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

 

From babies to body builders, we all have muscles. They grow, they bulge(鼓起), they stretch they stretch and sometimes they even painfully pull. But for all the work they do for us, we are still unable to crown one as "the strongest muscle."
Instead, a few muscles could claim the title, depending on how strength is measured.
If the title goes to the muscle that can exert(产生) the most force, the victor would be the soleus（小腿肚肌）, according to Gray's Anatomy（解剖学）. Without this muscle, we wouldn't be able to stand, walk, run or shake our bodies on the dance floor. If the soleus was not continuously pulling, we would always be falling over ourselves (although some of us tend to do that from time to time anyway).
But perhaps the title should go to the muscle that exerts the most pressure. Pressure is different from force — pressure takes into account the area over which a force is exerted. The muscle that takes the prize for delivering the greatest amount of pressure is the masseter, or the jaw muscle, according to the book "Clinical Oral Science" (Reed Educational and Professional Publishing, 1998).
In 1986, Richard Hofmann of Lake City, Fla., achieved a bite strength of 975 pounds (442 kilograms) for two seconds, setting a Guinness Record. Talk about jaw dropping! The jaw is able to clench（咬紧） and chew because of the masseter muscle.
Others may argue the muscles used in childbirth are the most powerful.
When it comes to versatility, perhaps the tongue is the strongest muscle. Its combination of elasticity（伸缩性） and forcefulness gives us the ability to speak, eat and kiss – all things very desirable on a first date. However dexterous（灵巧的） it may be though, its power does not match that of muscles such as the soleus.
If slow and steady wins the race, the heart is certainly a contender for the title. When it contracts, the muscle pumps about 2 ounces (59 milliliters) of blood, and is constantly working over a lifetime. Beating about 40 million times a year, a person's heart will beat approximately 2.5 billion times by the time of their 70th birthday.
【小题1】According the passage, the underlined word “contender” in the last paragraph is closet in meaning to “          ”.

A．failure

B．partner

C．muscle

D．competitor

【小题2】Which would be t he best title for the passage?

A．What’s the strongest muscle in the human body?

B．who is the strongest person in the world?

C．What are the functions of different muscles?

D．What are the standards of the strongest muscle?

【小题3】According to the passage,       .

A．Without the soleus, we could still stand, walk, run or shake our bodies on the dance floor

B．a few muscles could be the winners, according to different measures

C．the muscles used in childbirth are the most powerful

D．tongue is the strongest muscle for delivering the greatest amount of pressure

【小题4】What would be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．Another possible strongest muscle.	B．the conclusion of the strongest muscle.
C．The functions of different muscles.	D．the Guinness record of strongest muscle.

It’s easy to see how the sawfish got its name. These frightful creatures can grow to be more than 6 meters long. Their bodies are flat and winged, like underwater airplanes. And their noses are shaped like chainsaws.
Sawfish are food hunters of the sea. When a sawfish is hungry, it waves its sharp-toothed snout（口鼻部）through a group of fish. Then, it lifts its nose and uses its mouth to draw the injured victims.
Hardy（适应力强的）population of sawfish thrived in warm waters along coastlines around the world for thousands of years. Over the past 200 years, however, human actions have severely endangered sawfish. Threats include fishing nets that trap the huge animals, often by mistake.
Some people collect sawfish’s snouts as prizes: One snout recently sold for nearly $ 1,600 online. In some Asian cultures, the toothy snouts are used in ceremonies to drive evil and disease away. And sawfish are also delicious. A growing demand in Asia for the fish’s fins for a pricey soup has contributed to the fish’s loves. Compared with other fish, sawfish give birth late in life and at slow rates, which makes it hard for them to recover from overfishing.
New efforts now aim to restore sawfish population. Beginning next month, an international agreement will provide protection for all seven of the world’s sawfish species. Scientists are hoping that it’s not too late to save the sawfish.
Until 1998, “this fish had never been formally studied in the United States,” says Tonya Wiley of the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla. “We didn’t know such basic things as where they live, what habitat they use, how often they breed, how many young they have — even what age sawfish are when they begin breeding.”
Through historical studies and field research, scientists have become aware of how much the fish’s numbers have decreased. Today, there may be 90 percent fewer sawfish than there used to be. Wiley estimates that only 3,000 to 6,000 sawfish remain in US waters.
Sawfish

Descriptions	Size	【小题1】__________
	【小题2】 __________	Body: Flat and winged		Nose: Like a chainsaw
【小题3】 __________ of hunting for food	Attacking fish with 【小题4】__________
	Drawing the injured victims with its mouth
【小题5】 __________ Sawfish’s disappearance	【小题6】 __________
	Sawfish’s snout relates business
	Its 【小题7】 __________ and slowly which makes it hard to recover from overfishing
【小题8】__________	Only 10 % sawfish left
	3,000 to 6,000 remain in US waters
Efforts	【小题9】__________		Measure
	Restoring sawfish population		【小题10】 __________ all seven of the world’s sawfish species

 

From babies to body builders, we all have muscles. They grow, they bulge(鼓起), they stretch they stretch and sometimes they even painfully pull. But for all the work they do for us, we are still unable to crown one as "the strongest muscle."

