The Reading / Listening - Brain Power and Age - Level 4

Scientists now doubt that our brain's processing speed declines from the age of 20. Until now, they thought our brain power peaked at 20 and went down after that. Researchers said older people do not need to worry about forgetfulness. Cognitive skills are still powerful at the age of 60. The researchers said their results showed that "mental speed in contexts demanding fast and forced decisions do not decline until relatively late in [people's] lifespan".

The study used data on people aged between 10 and 80. It showed that mental processing speed remained constant until 60, but declined after then. The mental processing speed increased in people in their 20s and remained high until 60. A researcher said: "Until older adulthood, the speed of information processing…barely changed." He said older people take longer to make decisions because they are more cautious, less impulsive and less reckless.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Brain Power and Age - Level 5 or  Brain Power and Age - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/feb/17/brains-do-not-slow-down-until-after-age-of-60-study-finds
  • https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-02-human-brain-doesnt.html
  • https://www.newscientist.com/article/2308810-your-brain-doesnt-slow-down-until-your-60s-later-than-we-thought/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Scientists now doubt
  2. our brain's processing speed
  3. from the
  4. brain power peaked
  5. older people do not
  6. Cognitive skills are still
  7. fast and
  8. relatively late in people's
  1. lifespan
  2. at 20
  3. powerful
  4. that
  5. age of 20
  6. forced decisions
  7. declines
  8. need to worry

Paragraph 2

  1. The study used data
  2. mental processing speed remained
  3. increased in people in
  4. Until older
  5. information processing barely
  6. older people take longer
  7. because they
  8. less impulsive and less
  1. adulthood
  2. their 20s
  3. reckless
  4. on people
  5. to make decisions
  6. constant
  7. changed
  8. are more cautious

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists (1) ___________________ our brain's processing speed declines from the age of 20. Until now, (2) ___________________ brain power peaked at 20 and went down after that. Researchers said older people do not need to worry about forgetfulness. Cognitive (3) ___________________ powerful at the age of 60. The researchers (4) ___________________ showed that "mental speed in contexts demanding (5) ___________________ decisions do not decline until relatively late (6) ___________________".

The study (7) ___________________ people aged between 10 and 80. It showed that mental processing (8) ___________________ until 60, but declined after then. The mental processing speed (9) ___________________ in their 20s and remained high until 60. A researcher said: "(10) ___________________, the speed of information processing...barely changed." He said (11) ___________________ longer to make decisions because they are more cautious, (12) ___________________ less reckless.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scientistsnowdoubtthatourbrain'sprocessingspeeddeclinesfromthe
ageof20.Untilnow,theythoughtourbrainpowerpeakedat20andwentd
ownafterthat.Researcherssaidolderpeopledonotneedtoworryaboutf
orgetfulness.Cognitiveskillsarestillpowerfulattheageof60.Theresear
cherssaidtheirresultsshowedthat"mentalspeedincontextsdemandin
gfastandforceddecisionsdonotdeclineuntilrelativelylatein[people's]l
ifespan".Thestudyuseddataonpeopleagedbetween10and80.Itshow
edthatmentalprocessingspeedremainedconstantuntil60,butdecline
dafterthen.Thementalprocessingspeedincreasedinpeopleintheir20s
andremainedhighuntil60.Aresearchersaid:"Untilolderadulthood,the
speedofinformationprocessing...barelychanged."Hesaidolderpeopl
etakelongertomakedecisionsbecausetheyaremorecautious,lessimp
ulsiveandlessreckless.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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