托福阅读材料(286)：步行可锻炼大脑

　　托福阅读材料/知识之步行可锻炼大脑，更多托福阅读背景材料/知识尽在新东方在线托福考试频道！

　　很多同学在托福备考的过程中，觉得自己的记忆力差了，记东西不如以前快了等等，这也许是心理压力太大，也许需要调整一下备考计划，不过还是要提醒大家，抽出点时间来散散步吧，因为“步行可以锻炼大脑”。

　　Tweet:I am often teased for my stubborn habit of traveling by foot. I often walk the 3 mi. home from work rather than take the subway. When I visit less pedestrian-friendly cities, kindhearted motorists regularly pull over and offer me a ride, assuming that my car has broken down or I'm in need of some help.

　　Tweet说，身边的人经常嘲笑我固执的步行习惯。从公司到家，有三公里，我都是步行回去，不坐地铁。当我去到不太方便步行的城市，热心的驾驶员经常停下来让我搭车，他们以为我的车坏了或我需要帮助。 　　But for me, walking is a good opportunity to process the day and let my mind wander without the oppression of the endless to-do list that awaits me at home. Plus, it helps my back recover from a day spent bent in front of a computer screen. Health-wise, I have always assumed I'd have the last laugh, and now there's even more evidence on my side.

　　但对我来说，步行是一种很好的方式来度过一天，它让我有时间走下神，不必为家里无休止的事情感到苦恼。另外，它还能帮助我恢复在电脑前弯曲了一天的腰。健康方面，我一直认为我能笑答最后，现在，有更多的证据证明我是对的。

　　A study published in Neurology has found that the simple act of walking may improve memory in old age. As we age, our brains shrink and the shrinkage is associated with dementia and loss of cognitive functions such as memory. To test whether physical activity could mitigate some of these degenerative effects, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh tracked the physical activity of 299 healthy men and women with an average age of 78. The participants' activity ranged anywhere from walking 0 blocks to 300 blocks (up to 30 miles) per week.

　　一篇发表在《神经学》上的研究报告发现，行走的简单动作能够提高老年期的记忆。随着年龄的增长，我们的大脑也会缩小，而缩小的程度是与老年痴呆和认知功能相关的，例如记忆力。为了测试体育运动是否能减轻这些退化因素，匹兹堡大学的研究人员记录下了299位平均年龄78的老年人。参加者的活动范围从每周0到300个街区(最多30公里)。

　　Nine years later, the walkers underwent brain scans, which revealed that those who had walked more had greater brain volume than those who walked less. Four years after that, the volunteers were tested again —this time for dementia. Among the group, 116 people showed signs of memory loss or dementia. Those who had walked the most —at least 72 city blocks (or about 7 mi.) each week —were half as likely to have cognitive problems as those who walked the least. 　　九年后，这些参与者接受脑部扫描，扫描后发现那些走路走得多的人，他们的大脑要比走路少的人要大。又过了四年，参与者有接受了测试，这次是老年痴呆。在这个群体中，有116人记忆力衰退或有老年痴呆。而那些走路走的最多的—至少每周72个街区(大约7公里)，只有比那些走路最少的人一半的认知问题。

　　The findings are in line with past studies linking physical activity with brain function, but dementia experts say there's not enough data yet to prescribe exercise to prevent memory loss. It's also too soon to say whether exercise may prevent dementia or simply delay it in people who would eventually develop it anyway. But when it comes to Alzheimer's, even a short delay could mean great gains in quality of life.

　　这些发现与以前的研究一致，把体育运动与大脑功能联系起来。但老年痴呆症专家说，还没有充足的数据来规定，运动可以防止记忆力减退。运动是否能预防老年痴呆会或能减缓老年痴呆患者的症状，这些都还言之过早。但涉及到老年痴呆，即使是短暂的延迟也意味着生活质量大大的提高。