Engaging in a hobby like reading a book, making a patchwork quilt or even playing computer games can delay the onset ofdementia, a US study suggests. Watching TV but does not【M1】______count—and indeed spending significant periods of time in front ofthe box may speed up with memory loss, researchers found.【M2】______Nearly 200 people aged 70 to 89 with mild memory problems werecompared to a group who had no impairment. The researchers【M3】______from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota asked the volunteers abouttheir daily activities within the past year and how mental active【M4】______they had been between the age of 50 to 65. Those who had duringmiddle age busy reading, playing games or engaging in craft【M5】______hobbies like patchworking or knitting was found to have a 40%【M6】______reduced risk of memory impairment. In later life, those same activities reduced the risk by between 30 and 50%. Those whowatched TV for less than 7 hours a day were also 50% more likely【M7】______to develop memory loss than those who spent longer than that staring at the screen. "This study is exciting because it demonstrates that age does【M8】______not need to be a passive process," said study author and neuroscientist Dr Yonas Geda. "By simply engaging in cognitive exercise, you can protect against future memory loss. Of course,the challenge with this type of research is what we are relying on【M9】______past memories of the participants, therefore we need to conform【M10】______these findings with additional research." 【M10】