6 Minute English - Brain training (2016-04-07) | Текст песни и Перевод на русский

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• 6 Minute English
• Brain training (2016-04-07)

Sophie
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Sophie…

Neil
Watashi-wa Ni-ru.

Sophie
What did you say?

Neil
Watashi-wa Ni-ru. 'I'm Neil.' It's Japanese, Sophie.

Sophie
Very good, Neil! So your Japanese language lessons are going well, then?

Neil
They are indeed (дійсно, в самом деле).
And did you know, Sophie, that scientists believe learning a second language can
boost (збільшити, підвищити) brainpower (інтелект, розумові здібності)?
Bilingualism – or speaking two languages equally (в равной степени, одинаково, поравну)
well – is a form of brain training.

Sophie
Brain training is where you're learning ways to increase (підвищення)
your memory or intelligence. That's great Neil – but you're not exactly… bilingual… are you?

Neil
Not yet. No.

Sophie
Well, brain training is the subject of today's show. And ways to train your brain might be doing (може робити) a crossword puzzle, playing chess, or studying a new language! Now I have a question for you, Neil.

Neil
I hope my brain is up to the challenge.
(Я сподіваюся, що мій мозок впоратися з цим завданням, викликом).

Sophie
I'm sure it is. Can you tell me: How many neurons – or nerve cells – are there in the typical human brain? Is it …
a) 8.6 billion
b) 86 billion
Or c) 860 billion

Neil
Hmm. I'm going to say a) 8.6 billion.

Sophie
Well, we'll find out later on in the show whether (чи, або)
you got the answer right or not. But now let's listen to neuropsychologist Dr Catherine Loveday talking about why being bilingual may protect your brain from damage (ушкодження) if you have a stroke (інсульт).

INSERT
Dr Catherine Loveday, neuropsychologist
I think the theory behind (позаду, попередньо сказана) why bilingualism might be a protective factor is that [it] involves (включає, містить) a lot of switchings (переключення) – a lot of attentional changes – lots of switching. And that seems
to exercise the sort of executive parts (здійснювати вид, сортувати, класифікувати виконавчих частин) of our brain. Those parts of the brain are kind of stronger and fitter (здоровішй) when it comes to resisting (стійкий, протидіє, ) some kind of damage(вред, пошкодження, ущерб) from the stroke.

Neil
A stroke is a serious illness that occurs (ставатися, призводити до) when blood flow (потік, приплив, ) to an area (до області) of the brain is cut off (відсікати, припиняти).
And executive functions (виконавчі функції)
are the mental (розумові, психічні, духовні) skills involved (що беруть участь, вовлекать) in doing things like problem solving and planning.

Sophie
So when a bilingual speaker switches – or changes – from one language to another – this exercises (здійснює) the executive (виконавчі) parts of their brain, making it stronger and fitter. And because the brain is stronger, it's able to resist (протистояти) – or prevent (попереджати, предохранять) – damage caused by a stroke (ушкодження, викликані інсультом).

Neil
But many of us aren't bilingual are we? So our brains aren't going to be protected against (проти) strokes - інсульт.

Sophie
Don't worry, Neil. There are other things you can do to exercise your brain. If you're right handed, doing tasks like brushing your teeth with your left hand will stimulate your brain – or getting dressed in the dark with your eyes shut (одягалася в темряві з закритими очима). Or simply memorizing a list of words, for example your shopping list.

Neil
Doing things with the wrong hand sounds hard. But the shopping list thing sounds easier… OK. Let's see… pizza, doughnuts [dounʌts] - пончики, crisps, bottle of coke, chocolate cake…

Sophie
That's not a very healthy list, Neil! A good diet is also important in keeping your brain fit and healthy.

Neil
Maybe I should cut down on the chocolate cake then?

Sophie
Actually, that's one thing you could leave on the list. According to research, chocolate may enhance (збільшити, підвищити) – or improve – cognitive (пізнавальний) performance, and that is your ability to acquire (отримувати, набувати) and utilize
([jˈuːtɪlaɪːz] - использовать, расходовать) knowledge.

Now let's listen to Dr Loveday talking about building up our cognitive reserve (когнітивний, пізнавальний резерв) – this is the idea of building up extra abilities to help protect the brain against declining (спад, пониження) memory or thinking.

INSERT
Dr Catherine Loveday, neuropsychologist (нейропсихолог)
Continually (безперервно) just stimulating the brain – things like learning a language, learning music, just educating yourself, seems to continue to build up (накоплювати, збільшувати, нарощувати, подготовка к чему-либо) that cognitive(пізнавальний) reserve.
So even if people take up (починати щось робити, братися за, обговорювати, )
languages or take up other things later in life it will give them a degree of protection.

Neil
Stimulate means to make something become more active (стають більш активними).
Hmm. Not sure I'm continually stimulating my brain. What do you think, Sophie?

Sophie
With all our stimulating discussions (З усіма нашими стимулюючими обговореннями), Neil, I'm sure we're both building up (нарощувати) our cognitive reserve. And there are your Japanese lessons too.

Neil
Well, so I am doing well as far as my cognitive reserve goes (Я роблю добре, наскільки мій когнітивний резерв йде). Sophie you've put my mind at rest
(to ​stop someone from ​worrying about something:
Chris ​phoned to say they'd ​arrived ​safely, so that really put my mind at ​rest.).

Sophie
And if you put someone's mind at rest you stop them worrying. Well, don't get too relaxed Neil – your brain needs constant (постійний) stimulation, remember?

Neil
Hmm. I think I might (міг би - may) just lie down (запасатися) after the show with a box of chocolates and today's crossword… or maybe I'll memorize another shopping list… this time in Japanese.

Sophie
OK. I think it's time to hear the answer to today's quiz (a test of knowledge - питання вікторини) question. I asked: How many neurons are there in the typical human brain? Is it … a) 8.6 billion b) 86 billion or c) 860 billion?

Neil
And I said a) 8.6 billion.

Sophie
I thought you were feeling clever today, Neil. I'm afraid that's the wrong answer. It's b) 86 billion. But do you know how scientists calculated that number?

Neil
Did they have a guess (припущення), Sophie?

Sophie
No, not exactly (не зовсім.). Apparently (мабуть, очевидно, ), the easiest way is to count how many neurons there are in one part of the brain and then multiply that for the rest of the brain's volume (помножити, те з (іншої частиною) рештою обсягу мозку).

Neil
Well, that's a lot of brain cells. OK, can we hear the words we learned today?

Sophie
They are:
bilingualism
brain training
neurons
stroke (інсульт, удар)
executive functions (виконавчі функції; керівник, виконавець)
switches
resist (протистояти, опиратися, чинити опір)
enhance [ɪnhˈɑːns] - підвищувати, збільшувати
cognitive reserve
stimulate
put someone's mind at rest - перестать волноваться, беспокоиться

Neil
Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English. Don't forget to join us again soon!

Both
Bye.
...............................................................
What is brain training and can it really make us more intelligent? Neil and Sophie discuss the health benefits of being able to speak two or more languages fluently. And Neil shows off his Japanese language skills!

This week's question

How many neurons – or nerve cells – are there in the typical human brain? Is it …

a) 8.6 billion

b) 86 billion

c) 860 billion

You can hear the right answer at the end of the programme.

Vocabulary

bilingualism
speaking two languages equally well

brain training
learning ways to increase your memory or intelligence

neurons
nerve