Question

    Ever walked to the shops only to find, once there, you’ve completely forgotten what you went for? Or struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years we’ve accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of aging as wrinkles and gray hair. But now a new book suggests that we’ve got it all wrong.

According to The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain, by science writer Barbara Strauch, when it comes to the important things, our brains actually get better with age. In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s — much later than previously thought.

Furthermore, rather than losing many brain cells as we age, we keep them, and even produce new ones well into middle age. For years it’s been assumed that brain, much like the body, declines with age. But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise.

This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years. It has found that on average, participants performed better on cognitive (认知的) tests in their 40s and 50s than they had done in their 20s. Specifically, older people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving. Where they performed less well was number ability and perceptual speed — how fast you can push a button when ordered. However, with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond. In short, researchers are now coming up with scientific proof that we do get wiser with age.

Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with aging. A recent US study found older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions. It is thought that when we’re younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world, but as we get older we’ve learned our lessons and are aware that we have less time left in life: therefore, it becomes more important for us to be happy.

1.Barbara Strauch probably agrees that ______.

A.the young are better at handling important things

B.wrinkles and gray hair are the only symbols of aging

C.aging leads to the decline of the function of the brain

D.people’s brains work best between their 40s and 60s

2.The continuing research has found older people perform better on ______.

A.vocabulary tests B.number ability

C.perceptual speed D.body balance

3.People are happier with aging because ______.

A.they know how to share feelings B.they learn to value the time left

C.they cannot focus on negative aspects D.they do not realize the possible dangers

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A.People get happier with age. B.People get more forgetful with age.

C.People get wiser with age. D.People get more self-aware with age.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。本文主要讲述的内容是随着年龄的增长，确实会变得更聪明。同样发现，人也会越来越开心。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段的In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s她认为一些研究已经发现，我们的大脑在40岁到60岁之间达到顶峰，可知Barbara Strauch人们的大脑在40到60岁之间工作得最好，故选D项。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段的Specifically, older people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving. 持续的研究发现，老年人在词汇测试、语言记忆(你能记住多少单词)和解决问题方面表现得更好。故选A项。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段的as we get older we’ve learned our lessons and are aware that we have less time left in life : therefore, it becomes more important for us to be happy.随着年龄的增长我们学到教训，意识到我们还剩下更少的时间活着，因此,快乐对于我们来说更重要。由此可以推知，随着年龄的增长，人们会更快乐，因为他们学会珍惜剩下的时间，故选B项。

4.