Alzheimer's disease is a major national health problem. Nearly 2 million Americans over the age of65 have Alzheimer's disease. It is a leading cause of death among the elderly. But Alzheimer's disease 题目和参考答案——青夏教育精英家教网—

In the early 1950s, researchers found that people scored lower on intelligence tests if they spoke more than one language. Research in the sixties found the opposite. Bilingual people scored higher than monolinguals, people who speak only one language. So which is it?
Researchers presented their newest studies last month at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The latest evidence shows that being bilingual does not necessarily make people smarter. But researcher Ellen Bialystok says it probably does make you better at certain skills.
Ellen Bialystok said, “Imagine driving down the highway. There’re many things that could capture your attention and you really need to be able to monitor all of them. Why would bilingualism make you any better at that?”
And the answer, she says, is that bilingual people are often better at controlling their attention — a function called the executive control system.
Ms. Bialystok is a psychology professor at York University in Toronto, Canada. She says the best method to measure the executive control system is called the Stroop Test. A person is shown words in different colors. The person has to ignore the word but say the color. The problem is that the words are all names of colors.
Ellen Bialystok said, “So you would have the word blue written in red, but you have to say red. But blue is so salient(显著的), it’s just lighting up all these circuits(电路) in your brain, and you really want to say blue. So you need a mechanism(机制) to override that so that you can say red. That’s the executive control system.”
Her work shows that bilingual people continually practice this function. They have to, because both languages are active in their brain at the same time. They need to suppress(抑制) one to be able to speak in the other.
This mental exercise might help in other ways, too. Researchers say bilingual children are better able to separate a word from its meaning, and more likely to have friends from different cultures. Bilingual adults are often four to five years later than others in developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
【小题1】What’s the best title of the text?

A．pay attention to	B．take no notice of
C．take an interest in	D．take care of

【小题3】In the Stroop Test, supposing you have the word yellow written in white, you will have to say ____.

A．white

B．yellow

C．blue

D．red

【小题4】Which group of people can most likely pass the Stroop Test?

A．People who can speak only Chinese.

B．People who can speak only Japanese.

C．People who can speak more than one language.

D．People who can speak only English.

【小题5】Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the text?

A．A bilingual child is better at separating a word from its meaning.

B．A bilingual child can more easily make friends with a foreign child.

C．Bilingual people are more able to monitor several things at the same time.

D．It’s not possible for bilingual people to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

A super drug that could remove Alzheimer’s (老年痴呆症)，heart disease and diabetes (糖尿病) and help people live to 100 is being developed by scientists. Their research is based on the identification of three genes that help prolong lives and prevent diseases which occur in old age. Medically controlling the proteins made by the “ longevity genes” will allow millions to live longer, predicts Dr Nir Barzilai.
Those whose DNA strongly features the three genes are 80 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The genes also fight against the deadly impact of smoking, poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise.
Already, several laboratories are working on a pill to imitate the benefits of the genes and Dr Barzilai thinks it could be tested within three years. The pill could remove some diseases that damage old age. “ The advantage of finding a gene that involves longevity is that we can develop a drug that will imitate exactly what this gene is doing,” he said.
Of the three longevity genes, two genes increase the production of so-called good cholesterol(胆固醇), which reduces the risk of heart disease. The third prevents diabetes. They were discovered by Dr Barzilai’s team while studying the DNA of 500 Ashkenazi Jews with an average age of 100. The chances of living that long are one in 10,000 but the group, which shared relatively few common ancestors, was 20 times more likely to hit the entury. Dr Barzilai said: “ 30 percent of them were obese or overweight and 30 percent smoked two acks of cigarettes a day for more than 40 years, however they can live to 100.”
But Andrew Ketteringham of the Alzheimer’s Society said: “Alzheimer’s disease, a most common disease, is likely to be caused by a combination of genetic disosition(遗传倾向), lifestyles and life events. Many genes are probably involved.
【小题1】Some people are able to live to 100 years because of ______.

A．a magical medicine

B．three special genes

C．good living habits

D．longevity proteins

【小题2】Why does the discovery of the longevity genes mean a lot?

A．Because it can bring great benefits to scientific labs.

B．Because it can help people change their unhealthy genes

C．Because it helps produce a drug that can make people live longer.

D．Because it will help scientists build up a new branch of biology.

【小题3】 From Paragraph 4 we can infer that ________.

A．longevity genes can create good cholesterol.

