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 information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles. The study also found the effect is greater 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 grey matter density（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.
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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 math 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 were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.
小题1: Which part will change more when a person studies a second language?
| A． grey matter density | B． the brain |
| C． mental system | D． musles |
小题2: Who can study a second language easier?.
| A． The adults | B．The teenagers |
| C． The children | D．The old |
小题3:The underlined word “bilingual” probably means .
| A． a researcher on language learning |
| B． a second language learner |
| C． a person who can speak two languages |
| D． an active language learner |
小题4: How do you understand the underlined sentence ( in paragraph 4 ) in the passage?
| A． It means that we can practise our brain by studying a second language |
| B． It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn |
| C． It means that learning a second language makes you more flexable |
| D． It means that learners will better understand the difficult ideas. |