You are on page 1of 4

Name: Le Thi Ngoc Dung

Group : E2

Reading Reflection II

Brain
I. Reading List

- Sources: Steps to Academic Reading 5, Between The Line

Jean Zukowsk/ Faust. Susan Johnson 2002

Boston Thomson/ Heinle

Unit 8

1. “ It’s on the tip of my tongue”

- Length: 1200 words

- Summary: Based on researches of many psychologists, the reading reveals the


way our brains work to remember and forget. Our brains create memory through
imagination to meet their need of understand cause and effect relationship.
Absentmindedness may be caused by getting older, but also our brains’ cleaning
away unnecessary information or being distracted. In a book, author and
psychologist D.Schacter showed some ways we affect our memories. First, we block
some memories when we forget or remember only part of the memory. Second, we
create composite memories by combining pieces of many memories into one. Third,
we take ideas from others to make them own. Forth, we filter our memories
according to our emotions about the topic. Fifth, we hold on memories which cause
negative emotions. Knowledge of memory helps us understand more about
education.

2. . The human brain

- Length: 1600 words

- Summary: The reading tells us about function, composition and operation of the
human brain. The brain has the function of running the whole body, thinking and
making emotions. It is a complex organ that scientists are learning more about daily.
A brain has a lot of cells but once lost, they never come back. Among the cells,
neurons, which consist of central cell bodies, axons and dendrites, do thinking. They
connect to each other by network of dendrites. In a brain, messages are transmitted
between neurons through an electrochemical process in synapses with hundreds of
different chemicals released by neurotransmitters. Stimulation helps create more
neurotransmitting chemicals, which makes the brain healthier. Research on cataract
in children show that without stimulation, there is no neuron connection, so the
brain cannot work well. The brain is always changing and learning, therefore people
need to let their brains exercise regularly to make it develop.

3. Exercising the brain through riddles

- Length: 2600 words

- Summary: The reading introduces examples of some kind of Riddles, a method


to exercise our brains, and solutions for them. According to their solution, riddles
are divided into 6 kinds. The first one is careful listening riddle. It is not very
difficult. People must only read and think of each line carefully. The second one is
careful reading and figuring out the riddle. It requires figuring so it makes the mind
sharp and clearly. The third one is Step-by-step riddle. To solve it, people should
follow the directions one at a time. The forth is step-by-step and “thinking outside
the box”. Solution is use step-by-step method and also notice what rules there are.
The fifth one is logic riddle, which test people’s ability to make inferences. To
solve it, people should make some blank grids in paper and then fill them following
the directions. The sixth one is logic puzzle, the solution is not given to us, each one
has its own answer.

4. Acupuncture as a method of healing

- Length: 450 words

- Summary: The reading is about acupuncture, a Chinese origin medical tradition,


which has been common in the West recently. Acupuncturists use knowledge of the
body’s electrical impulse system to ease pain and heal. Acupuncture causes the
release of endorphins (painkillers), a hormone called ACTH that fights
inflammation .The acupuncture needle stimulates a sensory nerve which send an
electrical impulse to the brain. Especially, it brings no negative side effect. In any
case, acupuncture helps many people who are suffering.

II. Review

After reading, I have got a lot of knowledge for myself. I get to know more about
our brains, how our brains work and remember memories. Especially, through the
first reading, I got to know how to make people remember new knowledge more
easily. It is very useful for a teacher like me. Through the reading 2, I realize that
our brain is a magical and precious organ that we should always protect and
exercise to improve. We can develop our brain by many simple activities like
playing puzzles, riddles, or even studying. Letting the brain work and think always
and always is the best method to improve it. I also learned how to solve riddles
from reading 3 and get more knowledge about Acupuncture- a medical method has
been popular in Vietnam for a long time.
Among the 4 readings, I like the first reading most because it is about a science
topic but is written in a simple style which almost readers can easily understand. Its
main ideals were organized clearly in a parallel structure, which make readers
easier to follow. Beside that, it doesn’t content much technical vocabulary. The
reading 2 is the most difficult for me because it is written in scientific language. It
includes so much scientific concepts and vocabulary. However the concepts are
given in a logic order. The larger concept is given first, and then the smaller. I tried
to read it gradually and in turn from the beginning to the end. So, I can understand
these new concepts better. I think I should learn that structure for my future
writing.

III. Vocabulary

1. Block on, blocking

2. Lapse, gap (failures to remember)


3. To distract, to be distracted (think about something else)
4. Stereotype
5. Composite
6. Attribute, misattribution
7. Propaganda, deliberately
8. Bias, to be biased
9. Persistent, persistence

10. Synapse ( neurotransmitters or senders)


11. Filament (rather like a thread)
12. Atrophy (grow smaller and weaker)
13. Tactile (information that is received through the process of touch), auditory (information
that is received as sound through hearing), the senses, sensory
14. Nourish
15. To protect from outside forces
16. Digest, digestion

17. Respiration (breathing), digestion, circulation (blood and other fluids through the body)
18. Irreversible
19. Grid, crosshatch, vertical, horizontal
20. Subtract, axis
21. Condominium, condo, to be worth
22. Eliminate, elimination
23. Acupuncture, acupuncturist
24. Electrochemical
25. Endorphins, painkiller
26. Inflammation
27. Arthritis
28. Asthma

You might also like