B．the volunteers share some common ancestors

C．bad habits are likely to have no effect on the volunteers

D．longevity genes protect the volunteers against bad habits

【小题4】What is Andrew Ketteringham’s attitude toward the study?

If a person forgets names , places or facts —and has trouble with everyday things like reading or shopping —it may not mean you are getting old. It could be Alzheimer’s disease. So it’s important to see a doctor as soon as you can.
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s. But a drug called ARICEPT has been used by millions of people to help their symptoms (症状).
In studies, ARICEPT has been proved to work for Alzheimer’s. It has helped people improve their memory over time. It has also helped them to keep doing everyday things on their own.
Ask your doctor if ARICEPT is right for you or your loved one. It is the Number One drug for Alzheimer’s in the world. The sooner you know it’s Alzheimer’s, the better ARICEPT can help.
ARICEPT is good for many but may not be good for everyone. Some people may experience not sleeping well, feeling very tired, or not wanting to eat. In studies, these side effects weren’t serious at all and went away over time. Some people taking ARICEPT may feel light-headed. In this case you should tell your doctors because your condition may get worse.
【小题1】 If one suffers from Alzheimer’s, ________.

A．he can’t do everyday things on his own	B．he has trouble with his memory
C．he often forgets things because he is old	D．he can’t move about

【小题2】 What is ARICEPT ?

A．A medicine to cure Alzheimer’s.

B．A medicine to delay signs of aging .

C．A medicine to cure brain damage .

D．A medicine to reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s .

【小题3】One who is taking ARICEPT should go to see a doctor if he ________.

A．feels like a drunken man	B．feels tired out
C．has no desire to eat	D．can’t fall asleep

Alzheimer’s disease is a major national health problem. Nearly 2 million Americans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease. It is a leading cause of death among the elderly. But Alzheimer’s disease is not confined （限于） to the aged. There may be a million or more people under the age of 65 suffering from the disease.
　　At one time, people suffering from the disease were said to be“getting old”.The disease was thought to be a natural part of growing old, but it is now known that Alzheimer’s disease strikes young and old alike. It is an organic disease which destroys brain cells.
　　Alzheimer’s disease affects the patient’s memory, speech, and movement. In the beginning stages of the disease, the patient may seem slightly confused. He may have trouble speaking, then the patient’s memory begins to fail. He may forget dates, numbers, names and plans.
As the disease progresses, the patient may not recognize family and friends. These symptoms（症状） often cause terrible anxiety in the patient. He may feel lost and frightened. Sometimes the patient reacts with wild and bad behavior.
　　In the last stages of the disease, the patient may not be able to take care of himself. He may have lost the ability to speak and walk.
　　Scientists don’t know exactly what causes Alzheimer’s disease. It may be caused by a virus.It may be caused by a poisonous substance（物质） in the environment. At present, there is no cure for the disease. But there are ways to slow its progress. Exercise and physical treatment can help the patients of this disease.
【小题1】The main idea of the passage is that Alzheimer’s disease ________.

A．is a terrible part of the aging process

B．is an organic disease that affects young and old

C．can be cured by physical treatment

D．causes forgetfulness

【小题2】All of the following are symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease EXCEPT________.

A．forgetfulness	B．difficulty in speaking
C．loss of sight	D．loss of the ability to walk

【小题3】According to the passage, which of the following may be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease?

A．Poisons produced by the brain.	B．Getting old.
C．A virus.	D．Lack of exercise.

【小题4】The progress of Alzheimer’s disease can be slowed by________.

A．operation	B．a change in environment
C．medicines	D．physical treatment and exercise

If practicing an attitude of gratitude(感激) during the storms of life is too much for you right now, that’s OK. When things are tough, most people have a hard time being thankful. They’re so caught up in what’s wrong in the present moment that they simply can’t see some things are still right.
If that’s true for you, then accept it. You’re going through a particularly difficult or unhappy period of time, and you don’t like it one bit. Very normal, very human. But remember this: there is always something to be grateful for. It maybe only a small comfort right now, but it is a start. Make a list of some of the terrible things that didn’t happen. For example:
●You’re in debt...but you’re not homeless.
●You lost your job...but you didn’t lose your health.
●You broke your leg...but you didn’t break your neck.
●Your mother has Alzheimer’s disease...but your father doesn’t.
No matter how bad things are, they could always be worse. Start finding gratitude for what might have happened, but didn’t. It does help a lot. Of course, you may not be thankful for everything— but you can always be thankful for something.
【小题1】The passage is intended for those who ________.