Some educators told us that more years of school could help students get higher scores on intelligence tests. That was a finding of a study of teenage males in some countries. Now，research shows that physical activity may help students do better in their classes.
The research comes as educators in some countries are reducing time for activities like physical education. They are using the time instead for academic（学术的）subjects like maths and reading. The studies appeared between 2008 and 2014.They included more than 55 ,000 children，aged 6 to 18.
Amika Singh：“According to the results of our study，we can conclude that being physically active is beneficial for academic performance. There are，first，physiological explanations，like more blood flow，and so more oxygen to the brain. Being physically active means there are more hormones（荷尔蒙）produced like endorphins（内啡肽）. And endorphins make your stress level lower and your mood improved，which means you also perform better.”
Also，students taking part in organized sports learn rules and how to follow them. This could improve their classroom behaviour and help them keep their mind on their work.
The study leaves some questions unanswered，however. Ms Singh says it is not possible to say whether the amount or kind of activity affected the level of academic improvement. This is because of differences among the studies.
The researchers said they found only two high-quality studies. They needed more high-quality studies to confirm（证实）their findings. They also pointed out that“results for other parts of the world may be quite different”
Still，the general finding was that physically active kids are more likely to do better in school. Ms Singh says schools should consider that finding before they cut physical education programs. Her paper on“Physical Activity and Performance at School”is published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
1. The passage mainly tells us that .| A．research on physical education has been done by the researchers |
| B．there is a possibility that physical activity leads to higher grades |
| C．the amount or kind of activity directly affects academic level |
| D．the research shows that the children aged 6 to 18 don't do sports |
| A．Being mentally active is good for academic subjects. |
| B．The more hormones you have，the more stressed you will get. |
| C．The researchers have found many high-quality studies to prove the research. |
| D．The educators in some countries think studies，not exercise，mean much to students. |
| A．To call our attention to the sports at school. |
| B．To introduce all types of physical activities. |
| C．To represent the academic performance. |
| D．To improve students' health. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Let’s get one thing straight: Studying sometimes is boring, right? But it is extremely necessary. After all, working through difficult material is a necessary part of the learning process—which leads to the obvious question: If I have to do it, is there at least a way to make it fun?
During Carol Dweck’s research for her book Mindset (思维模式): The New Psychology of Success, she found that students deal with learning in one of the two ways: they either look at difficult courses with a fixed mindset or with a growth mindset. Those with fixed mindsets believe that intelligence and talent are set in stone. For example, if they find a certain math problem difficult, they’d think, “I guess I’m just not a math person.” In contrast, students with growth mindsets are certain that they could change and grow in every area of their lives. If they come across a difficult problem, they will think, “I can get better at this...But I have to tough it out.”
Dweck found that most students start out pretty interested in a subject. Yet over the semester, something happens. Students with the fixed mindset may stay interested only when they do well right away. Those who find it difficult are likely to show a big drop in their interest and enjoyment. If it isn’t a testimony (证明) to their intelligence, they can’t enjoy it. In contrast, students with the growth mindset are able to continue to show the same high level of enjoyment even when they find the work very difficult. Difficulty and interest go hand in hand.
If you want to succeed and enjoy your studying, don’t think of your classes as a series of tests that show just how intelligent or unintelligent you are. Instead, think of them more as ongoing opportunities to learn and grow.
1. Which of the following might students with fixed mindsets believe?| A．They are not interested in math. |
| B．Their abilities are not valued. |
| C．Their mindset determines their ability. |
| D．Failure is caused by their intelligence. |
| A．Stick to it. | B．Get away from it. | C．Give in to it. | D．Refer to it. |
| A．Students who are able to deal with difficult problems do better in their studies. |
| B．Students who find it hard to fix problems lose their interest in their studies. |
| C．Students mindsets play a huge role in how interested they are in their studies. |
| D．Students’ interests have a big effect on how well they perform in their studies. |
| A．Choosing an active and positive mindset. |
| B．Regarding learning as a test of intelligence. |
| C．Paying little attention to the task difficulty. |
| D．Looking for a strong inspiration to succeed. |
【推荐2】Children are naturally curious beings.
Natural curiosity is sometimes referred to as “inner motivation”.
External motivation, things like rewards and punishment, does have its uses too. Praise and stimulation based on achieving good grades or fear of punishment has been acknowledged to motivate older students.
