2024年06月四级第1套仔细阅读 Passage 2 原文翻译及答案解析

Some people have said aging is more a slide into forgetfulness than a journey towards wisdom. However, a growing body of research suggests that late-in-life learning is possible. In reality, education does an aging brain good.

有人说衰老更像是滑入遗忘，而非走向智慧的旅程。然而，越来越多的研究表明，晚年学习是可能的。实际上，教育对老化的大脑有益。

Throughout life, people's brains constantly renovate themselves. In the late 1960s, British brain scientist Geoffrey Raisman spied growth in damaged brain regions of rats through an electron microscope; their brains were forging new connections. This meant brains may change every time a person learns something new.

在整个生命过程中，人的大脑不断自我更新。20世纪60年代末，英国脑科学家杰弗里·雷斯曼通过电子显微镜观察到大鼠受损脑区的生长；它们的大脑正在形成新的连接。这意味着每次学习新事物时，大脑可能会发生变化。

Of course, that doesn't mean the brain isn't affected by the effects of time. Just as height usually declines over the years, so does brain volume: Humans lose about 4 percent every decade starting in their 40s. But that reduction doesn't necessarily make people think slower; as long as we are alive and functioning, we can alter our brains with new information and experiences.

当然，这并不意味着大脑不受时间影响。就像身高通常随时间下降一样，脑容量也是如此：人类从40多岁起，每十年大约损失4%。但这种减少并不一定让人思维变慢；只要我们活着并能运作，我们就可以用新的信息和经验改变大脑。

In fact, scientists now suspect accumulating novel experiences, facts, and skills can keep people's minds more flexible. New pathways can strengthen our ever-changing mental structure, even as the brain shrinks.

事实上，科学家现在怀疑，积累新的经验、事实和技能可以使人们的思维更加灵活。新的通路可以加强我们不断变化的心理结构，即使大脑在萎缩。

Conventional fixes like word puzzles and brain-training apps can contribute to mental durability. Even something as simple as taking a different route to the grocery store or going somewhere new on vacation can keep the brain healthy.

像填字游戏和脑力训练应用这样的常规方法可以增强心理耐力。即使是像去杂货店走不同的路线或去新地方度假这样简单的事情，也能保持大脑健康。

A desire for new life challenges can further boost brainpower. Research about aging adults who take on new enterprises shows improved function and memory as well as a reduced risk of mental disease. Openness—a characteristic defined by curiosity and a desire for knowledge—may also help folks pass brain tests. Some folks are born with this take-in-the- world attitude, but those who aren't as genetically gifted aren't necessarily out of luck. While genes can encourage an interest in doing new things, a 2012 study in the journal Psychology and Aging found completing reasoning tasks like puzzles and number games can enhance that desire for novel experiences, which can, in turn, refresh the brain. That's why brain scientist Richard Kennedy says "It's not that old dogs can't learn new tricks. It's that maybe old dogs don't realize why they should. "

对生活新挑战的渴望可以进一步提升脑力。关于承担新事业的成年人的研究显示，功能和记忆得到改善，精神疾病风险降低。开放性——一种由好奇心和对知识的渴望定义的特征——也可能帮助人们通过脑力测试。有些人天生就有这种接纳世界的态度，但那些基因上不那么幸运的人也不一定没希望。虽然基因可以鼓励尝试新事物的兴趣，但2012年发表在《心理学与衰老》杂志上的一项研究发现，完成推理任务如填字游戏和数字游戏可以增强对新体验的渴望，从而刷新大脑。这就是为什么脑科学家理查德·肯尼迪说：“不是老狗学不会新把戏，而是老狗可能没意识到为什么应该学。”