【听力文本】

Step 1: Play games  玩游戏
Do crossword puzzles, play Sudoku, take up bridge — games like these stimulate the mind, helping the brain grow new neural pathways, improving your mental ability.

Step 2: Drink grape juice 喝葡萄汁
Drink purple grape juice (not white). Research has found that drinking eight ounces of Concord grape juice a day improves memory by 20%, thanks in part to loads of antioxidants.

Step 3: Spice things up  活跃气氛
Both rosemary and sage improve people’s scores on word-recall tests by stimulating the brain’s memory center. In fact, students in ancient Greece wore sprigs of rosemary in their hair on test days.

Step 4: Dance!  跳舞
Hit the dance floor, jog, or do anything that gets your pulse racing. Physical activity rushes oxygen to the brain and builds new cells in the brain region linked to memory.

Step 5: Take naps 小憩
If you can possibly swing it, take naps. Research has found that people who squeeze in a catnap during the day retain twice as much of the information they learned that day as those who don’t.

Step 6: De-stress yourself  给自己减压和放松
De-stress yourself by taking up yoga, meditation, or deep breathing. When you’re stressed, the brain activates an enzyme that impairs short-term memory.

Step 7: Be a social butterfly  积极参加社会活动
Be a social butterfly. One study found that people who socialize regularly do far better on memory tests than their less outgoing counterparts, since participating in conversations exercises the brain.

Step 8: Eat blueberries  吃蓝莓
Have a handful of blueberries each day. Blueberries contain a chemical that dramatically improves memory, and a half-cup is all you need to get the benefit.

Step 9: Move your eyes  进行眼部运动
Moving your eyes side to side for 30 seconds every morning can improve memory by ten percent. How? It gets the two sides of the brain working in harmony.

【词汇讲解】

1.  Swing  vt. & vi.1. (使)摇摆, (使)摇荡2. (使)旋转3. (使)突然转向

Examples:  The monkey was swinging in the tree.
猴子在树上荡来荡去。
He swung the axe and with one blow split open the door.
他挥动着斧子一下就把门劈开了。

2.    Hormone   n. .<生化>(刺激生长的)荷尔蒙,激素
This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.
这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

Example: A plant hormone that promotes flowering.
成花素一种促使花开放的植物激素
3. De-stress  vb. to become or cause to become less stressed or anxious
  Example:    De stress and relax.
    减压和放松。

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