Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp

    Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit — and that can be a very annoying thing. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Read on for some techniques worth trying.

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    People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced chance of Alzheimer's disease (早老性痴呆症), according to a recent study. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do. There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long or short-term goals appear to do better. In other words, keep your brain looking forward.

    ⒉ Go for a walk.

    Mildly raised glucose (葡萄糖) levels can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories and physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, exercise produces chemicals that are good for your brain. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ⒊ Learn something new.

    Take a Spanish class online, join a drawing club, or learn to play cards. A study found that mental stimulation (刺激) limits the weakening effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain is when you learn something new and are physically active at the same time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Or go dancing with your friends.

A. Focus on the future.

B. This can be especially harmful to the aged.

C. It should be something like learning gardening.

D. So take a few minutes each day to do some reading.

E. But don't worry if your schedule isn't filled with life-changing events.

F. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those moments.

G. In other words, when you take care of your body, you take care of your brain.

    Do you still remember the haze（雾霾）in the winter? So many people got terribly ill during or after the haze. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here is advice for you to protect yourself in hazy weather.

    Spend less time outdoors.This is the most effective way for self-protection in such bad weather.With PM2.5 increasing 103mg per cubic meter,residents will risk a 2.29% increase of death,which experts found out in 2012.If you have to get out,avoid riding bicycles.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Close your windows.Experts advice residents to avoid opening windows at home.If you have to ,avoid the time when smog is at its densest（浓的）.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Besides,you can keep plants with broad leaves at home to absorb dust,and use air purifiers（清洁器）.

    Smoke less.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}In hazy weather,smoking would be even more harmful.Smokers are advised to keep their distance from cigarettes before the weather gets better.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}For example ,wear special masks outside to avoid breathing in PM2.5.Then take off your coat after getting indoors and keep it away from your other clean clothes,Don't forget to wash your face,rinse（漱）your mouth,and clean your nasal cavity（鼻腔）to clean the particulate matters（颗粒物）that fall on you.Last but not least,keep off stimulating（刺激性）foods.

A.Wear masks.

B.Pay attention to other daily things.

C.Also avoid rush hours,when pollutants will be denser.

D.That's because haze does harm to the health of people.

E.Cigarettes could cause more particulate matters,which are included in PM2.5 .

F.Take more fruits and vegetables instead,which are good for lung,spleen（脾）and kidney（肾）.

G.For residents who use air-conditioner,make sure your apartment has enough oxygen indoors.

    Lots of people find it hard to get up in the morning, and put the blame on the alarm clock. In fact, the key to easy morning wake-up lies in resetting your body clock.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here's how to make one.

    ●{#blank#}2{#/blank#} In order to make a change, you need to decide why it's important. Do you want to get up in time to have breakfast with your family, get in some exercise, or just be better prepared for your day? Once you are clear about your reasons, tell your family or roommates about the change you want to make.

    ●Rethink mornings. Now that you know why you want to wake up, consider re-arranging your morning activities. If you want time to have breakfast with your family, save some time the night before by setting out clothes, shoes, and bags.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} That's a quarter-hour more you could be sleeping if you bought a coffee maker with a timer.

    ●Keep your sleep/wake schedule on weekends. If you're tired out by Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday could sound wonderful. But compensating on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week, a recent study found.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ●Keep a record and evaluate it weekly. Keep track of your efforts and write down how you feel. After you've tried a new method for a week, take a look at your record.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} If not, take another look at other methods you could try.

A. Get a sleep specialist.

B. Find the right motivation.

C. A better plan for sleep can help.

D. And consider setting a second alarm.

E. If the steps you take are working, keep it up.

F. Stick to your set bedtime and wake-up time, no matter the day.

G. Reconsider the 15 minutes you spend in line at the cafe to get coffee.

    A lack of sleep causes many medical conditions that greatly affect the quality of life. While no one knows why we sleep, it is a universal biological need.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    How much sleep do I actually need?

    A study in Finland found that the amount of sleep that relates to the fewest sick days was 7.63 hours a night for women and 7.76 hours for men.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}When we get sleep fewer than seven hours or our sleep often falls below six hours, we are at an increased risk of health problems.

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    Today, some people practice “polyphasic (一昼夜活动和休息多次的)sleep”,based on the idea that by dividing your sleep into parts, you can get away with less of it .Professor Dinges concludes it's possible to train oneself to need less sleep in short periods.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}And he notes that even for those who can function well on less sleep, we still don't know how the practice might be affecting chemical processes, mood, and other factors.

    I can't sleep. Is my phone really keeping me up?

    When light enters your eye, it hits your retina to send signals to the hypothalamus (下丘脑),which controls sleep cycles. When your retina takes in less light, your hypothalamus assumes it's time to sleep and it'll signal the pineal gland (松果腺)to make you sleepy. And when the hypothalamus senses light, it tells the pineal gland to stop its work.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Some research suggests that the light from phones and tablets are especially influential in human sleep cycles.

A. Adequate sleep can benefit us a lot.

B. Can I train myself to need less sleep?

C. How can I make myself sleep less?

D. No animal with a brain can survive without it.

E. This is why we're told to minimize screen time before bed.

F. And most adults function best after seven to nine hours of sleep a night.

G. But he adds it doesn't seem possible to train oneself to need less sleep per 24-hour cycle.

    Eyesight is the sense that you rely upon the most. Since we live in a world that requires your eyes to routinely stare at the small type and images on cell phones, computer screens, and televisions, it is important for you to improve and protect your eyesight. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Eyes are just like any other part of the body. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Similar to other organs, a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in sugar and fatty foods will go a long way in maintaining healthy eyes.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Plan to exercise your eyes when you wake up, before going to bed, or when your eyes are tired. Make sure your hands are clean so that you do not hurt your eyes and your mind is relaxed before starting.

    Since you use your eyes every waking moment, give them lots of rest and relaxation by taking breaks throughout the day and getting enough sleep every night to fully rest, repair, and recover your vision. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In the short term, it can cause eye strain (疲劳) or dry eyes. In the long term, it can lead to damage to the optic nerve (视觉神经), which can cause pain and damage your vision.

    Besides, most jobs nowadays involve some degree of computer usage, meaning almost everyone will be spending time in front of a computer. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}To avoid this, you'll have to properly try to limit your screen time by routinely taking breaks and exercising your eyes.

A. They need nutrition to function well.

B. Close your eyes when exercising your eyes.

C. A lack of sleep will weaken your vision health.

D. You can enjoy your vision for the rest of your life.

E. Unfortunately, this can result in eye strain or injury.

F. There are many ways to keep your eyesight healthy and sharp.

G. Exercising your eyes daily will help you maintain healthy eyes.