IfEnglishmeansendlessnewwords,difficultgrammarandsometi...

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问题详情：

If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?

According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes(处理) information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles(肌肉).

The study also found the effect is greater when the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals(双语使用者) ” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners. Scans(扫描) showed that grey matter density(密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals who learnt a second language at an early age. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference. “Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.

It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn. Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible(灵活的),” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”

The findings had the same result in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, wiring, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they stared to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.

33. What can we know from Dr. Andrea Mechelli’s study in paragraph 3?

A. A bilingual will be more successful than a person who speaks only one language.

B. The grey matter density in the brain has no difference between early bilinguals and later learners.

C. The structure of a bilingual’s brain is being changed during his or her learning.

D. It is never too late to learn a second language.

34. In the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that __________.

A. learning a second language is the same as studying maths.

B. early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in studying other subjects.

C. Italian is the best choice for you as a second language.

D. you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language.

35. The main idea of this passage is __________.

A. science on learning mother languages