2018年06月四级第1套仔细阅读 Passage 1 原文翻译及答案解析

Losing your ability to think and remember is pretty scary. We know the risk of dementia (痴 呆症) increases with age. But if you have memory slips, you probably needn't worry. There are pretty clear differences between signs of dementia and age-related memory loss.

失去思考和记忆能力相当可怕。我们知道痴呆症的风险随着年龄增长而增加。但如果你只是偶尔遗忘，可能无需担心。痴呆症的迹象与年龄相关的记忆丧失之间有着相当明显的区别。

After age 50, it's quite common to have trouble remembering the names of people, places and things quickly, says Dr. Kirk Daffner of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

波士顿布里格姆妇女医院的柯克·达夫纳博士表示，50岁以后，很难快速记住人名、地名和物名是相当常见的。

The brain ages just like the rest of the body. Certain parts shrink, especially areas in the brain that are important to learning, memory and planning. Changes in brain cells can affect communication between different regions of the brain. And blood flow can be reduced as blood vessels narrow.

大脑就像身体其他部位一样会老化。某些部分会萎缩，尤其是大脑中对学习、记忆和规划重要的区域。脑细胞的变化会影响大脑不同区域之间的交流。随着血管变窄，血流量也可能减少。

Forgetting the name of an actor in a favorite movie, for example, is nothing to worry about. But if you forget the plot of the movie or don't remember even seeing it, that's far more concerning, Daffner says.

例如，忘记一部喜爱电影中演员的名字并不值得担心。但如果你忘记电影的情节或甚至不记得看过它，那就更令人担忧了，达夫纳说。

When you forget entire experiences, he says, that's "a red flag that something more serious may be involved." Forgetting how to operate a familiar object like a microwave oven, or forgetting how to drive to the house of a friend you've visited many times before can also be signs of something going wrong.

他说，当你忘记整个经历时，这是"可能涉及更严重问题的警示信号"。忘记如何操作微波炉等熟悉物品，或忘记如何开车去一位你以前多次拜访的朋友家，也可能是某些问题出错的迹象。

But even then, Daffner says, people shouldn't panic. There are many things that can cause confusion and memory loss, including health problems like temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep, high blood pressure, or depression, as well as medications (药物) like antidepressants.

但即便如此，达夫纳说，人们不应恐慌。有许多事情可能导致混乱和记忆丧失，包括健康问题如睡眠呼吸暂停、高血压或抑郁症，以及药物如抗抑郁药。

You don't have to figure this out on your own. Daffner suggests going to your doctor to check on medications, health problems and other issues that could be affecting memory. And the best defense against memory loss is to try to prevent it by building up your brain's cognitive (认知的) reserve, Daffner says.

你不必独自弄清楚这些。达夫纳建议去看医生，检查药物、健康问题和其他可能影响记忆的因素。达夫纳说，预防记忆丧失的最佳方法是通过增强大脑的认知储备来尝试预防它。

"Read books, go to movies, take on new hobbies or activities that force one to think in novel ways," he says. In other words, keep your brain busy and working. And also get physically active, because exercise is a known brain booster.

"读书、看电影、培养新爱好或从事强迫人以新颖方式思考的活动，"他说。换句话说，让大脑保持忙碌和运作。同时也要积极锻炼身体，因为运动是已知的大脑助推器。