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 gray matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. Like exercise shapes and strengthens muscles, learning a language can have a similar effect on your brain.
The study also found the effect is greater, if 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” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that gray matter density(灰质密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure(结构)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,” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, writing, and cognition(认知)were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you can enter another world,” explained the scientists.
12. In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to _________.
A.encourage a regular fitness practice and an active lifestyle |
B.show the importance of using the language when learning |
C.suggest that learning a second language can improve physical fitness |
D.highlight the similarities between language learning and physical exercise |
13. According to the passage, what did the study led by Dr Andrea Mechelli show?
A.Learning a second language increases gray matter density. |
B.Later language learning has a bigger influence on brain structure. |
C.Language learning leads to lower gray matter density in the brain. |
D.Learning a second language has no effect on the structure of the brain. |
14. We can learn from the passage that _________.
A.learning a second language is only helpful during childhood |
B.native Italian speakers learning English were similarly studied |
C.Learning a second language brings greater advantages if started young |
D.bilingual will be more successful than a person who speaks only one language |
15. The best title of this passage is _________.
A.Language Learning Increases IQ |
B.Bilingual Helps Learning Mathematics |
C.Learning a Second Language Improves Brain Power |
D.Language Learning Unlocks the Door to A New World |