口语能力标准
76. Be Brainy, Be Bilingual
2013-09-06
Learning a second language can boost brain power, scientists believe.
US researchers from Northwestern University say bilingualism is a form of brain training – a mental "work out" that fine-tunes the mind.
Speaking two languages affects the brain and changes how the nervous system reacts to sound, lab tests revealed.
Experts say the work provides "biological" evidence of this.
In an attempt to prove the hypothesis that speaking two languages is good for one`s mind, the team monitored how the brains of 48 healthy student volunteers reacted to different sounds. Twenty-three of these volunteers were bilingual.
Under quiet, laboratory conditions, the bilingual students responded in a similar way to the English-only-speaking students, who formed the control group.
But the bilingual group was far superior at processing sounds even when there were a lot of people talking in the room. They were better able to tune in to the important information - the speaker`s voice - and block out other distracting noises.
Co-author Viorica Marian said: "People do crossword puzzles and other activities to keep their minds sharp. But the advantages we`ve discovered in dual language speakers come automatically simply from knowing and using two languages.``
