单选题 If those "mad moments"—when you can't remember what your friend has told you or where you left your keys—are becoming more frequent, mental exercises and a healthy brain diet may help.
Just as bodies require more maintenance with the passing years，so do brains，which scientists now know show signs of aging as early as the 20s and 30s．"Brain aging starts at a very young age, younger than any of us had imagined and these processes continue gradually over the years," said Dr．Gary Small, the director of the Center on Aging at the University of California, Los Angeles. "I'm convinced that it is never too early to get started on a mental or brain-fitness program," he added.
In his book, The Memory Bible, the 51-year-old neuroscientist(神经学家)lists what he refers to as the 10 suggestions for keeping the brain young. They include training memory, building skills, reducing stress, mental exercises, brain food and a healthy lifestyle. It's a game plan for keeping brain cells sparking and neural networks in perfect shape.
"Misplacing your keys a couple of times don't mean you should start labeling your cabinets. Memory loss is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Our brains can fight back," he said.
Small provides the weapons for a full-scale attack.
Simple memory tests give an indication of what you are up against and tools such as "look" and "connect" are designed to make sure that important things such as names and dates are never forgotten. "So if you wanted to learn names and faces, for example, you meet Mrs．Beatty and you notice a distinguishing facial feature, maybe a high eyebrow," said Small. "You associate the first thing that comes to mind. I think of the actor Warren Beatty so I create a mental picture of Warren Beatty kissing her brow."
Small admits it may sound a bit strange but he says it works. "Mental exercises could be anything from doing crossword puzzles and writing with your left hand if you are right handed or learning a language. It could be anything that is fun that people enjoy doing," he added.
He also recommends physical exercise, a low-fat diet and eating foods rich in fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants(抗氧化剂)including blueberries and onions in addition to reducing stress.
单选题 The "mad moments" in the first paragraph refers to the time when we ______.
  • A.don't 1isten to our friends
  • B.have lost our important things
  • C.have some mental problems
  • D.have a bad memory
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 此题的答案在文章的开头：If those "mad moments"—when you can't remember what your friend has told you or where you left your keys—are becoming more...折号后面就是mad moments的进一步解释，can't remember意思就是a bad memory。
单选题 In this passage，the author mainly tells us ______.
  • A.everyone has bad memories sometimes no matter how old he is
  • B.we can prevent our mind from aging with various methods
  • C.brain aging starts at the time when we are in the 20s and 30s
  • D.memory lost is not the sign that we are getting old
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 文章第二段开始提到了一本书，主要介绍如何保持大脑年轻，接下来详细地阐述了几种方法，故正确选项为B。
单选题 By giving the example "you meet Mrs．Beatty and you notice a distinguishing…eyebrow", Dr. Small is trying to explain the memory tool of ______.
  • A.look
  • B.physical exercises
  • C.connect
  • D.mental exercises
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 此题的答案在第六段，由Simple memory tests give an indication of what you are up against and tools such as "look" and "connect" are designed to make sure...和“So if you wanted to learn names and faces, for example, you meet...eyebrow”可见此例子是针对前面的look和connect两个工具的，而通过notice a distinguishing facial feature...(注意到一个奇特的面部特征……)可推知答案为look。
单选题 By saying "I think of the actor Warren Beatty so I create...her brow", Dr．Small is trying to explain the memory tool of ______.
  • A.remembering facial features
  • B.reducing stress
  • C.connecting related things
  • D.observing carefully
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 针对look举例后，又针对connect进行举例。
单选题 Mental exercises do NOT include ______.
  • A.writing with one's left hand
  • B.1earning a foreign language
  • C.doing crossword puzzles
  • D.taking pictures
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 此题的答案在第七段：“Mental exercises could be anything from doing crossword puzzles and writing with your left hand if you are right handed or learning a language．It could be anything that is fun that people enjoy doing”。A、B、C三个选项均可在本句中找到，只有D项不包括在内。