Likewise, build a relationship with children as learners and listen to their negative feelings. If they are unwilling to get involved in an activity, don’t rush to use threats or rewards. Try to find out why. Perhaps it’s simply because they feel the activity boring.
All in all, the answer to motivating children, especially the young ones, comes from inspiring their inner motivation. Once their inner motivation is generated, the children will be fired up.
| A．The key is to allow some degree of freedom. |
| B．Children who see learning as fun are better at it. |
| C．It doesn’t have as much effect at an early age, though. |
| D．Then explain its value, even if it doesn’t seem appealing. |
| E．It’s unapparent whether they lack inner or external motivation. |
| F．Even top students have days when they aren’t motivated for learning. |
| G．But getting them to study what they aren’t interested in can be a tricky task. |
【推荐3】Successful students are highly motivated (激励) by an inner drive to study well. They have a specific career goal in mind.
If you want to be a successful student, motivate yourself and know that it is only you who are responsible for your study. There are some great ways to improve your motivation.
1.You should write down your educational goals, which makes them become clear.
2.Imagine your success. Experience the feeling of reaching your particular goal.
3.Give yourself rewards,
4.Seek advice and study opportunities from the good students in your class.
Successful students tend to study hard. They pay attention to class as well as taking notes.
Set your goals. After setting goals it is important to write them down for many reasons.
1.Goals that aren’t written are only wishes.
2.It helps you make a commitment (承诺) to yourself.
3.
4.No one wants to regret not doing something they could have done.
Successful students manage their time well by setting up weekly timetable. They make the best use of their study time and find a quiet place and study there every day.
| A．Each time you complete a lesson, do something special for yourself. |
| B．It gives you a way to see your progress. |
| C．They make study time productive and not necessarily long. |
| D．You will be proud of yourself when you achieve success. |
| E．They know that they are responsible for their success or failure. |
| F．When you set your goals, make sure that your goals are specific and realistic. |
| G．They arrive at the classroom early and sit in the front. |
【推荐1】Each year, the discovery of new shark species underlines how little we know about ocean biodiversity. In a recent report conducted by Sibert and Rubin, they reported an unexpected finding: a large-scale extinction of sharks in the pelagic ocean, the largest ecosystem on Earth, about 19 million years ago. Their discovery suggests that some extinctions in the open sea of the past may have been mysterious.
The study of Sibert and Rubin takes advantage of a system by using tiny, hard bits of shark skin and bony fish teeth that naturally fall from their bodies to the seafloor. These extremely small fossils provide a rich record of ancient oceanic sharks and their abundance for thousands of years. By studying fossils from many regions, the diversity patterns can give major insights into evolution (进化) of the open sea that would be otherwise unknown.
Sibert and Rubin quantified(量化)a past extinction of sharks, reporting a 90% decline in number and >70% drop in diversity. They found that nearer-shore sharks appear to survive, but migratory ones go extinct. The finding of this study is that sharks had undergone a widespread extinction that reorganized their communities from 16 million to 20 million years ago.
Sibert and Rubin narrowed the disappearance of sharks to a window of time under 100,000 years around 19 million years ago, but the causes of this event remain unclear. Because this time period does not stand out as a period of major climatic change, the authors do not attribute(归因于) environmental factors as an extinction driver. As for other causes, the loss of shark diversity is directly linked to overfishing.
The loss of sharks from the oceans has profound, complex, and unavoidable ecological consequences because their presence reflects the stability of marine ecosystems. Yet, one-quarter of the global diversity of sharks is currently threatened with extinction. Despite recent improvements in conservation actions, shark communities never recovered from a mysterious extinction event 19 million years ago; the ecological fate of what remains is now in our hands.
