Teenagers should be pulled off the sofa
这篇文章源自上海2023年高考试题，是概要写作的原文！
Summary Writing
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
For many years, scientists thought that the human brain was fully mature before the teen years. They thought that a person's brain growth was complete and the structure was more or less fixed by the age of 3. However, more recent research shows that although the brain reaches its maximum size between the ages of 12 and 14, brain development is not yet complete.
The brain's functionally different sections communicate with each other through synapses（小编注：这里不标注汉语注释是因为需要你来猜。你看后面几乎都认识的单词却给你注释，为什么？命题者在竭尽全力帮你猜对synapses的意思啊！因为这个词是后文的核心） --- connections between nerve(神经) cells. Scientists have found that synapses grow or die away, depending on how much they are used to process information,
The good news is that teenagers do have the potential, through choice and behavior , to shape their brain development. The brain automatically gets rid of the synapses that it doesn't need in order to make the remaining ones more efficient. During the time the brain is removing synapses, the cells and connections that are used survive, while the ones that are not used die away. For example, if a teenager is doing music, sports or academic studies, those are the cells and connections that will become part of the brain's operating system. But unfortunately, if he or she is lying on the sofa, watching TV and playing computer games, those are the brain cells and connections that will remain into adulthood. Therefore, what you do with your teenage years could have an effect on the rest of your life.
What is important is that learning how synapses grow or die away can help teenagers be better equipped to make more intelligent choices, thus motivating them to take a moment before acting to consider the consequences of their actions. If you don't want to become an adult who is buried in the sofa all day long, pull yourself out of it when you are still a teenager.
读完之后意识到青少年时期的好习惯造福一生啊！不然，就毁人不倦！
没有读懂的朋友参考一下中文翻译吧！
别让青少年瘫在沙发上
长久以来，科学家们都认为人类大脑在青少年时期之前就已发育完全。他们曾认为，人到3岁时，大脑的发育就已结束，其结构也基本定型。然而，最新研究表明，尽管大脑在12至14岁之间体积达到最大，但发育并未就此完成。
大脑内不同功能区域通过突触进行信息交流——突触也就是神经细胞之间的连接点。科学家发现，突触的生长或消亡，取决于它们被用于处理信息的频率。
好消息是，青少年完全可以通过自身的选择与行为，塑造大脑的发育。大脑会自动清除无用的突触，让留存下来的突触运作更高效。在大脑清除突触的阶段，经常被使用的细胞与连接会保留下来，而不被使用的则会逐渐消失。
比如，如果青少年接触音乐、体育运动或学术学习，相关的脑细胞与连接就会成为大脑运作系统的一部分。但遗憾的是，如果一个孩子整日瘫在沙发上，看电视、玩电脑游戏，那么与之相关的脑细胞与连接就会保留至成年。因此，青少年时期的所作所为，可能会影响人的一生。
重要的是，了解突触生长与消亡的规律，能帮助青少年更明智地做出选择，促使他们在行动前先思考行为带来的后果。如果你不想成年后整日窝在沙发里虚度光阴，那就趁年少，从沙发上站起来吧。
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