It is common sense that children who walk or cycle to school have a lower risk of obesity than those by car. But driving your youngsters to the gates could also cause their academic work to suffer. Researchers found children who were driven to school, or who took public transport, had poorer concentration levels than those who took a more active route such as walking or cycling. The joint study by researchers at two Danish universities found the regular exercise could advance a student up to half a year in their studies. Children who were driven to school, or who took public transport, performed less well in a test measuring concentration levels, than those who had walked or cycled. The results surprised the researchers, as their hypothesis originally focused on the effects of eating breakfast and lunch on pupils' ability to concentrate. "The exercise one uses to transport oneself to school is reflected in the level of concentration one has about four hours later," Niels Egelund, a co- author of the report said. "The results showed that having breakfast and lunch has an impact, but not very much compared to having exercise." "As a third-grade pupil, if you exercise and bike to school, your ability to concentrate increases to the equivalent of someone half a year further in their studies," he added. In the survey, taken by 19, 527 pupils aged five to 19 years old, participants were asked about their exercise habits and were then given a basic test measuring their concentration. "Most people know the feeling of being refreshed after having exercised, but it is surprising that the effect lasts for so long," Egelund said. Previous research from the university of Montreal has found that exercise helps our brains make better use of oxygen. It may also reduce mental fatigue and sharpen your thinking in between gym sessions. And last week Swedish researchers said they found that muscular boys will live longer than their weaker friends. And even if they are overweight by the time they get to adulthood, those with... According to the passage, which of the following statements is correct? A) Having breakfast and lunch has a greater impact on concentration than having exercise. B) Children driven to school perform worse in all tests. C) Having exercise can refresh us but it doesn't last long. D) Eating breakfast and lunch can affect children's ability to focus.
D
What's life like on a deserted island? Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona decided to find out. The adventurous senator took a vacation from Capitol Hill and went on a fourday Robinson Crusoe style holiday with his two teenage sons to a remote, deserted island in the North Pacific Ocean. The senator and his sons, 15yearold Tanner and 13yearold Dallin, traveled 5,200 miles from Phoenix, Arizona to the island of Biggarenn. They didn't carry any food or water. The island is part of the Marshall Islands. It offered no basic supplies, so the Flakes had to catch and cook their own food and purify their water. Their diet was made up of coconuts, crabs and fish. They caught the crab and fish themselves and cooked the food over an open fire started with a magnifying glass . The Flakes brought along a lobster trap in the hope of having some delicious treats, but lost it within the first few hours after it was attacked by a shark. They also carried two pumps to remove salt from ocean water. It took them hours each night to pump for just a few gallons of fresh water. One of the most memorable moments of the trip, the father said, was when he and his 15yearold son were almost caught by sharks after spearing a fish in the ocean. Still, it was quite an enjoyable holiday for them. "For a dad it was a wonderful thing. No video games around, no television, no disturbance, no texting," Flake recalled. According to the text, the Flakes' holiday is _ . A) adventurous but interesting B) exciting but painful C) meaningless but enjoyable D) boring but memorable
A
Q: When I was a boy, my father told me that he could do anything he wanted to.Dad said that he wanted to be the first to develop color1 prints in our city, and so he did. When I was 16, Dad looked closely at the violin I played and announced that he wanted to make one. He read about violin making, and then became a violinmaker at the age of 43.He bought the tools and materials, opened a small store and set Mom up as the shopkeeper, while he worked at a local company. He retired from the company 17 years later and continued to make violins and other instruments. Dad often guessed why the Stradivarius violins sound so beautiful. Some experts claimed that it was the unique varnish that gave those instruments their beautiful sound. Dad argued that chemists could analyze the varnish--if that were the answer. One of Dad's friends asked him once which kind of wood was used to make violins.When Dad explained that the top was made of spruce , his friend said that he had an old piece of spruce Dad might be interested in. He worked for the next 12 months making a violin from the wood that his friend had given him. It proved to be a superior violin and it would become Dad's masterpiece. He was convinced that the secret of the Stradivarius sound was in the wood itself. Later, the instrument was stolen.Dad's spirit was broken by the robbery, and he stopped making instruments. But he kept the music shop until he was 80 years old, selling guitars and violins. My father has been gone for 14 years now. The violin has been missing for more than 25 years.Somewhere a musician is playing a late 20th century violin with an excellent tone. The owner today may never understand why this ordinary-looking violin sounds so much like a Stradivarius. How long did the author's father live after the violin was stolen? A) About 11 years. B) About 14 years. C) About 25 years. D) About 80 years.
A: A
*Question*
Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into action. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it's not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash , had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day. Icouldn't help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn't allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job. Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. "Charge it to me," was all he said. What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion. The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits _ . A) promised to obey the store rules B) forgot to take any money with him C) hoped to have the food first and pay later D) could not afford anything more expensive
**Answer**
C