1. What did Sibert and Rubin find?| A．The negative impact of the extinction of sharks. |
| B．The mysterious reasons behind the disappearance of sharks. |
| C．The most recent advances in the study of the largest ecosystem. |
| D．The large-scale decline in the number of sharks about 19 million years ago. |
| A．By collecting and analyzing shark fossils worldwide. |
| B．By quantifying the movement of near-shore sharks. |
| C．By using a system to study the naturally fallen bits from sharks. |
| D．By keeping track of ancient oceanic sharks and their activities. |
| A．Overfishing is partly to blame for the loss of shark diversity. |
| B．The number of sharks has recovered to its previous level. |
| C．Scientist have figured out the exact causes of sharks’ extinction. |
| D．Sharks had undergone a widespread extinction due to the climate change. |
| A．Sharks: The Stories behind Them | B．Sharks: The Marine Masters |
| C．Sharks: Killers or Misunderstood? | D．Sharks: The Mysterious Extinction |
【推荐2】Every week in China, millions of people will sit in front of their TVs watching teenagers compete for the title Character Hero which is a Chinese-style spelling bee (拼写大赛) . In this challenge, young competitors must write Chinese characters by hand. To prepare for the competition, the competitors usually spend months studying dictionaries.
Perhaps the show’s popularity should not be a surprise. Along with gunpowder and paper, many Chinese people consider the creation of Chinese calligraphy (书法) to be one of their primary contributions to civilization. Unfortunately , all over the country, Chinese people are forgetting how to write their own language without computerized help. Software on smart phones and computers allows users to type in the basic sound of the word using the Latin alphabet. The correct character is chosen from a list. The result? It’s possible to recognize characters without remembering how to write them.
But there’s still hope for the writing brush. China’s Ministry of Education wants children to spend more time learning how to write. In one Beijing primary school we visited, students practise calligraphy every day inside a specially decorated classroom with traditional Chinese paintings hanging on the walls. They look up at the blackboard often to study their teacher’s examples before carefully attempting to reproduce those characters on thin rice paper. “If adults can survive without using handwriting, why bother to teach it now?” we ask the calligraphy teacher Shen Bin. “The ability to write characters is part of Chinese tradition and culture.” she reasons. “Students must learn now so they don’t forget when they grow up,” says the teacher.
1. What can we learn about the Chinese-style spelling bee?| A．It’s open to people of all ages and all walks. |
| B．It’s the most-viewed TV programme in China. |
| C．It aims to spread Chinese culture to the world. |
| D．It draws great public attention across the country. |
| A．Chinese people don’t refer to dictionaries very often. |
| B．Chinese people no longer use brush pens or practise calligraphy. |
| C．Chinese people are using the Latin alphabet instead of the characters. |
| D．Chinese people needn’t write by hand as often with the help of technology. |
| A．necessary for adults to survive in China |
| B．a requirement made by the Ministry of Education |
| C．helpful to keep Chinese tradition and culture alive |
| D．an ability to be developed only when you are students |
| A．A news report. | B．A science report. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．Children’s literature |
【推荐3】Leonora Buenviaje has been making women’s clothes out of waste materials, usually dresses. She says wearing clothes made from waste materials can be both economical and look good.
Buenviaje is 51-years-old and from Cainta in the Philippines. To make her dresses, she uses a foot-operated sewing machine (缝纫机) to join together the waste materials. These include recycled newspapers, plastic wrapping and rice sacks. She creates new and beautiful clothes women can wear. They are sometimes completed with a piece called a headdress that goes on top of the head.
“The bubble wraps (气泡包装) from delivery packages are nice looking and make for a good design, especially the black and white wraps,” she said. Bubble wrap is a plastic product that is used to protect goods that are being delivered. She said white bubble wraps were good for making wedding dresses. The dresses sell for between $30 to $50. They are used for everything from coming-of-age parties for a woman’s 18th birthday, called debuts (首秀), to weddings.
In Asia, there is plenty of waste material for Buenviaje to work with: about 80 percent of the world ocean plastic is estimated to come from Asian rivers. A 2021 report by Oxford University’s online publication, Our World in Data, found that the Philippines is responsible for one third of Asia’s ocean plastic pollution.
“It’s important to recycle or utilize waste materials so we can help our earths,” said Lalaine Alcalde, who buys clothes from Buenviaje. Buenviaje said the recycled materials used for each dress depend on what her buyers are looking for.
