题目

阅读理解 For a lot of people, age-related cognitive decline (认知衰退) follows "gradually, and then suddenly". At first, the loss of mental sharpness is difficult to detect. But one day you may find that your memory and other mental muscles have grown noticeably, frustratingly weak. Research has found cognitive decline may begin as early as your 20s. "Typically, a person peaks out around their 30th birthday," says Michael Merzenich, a former director of the Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience at the University of California. Each decade thereafter, the average person's mental sharpness steadily drops off. The brain's toolset usually grows rusty (生锈的) as a result of disuse—not because of unpreventable degradation but due to taking your brain offline. "Offline" refers to autopilot activities. "This means doing the same things—relying on the abilities or skills you acquired at a younger age," he explains. During the first few decades of your life, this sort of cognitive coasting isn't really possible. But once you've settled into adulthood—into a set of routines—your day-to-day life may not ask much of your brain's executive (决策的) functions, which are the high-level operations helping you solve complex problems. The older you get, the more difficult for you to change your habitual routine. Fortunately, constantly engaging your brain's learning machinery with skills or activities that are new makes it possible to prevent age-related cognitive decline. More of Merzenich's research has shown that "targeted" brain training can help people strengthen their memories, concentration, and high-level processing capabilities. Even among people with mild brain injury, cognitive damage is often reversible with proper training. He recommends adopting a new hobby—something that forces you to learn a new set of skills. "The goal is to expand your understanding in a new way," he says. Like your body, your brain requires exercise to stay healthy. Challenging it with new hobbies and learning opportunities may be the best way to maintain its fitness. （1） What can we learn about cognitive decline? A . It is difficult to detect. B . It processes gradually. C . It can be prevented. D . It occurs in one's thirties. （2） What is Paragraph 3 mainly about? A . The meaning of "offline". B . The features of mental sharpness. C . The reasons for cognitive decline. D . The process of brains growing rusty. （3） What does underlined word "reversible" in paragraph5 probably mean? A . Believable. B . Lasting. C . Predictable. D . Curable. （4） What does Merzenich seem to advocate? A . Keeping our habitual routine. B . Training our brain to keep it healthy. C . Detecting mental sharpness regularly. D . Adopting as many hobbies as we can. 答案： C C D B

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