重庆华章MBA英语每日一练（5.14）
点击数： 更新时间：[2014-05-14 10:01] 来源： 重庆华章
2014年5月13日阅读理解答案及详解
参考译文：
听起来有点残酷，我们的大脑反应在30岁时就开始减慢。人们一度认为大脑的衰退是无法阻挡的，但是新的研究显示任何年龄的人都可以通过训练提高大脑的运转。“你的大脑就是一台学习的机器，”加利福利亚大学的科学家迈克尔•梅尔则尼奇教授说。使用正确的工具，我们可以训练大脑使它像更年轻时一样活跃。所需要的就是有针对性的练习：大脑锻炼。
梅尔则尼奇研发出了一种电脑训练方法来加速大脑处理信息的过程(positscience.com)。由于我们通过语言交流来接受大量数据，“脑健身计划”通过语言和听觉来提高大脑反应速度和准确性。
在训练中，首先要求你辨别声音（例如辨别"dog" and "bog”），速度会逐渐加快。这就有点像一位网球教练，梅尔则尼奇说，用越来越快的速度朝你发球，让你受到挑战。刚开始的时候你可能会比较慢，但是不久你的反应就会非常快。
最近10年中，脑研究的最大发现就是不论年龄，大脑具有高度的可塑性。你想让它学习，它就会学习。在这个过程中大脑的反应速度甚至可能加快。
想保持你的大脑年轻、灵活，你可以挑选一样对你有挑战，使你兴奋的活动：打乒乓球或是桥牌，猜字谜，学习一门语言等等。“谈及防止衰老，你真正做的就是“用它或是失去它”，剑桥大学芭芭拉•萨哈金说道。
词汇及短语：
slow down:(使)生产缓慢, (使)变得迟钝
例：Business slows down in summer.
夏季生意清淡。
accuracy：准确性
distinguish：辨别
start out：
1.启程, 出发
例：He started out on his journey very early in the morning.
他一清早就踏上了旅途。
2.开始〔着手〕做
例：He started out to write a novel.
他着手写一部小说。
plastic：adj.(指材料或物质)可塑的
例：The mind of a young child is quite plastic.
儿童的思想颇具可塑性。
答案解析：
1 解析：A正确
梅尔则尼奇教授的训练方法主要依靠什么？
这可以从文中的“Since much of the data we receive comes through speech, the Brain Fitness Program works with language and hearing to better speed and accuracy”推断出来
2.解析：C正确
作者说“任何年龄的大脑具有很高的可塑性是指？
这句话后面接的内容If you ask your brain to learn, it will learn. And it may even speed up while in the process.可见大脑是可以学习并提高的
3.解析：B正确
以下哪一项与作者的观点一致？
A错误，new studies show that people of any age can train their brains to work faster并没有特指要针对哪个年龄段
C，这项在文中没有提及
D，这句话极端了，文中说的是To keep your brain young and plastic you can do one of a million new activities that challenge and excite you，即很多活动中的某一项就可以了。
B，人们应该使用大脑从而防止其老化，文中对应的是When it comes to preventing ageing, you really do 'use it or lose it”
2014年5月14日阅读理解练习题
阅读理解：
The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place
Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically.
Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels.
On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don’t have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.
The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients. Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.
Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the harm that comes from using them.
1. One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to _____.
A. try out a variety of diet foods
B. hesitate before they enjoy diet foods
C. pay attention to their own eating habits
D. watch their weight rather than their diet
2. In Paragraph 3, “gain comes without pain” probably means ______.
A. losing weight is effortless
B. it costs a lot to lose weight
C. diet products bring no pain
D. diet products are free from calories
3. Diet products indirectly harm people physically because such products ______.
A. are over-consumed
B. lack basic nutrients
C. are short of chemicals
D. provide too much energy
