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Sorry to say, our brains naturally start slowing down at the cruelly young age of 30.It used to be thought that this couldn't be helped, but new studies show that people of any age can train their brains to work faster.“Your brain is a learning machine，” says University of California scientist Dr.Michael Merzenich.Given the right tools, we can train our brains to act as they did when we were younger.All that's required is the practice designed just for the purpose: a few exercises for the mind.

Merzenich has developed a computer?based training method to speed up the process in which the brain deals with information (positscience.com)．Since much of the data we receive comes through speech, the Brain Fitness Program works with language and hearing to better speed and accuracy.

Over the course of training, the program starts asking you to distinguish sounds (between “dog” and “bog”， for example) at an increasingly faster speed.It's a bit like tennis instructor, says Merzenich, hitting balls at you faster and faster to keep you challenged.You may start out slow, but before long you're pretty quick.

The biggest finding in brain research in the last ten years is that the_brain_at_any_age_is_highly_plastic.If you ask your brain to learn, it will learn.And it may even speed up while in the process.

To keep your brain young and plastic you can do one of a million new activities that challenge and excite you: playing table tennis or bridge, doing crossword puzzles, learning a language...“When it comes to preventing ageing, you really do ‘use it or lose it'，” says Barbara Sahakian, professor at Cambridge University.

(　　)1.Dr.Merzenich's training method mainly depends on ________.

A.speech training    

B．computer languages

C．the activities one joins in     

D．the information being dealt with

(　　)2.By saying “the brain at any age is highly plastic”， the writer probably means the brain can be ________.

A．used          B．mastered    

C．developed      D．researched

(　　)3.What can we learn from the text?

A．Practice makes a quick mind.

B．Brain research started ten years ago.

C．Dr.Merzenich is a scientist in computer.

D．People believed nothing could stop the brain slowing down.

(　　)4.Which of the following can be in place of the underlined word “distinguish”？

A.Tell.         B．Recognize.

C．Compare. D．Pronounce.

(　　)5.Which of the following agrees with the writer's idea?

A．The training methods work better for the old.

B．People should use the brain to stop it from ageing.

C．The training of the brain should start at an early age.

D．It's necessary to take part in as many activities as possible.
三、本文主要讲述的是近些年来科学家们通过研究发现：虽然大脑思维能力和速度会随着年龄的增长而降低，但是通过锻炼，还是可以保持甚至提高的。

1．A　细节理解题。第二段的最后一句说明他的方法主要是通过语言训练来达到目的的。

2．C　推理判断题。由第四段画线部分后句可以看出人们的大脑处理信息的速度是有很高的可塑性和开发潜力的。

3．D　推理判断题。从文章的第一句得知，人们以前都相信一个残酷的事实，在三十岁的时候，人们的大脑就开始衰弱了。而后来所讲述的一系列科学新发现都表明事实不是这样的。

4．A　词义猜测题。根据第三段内容可知答案。distinguish区别；区分。

5．B　推理判断题。文中没有说这位科学家的发现更适合于老年人，所以A项错误。文中也没有说大脑的训练要在很小的年龄就开始，C项错误。文中更无从找到作者关于要读者尽量多地参加各种活动的说法，所以D项错误。故选B。