第二篇：Get together and socialize with others. Do mental exercises such as reading, learning a new language, or playingmahjong (麻將). Make sure you are eating well. These are the most common recommendations for elderly people who wantto keep their aging brain in good shape and stay mentally sharp. In addition, while everyone knows that regular exercise isgood for the heart, there is growing evidence that exercising the body is also good for the brain.When humans reach middle age, their brains begin to gradually shrink. That is, they begin losing nerve cells calledneurons (神經元), which process and transport information. As these decrease, brain functions such as short-term memoryand concentration become less efficient. In 1998, Swedish scientists found that elderly people’s brains are able to grow newneurons, which, strangely enough, does not happen in younger brains. But no one understood why or knew how to regeneratethe neurons in old brains, until now.Professor Arthur Kramer led a research team at the University of Illinois in a study of three groups of healthy volunteersaged sixty and over. The first group did vigorous exercise such as aerobics or rapid walking for thirty minutes a day, six days aweek for three months. The second group just did mild stretching exercises and followed their usual routines. The third groupconsisted of “couch potatoes” doing nothing more strenuous than watching TV. Kramer’s team discovered that the volume ofneurons in the brains of the first group actually increased. In short, their brains benefited from physical exercise.Such research has been carried out mainly on healthy and elderly people and is still at an early stage. The good news iswe now know that physical fitness can activate the brain. But much more research into brain structure and function will beneeded to fully understand the impact of physical exercise. In the long run, this type of research may lead to effectivetreatment for many brain diseases. At the very least, Kramer’s findings provide one more reason to get off the sofa, turn offthe TV, and jog down to the gym. Most important of all, it’s never too early to start.
46. The article beings by providing advice about ______.
(A) why it is important to exercise the brain
(B) what types of exercise are best for the heart
(C) how elderly people can keep their brains active
(D) which games are interesting for elderly people