ENGLISH 11th Upper-Intermediate
Level: Upper-Intermediate Teacher: Hernan de Moya
Reading Practice Difficult Choices
Name:
Do you ever act before thinking? Have you ever wondered why? Do you worry this
might create problems? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, read on.
P
icture this: Your finger is poised on the First, a bit on how a brain makes
send button, your eyes scanning an decisions. Decisions don’t “just happen”
angry e-mail you’ve dashed off to a automatically in your conscious mind. They
friend who has upset you. Some things stem from a series of events in the brain,
you’ve written are a little harsh. In which happen almost instantaneously.
your brain a little red light goes off, but, what the This involves a relay system in which different
heck, you’re steamed and your friend deserves it. structures—made up of specialized cells
You push the button. called neurons—talk with each other by
Whether you’re aware or not, rushed decisions way of electrochemical impulses and
like this—acting before thinking it through— chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters.
happen more often in teens than in adults. Recent Information flowing through this decision-
discoveries in brain science may help explain why making circuit is analyzed in the different
this is so. structures. Then the network, as a whole,
puts out a response. This output provides the health consequences. “Most kids don’t really
basis for our behaviors and actions. ‘plan’ to use drugs,” says Professor Laurence
While this process is basically the same for Steinberg of Temple University, “at least not the
teens and adults, the devil is in the details. Since first time. They are more likely to experiment
the brain is not fully developed until the early on the spur of the moment, particularly when
20s, the way in which a teen’s decision-making influenced by others [ peer pressure].”
circuit integrates information may put him or her
at a higher risk of making decisions the teen FINE-TUNING THE BRAIN
could later regret. Like the Cell
rest of the Den bod
THE TEEN BRAIN: body, the
drite
s
y
Under Construction brain needs
Not long ago, scientists thought the human to mature in
A
brain was fully mature long before the teen order to xo
years. While research shows that one’s brain reach peak Dire
n
ction
reaches its maximum size between ages 12 and performance. of My
imp eli
14 (depending on whether you are a girl or a This process Axo
n
ulse n
boy), it also shows that brain development is far sh
involves slow ter
min eat
from complete. Regions of the brain continue to changes— als h
mature all the way through a person’s early 20s. strongly
A key brain region that matures late is influenced by Cell
bod
the prefrontal cortex, located directly behind brain activity Syna y
your forehead. The prefrontal cortex is very —that have pse
important as a control center for thinking ahead evolved to Dendrit
and sizing up risks and rewards. (This area is, fine tune (or Aessynapse is the
small space where
in fact, the little red light that was trying to optimize) an axon and
warn you about sending that e-mail.) Meanwhile, how neural impulses flow throughout the brain,
dendrite exchange
information.
another part of the brain that matures earlier is allowing it to process information faster and
the limbic system, which plays a central role in more reliably.
emotional responses. Inside the brain, information travels
Since the limbic system matures earlier, through a network of neurons, which have
it is more likely to gain an upper hand in thread-like fibers called axons and branch-like
decision making. This relationship between the structures called dendrites. Dendrites bring
emotional center (limbic system) and control information into the neurons, while axons take
center (prefrontal cortex) helps to explain a it away and pass it along to the next neuron.
teen’s inclination to rush decisions. In other Thus, neurons are assembled into circuits where
words, when teens make choices in emotionally the far end of an axon (its terminal) is positioned
charged situations, those choices are often more close to a dendrite. The small space between the
weighted in feelings (the mature limbic system) two is called a synapse—where information is
over logic (the not-yet-mature prefrontal cortex). exchanged.
This is also why teens are more likely to make Throughout childhood and adolescence, the
“bad” choices, such as using drugs, alcohol, and brain is busy fine-tuning itself through two key
tobacco—all of which pose a risk of serious processes: myelination and synaptic pruning.
In myelination, axons wrap themselves in a
fatty substance (myelin sheath), which works like appropriate behaviors, they are helping to shape
the insulating plastic that surrounds electrical their brains—and their futures.
wires. This boosts the brain’s efficiency by
WAIT A MINUTE!
increasing the speed with which a signal travels
down the axon by up to 100 times. In synaptic Learning how your brain works can help
pruning, synapses not used very often are explain why sometimes you behave like you do.
removed, allowing the brain to redirect precious With this knowledge, you can be better equipped
resources toward more active synapses. This to make smart choices.
strategic loss of weak synapses shapes the brain One tip to follow is to take a moment before
and makes it more efficient. This important acting. When making a decision, something as
pruning process molds the brain in response simple as stopping to think can mean the
to a person’s experiences and activities. difference between a positive and a negative
outcome. By waiting a minute before acting,
This means
that teens have you allow yourself to:
the potential, • consider consequences;
through their • weigh harmful outcomes (e.g., harm to
choices and the yourself or others) against short-term benefits
behaviors they (e.g., fitting in or feeling high);
engage in, to • determine whether peer pressure is making
shape their you do something you’d otherwise not do;
own brain
development— • get information or advice, if you need it.
strengthening some circuits and getting rid of
others. This makes the type of activities teens are
involved in especially important. Skill-building
activities, such as many physical, learning, and
creative endeavors, not only provide stimulating
challenges, but can simultaneously build strong
brain pathways. When teens learn and repeat
Match each word in Column A to its meaning in Column B.
Column A Column B
1. synapse __D A. area important for thinking ahead and sizing up risk and reward
2. Myelination _B_ B. process in which axons become wrapped up in fatty myelin sheath
3. prefrontal cortex C. brain system that plays a central role in emotional responses
A__
D. the small space between axons and dendrites where
4. limbic system neurons exchange information
_C__
E. cutting back the number of synapses
5. synapticpruninE
__
