FRIDAY, Aug. 3 (Health Day News) -- Middle school students who are physically fit are likely to score higher on standardized tests measuring reading and math abilities, a new study has found. And, the average scores went up in connection with levels of fitness, the findings showed.
“The more physically fit kids were, the higher their scores,” said the study’s lead author, Trent Petrie, director of the Center for Sport Psychology at the University of North Texas in Denton. “Parents should encourage their kids to be physically active. There are some real cognitive (认知的) and academic benefits that come from physical fitness”, Petrie said.
Results of the study are scheduled to be presented Friday at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Orlando, Fla. The study included more than 1,200 middle school students from five schools in a suburban area of Texas, with 561 boys and 650 girls. About 57 percent of the children were white, and nearly one-quarter were Mexican American. Nine percent were black and about 2 percent were of Asian descent.
The school district provided the researchers with information on the children’s race, age, grade level and whether they qualified for the free school lunch program, which was an indicator of the family’s socioeconomic status. The schools also provided scores to the tests, which were given between one and four months after the researchers had assessed the children’s levels of fitness. Fitness tests were administered during physical education classes to determine the youngsters’ heart and lung health (cardiorespiratory fitness), as well as their body mass index (BMI), an indicator of how much body fat a person has. The children also filled out questionnaires that helped the researchers determine factors such as self-esteem and social support.
After accounting for factors such as age, sex, family income and self-esteem, the researchers found that for both boys and girls, higher levels of heart and lung health predicted better scores on both the math and reading tests.
For boys, perceived (感观的) social support also seemed to increase their reading scores, the investigators found. In girls, while being physically fit predicted higher reading scores, so too did a higher BMI-- which indicates more body fat. “We were a little surprised by this finding,” Petrie said.
“It was not as strong an association as the one with physical fitness,” he added. The authors suspect it may have something to do with girls this age entering adolescence, which may be related to a higher BMI and slightly higher brain development. He said he plans to make great effort to look for this relationship again in larger studies to see if it was a chance finding, or if the association holds up.
“While we can’t say 100 percent that physical fitness causes better academic performance, we can say that there is a strong and predictive relationship between physical fitness and academic performance,” Petrie said.
“It’s hard to tease apart (梳理) the exact reason for this association,” said Becky Hashim, an attending clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the departments of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Montefiore, in New York City.
“It may be that the children are getting more oxygen. When the heart and lungs are working at a higher capacity, it may allow the brain to work at peak performance. Children who are less fit may be sleepier during school,” she noted. “I personally feel that there’s probably a strong relationship between the confidence you get from being able to do something physical well and academic performance.”
Whatever the reason behind this association may be, “there’s certainly no harm in pushing physical fitness,” Hashim added. “Physical fitness may make you feel better, give you more confidence and improve your performance across the board,” she said.
Petrie agreed. “Physically fit kids are happier, have higher self-esteem and, tend to have better relationships, and now we’re beginning to see that there also seem to be benefits cognitively and academically. Our study sends a strong warning to policymakers to reconsider the service program of physical education classes for kids,” he said. How did the school district help the researchers carry out the study?
| A．By analyzing the data of fitness tests. |
| B．By giving some basic information. |
| C．By completing some questionnaires. |
| D．By offering a certain amount of Money. |
According to the passage, the result of the study will be published ______.
| A．in a book | B．in a journal | C．at a conference | D．on the Internet |
What’s the suitable title of the passage?
| A．Parents should be aware of the benefit of fitness. |
| B．Fitter kids are likely to make better grades. |
| C．Fitness affects kids’ social behavior greatly. |
| D．Teachers should value physical education classes. |
What’s Becky Hashim’s attitude towards the relationship between physical fitness and academic performance?
| A．Supportive | B．Indifferent | C．Critical | D．Doubtful |
What does the underlined word “one” in Paragraph refer to?
| A．The BMI. | B．The body fat. | C．The brain development. | D．The test score. |
From the last paragraph we can infer that physically fit kids ______.
| A．deserve to be treated well | B．live much longer than others |
| C．get along well with others | D．enjoy a peaceful life |
A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.
First, employers should take the responsibility for their retried employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.
Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.
In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately , as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.
One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some workplaces especially for the elderly where they are independent.
To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.
66. What is the passage mainly about?
The problem faced by the old in society.
Why we should take responsibility for the old.
How we can improve the lives of the old
Where the old can go to get their pensions.
According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?
Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire
Increase saving levels of people during their working years
Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old
Make available pensions for those who have retired
The underlined word “viable” most probably means ____.
A. impossible B. practical C. usefull D. successful
69. What can be concluded from the passage?
A. Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money
B. Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age
C. Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people
D. There is no single solution to the problem of the old
70. What is the writer’s main purpose of writing this article?
A. To point out the need for government supporting for old people
B. To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people
C. To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem
D. To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life.
The old shopkeeper led me through to the back of the shop. The room was filled with boxes and photographs of people dressed in old-fashioned clothes, holding packages in their hands.
