direct ( )8.A. chatted with ( )9.A. the waiter ( )10.A. true ( )11.A. restaurant ( )12.A. left ( )13.A. wanted ( )14.A. met ( )15.A. was to beat ( )16.A. care ( )17.A. must ( )18.A. discovery ( )19.A. a pity ( )20.A. Thus |
B. unders tood B. even if B. open B. thi nking B. find B. bill B. familiar B. looked at B. time B. hopeful B. washroom B. acted B. tried B. caught B was dealing with B. surprise B can B mistake B natural B However |
C. noticed C .though C. cut C. pretending C. guess C. paper C. strange C. laughed at C. I C .clear C. office C. sat down C. ordered C. followed C. was to meet C. worry C. need C decision C. a chance C.Otherwise |
D.recognized? D.as if? D. fixed ? D.continuing? D. learn? D. food ? D. funny ? D. talked about D. the dinner D. possible D .kitchen? D. calmeddown D. wished? D. discovered? D. was looking for D. regret? D. may? D. fortune? D. lucky? D. Therefore |
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