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  3. Exciting new research indicates that growing older might not necessarily mean growing mentally slower. New studies are providing

Exciting new research indicates that growing older might not necessarily mean growing mentally slower. New studies are providing

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问题     Exciting new research indicates that growing older might not necessarily mean growing mentally slower. New studies are providing breakthroughs in our understanding of how aging affects memory, language, and other cognitive functions. This information could provide tools for lessening or even averting some loss in brain functioning often associated with old age.
    If science can help older citizens retain their mental abilities longer, then the whole nation would benefit. That’s why it is so important for research on the aging mind to flourish. The government should make studying neural health, the role of life experiences in shaping the brain, and the structure of the aging mind — key priorities in these years. And the National Institute on Aging should undertake major research initiatives in these areas to expand the scientific basis for understanding and promoting healthy mental aging.
    Revolutionary advances in neuron-science, behavioral science, and the science of learning have opened the door for the development of new techniques and technologies that can preserve mental sharpness in older people. These might be as novel as transplanting genetically engineered cells to replace disfunctional neurons or as familiar as engaging in stimulating intellectual and physical activities.
    As many jokes about losing brain cells illustrate, it has long been thought that age-related decline in cognitive abilities is a result of diminishing neurons and synapses. But scientists have discovered that as people grow old, a drop in certain mental abilities may have more to do with changes in the health of the nervous system. For example, the mild loss of memory that is often associated with growing old may be linked to biochemical shifts in neurons rather than to actual loss of brain cells. Research aiming at identifying the mechanisms that maintain or impair neural health is critical for advancing our knowledge of aging.
    In addition, exciting studies under way around the country are exploring the degree to which older people can benefit from certain kinds of mental practice. We are only beginning to understand the pliability of cognitive functioning in people who are already old, but the promise of finding ways to maintain abilities is very real. For example, studies indicate that our life experiences can bring about lasting changes in our brains that shape how we age. Aging people with college or postgraduate degrees, for instance, generally have better cognitive functioning, such as language and reasoning than those with less education. And better-educated people who reach their 80s — when much of the decline in brain functioning typically occurs — experience far fewer cognitive problems than their less-educated peers. Scientists believe that formal education and professional training lead to more dense and complex associations among neurons that maintain functions even when those associations weaken.
The word "critical" in the last sentence of the fourth paragraph means_____.
选项 A、the greatest importance to the way thins might happen
B、dangerous or uncertain
C、criticizing
D、praising
答案A
解析 词义题。本题定位到第四段末句，鉴别保持或削弱神经系统健康的机制的研究对于提高我们对衰老的认识有至关重要的影响。故选项A正确。
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