“Who are these people?” I asked.
“Satisfied customers,” answered young Mr. Hopkins. “We have a very wide choice of items for sale. Whenever I serve a new customer，I always take their picture.” Mr. Hopkins pointed to an ancient camera standing next to one wall. “Now, how can I serve you?” he added.
By this time, I had started to trust Mr. Hopkins and had begun to appreciate the lovely items on sale. I needed to buy Christmas presents for my family and friends, and this seemed to be the perfect place to purchase them. I spent a very pleasant hour being shown the articles in Mr. Hopkins’s shop. No matter what I asked for, Mr. Hopkins found it for me. Finally, I bought an antique jewellery box, a pair of riding boots, a leather-bound edition of the Complete Works of Mark Twain, and a sewing machine.
I was very excited that I had found such a good little shop. I promised Mr. Hopkins that I would come back soon. “I will tell all my friends about your lovely place,” I told the shopkeeper.
“Please do not do that, sir”, said Mr. Hopkins. “This is a special place for special people. You must keep this shop a secret.” Then he took my photograph, and handed me the picture straight away. “That was quick!” I exclaimed. I looked at the photograph. In the picture I looked proud and excited holding the presents I had bought in Mr. Hopkins’ dusty shop.
On Christmas Day, my friend and relatives were delighted with the presents I had bought for them. For weeks, my brother begged me to show him where to find this wonderful little shop. I finally agreed to take him to London to show him.
When we arrived in London, we walked along Oxford Street, passed the department store and found…nothing. The little shop was no longer there. In its place was an empty space being used as a car park. I checked the area, again. There was the music shop, and there was the department store. In between should have been Hopkins and Son, but it wasn’t there.
As I was staring at the place where the shop should have been, an old policeman came along. “Are you looking for something, sir?” he asked. I turned and said “I am looking for a little shop called Hopkins and Son. I thought it was here.”
“Oh yes,” said the policeman. “There was a shop here once called Hopkins and Son. It sold all sorts of things, but it was knocked down over 30 years ago.”
I looked again at the place where the shop had been. Then I reached into my pocket and took out the photograph that Mr. Hopkins had taken of me holding my presents in the little shop.
“How strange!” I exclaimed.
61. The photos in the back of the shop showed.
A．the items that Mr. Hopkins had sold B．Mr. Hopkins’ family members
C．Mr. Hopkins’ former customers D．the antique paintings.
62. How did the writer like the shop?
A. He found it a modern big shop.
B. He thought it a wonderful shop for old books.
C. He liked the ancient camera in the shop most.
D. He found it a dusty, old but friendly and lovely little shop.
63. Which of the following is true about shop?
A. It was a very famous little shop in London.
B. It was a popular bookshop in Oxford.
C. It was between a music shop and a department store.
D. It sold Christmas presents only.
64. The word “the articles” in the 4th paragraph means .
A．the goods in the shop B．the writer’s works
C．Mr. Hopkins’ writings D．some writings by old customers
65. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A. Christmas Shopping B. Hopkins and Son
C. The articles D. A Little shop
三．阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
When Han Duan started her professional career at 16, China’s national women’s football team was defeated in the final of the World Cup by the US. While she was asked to play in her first World Cup in 2003, she largely remained on the bench after the first match.
But things have changed. Now, Han is one of the most important players in China’s team. “I can’t wait to play. Life is short. You must make the most out of it,” Han always says like that.
Han wants every possible honor that a football player can get — an Asian Cup, a World Cup and an Olympic medal. She has always been good at sports, especially swimming and horizontal bars. At school, she was the fastest in the 60m and 100m.
But the reason she picked football was that she wanted to get more compliments (称赞). “Football is for boys. But I feel more fulfilled when I can do better than them and win more compliments,” she said. Later, when she entered a football school, the coach always asked Han to show others what to do.
However, nobody can be good at everything. Han described her singing as “howling” and the only school subject she was good at was Chinese. “I was very happy every time my essay was posted on the wall for my schoolmates to read.” But Han still has some regrets about her school years. Her handwriting was terrible at school. She ever wanted to improve her handwriting but didn’t achieve much.
“My fans ask for my signature (签名), so I’d better practice and practice. It’s not too late,” she says.
