Old Age

Not all cultures see the elderly as frail-minded. Since ancient times, people in Eastern cultures have revered their elders. A study conducted by Harvard's Ellen Langer and Becca Levy suggests that these cultural norms may be self-fulfilling. In China, where age carries less of a connotation of mental decline, the elderly perform much higher on tests than their American counterparts.

Scientists who measure wisdom in the lab are confirming that it's an asset that grows with age. They ask people to think aloud as they respond to life's dilemmas: what to do if a friend threatens suicide or when a 15-year-old girl wants to get married. On the average, older people, up to age 75, rank among the top performers more frequently than younger ones.

Many studies show that older people adjust to their slower-moving brains by executing tasks more efficiently than younger counterparts. One study found that older typists match younger typists' speed by reading farther ahead in the text and by moving their fingers differently to conserve time and energy. Other research shows that, although it often takes older people longer to make a decision, it's often a better one.

More research is needed on the aging mind—but never again can old age be defined as a period of mental frailty. Older brains aren't inferior, conclude the experts, but simply different from younger brains. In some ways, it is young people who may be disadvantaged, compensating for a lack of information, experience and wisdom with speedy minds.

Short Answer Questions

1. The word "revered" (Paragraph 1) could BEST is replaced by ____.
2. Compared with their younger counterparts, how do older people in general respond to life's dilemmas?
3. In the third paragraph, the writer compares old people with younger ones in order to prove that old people ____.
4. What does the writer think of Chinese culture so far as old age is concerned?
5. It can be inferred from what is said by the writer in the passage that old brains ____.

(Keys.)