Question

    Maybe you pop vitamins supporting brainpower, or stock upon these foods that boost brain health. But new guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology suggest there's something better you can do to keep your mind sharp.

A quarter of adults aged 80 to 84 experience mild cognitive (认知的) impairment, according to AAN. To address the widespread problem, a group of neurologists and Alzheimer's (阿尔兹海默氏症的) specialists went through existing studies to define the best ways to prevent and treat cognitive decline-and you might be surprised by what they included and what they didn't.

Surprisingly, the AAN guidelines don't include any medication (药物) or dietary recommendations. The authors stress that there haven't been any high-quality, long-term studies finding foods or medication can help cognitive decline. The guidelines also say doctors can consider suggesting cognitive training to patients with memory loss but not to rely on it. So far, the report's authors say the evidence is too inconclusive to say for sure if brain exercises, like memory and attention training or problem solving for everyday issues associated with memory loss, are beneficial. Still, these morning brain exercises can't do any harm.

But there was one big discovery from the new guidelines: Exercising just twice a week could improve cognitive decline. One study showed adults with mild cognitive impairment who did resistance training twice a week scored better on executive function and associative (联想的) memory tests than a group that worked on balancing, stretching, and relaxing.

What's more, another study had older adults attend either biweekly health classes or sessions of aerobics, strength training, balance exercises, and multitasking training. Six months later, the ones who'd exercised regularly scored better on cognitive health and memory tests, plus had less brain shrinkage.

AAN now recommends doctors tell patients with memory loss to exercise twice a week to keep their minds sharp. This is the best time to exercise if you want to improve your memory. It looks like you've got just one more reason to clear time in your schedule for a workout — even if it's only on the weekends.

1.What does the underlined word ''impairment'' in paragraph 2 refer to?

A.Error. B.Decline. C.Development. D.Presence.

2.AAN may be uncertain about       .

A.strength training B.resistance training

C.exercises twice a week D.brain exercise

3.Which of the following may the author agree with?

A.Daily exercises are beneficial to Alzheimer.

B.The AAN guidelines attach importance to workout.

C.Medication is of significance in the AAN guidelines.

D.Stocking up on vitamins supporting brainpower means nothing.

4.In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A.Exercise. B.Entertainment. C.Science D.Health

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.B

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。本文讲了如何来避免或减轻老年人的阿尔兹海默症，最好的治疗方法不是药物，而是一周两次锻炼。

1.词义猜测题。根据第二段的A quarter of adults aged80to84 experience mild cognitive (认知的) impairment, according to AAN. To address the widespread problem, a group of neurologists and Alzheimer's (阿尔兹海默氏症的) specialists went through existing studies to define the best ways to prevent and treat cognitive decline可知，据AAN说，有四分之一的80至84岁的成年人，都经历轻微的认知impairment。为了解决这个普遍问题，一群神经病学家和阿尔兹海默病专家通过现有的研究去定义预防和治疗认知下降的最好方法。通过句意，尤其根据decline一词，可推测划线部分的意思是“减弱/下降”。B. Decline.(下降)符合以上说法，故选B项。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段的So far, the report’s authors say the evidence is too inconclusive to say for sure if brain exercises, like memory and attention training or problem-solving for every issues associated with memory loss, are beneficial.(到目前为止，报告的作者们说，这些证据还没有定论，无法确定大脑锻炼是否有益，比如记忆和注意力训练或解决与记忆丧失相关的每一个问题)可知，AAN对脑力的锻炼结果不太确定。D. brain exercise(大脑锻炼)符合以上说法，故选D项。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段的But there was one big discovery from the new guidelines: Exercising just twice a week could improve cognitive decline(但是新的研究发现：每周锻炼两次可以改善认知能力的下降)和最后一段的AAN now recommends doctors tell patients with memory loss to exercise twice a week to keep their mind sharp. This is the best time to exercise if you want to improve your memory.(AAN现在建议医生告诉失忆患者每周锻炼两次，以保持头脑清醒。如果你想提高记忆力，这是最好的锻炼时间)可知，AAN认为每周两次锻炼对提高记忆力很有帮助。作者引用了这些说法，故推测他会同意以上的观点。B. The AAN guidelines attach importance to workout.(AAN指南重视锻炼)符合以上说法，故选B项。

4.推理判断题。根据文章的主要内容，尤其第四段的But there was one big discovery from the new guidelines: Exercising just twice a week could improve cognitive decline. (但是新的研究发现：每周锻炼两次可以改善认知能力的下降)可知，本文主要是讲了通过锻炼来避免或减轻老年人的阿尔兹海默症。由此推测，本文很有可能出现在报纸的健康版块。D. Health(健康)符合以上推断，故选D项。