56. In the World Cup in 2003, Han Duan was a(n) ______.
A. member of the audience
B. unimportant player
C. team captain
D. fan of a sports star
57. What does the underlined part in the second paragraph imply?
A. Han Duan siezes every chance to learn more to fulfill herself.
B. Han Duan never wastes any of her practicing time.
C. Han Duan seizes every chance to take part in matches.
D. Han Duan has become ill and she will die quite soon.
58. According to the passage, we know that Han Duan ________.
A. has won an Asian Cup, a World Cup and an Olympic medal
B. was good at sports when she was at school
C. did very well in singing and Chinese when she was at school
D. often gets compliments because of her beautiful handwriting
59. From the fourth paragraph, it can be inferred that Han Duan most probably ________.
A. felt sad as the boys laughed at her
B. felt proud as she got compliments from others
C. felt sad as she was too strong as a girl
D. hated herself as she couldn’t do anything else well
60. What’s the best title of this passage?
A. Growth of a sports star. B. The World Cup.
C. Honor of a football player. D. Star of tomorrow.
Anyone for rocket salad? The Chinese are now growing huge vegetables from seeds they sent into space.
If you’re the type who worries about the air miles traveled by fruits and vegetables, these beauties aren’t for you. It’s because they have traveled a little further than most.
The seeds from which they grew were fired into space, where they orbited the earth for two weeks. Once they returned they were grown in hothouses, producing the monster kinds seen here.
China, which is behind these space fruits and vegetables, says they could be the answer to the world’s food crisis.
The 21-pound tomatoes, nine-inch chilies, 15-stone pumpkins and large watermelons growing at the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ hothouses can feed many more than their smaller cousins, and may have more nutrients, the scientists say.
Researcher Lo Zhigang said, “Traditional agricultural development has taken us as far as we can go and demand for food from a growing population is endless. Space seeds offer the opportunity to grow fruits and vegetables bigger and faster.”
He admitted he and his colleagues could not explain why time in orbit caused the seeds to change genetic structure. But they guessed exposure to the cosmic(宇宙的) radiation that attacked the spacecraft in orbit, as well as the near zero gravity conditions, microgravity, could play a part.
“We don’t think there’s any threat to human health because the genes themselves do not change; just their order changes,” he said. “With genetically-modified(GM) crops you have seen environmental problems because they have added genes that can damage other organisms. But with space seeds they don’t gain genes; they can only lose them.”
He also claimed the Vitamin C content in some space vegetables was nearly three times higher than in common vegetables, while levels of zinc are also increased.
Western scientists are doubtful. NASA researchers who have experimented with seeds in space say there is not enough benefit to show the cost is reasonable.
72. What do the underlined words “these beauties” in paragraph 2 probably refer to?
A. Beautiful views along the air routes. B. Traveling experiences in space.
C. Seeds fired into space. D. Giant vegetables.
73. We can infer from Lo’s words in paragraph 6 that .
A. our conventional agriculture has developed too slowly
B. we are asking too much from nature
C. space seeds may help meet our demand for food
D. we’ll grow crops in space in the future
74. Why the seeds changed their genetic structure .
A. remains to be proved
B. is discovered by Lo Zhigang
C. has something to do with die conditions in hothouses
D. is due to the radiation that attacked them directly
75. Comparing Gm crops and space crops, we can see that .
A. space crops grow faster
B. space crops are more environmentally friendly
C. GM crops are less a threat to human health
D. GM crops have fewer nutrients
Your cellphone holds secrets about you. Besides the names and numbers that you’ve programmed into it, traces of your DNA remain on it, according to a new study.
DNA is genetic material that appears in every cell. Like your fingerprint, your DNA is unique to you-unless you have an identical twin. Scientists today usually analyze DNA in blood, saliva(唾液), or hair left behind at the scene of a crime. The results often help detectives identify criminals and victims.
Meghan J. McFadden, a biologist at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, heard about a crime in which the suspect bled onto a cellphone and later dropped it. This made her wonder whether traces of DNA remained on cellphones-even when no blood was involved. To find out, she and a colleague collected flip-style(翻盖式) phones from 10 volunteers. They collected invisible traces of the users from two parts of the phone: the outside, where the user holds it, and the speaker, which is placed at the user’s ear.
The scientists cleaned the phones using a liquid mixture made mostly of alcohol. The aim of washing was to remove all delectable traces of DNA. The owners got their phones back for another week. Then they returned the phones and the researchers collected traces on each phone once more. They discovered DNA that belonged to the phone’s owner on each of the phones.
Surprisingly, DNA was even picked up immediately after the phones were cleaned. That suggests that washing won’t remove all traces of evidence from a criminal’s cellphone. So cellphones can be added to the list of clue the can settle a crime-scene investigation.
68. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. The cellphone means most secrets of its owner.
B. McFadden is famous for her secrets of its owner.
C. The investigation of a crime is a hard job.
D. DNA can be available on the user’s cellphone.
69. In a crime-scene investigation, now experts are likely to turn to .
A. the criminal’s fingerprint B. the DNA analysis of physical items
C. the detectives D. the criminal’s cellphone
70. According to the passage, McFadden was inspired by .
A. the secrets stored in people’s cellphones B. the special characters of DNA
C. a cellphone-involved case D. the challenging job of detectives
71. According to the passage, the potential application of the new study would be .
A. identifying criminals B. designing new cellphones
C. protecting individual privacy D. preventing cellphone-involved crime