“What were they thinking?” Like most parents of teens, I ask myself this question on a regular basis in regard to the decisions my kids make. For the most part, their bad decisions include unhealthy food choices or watching Netflix instead of doing their homework. It’s usually not a big deal unless they start throwing up because they ate something that they knew would make them sick or they have rush around to turn in their schoolwork on time because they wasted six hours watching “Stranger Things”. But for many adolescents, their bad decisions have much more terrible consequences.

Scientists have been trying to unlock the secrets of the adolescent brain for years. Now new research shows that adolescent brains go through structural changes that may affect their ability to make sound decisions.

Changes in the adolescent brain at this stage of development are responsible for several unpredictable behaviors. For example, the adolescent brain’s hunger for the “feel good” chemical, dopamine, drives young people to push boundaries and take risks. These structural brain differences may also be responsible for the fact that teens and young adults tend to over-identify with others and focus heavily on every setback (挫折). Add to these factors such as social media and sleep problems and it’s no wonder that when adolescents are presented with important decision-making opportunities, normal social taboos (禁忌) disappear and negative actions arise.

With a better understanding of adolescent brains, researchers are learning ways to use social media to connect teens with others so they can find help quickly when they need it. There has also been a much bigger push in recent years to talk about mental health in school as part of health curriculum (课程表). Just as kids learn about the importance of taking care of their physical health, they can also begin to understand things that might be affecting their emotional well-being.

The adolescent years are important. The more we know about adolescent brains, the better equipped we will be to help guide them through those confusing years and the problems they may face.

【小题1】What do we know from paragraph 1?

A．Teens need to take responsibility for their decisions.

B．It’s surprising that teens often make bad decisions.

C．It’s necessary for parents to help teens make decisions.

D．Teens’ bad decisions can lead to unpleasant results.

【小题2】What may result from changes in the adolescent brains?

A．Teens thinking too much about their failures.

B．Teens lacking a sense of responsibility.

C．Teens' addiction to social media.

D．Teens' sleep problems.

【小题3】Why do researchers try to understand the adolescent brain?

A．To design accessible health curriculum.

B．To help improve teens’ emotional well-being.

C．To make clear teens’ decision-making process.

D．To explore things affecting teens’ brain development.

【小题4】What might be the best title for the text?

A．What were your adolescent years like?

B．How do adolescent brains relate to teens’ decisions?

C．How can teens avoid losing decision-making opportunities?

D．Why should we allow teens to make their own decisions?