The two economists call their paper "Mental Retirement," and their argument has aroused the interest of behavioral researchers.

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问题     The two economists call their paper "Mental Retirement," and their argument has aroused the interest of behavioral researchers. Data from the United States, England and 11 other European countries suggest that the earlier people retire, the more quickly their memories decline.
    The implication, the economists and others say, is that there really seems to be something to the "use it or lose it" notion—if people want to preserve their memories and reasoning abilities, they may have to keep active.
    "It’s incredibly interesting and exciting," said Laura L. Carstensen, director of the Center on Longevity at Stanford University. "It suggests that work actually provides an important component of the environment that keeps people functioning optimally(最佳地). "
    While not everyone is convinced by the new analysis, published recently in The Journal of Economic Perspectives, a number of leading researchers say the study is, at least, a bit of evidence for a hypothesis that is widely believed but surprisingly difficult to demonstrate.
    Researchers repeatedly find that retired people as a group tend to do less well on cognitive(认知的)tests than people who are still working. But, they note, that could be because people whose memories and thinking skills are declining may be more likely to retire than people whose cognitive skills remain sharp.
    And research has failed to support the premise that mastering things like memory exercises, crossword puzzles(纵横之谜)and games like Sudoku carry over into real life, improving overall functioning.
    "If you do crossword puzzles, you get better at crossword puzzles," said Lisa Berkman, director of the Center for Population and Development Studies at Harvard. "If you do Sudoku, you get better at Sudoku. You get better at one narrow task. But you don’t get better at cognitive behavior in life. "
    The study was possible, explains one of its authors, Robert Willis, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan, because the National Institute on Aging began a large study in the United States nearly 20 years ago. Called the Health and Retirement Study, it surveys more than 22 000 Americans over age 50 every two years, and administers memory tests.
In Laura L. Carstensen’s opinion, what is the relationship between work and mental function?

选项 A、Work has nothing to do with people’s mental function.
B、Work has a positive effect on people’s mental function.
C、People’s mental function decreases gradually after work.
D、People’s mental function has no influence on people’s work.

答案B

解析 细节推断题。由定位句可知,工作可以提供一个让人们处于最佳机能状态的环境因素。由此可以推断,工作与大脑功能之间存在积极的关联,B)与文意相符,为正确答案。
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