Question

  Failing to drink enough water can make our brain shrink (萎缩) ，experts have warned. Re?search showed that dehydration not only affects the size of the brain but also how it works. Just 90 minutes of steady sweating (出汗) can shrink the brain as much as a year of aging,research?ers believe.

  Being short of water,the brain is also forced to work harder to process the same informa?tion. Over days and weeks,lack of liquids could have an impact on performance at work and school,causing exam results to fall. But there is no need to panic,because after a glass of water or two,the brain quickly returns to normal.

  A team of scientists from around the UK scanned the brains of teenagers after an hour and a half of cycling. Some exercised in three layers of clothing. Others were much more lightly dressed in shorts and T-shirts. The brain tissue (组织) of those who were wrapped up had shrunk away from their skulls (头骨) .

  Researchers Dr. Matthew Kempton and Ulrich Ettinger,of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London,said; "It's clear that we saw a general shrinking of the brain tissue. Liquidfilled space in the middle of the brain expanded and there was a comparative shrinking of the brain tissue. The people who lost the most weight had the most shrinkage of the brain. " On average,the amount of shrinkage equated to 14 months of agerelated wear and tear,or the brain shrinking matched two and a half months of Alzheimer's disease (老年痴呆症) .

  The sweaty students did just as well when they were asked to play a computer game that tests the ability to plan and solve problems. But the scans showed they used more of their brain to do it,the journal Human Brain Mapping reports.

  Professor Ben McGannan of the study's funder,water cooler firm of Water for Work and Home,said：" We strongly believed loss of water was an issue affecting students' performance,but we offered financial support for this research to give us clear evidence. Most importantly,we're seeking a way to get rid of the undesirable impacts and make up enough water effectively,such as drinking beers."

(   ) 5. What does the underlined word "dehydration" probably mean?

   A. Plenty of water.

   B. The inappropriate way to drink water.

   C. Great damage done to the brain.

   D. Dryness resulting from lack of water.

(   ) 6. Without enough water,          .

   A. it is hard for the brain to think normally

   B. the body can't sweat in time

   C. people will suffer from ageing

   D. the liquidfilled space will disappear

(   ) 7. What do Professor Ben McGannan's words suggest?

   A. We should make effort to take good care of our brain.

   B. More research is needed to solve the brain's loss of water.

   C. Drinking beers is the best way to make up water in the body.

   D. Students must drink enough water to improve their performance.

(   ) 8. What subject is talked in the passage?

   A. The brain structure. B. Exercise and the brain.

   C. Lack of water in the brain. D. The importance of water.

Answer 1

5-8 DABC

B篇：人体缺水有何后果？英国一项最新研究显示，青少年的大脑在缺水状态下会出现萎缩现象。因此，青少年应该经常补充水分，善待大脑。

5. D if义猜测题。根据前文"Failing to drink enough water can make our brain shrink,ex?perts have warned."可知，大脑未能及时补水会引起大脑萎缩。此处紧承上文，告诉读者大脑缺水不仅影响其大小，还会影响其运转。故可推测"dehydration"意为"脱水，缺水"。

6. A推理判断题。根据第二段"Being short of water,the brain is also forced to work harder to process the same information. Over days and weeks,lack of liquids could have an impact on performance at work and school,causing exam results to fall."可知，大脑在缺水时和正常状态相比，需要更努力地处理相同的信息。长此以往，缺水会影响工作和学习效率,影响学习成绩。由此可以推断，没有足够的水，大脑很难正常思考。

7. B推理判断题。根据最后一段"Most impor?tantly,we're seeking a way to get rid of the undesirable impacts and make up enough water effectively,such as drinking beers."可知，Pro?fessor Ben McGannan说，研究人员正在设法研究解决缺水带来的不良影响，并有效补充足够水分的方法，例如喝啤酒。由此可推知，如何解决大脑缺水的问题还需要进一步研究。

8. C主旨大意题。根据全文可知，本文讲述的核心问题是大脑的缺水问题。