End Of Term 1 Reading Test

Read the text and tick "T" for true and "F" for false.
Do you ever wonder what's going on in your head?

Scientists are constantly doing research on the brain but, for many of us, the teenage brain is still a mystery. To understand what makes a teenage brain special, we have to look at how people learn. The brain is made up of a network of connections. When people learn something, a new connection is made, and the new information is sent to a different part of the brain where it becomes a memory. Every time we use the new connection, the information is sent faster and more easily. However, if the connection is not used enough, it will grow weak and will soon stop existing. This is why, when you take the same route every day, it's not necessary to pay a lot of attention to where you're going. However, when you're walking a route that you never take, you might have trouble remembering the way.

So, what makes a teenager's brain different from an adult's? A lot of activity takes place between the ages of 13 and 18, during which time the brain can build new connections at a faster rate than it ever will again. People can learn new skills more effectively during this period of their lives, so it's important that teenagers continue to have new experiences and try new activities while they're growing up.

However, teenagers must keep in mind that their brains are still growing. Areas like the front part, which helps people decide if something is a good idea or not, develop slowly. This means that the teenage brain isn't very good at recognising danger. What's more, the fun-loving part of the brain is one of the areas that develops the fastest, and it works at full strength during the teenage years. That's why teenagers' need to have fun is stronger than the voice in their head that says 'no, it's too dangerous'. Teenagers need to help the weaker parts of their brain by staying calm and thinking carefully before they act.