1. What can we learn about Buenviaje from paragraph 2?| A．She likes wearing beautiful clothes. | B．She is considerate and responsible. |
| C．She made headdress from newspapers. | D．She is creative and positive. |
| A．Modern weddings. | B．Protecting goods. |
| C．Special occasions. | D．Reducing pollution in Asia. |
| A．Make use of. | B．Get rid of. | C．Pick up. | D．Clear up. |
| A．Bubble Wraps: An Inspiration for Good Designs |
| B．Philippine Designer Makes Women’s Clothes Out of Waste |
| C．Ocean Plastic Pollution: A Threat to People’s Life |
| D．Philippine Designer Provides Recycled Clothes for Women |
【推荐1】Sydney Day Tours
Port Stephens Day Tours
Labeled “Blue Water Paradise”, Port Stephens is known for its beauty and marine surroundings with over 19 miles of clean, white and sandy beaches. It is home to around 150 bottlenose dolphin and thus called the dolphin capital of Australia.
Highlights: Dolphin Watching; Australian Reptile Park
Operates: Mon, Wed & Sat---8 AM
Adults: $195 Children: $98
Note: Not suitable from Dec. 20th, 2017 to Jan. 9th, 2018 in Christmas & NY period, Feb. 14th-22th, 2018 in Chinese NY.
Sydney City Day Tours
Sydney is a big city, filled with lots of landmarks and attractions to see. This can make it a stressful task to plan your own vacation in Sydney. Luckily, our tours are designed to allow you to see all of Sydney’s most famous landmarks. You can rest and make sure that you will be seeing all that Sydney has to offer.
Highlights: Harbour Bridge; Sydney Opera House
Operates: Daily---8 AM
Adults: $129 Children: $65
Blue Mountains Tours
These Blue Mountains Tours from Sydney have been designed for the adventures and people who like to enjoy bushwalking. Additionally, these Blue Mountains Day Tours includes a tough walk from Glenbrook to the Wentworth Falls.
Highlights: See Australian wildlife up-close; Guided hike at Wentworth Falls.
Operates: Daily—8 AM
Adults: $99 Children: $74
Note: A good level of fitness is required for the bush walk. Minimum child age is 11 years.
1. Which one is NOT proper time for the Port Stephens Day Tours?
| A．Jan. 13th, 2018 (Sat.). | B．Jan. 15th, 2018 (Mon.). |
| C．Jab. 24th, 2018 (Wed.). | D．Feb. 15th, 2018 (Thur.). |
| A．Marine surroundings. | B．Harbour Bridge. |
| C．Dolphin Watching. | D．Adventurous activities. |
| A．All the tours are available every day. |
| B．Sydney city has the most landmarks and attractions in the world. |
| C．Children 10 years and under are not permitted on Blue Mountains Tours. |
| D．All the tours are charged and designed only for adventures. |
【推荐2】 We have encountered a crisis around the corner. You mean global warming? The world economy? No, the decline of reading. People are just not doing it anymore, especially the young. Who’s responsible?
Actually, it’s more like, what is responsible? The Internet, of course, and everything that comes with it – Facebook, Twitter . You can write your own list.
There’s been a warning about the imminent death of literate civilization for a long time. In the 20th century, first it was the movies, then radio, then television that seemed to spell doom for the written world. None did. Reading survived; in fact it not only survived, it has flourished. The world is more literate than ever before – there are more and more readers, and more and more books.
The fact that we often get our reading material online today is not something we should worry over. The electronic and digital revolution of the last two decades has arguably shown the way forward for reading and for writing. Take the arrival of e-book readers as an example.
Devices like Kindle make reading more convenient and are a lot more environmentally friendly than the traditional paper book.
As technology makes new ways of writing possible, new ways of reading are possible. Interconnectivity allows for the possibility of a reading experience that was barely imaginable before. Where traditional books had to make do with photographs and illustrations, an e-book can provide readers with an unlimited number of links: to texts, pictures, and videos. In the future, the way people write novels, history, and philosophy will resemble nothing seen in the past.
On the other hand, there is the danger of trivialization. One Twitter group is offering its followers single-sentence-long “digests” of the great novels. War and Peace in a sentence? You must be joking. We should fear the fragmentation of reading. There is the danger that the high-speed connectivity of the Internet will reduce our attention span—that we will be incapable of reading anything of length or which requires deep concentration.
In such a fast-changing world, in which reality seems to be remade each day, we need the ability to focus and understand what is happening to us. This has always been the function of literature and we should be careful not to let it disappear. Our society needs to be able to imagine the possibility of someone utterly in tune with modern technology but able to make sense of a dynamic, confusing world.