Instead, a few muscles could claim the title, depending on how strength is measured.

If the title goes to the muscle that can exert(产生) the most force, the victor would be the soleus（小腿肚肌）, according to Gray's Anatomy（解剖学）. Without this muscle, we wouldn't be able to stand, walk, run or shake our bodies on the dance floor. If the soleus was not continuously pulling, we would always be falling over ourselves (although some of us tend to do that from time to time anyway).

But perhaps the title should go to the muscle that exerts the most pressure. Pressure is different from force — pressure takes into account the area over which a force is exerted. The muscle that takes the prize for delivering the greatest amount of pressure is the masseter, or the jaw muscle, according to the book "Clinical Oral Science" (Reed Educational and Professional Publishing, 1998).

In 1986, Richard Hofmann of Lake City, Fla., achieved a bite strength of 975 pounds (442 kilograms) for two seconds, setting a Guinness Record. Talk about jaw dropping! The jaw is able to clench（咬紧） and chew because of the masseter muscle.

Others may argue the muscles used in childbirth are the most powerful.

When it comes to versatility, perhaps the tongue is the strongest muscle. Its combination of elasticity（伸缩性） and forcefulness gives us the ability to speak, eat and kiss – all things very desirable on a first date. However dexterous（灵巧的） it may be though, its power does not match that of muscles such as the soleus.

If slow and steady wins the race, the heart is certainly a contender for the title. When it contracts, the muscle pumps about 2 ounces (59 milliliters) of blood, and is constantly working over a lifetime. Beating about 40 million times a year, a person's heart will beat approximately 2.5 billion times by the time of their 70th birthday.

1.According the passage, the underlined word “contender” in the last paragraph is closet in meaning to “          ”.

A．failure

B．partner

C．muscle

D．competitor

2.Which would be t he best title for the passage?

A．What’s the strongest muscle in the human body?

B．who is the strongest person in the world?

C．What are the functions of different muscles?

D．What are the standards of the strongest muscle?

3.According to the passage,       .

A．Without the soleus, we could still stand, walk, run or shake our bodies on the dance floor

B．a few muscles could be the winners, according to different measures

C．the muscles used in childbirth are the most powerful

D．tongue is the strongest muscle for delivering the greatest amount of pressure

4.What would be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．Another possible strongest muscle.	B．the conclusion of the strongest muscle.
C．The functions of different muscles.	D．the Guinness record of strongest muscle.

 

It’s easy to see how the sawfish got its name. These frightful creatures can grow to be more than 6 meters long. Their bodies are flat and winged, like underwater airplanes. And their noses are shaped like chainsaws.

Sawfish are food hunters of the sea. When a sawfish is hungry, it waves its sharp-toothed snout（口鼻部）through a group of fish. Then, it lifts its nose and uses its mouth to draw the injured victims.

Hardy（适应力强的）population of sawfish thrived in warm waters along coastlines around the world for thousands of years. Over the past 200 years, however, human actions have severely endangered sawfish. Threats include fishing nets that trap the huge animals, often by mistake.

Some people collect sawfish’s snouts as prizes: One snout recently sold for nearly $ 1,600 online. In some Asian cultures, the toothy snouts are used in ceremonies to drive evil and disease away. And sawfish are also delicious. A growing demand in Asia for the fish’s fins for a pricey soup has contributed to the fish’s loves. Compared with other fish, sawfish give birth late in life and at slow rates, which makes it hard for them to recover from overfishing.

New efforts now aim to restore sawfish population. Beginning next month, an international agreement will provide protection for all seven of the world’s sawfish species. Scientists are hoping that it’s not too late to save the sawfish.

Until 1998, “this fish had never been formally studied in the United States,” says Tonya Wiley of the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla. “We didn’t know such basic things as where they live, what habitat they use, how often they breed, how many young they have — even what age sawfish are when they begin breeding.”

Through historical studies and field research, scientists have become aware of how much the fish’s numbers have decreased. Today, there may be 90 percent fewer sawfish than there used to be. Wiley estimates that only 3,000 to 6,000 sawfish remain in US waters.

Sawfish

Descriptions Size

1.__________

2. __________    Body: Flat and winged   Nose: Like a chainsaw

3.__________  of hunting for food    Attacking fish with

4.__________.

Drawing the injured victims with its mouth.

5.__________       Sawfish’s disappearance 

6.__________

Sawfish’s snout relates business.

Its

7._________ and slowly which makes it hard to recover from overfishing.

8._________  Only 10 % sawfish left

3,000 to 6,000 remain in US watersEfforts  

9.__________ Measure

Restoring sawfish population

10.__________ all seven of the world’s sawfish species