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.
【小题1】How did the school district help the researchers carry out the study?

It's an age-old saying Men are from Mars; women are from Venus. Males and females 36different behaviors almost  37   birth. Researchers say these behaviors are due to 38 differences in brain structure and activity. Studies show men are better at hitting targets(靶子)and solving math problems  39women are better at memorizing words and   40   faces. Why the differences ?

A test of the brain's electrical activity shows that women   41 use both sides of their brains while men rely more on one. Scientists   42   know that the two sides of the brains control different functions-one controlling the sense of space,   43 , the other controlling   44 . Some researchers   45 that the different ways men and women use their brains   46 from ancient times, when cavemen hunted and women   47  the children. Men had to have good   48 . Women had to talk to the kids.

Whatever the 49, the battle of the sexes 50 . And although their brains are constructed slightly differently, men and women may be  51 capable. They may simply  52 different abilities. Take a couple arguing over the location of their car in a parking lot. The man might use his sense of  53 to find it, while the woman relies on her memory of landmarks.54  of them find the car. But chances are, they'll still  55  who's the better driver and who's better at finding the way home.

36. A. build                B. form            C. choose          D. show

37. A. for                 B. in               C. from            D. on

38. A. basic               B. average          C. great            D. exact

39. A. so                  B. as              C. or              D. while

40. A. realizing            B. recognizing      C. describe          D. paint

41. A. commonly          B. never           C. finally            D. suddenly

42. A. even              B. hardly           C. already           D. seldom

43. A. at least             B. as a result       C. above all         D. for example

44. A. feelings            B. language        C. directions       D. actions

45. A. request             B. believe          C. suggest         D. doubt

46. A. took               B. developed       C. invented        D. produced

47. A. support            B. carry           C. cared for       D. gave birth

48. A. aim                B. way           C. looks           D. language

49. A. consideration   B. decision          C. imagination      D. explanation

50. A. changes            B. begins          C. spreads       D. continues

51. A. equally             B. fortunately       C. surprisingly    D. frequently

52. A. show off                 B. take on         C. depend on     D. keep up

53. A. area                     B. space           C. sight         D. distance

54. A. Both              B. Neither          C. All           D. None

55. A. agree with                B. think over        C. argue about           D. point out

完形填空

　　It's an age-old saying: Men are from Mars; women are from Venus. Males and females 1 different behaviors almost 2 birth. Researchers say these behaviors are due to 3 differences in brain structure and activity. Studies show men are better at hitting targets(靶子) and solving math problems 4 women are better at memorizing words and 5 faces. Why the differences?

　　A test of the brain's electrical activity (EEG) shows that women 6 use both sides of their brain while men rely more on one. Scientists 7 know that the two sides of the brain control different functions--one controlling the sense of space, 8 , the other controlling 9 Some researchers 10 that the different ways men and women use their brains 11 from ancient times, when cave men hunted and women 12 the children. Men had to have good 13 . Women had to talk to the kids.

　　Whatever the 14 , the battle of the sexes 15 And although their brains are constructed slightly differently, men and women may be 16 capable. They may simply 17 different abilities. Take a couple arguing over the location of their car in a parking lot. The man might use his sense of 18 to find it, while the woman relies on her memory of landmarks. 19 of them find the car. But chances are, they'll still 20 who's the better driver and who's better at finding the way home.

完形填空

　　It's an age-old saying: Men are from Mars; women are from Venus. Males and females 1 different behaviors almost 2 birth. Researchers say these behaviors are due to 3 differences in brain structure and activity. Studies show men are better at hitting targets(靶子) and solving math problems 4 women are better at memorizing words and 5 faces. Why the differences?

　　A test of the brain's electrical activity (EEG) shows that women 6 use both sides of their brain while men rely more on one. Scientists 7 know that the two sides of the brain control different functions--one controlling the sense of space, 8 , the other controlling 9 Some researchers 10 that the different ways men and women use their brains 11 from ancient times, when cave men hunted and women 12 the children. Men had to have good 13 . Women had to talk to the kids.

　　Whatever the 14 , the battle of the sexes 15 And although their brains are constructed slightly differently, men and women may be 16 capable. They may simply 17 different abilities. Take a couple arguing over the location of their car in a parking lot. The man might use his sense of 18 to find it, while the woman relies on her memory of landmarks. 19 of them find the car. But chances are, they'll still 20 who's the better driver and who's better at finding the way home.

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.

1.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.

2.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

3.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.

4.What’s Becky Hashim’s attitude towards the relationship between physical fitness and academic performance?

A．Supportive        B．Indifferent         C．Critical            D．Doubtful

5.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.

6.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