四级考试阅读备考笔记（71）

　　Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:

　　Researchers have established that when people are mentally engaged, biochemical changes occur in the brain that allow it to act more effectively in cognitive areas such as attention and memory. This is true regardless of age.

　　注：1. it 指代 brain

　　2.mentally engaged 动脑筋，思考问题

　　3.第一句是主题句

　　People will be alert and receptive if they are faced with information that gets them to think about things they are interested in. And someone with a history of doing more rather than less will go into old age more cognitively sound than someone who has not had an active mind.

　　注：1.第一段 attention and memory 对应 alert and receptive

　　2.active mind 思维活跃

　　3.sound adj.健康的

　　Many experts are so convinced of the benefits of challenging the brain that they are putting the theory to work in their own lives. The idea is not necessarily to learn to memorize enormous amounts of information, says James Fozard, associate director of the National Institute on Aging. Most of us dont need that kind of skill. Such specific training is of less interest than being able to maintain mental alertness. Fozard and others say they challenge their brains with different mental skills, both because they enjoy them and because they are sure that their range of activities will help the way their brains work.

　　注：1.convince 相信，确信

　　2.双引号之内句子不重要

　　3.be less interest than 某事好处不如某事好处多

　　Gene Cohen, acting director of the same institute, suggests that people in their old age should engage in mental and physical activities individually as well as in groups. Cohen says that we are frequently advised to keep physically active as we age, but older people need to keep mentally active as well. Those who do are more likely to maintain their intellectual abilities and to be generally happier and better adjusted. The point is, you need to do both, Cohen says. Intellectual activity actually influences brain-cell health and size.

　　注：1.本段第二句中but之前是大众观点， 后面是作者观点

　　2.age v. 变老

　　24. Older people are generally advised to _________.

　　A) keep mentally active by challenging their brains

　　B) keep fit by going in for physical activities

　　C) maintain mental alertness through specific training

　　D) maintain a balance between individual and group activities

　　注：generally advised 与末段中的frequently advised 对应，考的是大众观点

　　21. People who are cognitively healthy are those _________.

　　A) whose minds are alert and receptive

　　B) who are highly intelligent.

　　C) who can remember large amounts of information

　　D) who are good at recognizing different sounds

　　注：题干的关键词出现了，但该句没有正确对应的选项，所以从上或下一句来找