Level 2 Reading 9A

Ch.17

第17章

Reading 9A THE TEENAGE BRAIN Parents, teachers, and anyone who regularly deals with teenagers knows how difficult the adolescent years can be. Adolescents have always been known to do wild—even dangerous—things. This was thought to be due to the foolishness of youth. Now, brain-imaging technology allows scientists to study the physical development of the brain in more detail than ever before. Their discoveries have led to a new theory of why teens act the way they do. A Work in Progress Recently, scientists discovered that though our brains are almost at their full size by the age of six, they are far from fully developed. Only during adolescence do our brains truly "grow up." During this time, they go through great changes, like a computer system being upgraded. This "upgrade" was once thought to be finished by about age 12. Now, scientists have concluded that our brains continue to change until age 25. Such changes make us better at balancing our impulses with the need to follow rules. However, a still-developing brain does this clumsily. The result, scientists claim, is the unpredictable behavior seen in teenagers.

阅读9A 青少年的大脑 父母、老师和任何经常与青少年打交道的人都知道青少年时期有多么困难。 众所周知，青少年会做一些狂野甚至危险的事情。 人们认为这是由于年轻人的愚蠢。 现在，脑成像技术使科学家能够比以往任何时候都更详细地研究大脑的物理发育。 他们的发现引发了一种关于青少年行为方式的新理论。 进行中的工作 最近，科学家们发现，尽管我们的大脑在六岁时几乎达到了全尺寸， 它们远未完全开发。 只有在青春期，我们的大脑才能真正“成长” 在此期间，他们经历了巨大的变化，比如计算机系统的升级。 这种“升级”曾被认为在12岁左右完成。 现在，科学家们得出结论，我们的大脑在25岁之前一直在变化。 这些变化使我们能够更好地平衡我们的冲动和遵守规则的需要。 然而，一个仍在发育的大脑却笨拙地做到了这一点。 科学家声称，其结果是青少年出现了不可预测的行为。

Pleasure Seekers The studies confirm that teens are more likely to take risks and behave in extreme ways. Fortunately, the news isn't all negative. As brain scientist B. J. Casey points out, the teen brain inspires such behavior in order to help teenagers prepare for adult life. One way the brain does this is by changing the way teens measure risk and reward. Researchers found that when teens think about rewards, their brains release more of the chemicals that create pleasure than an adult brain would. Researchers believe this makes the rewards seem more important than the risks, and makes teens feel the excitement of new experiences more keenly than adults do. Research into the structure of the teen brain also found that it makes social connections seem especially rewarding. As such, teens have an intense need to meet new people. Scientists suggest this is because as teens, we begin to realize that our peers may one day control the world we live in. Because it is still developing, a teen brain can change to deal with new situations. It therefore connects social rewards with even more pleasure. In this way, the brain encourages teens to have a wide circle of friends, which is believed to make us more successful in life. Unfortunately, this hunt for greater rewards can sometimes lead teens to make bad decisions. However, it also means that teens are more likely, and less afraid, to try new things or to be independent. The scientists' findings suggest that in the long run, the impulses of the teen brain are what help teens leave their parents' care and live their own lives successfully.

寻求快乐的人 研究证实，青少年更有可能冒险，行为也更极端。 幸运的是，消息并不全是负面的。 正如脑科学家B.J.Casey所指出的那样， 青少年的大脑会激发这种行为，以帮助青少年为成年生活做好准备。 大脑做到这一点的一种方式是改变青少年衡量风险和回报的方式。 研究人员发现，当青少年想到奖励时， 他们的大脑比成年人的大脑释放更多的化学物质来创造快乐。 研究人员认为，这使得回报似乎比风险更重要， 让青少年比成年人更敏锐地感受到新体验的兴奋。 对青少年大脑结构的研究还发现，社交联系似乎特别有益。 因此，青少年非常需要结识新朋友。 科学家认为，这是因为青少年时期， 我们开始意识到，有一天，我们的同龄人可能会控制我们生活的世界。 因为它仍在发展中，青少年的大脑可以改变以应对新的情况。 因此，它将社会回报与更多的快乐联系起来。 通过这种方式，大脑鼓励青少年拥有广泛的朋友圈， 这被认为会让我们在生活中更成功。 不幸的是，这种对更大奖励的追求有时会导致青少年做出错误的决定。 然而，这也意味着青少年更有可能尝试新事物或独立，也不那么害怕。 科学家的发现表明，从长远来看， 青少年大脑的冲动帮助他们摆脱父母的照顾，成功地过上自己的生活。

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