Reading

1. | GW. a) Read the information in the text and give the best title. b) Give a short review of the information about the brain and brain activities.

Scientists have been studying the brain for a long time and they all agree that the human brain is a marvellous and fascinating thing. So all human beings are the owners of the best “personal computer” in the world that we are carrying with us wherever we go.

One thing that makes the brain so special is its amazing complexity like that of a computer. No other part of our body can perform as many functions as the brain can. It controls the body, stores data in the form of memories, and creates thoughts, dreams, ideas, emotions, and moods. While we are asleep, the brain makes sure that the internal organs (i.e. the liver, kidneys, heart, etc.) continue to work. So, the brain works non-stop, day and night, all our lives.

Another fascinating thing about the brain is its perfect structure. It consists of a mass of soft grey matter* (10 billion nerve cells) inside the head and is divided into two hemispheres. The two halves can operate quite independently of one another and have developed different abilities . The Left Brain controls logic, language, reasoning, facts, numbers, and the movements of the right-hand side of the body. The Right Brain controls emotions, music sense, imagination, dreams and rhythm, colour perception, day-dreaming, face recognition, and the movements of the left-hand side of the body. For most people the left hemisphere is more powerful than the right one. That is why 91% of people are right-handed. In creative artists (painters, writers, etc.) the right hemisphere is more dominant. These distinctions are not rigid as each side, to a certaint extent, can perform functions which we normally associate with the other side. Last but not least, scientists are still marvelling at our brain’s high potential. Their findings indicate that the brain can take 10 new bits of information every second for an entire lifetime and still be no more than half full. Some scientists say that if the brain is used properly, we continue to learn more and more the older we get, although it is perfectly true that we tend to absorb more information when we are young.

2. GW. Find the definitions of the words in bold above.
*matter - substance