Have you ever walked to the shops, only to find when you get there that you've completely forgotten what you go for? Or have you struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years, we've accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of aging as wrinkles and grey hair. But now a new book suggests we've got _ all wrong. According to The Secret Life Of The Grown-up Brain, by science writer, Barbara Strauch, our brains actually get better with age. In fact, she argues many new studies have found that the brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s --much later than previously thought. Furthermore, not losing many brain cells as we age, we preserve them, and even produce new ones well into middle age. For years it's been accepted that the brain, much like the body, got worse with age. But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise. This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years. It has found that, on average, they performed better in cognitive tests in their late 40s and 50s than they had in their 20s. Specifically, older people did better in tests of vocabulary, spatial orientation skills, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving. Where they were weaker was in numeracy (how quickly one can multiply, add, subtract and divide) and the speed at which they could move. However, with harder tasks, such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond. In short, researchers are going to come up with scientific evidence that we do get wiser with age. What is the author's purpose of writing this passage? A) To suggest ways to preventing aging. B) To help us know more about brain cells. C) To introduce a new research about aging. D) To tell us that we can get wiser with age.
D
Express delivery: How you can buy your groceries from a virtual supermarket Aug, 1st, 2011 Daily Mail A "virtual supermarket" consisting of posters of goods put on platform walls is set to be introduced at London Underground stations. Passengers "shop" by scanning QR--Quick Response--codes of the items they want to buy using their smart phones. These goods are later delivered to their home address. Supermarket giant Tesco successfully trialed the hi-tech store in a South Korean underground station and there are now plans to bring the concept to Britain. NYPD to Scan Facebook, Twitter for Trouble Aug, 11th, 2011 Forbes The New York Police Department announced it will form a new unit to search social media as part of its law enforcement efforts, responding to the criminals' growing use of these sites to plan and celebrate illegal activities. The NYPD unit created particularly to _ social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and BlackBerry messenger for information on planned crimes and their criminals. Space Junk reaching "tipping point", report warns Sep 3rd, 2011 Toronto Sun The amount of debris orbiting the Earth has reached "a tipping point" for crashes, which would produce more debris that may be dangerous to astronauts and satellites, according to a US study. According to the US Space Surveillance Network, the number of orbital debris jumped from 9,949 in December 2006 to 16,094 in July 2011. The third piece of news will be in the_section of the newspaper. A) sports B) opinion C) science D) business
C
Q: New research is strengthening evidence that eating vegetables may be some of the best health advice. A study of 500, 000 Americans has found that just one extra serving of fruit or vegetables a day may reduce the risk of developing head and neck cancer. Many studies have shown that diet plays a role in cancer. Cancer experts now believe that up to two-thirds of all cancers come from lifestyle such as smoking, diet and lack of exercise. Tobacco and alcohol use increases the risk of head and neck cancer, which affects the mouth, nose, sinuses and throat. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute asked men and women aged 50 and older about their diets, then followed them for five years to record all diagnoses of head and neck cancer, the sixth-leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The study found eating six servings of fruit and vegetables per day per 1, 000 calories cut the risk of head and neck cancer by 29 percent compared to eating one and a half servings. An adult needs around 2, 000 calories a day. "One more serving of fruit or vegetables per 1, 000 calories per day reduced head and neck cancer risk by 6 percent,"said Neal Freedman, a cancer prevention fellow at the NCI. A second study in 183, 000 people of California and Hawaii found a diet high in flavonols might help reduce pancreatic cancer risk, especially in smokers. Flavonols are common in plants but highest in onions, apples, berries, kale and broccoli. The study found that people who ate the most flavonols reduced risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 23 percent than those who ate the least. All the following are the causes of the head and neck cancer EXCEPT _ . A) drinking B) smoking C) lacking exercise D) eating an apple
A: B
Q: Every year, British newspapers report on the stranger questions asked in Oxbridge (Oxford & Cambridge) interviews. Often, though, these questions are not as strange as they first seem. And they are all designed to give applicants a chance to think. Arriving for her first Oxford interview, my sister Jen saw that there was only one chair in the waiting room. On the chair was a large fork. Jen had heard about the strange things in Oxbridge interviews, and believed that this was a test. "What if they're watching me?" she thought. "If I move the fork, it will show initiative ; if I don't move it, it will show that I can easily fit into new situations." In the end, she sat uncomfortably on the edge of the chair! Applicants must be prepared for the unexpected. Now it was Jen's turn. She was handed a monkey skull and asked to talk about it. At first, this seemed unfair --- what could she say? But she soon calmed down, started thinking, and found that there was plenty to talk about. Oxbridge interviews are designed to find out how you think, not just what you think. And there are no wrong answers. Jen learnt that, and she passed the interview. What advice does she give? " Don't be nervous, and be prepared for the unexpected!" Jen learned that it was very important to _ in order to pass the Oxbridge interviews. A) make up new situation B) show how one thinks C) describe what one hears D) talk about various monkeys
A: B