People who speak more than one language seem to have younger brains, according to research presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2026. Our brains are made up of billions of nerve cells that need to communicate with one another. As we age, connectivity in our brains tends to weaken, and as a result, memory and the speed of thinking often decline. The new research found that the more languages people speak, the younger their brains appear.

To build a “brain aging clock”, the team first studied 728 people, using a technique called magnetoencephalography, which measures the faint magnetic fields produced when brain cells are active. Artificial intelligence then learned how normal brain connectivity changes with age. The clock was tested on a second group of 144 people from the Basque region of Spain, who spoke between one and four languages. Compared with those who spoke only one language, people who spoke two languages had brains that appeared around six years younger. For three languages the figure was seven years, and for four languages it was thirteen years.

“We found that the effect was not only related to the number of languages spoken,” said Dr Lucia Amoruso of the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language. “Higher language proficiency and earlier acquisition of a second language were also associated with more delayed brain aging.” This suggests that multilingual experience matters in a gradual way: it is not simply about being bilingual or not, but about the depth and duration of language experience.

1.1. Why does the author mention that memory and thinking often decline with age?

A To explain how brain cells work.

B To show elders learn slowly.

C To compare old and young brains.

D To stress the value of the finding.

解析：选D。D推理判断题。第一段先讲“As we age, connectivity in our brains tends to weaken, and as a result, memory and the speed of thinking often decline”，紧接着给出新研究“The more languages people speak, the younger their brains appear”——作者先描述衰老带来的自然衰退，是为了突出“多语让大脑更年轻”这一发现的价值。A项“解释脑细胞如何工作”过于片面；B项“老年人学习慢”文中并未提及；C项“比较年轻和年老的大脑”也不是作者的写作目的。故选D。

2.2. What does the author want to show by giving the numbers “six, seven and thirteen”?

A More languages mean slower aging.

B Basque brains are the youngest.

C The clock suits old people.

D Four languages are too many.

解析：选A。A推理判断题。第二段数字句“people who spoke two languages had brains that appeared around six years younger. For three languages the figure was seven years, and for four languages it was thirteen years”——语言数量越多，大脑年轻化岁数总体呈上升趋势，作者给这三组数字是为了证明语言越多、大脑衰老越慢的递进规律。B项“巴斯克人的大脑最年轻”属于过度推断；C项“该时钟适合老年人”并非这些数字要说明的内容；D项“四种语言太多”是对数字的曲解。故选A。

3.3. The underlined word “proficiency” in Paragraph 3 probably means ______.

A the number of languages

B the age of starting learning

C the level of language skill

D the speed of speaking

解析：选C。C词义猜测题。第一步看引语“Higher language proficiency and earlier acquisition of a second language were also associated with more delayed brain aging”——proficiency与acquisition（习得）并列，都指语言学习中的一个因素；第二步看前句“the effect was not only related to the number of languages spoken”——说明除语言数量外还有第二个因素，即“语言水平”；第三步看末句“it is not simply about being bilingual or not, but about the depth and duration of language experience”——depth（深度）与此呼应。综合三条线索：proficiency指“语言熟练程度，技能水平”。A项“语言数量”、B项“开始学习的年龄”、D项“说话速度”均不符合上下文。故选C。

4.4. What does Christina Dalla mainly suggest in the last paragraph?

A Only early language learning is helpful.

B Language learning cannot really delay brain aging.

C Schools should offer four languages.

D Keep learning languages for life.

解析：选D。D推理判断题。根据第四段“we should support language learning at school and throughout life”以及“the earlier we start, the better”可知，Dalla 主张从学校到一生都持续学语言，可推断“终身坚持学语言”。A项“只有早期语言学习有帮助”与原文“任何年龄”相矛盾；B项“语言学习不能延缓大脑衰老”与她的观点相反；C项“学校应提供四种语言”是对原文的曲解。故选D。