W: Can you see it here? I wanted to make purple, but I didn't use quite enough blue. It turned out just kind of gray and boring.  M: Well, I think it turned out great anyway! This is part of the fun of painting - discovering what you can do with a little imagination, taking some risks, and trying to do new things.  W: Thanks for the encouragement.  M: Sometimes the most beautiful things result from artistic accidents. And I'd say the same is true of almost all interesting things.  What was said before this conversation?
Ans: W: Mr. Cooper! I tried to make my own colors based on what you taught us in class yesterday. It wasn't easy, though.

M: I wish I could ask my money back. This performance is really a bad one.  What was said before this conversation?
Ans: W: The piano sounds terrible.

W: Well, like so many easy questions, the answer isn't very simple. Basically, human memory is a compartment in people's brains where they store images rather like the hard disc drive in a computer. And like a hard disc drive, our memories can become infected or even wiped out by accidents. But the comparison breaks down when we consider that we can train our memories to expand and work better which computers can't manage yet.  M: When you talk about memory being infected, do you mean by a disease?  W: Yes. For instance, people suffering from a physiological disease like Alzheimer: forget things that happened in the past. And they also forget how to perform simple tasks like tying their shoelaces. The good news is that brain exercises can help keep the brain young. Research has shown that people who have better educations and more mentally active jobs have a lower risk of developing the disease.  M: And how can someone exercise his brain? By thinking a lot?  W: In a way, yes. But you can also practice using your memory which not only exercises your brain but also improves you ability to remember things. Unfortunately, a lot of devices in modern life are designed to make sure we don't forget things which can make our brains more idle and weaken our memories.  M: Can you give us some examples of how to exercise our memories?  W: Sure, there is a very simple technique, although it works better for some people than for others. When you want to remember something, think of a physical thing it reminds you of. If I want to remember a date from history, let's say, 1066, the date of the Battle of Hastings. I might think that battle reminds me of bottle, so I think of a bottle with the number 1066 written on the label. And I just picture that bottle to myself.  What was said before this conversation?
Ans: M: Today on mind matters, I'm talking to Dr Ann Winters, an expert on human memory.. Ann, welcome to the program. Now, I suppose the first question everyone would ask is: what exactly is human memory?

W: Yes, I've been here for ten years as assistant director.  M: Really? What does that involve?  W: Well, I'm in charge of all the admissions of postgraduate students in the university.  M: Only postgraduates?  W: Yes, postgraduates only. I have nothing at all to do with undergraduates.  M: Do you find that you get particular-sort of...different national groups? I mean, do you get large numbers from Latin America or...  W: Yes. Well, of all the students enrolled last year, nearly half were from overseas. They were from African countries, the Far East, the Middle East, and Latin America.  M: Em. But have you been doing just that for the last 10 years, or, have you done other things?  W: Well, I've been doing the same job. Er, before that, I was secretary of the medical school at Birmingham, and further back, I worked in the local government.  M: Oh, I see.  W: So I've done different types of things.  M: Yes, indeed. How do you imagine your job might develop in the future? Can you imagine shifting into a different kind of responsibility or doing something...  W: Oh, yeah, from October 1, I'll be doing an entirely different job. There's going to be more committee work. I mean, more policy work, and less dealing with students, unfortunately-I'll miss my contact with students.  What was said before this conversation?
