谁在“误入益智歧途”：猜字谜

Doing Crosswords 猜字谜

　　Doing Crosswords 猜字谜

　　Completing that Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle isn't just a diverting7) pastime. It's also a great way to keep your wits about you as you age. At least that's the common belief, which holds that a regular schedule of cognitive exercise can bulk up8) your brain with new neurons, the same way vigorous weight lifting can build muscle mass.

　　Some studies have reported that mental exercise can slow or reverse cognitive decline. But aging expert Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia says the evidence is all correlational, not causal: The respondents who were most drawn to mental exercise or pursued brain-intensive professions probably had greater cognitive reserves to begin with. So no, crossword puzzles probably won't fend off senility 9).

　　完成《纽约时报》周日版上的纵横字谜并非仅仅是一种妙趣横生的消遣方式，它也是随着年龄的增长保持思维活跃的一种方法。至少大多数人都相信，定期做有规律的思维练习可以在大脑中注入新的神经元，就像努力进行举重训练可以增强身体的肌群一样。

　　有研究表明，益智练习可以使认知能力的衰退过程减缓甚至逆转。然而弗吉尼亚大学的老龄化专家蒂莫西·萨尔特豪斯却表示，所有这些证据虽都是有关联的，但构不成因果关系：那些经常做益智练习或者从事智力密集型行业的人自身可能有相对较为充沛的认知能力储备。所以，纵横填字也许并不能阻止衰老。

　　1. EEG：electroencephalo-graph的缩写，脑电图描记器

　　2. scoff v. 轻蔑地说，嘲笑，嘲弄

　　3. cortex n. (脑或肾的)皮层，皮质

　　4. insulin n. 胰岛素

　　5. cerebral adj. 脑的，大脑的

　　6. glucose n. 葡萄糖

　　7. diverting adj. 有趣的，令人快乐的

　　8. bulk up：扩大，膨胀

　　9. senility n. 衰老