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 when the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from London University, took a group of Britain people 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 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 was.
“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 skill. “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 2 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】The main subject talked about in this passage is .| A．science on learning a second language |
| B．man’s ability of learning a second language |
| C．language can help brain power |
| D．language learning and math study |
| A．say language is also a kind of physical labor |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he/she is learning a language |
| C．show the importance of using the language when you learn the language |
| D．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
| A．learning a second language is the same as studying math |
| B．early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in study other subjects |
| C．Italian is the best choice for you as a second language |
| D．we’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language |
Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a better student. By using your time properly, you can do your homework more quickly.
The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn.
Here's some advice for you: have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study, so that you can concentrate on your study without interruption (打扰).
| A．Learning to study is not difficult. |
| B．It is necessary to take notes in class. |
| C．Check your homework after you finish it. |
| D．It doesn't mean that you must always like the subject. |
| E．Remember that you must follow the teacher in studying. |
| F．Leaning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them. |
| G．Have everything ready before you sit down to study like a dictionary, paper, a pen and books. |
You want your essay to be the one that is passed around the admissions office or not? It's a little bit like the difference between being famous and infamous. Here are some basic tips to avoid that infamous essay：
● Don't write the “safe” essay.
● Avoid the generic and get specific.
Never write that you're “well rounded” or that “many people have influenced” you.
●
There is no need to share your participation level (hours per week and weeks per year) because colleges ask for that information on your activity list. It is important for the students to use every opportunity to show who they are and impress the admissions office.
● Don't talk about rankings.
Many students love focusing on the numbers when they are writing their “why this college” essay. They believe they are flattering (讨好) the college by saying the reason why they want to attend is that the college is highly ranked in US News & World Report. Obviously schools are aware of their rankings.
● Don't complain.
If you have gone through difficult circumstances, you should share your story. Don't point fingers.
| A．It's important to show patience and determination. |
| B．This applies to all types of essays. |
| C．Don't forget about the activity list. |
| D．Pick a topic that only you can write about. |
| E．They just want to know why you want to attend. |
| F．Don't repeat information that is elsewhere in your application. |
| G．Tell the reader what you've done, how you've been influenced, and by whom. |
Learning more efficiently is a matter of time, but not in the way you might think. According to Hermann Ebbinghaus, the pioneer of quantitative memory research, you may have a new perspective about it.
The findings
Ebbinghaus is best known for two major findings: the forgetting curve and the learning curve.
The forgetting curve describes how new information fades away. Once you’ve “learned” something new, the fastest drop occurs in just 20 minutes; after a day, the curve levels off.
Within minutes, nearly half of what you’ve “learned” has disappeared.
Or not.
According to Benedict Carey, author of How We Learn, what we learn doesn’t necessarily fade; it just becomes less accessible.
In my case, I hadn’t forgotten a key point. I just didn’t access that information when I needed it.
Working with our memory
Ebbinghaus would have agreed with Carey: He determined that even when we think we’ve forgotten something, some portion of what we learned is still filed away, which makes the process of relearning a lot more efficient.
As Ebbinghaus writes:
Suppose that a poem is relearned by heart. It then becomes evident that, although it seems totally forgotten, it still in a certain sense exists. The second learning requires noticeably less time or noticeably smaller number of repetitions than the first.
That, in a nutshell, is the power of spaced repetition.
The condition is simple. Learn something new, and within a short period of time you’ll forget much of it. Repeat a learning session a day later, and you’ll remember more. Repeat a session two days after that, and you’ll remember even more. The key is to steadily increase the time intervals between relearning sessions.
And forgive yourself for forgetting. Accept that forgetting is actually a key to the process.
Why?
Forgetting is an essential part of learning. Relearning strengthens earlier memories. Relearning creates different context and connections. According to Carey, “‘Some breakdown’ must occur for us to strengthen learning when we revisit the material. Without a little forgetting, you get no benefit from further study. It is what allows learning to build, like an exercised muscle.”
The process of retrieving a memory — especially when you fail — strengthens access. That’s why the best way to study isn’t to reread; the best way to study is to quiz yourself. If you test yourself and answer incorrectly, not only are you more likely to remember the right answer after you look it up, you’ll also remember that you didn’t remember. Forgetting, and therefore repeating information, makes your brain assign that information greater importance.
【小题1】According to Ebbinghaus’ chart, we conclude that ________.| A．the best time to avoid forgetting is the sixth day after learning |
| B．we usually forget most of what we’ve learned on the sixth day |
| C．forgetting really exists almost in the whole process of learning |
| D．what has been learned will be forgotten completely in any case |
| A．Because forgetting itself is one of the steps in our learning. |
| B．Because forgetting can help us benefit from further learning. |
| C．Because relearning can create new context and materials for us. |
| D．Because learning memory is just like muscle memory in exercise. |
| A．To reappear in the place. | B．To consolidate something in time. |
| C．To memorize something firmly. | D．To find and bring back something. |
| A．Forget More with Less Repetition | B．Learn More with Less Effort |
| C．Two Amazing Curves in Learning | D．Two Different Findings in Forgetting |
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