Easy ways to keep your brain sharp

    Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit — and that can be a very annoying thing.   71  . Read on for some techniques worth trying.

1.   72   

    People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced chance of Alzheimer's disease (早老性痴呆症), according to a recent study.  73   Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do. There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long or short-term goals appear to do better. In other words, keep your brains looking forward.

2. Go for a walk.

    Mildly raised glucose (葡萄糖) levels can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories and physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, exercise produces chemicals that are good for your brain.   74  

3. Learn something new.

    Take a Spanish class online, join a drawing club, or learn to play cards. A study found that mental stimulation (刺激) limits the weakening effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain is when you learn something new and are physically active at the same time.   75   Or go dancing with your friends.

A. Focus on the future.

B. This can be especially harmful to the aged.

C. It should be something like learning gardening.

D. So take a few minutes each day to do some reading.

E. But don't worry if your schedule isn't filled with life-changing events.

F. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those moments.

G. In other words, when you take care of your body, you take care of your brain.

            

When was the last time you did something really fun with one of your patents—just the two of you?

    Parents who take their young children to music, swimming and art classes often stop arranging such activities once their kids are older and in school all day. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Doing something enjoyable with your kids just might make you look at each other in a whole new way, especially if you do it through a class or an event. When parent and child become students together, it puts them on the same level, at least for a while.

“I really like parents to come to class with their kids—they start sharing things and talking about what they’re doing and what they like,” said art teacher Pyper Dixon.

    However, finding something new in common is a big choice for them, especially when kids get involved in sports and other after-school activities. But it’s possible to learn a new skill or hobby together.

    That’s certainly true of Lauren, 11, of Silver Spring, who is in Dixon’s class with her father, Dennis. “I was just going to drop her off,” Dennis said, “but Dixon persuaded me to stay.”

Now Lauren gets to nag(央求) her father about doing his art homework. “He always leaves it to the last minute,” she said. “But then he’ll turn around to do amazing drawings,” she added, “We have different styles of drawing, so it’s interesting to talk it over with him.”

    Without the Saturday morning art class, Dennis said, he would be reading the paper, and Lauren would be on her own in her room or on the computer. But they talk more now. “I can’t think of an experience where you communicate with your kid so closely,” he said.

68. The author raises the question at the beginning to_______.

A. expect an answer        B. criticize some parents

C. introduce the topic       D. support his argument

69. What does Dixon think is the benefit of parent and child studying art together?

A. The two will become equal.        B. The two will communicate more.

C. The child will learn art much better.  D. The parent will learn something new.

70. We can learn from the text that_______.

A. Lauren used to talk a lot with her father   B. Dennis enjoys studying art with Lauren

C. Lauren dislikes her father’s drawings     D. Dennis likes playing computer games

A simple flower made headlines (头条新闻)in the British press last week. How could that be? British Prime Minister David Cameron and his ministers were attending a reception hosted by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. They insisted on wearing poppies (罂粟花) in their buttonholes.

What's wrong with that?

According to the Global Times, Chinese officials clearly had asked the UK delegation(代表团) not to wear poppies. The British said that poppies meant a great deal to them on that day and they would wear them all the same.

So what's the importance of the poppy? It's a flower which has different cultural and symbolic meanings for British and Chinese people.

From the Chinese point of view, the poppy is a symbol of China's humiliation at the hands of European powers in the Opium Wars of the 19th century. Britain forced China to open the borders to trade — including in the opium — which was made from poppies grown in India.

Yet from the British viewpoint the poppy is a reminder of the killing during World War Ⅰ. Red poppies grew on the battlefields of Flanders in Belgium where many thousands of British soldiers died or were buried. Since then, Poppy Day (November 11 ) has become a time in the UK to wear poppies and remember the sacrifices of British soldiers and civilians in times of war.

So you can see that the poppy sets off strong feelings in the hearts of Chinese and British people for different reasons.And it makes sense for us to try to understand each other's standpoint(立场).

Of course cultural differences can also be interesting and funny. And what one nation thinks is an acceptable gift may be viewed differently by their guest from overseas. US President Barack Obama gave a gift of an iPod to Britain's Queen — a dull person with no interest in music.  Obama also presented Gordon Brown with a fine selection of American movies. But they were in US format (模式)and impossible to play on British DVD players.

Many countries have diplomats(外交官) stationed overseas. Diplomats provide information and advice to their governments back home. However, sometimes it would seem that even diplomats can overlook (忽视)the cultural importance of a small flower.

64.British Prime Minister David Cameron probably attended a reception in Beijing on ________.

A.October 1   B.November 11    C.December 31   D.January 1

65.The poppy reminds the Chinese of________.

A.the shame caused by European countries in the 19th century

B.the British soldiers who were killed and buried during World War Ⅰ

C.the Chinese soldiers killed during World War Ⅱ

D.the suffering caused by Britain during World War Ⅰ

66.The diplomatic(外交的)problem in Beijing is mainly caused by ________.

A.the translation mistake      B.the language difference

C.the cultural difference       D.the different lifestyle

67.We can infer that ________.

A.Britain's Queen is not interested in art

B.Gordon Brown was fond of American movies US President Barack Obama sent him

C.US President Barack Obama received a gift for music

D.Britain's Queen may not like the iPod US President Barack Obama presented her

                              

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