Question

A report says older adults who test their minds with increasingly difficult projects have better mental ability than those who do less demanding activities.

To keep our brains sharp as we age, we are often told to keep our minds active. As the old saying goes, “Use it or lose it.” But, there is very little scientific evidence to support than.

Denise Park is head of the university’s Center for ? Vital Longevity. She designed a study in which she and her tern placed 221 healthy aging and older adults into one of three groups.

“We asked people to learn new things, like quilting or photography. We asked other people to just do fun things like being in a social group function but were not likely to have a very large effect.”

The subjects took part in their assigned activities for 15 hours a week over three months. At the end of that time, the researchers found that the adults who learned new skills, such as digital photography, showed the greatest improvements on memory tests.

No improvements were seen in the results of those in the social group that did activities together like going on field trips. There were also no improvements among the third group that listened to classical music or did crossword puzzles.

Denise Park believes one reason for improved memory in the active learning group is that its members were being pushed to learn new skills. The other groups took part in what she call receptive activities. Learning new skills may not cure age-related mental decline. But, Ms. Park thinks being mentally active slows down the process.

Denise Park says the latest information shows that the improvements lasted for at least a year. She and her team plan to do longer follow-up studies with all three groups. She also is interested in learning whether taking part in demanding mental activities delays the development of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

1.What may the social group be asked to do?

A. Learn to take photos.

B. Listen to music at home.

C. Go hiking together.

D. Do the dishes.

2.What did Denise Park and her team find?

A. Doing more exercise can help slow down our age-related mental decline.

B. Having a relaxing life is beneficial to keeping our minds sharp.

C. Keeping our minds active is associated with our health.

D. Learning new skills may help to keep our minds active.

3.If you want to keep your brain sharp you could_______.

A. go swimming with your friends.

B. play chess with your family.

C. learn how to repair the computer.

D. do crossword puzzles online

4.The text is likely to be selected from a book of______.

A. medicine B. education

C. aging D. science

Answer 1