[originaltext]M: This morning on Today’s Health, we are going to pump you up. (

M: This morning on Today’s Health, we are going to pump you up. (1) You know, working out is obviously good for your body, but this week’s Newsweek Magazine reports there is new evidence showing it can boost your brainpower and fight disease as well. (2) Miriam Nelson is an associate professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University. Miriam, nice to see you, how are you doing?
W: Very well. Thanks for having me.
M: So, we are talking about rigorous, aerobic exercise, clearly good for your body. Explain to me in layman’s terms if you can now, about this new research that says (3) it can also help your brain grow new nerve cells.
W: That’s right. What we’ve known for years is that individuals who are physically active have reduced risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease. We’ve also known that people with mild cognitive impairment also have improved function with exercise. There’s some very new research that is very exciting. (4) And what is seen is it’s taken 11 individuals, and put them on a about three or four months’ course of aerobic exercise, four days a week, an hour a day. And what they’ve seen through MRI Scan is people are actually growing new nerve cells.
M: And...and more new nerve cells mean what to me, someone in my age group?
W: Yeah, what you are...what...my age group too.
M: OK, our age group too, right.
W: (5) What we are seeing is that the new nerve cells are growing. They’re increasing a web and they’re weaved and they are connecting. It’s all the interconnections of the nerve cells. When you get those connections, your brain functions better. Primarily this is in the executive functioning part of the brain in the hippocampus. We are looking at multitasking, memory, problem solving, name recognition— lots of things that start to decline as we get older.
M: I am sure a lot of people are watching this right now, Miriam Nelson. Can I make up for the lost time? I don’t have a history of exercising throughout my life. Now I’m 45 years old, if I start exercising now, do I make a difference?
W: Well, certainly. The data we show right now is exercising in your 40s and 50s. Hopefully we wanna start a little bit early, but in your 30s, 40s and 50s, it will make a difference for reducing the risk of getting Alzheimer as you get older. And there’s even newer research with children that is also very exciting.
This is the end of Part One of the interview. Questions 1 to 5 are based on what you have just heard.
1. What is the topic of this interview?
2. What is Miriam Nelson?
3. According to the interview, what is the benefit of doing exercise?
4. Which of the following statements about the new research is INCORRECT?
5. According to the interview, what do more nerve cells mean?