As any parent with an iPhone or an iPod Touch knows, mobile apps can be an engaging and entertaining experience for kids. Now, a new study of PBS Kids suggests that the experience can be an educational one as well. The study, which was administered by PBS under a grant from the Department of Education, first tested the vocabulary level of a group of 90 Title 1 school children, aged 3 to 7. Then, the children were each given two weeks with an iPod Touch loaded with the Martha Speaks Dog Party app created by PBS Kids. The study monitored how the children used the iPod, during what hours, and in what context. On average, the study found that kids played with the iPod Touch for a total of 5 hours across the two weeks, with half that time spent playing the Martha Speaks app. At the end of the two week trial, the children were given another vocabulary test, which revealed an increase in vocabulary acquisition by as much as 31 per cent. The study findings are particularly useful as smart phones and mobile devices have become increasingly popular among families and parents are faced with a proliferation of mobile apps designed for kids. According to a recent Nielsen study, smart phone usage is 12% higher in households with children than other households. "Mobile apps can be a great learning tool in the hands of children," said Lesli Rotenberg, SVP, Children's Media, PBS. "This research is important in helping to better understand and guide the development of new apps that improve the value of children's screen time with significant educational outcomes." So what does it all mean? At best, it provides more evidence that mobile devices and apps do indeed have educational value and could be an important part of the child-learning process for many years to come. What would be the best title of the text? A) The popularity of smart phones among kids B) The entertaining function of smart phones C) Smart phones make kids learn more. D) It's too early for kids to use smart phones
C
The Cuban iguana is a species of lizard of the iguana family. It is the largest of the West Indian rock iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards. This species with red eyes and a thick tail is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean. The Cuban iguana is primarily _ ; 95% of its diet consists of the leaves, flowers and fruits from as many as 30 plant species, including the seaside rock bush and various grasses. However, Cuban iguanas occasionally consume animal matter, and individuals have been observed eating the dead flesh of birds, fish and crabs, The researchers wrote that quite a few people on Isla Magueyes could have caused this incident. The Cuban iguana is distributed throughout the rocky southern coastal areas of mainland Cuba and its surrounding islands with a wild population booming on Isla Magueyes, Puerto Rico. It is also found on the Cayman Islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, where a separate subspecies occurs. Females guard their nest sites and often nest in sites half destroyed by Cuban crocodiles. To avoid the attack from them, the Cuban iguana often makes its home within or near prickly-pear cacti . In general the species is in decline, more quickly on the mainland than on the outlying islands. One of the reasons for their decline is habitat destruction caused by the over consuming of farm animals, housing development, and the building of tourist resorts on the beaches where the animals prefer to build their nests. Although the wild population is in decline, the numbers of iguanas have been sharply increased as a result of captive-breeding and other conservation programs. .What's the author's purpose of writing the text? A) To give us a brief introduction to the Cuban iguana. B) To show he is concerned about the Cuban iguana. C) To explain reasons for the Cuban iguana's decline. D) To draw people's attention to the endangered Cuban iguana.
A
*Question*
A study now lends support to the idea that meal-time distractions can mask the clues that we really have eaten quite enough. Moreover, it finds, the caloric fallout of not paying attention to what we're eating doesn't necessarily end when a meal is over. Rose Cooperfrom England, and her colleagues gathered 22 men and an equal number of women for an experiment. Each person dined alone, continuously receiving nine small shares of food items. These ranged from cheese twists and potato chips to carrots, cherry tomatoes and sandwiches or sausage rolls. Because the goal was to test the potential impacts of distraction on fullness, the researchers randomly assigned half of the participants to eat in front of a computer--and to gain as many wins as possible at the "card" game. Everyone else was told to focus on the sensory qualities of their meal. According to their instructions, the participants ate all of the food given to them. Yet people who played a computer game during lunch found their meal less filling than the mindful eaters had. Game players also swallow down twice as many cookies, almost an hour later, when they were allowed all the dessert they wanted (in the name of a taste test). The British scientists present their findings in the February American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The real question is why distracted eating should impact snacking. It appears, the scientists say, that memory plays some tricky role in how we register what we eat and the degree to which it satisfies. Interestingly, eight years ago, Britta Barkeling of Huddinge University in Stockholm and her colleaguesreportedsomewhat related findings. Their 18 overweight subjects had no choice other than to get rid of everything but lunch, on one day--because they were blindfolded. Compared to a day when they could view what they were dining on, these people consumed only three quarters as many calories. Yet even hours afterward, they reported being no less full than on the day they had been able to see their plates. Of... The reason why distracted eating influences snacking may be that _ . A) you eat less in that case B) you are cheated by your memory C) you have consumed more calories D) you digest what you've eaten faster
**Answer**
B