記憶衰退，運動應對

浙江 任艷萍

主題語境：運動 篇幅：339詞 建議用時：7分鐘

1Recently a new study suggested that even a simple exercise program might help elders with light memory problems.Doctors have for a long time advised patients to do physical activity to help keep their brains healthy.But the US government-supported research marks the longest study of whether exercise makes any difference once memory starts to decline.

2Researchers found around 300 inactive older adults with memory changes called mild cognitive impairment(MCI).In the research,the participants were divided into two groups and half of them did aerobic exercises(有氧運動),while the rest did stretching and balance movements that raise their heart rates a little.After a year,testing of mental activity indicated neither group had worsened,said lead researcher Laura Baker of Wake Forest School of Medicine.By comparison,similar MCI patients in another long-term study of brain health—but without exercise—suffered from cognitive decline over a year.

3Maria Carrillo is the Alzheimer's Association chief scientific officer.She said earlier research has found regular physical activity of any kind may reduce damaging inflammation(炎癥)and increase blood flow to the brain.She added that the new study is particularly interesting because the COVID-19 pandemic began halfway through the study.That meant the study participants became socially isolated.Social isolation has long been known to increase people's risk of memory problems.

4It is a struggling time for dementia(癡呆)research.Doctors are not sure about prescribing(開處方)a high-priced new drug called Aduhelm.The drug is supposed to be the first to slow down the progression of dementia—but it is not yet clear if it really helps patients.Researchers reported another drug that works similarly failed in an important study.There is growing urgency to find whether exercise might offer at least some protection.Baker will lead an even larger study of older adults to see if adding exercise to other steps such as a healthy diet,brain games and social activities may reduce the risk of dementia.

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Detail 1.What does the new study mainly focus on?

A.Ways to slow down the aging process.

B.Effective medicines for elders with MCI.

C.The causes of declining memory in older adults.

D.The influence of workout on elders'memory.

Detail 2.In which aspect were the two groups different in terms of research design?

A.The diet plan.

B.The workout form.

C.The professional background.

D.The previous physical condition.

Inference 3.What did Maria Carrillo think of the new study?

A.It is meaningful.

B.It is impractical.

C.It is controversial.

D.It is time-consuming.

Detail 4.What will Baker do next according to the text?

A.Find out how to lower the price of Aduhelm.

B.Develop a new drug to help patients with brain diseases.

C.Organize a wide variety of social activities for older people.

D.Conduct further research on how to reduce the risk of dementia.

Language

Study

Ⅰ.Useful expressions

physical activity身體活動

heart rate心率

suffer from遭受

social isolation社會隔離

be supposed to應該

growing urgency日益緊迫

such as例如；諸如

a healthy diet健康飲食

Ⅱ.Difficult sentence

In the research,the participants were divided into two groups and half of them did aerobic exercises,while the rest did stretching and balance movements that raise their heart rates a little.在研究中，參與者被分為兩組，其中一半人進行有氧運動，其余的則進行一些可以稍微提高心率的伸展和平衡運動。

【點石成金】本句是一個復合句，while為并列連詞，意為“然而；而”，表前后意義上的對比或轉折，while后的分句中含有that引導的限制性定語從句，修飾先行詞movements.