In the 15th century, Johannes Guttenberg’s invention of the printing press in Europe had a huge impact on civilization. Once upon a time the physical book was a challenging thing. We should remember this before we assume that technology is out to destroy traditional culture.
1. The following are all cited as advantages of e-books EXCEPT _____.| A．multimodal content | B．environmental friendliness |
| C．convenience for readers | D．imaginative design |
| A．Ironic | B．Worried. |
| C．Impersonal | D．Doubtful. |
| A．good judgment | B．high sensitivity |
| C．good imagination | D．the ability to focus |
| A．Technology pushes the way forward for reading and writing. |
| B．Interconnectivity is a feature of new reading experience. |
| C．Technology is an opportunity and a challenge for traditional reading. |
| D．Technology offers a greater variety of reading practice. |
【推荐3】Harry, the first camel to arrive in Australia in 1840, was an unlucky beast. He was imported from the Canary Islands by explorer John Horrocks. On an expedition (探险), Horrocks picked up his gun in order to shoot “a beautiful bird to be added to the collection.” Perhaps Harry was an ecologist — he lurched (突然倾斜), and the gun discharged, shooting Horrocks in the face.
Horrocks not surprisingly died of his injuries, and his treatments ordered Harry to be shot. The first importation of a camel into Australia came to naught.
In 1860, 24 camels arrived in Australia to be part of an expedition by explorers Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills. It was an unlucky expedition. The pair made one mistake after another, and ended up eating most of their camels, before starving to death.
Six years later, more than 100 camels and their Afghan minders, arrived in Australia. This time it succeeded and thousands more camels followed.
Sir Thomas Elder set up the first camel studs (种畜场) in South Australia, while others were set up in Western Australia. This time the camels bred (繁殖) like wildfire. They were used for working, rather than exploring expeditions.
The imported Afghan cameleers were just as hardy and vital, leading camel trains across the cruel interior (腹地) of Australia, where few dared to go. The camels carried heavy packs of wool and supplies and opened up the desert areas as none had managed to do before. The train that does this crossing today is called The Ghan, in their honor.
Motorization put these camel trains out of business, and many camels were turned loose. The camels loved Australia, and multiplied in amazing numbers. What is to be done with them?
Not surprisingly they have become quite a tourist attraction and you can take a camel ride in the desert as the Afghan cameleers once did. But the fact is that camels create quite a problem in areas where they have taken over, as they damage local vegetation, muscle out native animals competing for food, and create chaos when they wander into settled area.
1. What do we know about Harry?| A．He caused the death of an explorer. | B．He was shot by his owner. |
| C．He was interested in ecology. | D．He arrived in Australia by accident. |
| A．Started. | B．Failed. |
| C．Got limited. | D．Got protected. |
| A．Camels’ character. | B．How camels were imported. |
| C．Camels’ contribution to Australia. | D．Why camels could survive in Australia. |
| A．They are raised in studs. | B．They are decreasing in numbers. |
| C．They are causing a lot of trouble. | D．They are popular with the locals. |
【推荐1】In its early history，Chicago had floods frequently，especially in the spring，making the streets so muddy that people，horses，and carts got stuck.An old joke that was popular at the time went something like this：A man is stuck up to his waist in a muddy Chicago street.Asked if he needs help，he replies，"No，thanks.I've got a good horse under me."
The city planner decided to build an underground drainage （排水） system，but there simply wasn't enough difference between the height of the ground level and the water level.The only two options were to lower the Chicago River or raise the city.
An engineer named Ellis Chesbrough convinced the city that it had no choice but to build the pipes above ground and then cover them with dirt.This raised the level of the city's streets by as much as 12feet.
This of course created a new problem：dirt practically buried the first floors of every building in Chicago.Building owners were faced with a choice：either change the first floors of their buildings into basements，and the second stories into main floors，or hoist the entire buildings to meet the new street level.Small wood-frame buildings could be lifted fairly easily.But what about large，heavy structures like Tremont Hotel，which was a six-story brick building？
That's where George Pullman came in.He had developed some house-moving skills successfully.To lift a big structure like the Tremont Hotel，Pullman would place thousands of jackscrews （螺旋千斤顶） beneath the building's foundation.One man was assigned to operate each section of roughly 10jackscrews.At Pullman's signal each man tured his jackscrew the same amount at the same time，thereby raising the building slowly and evenly.Astonishingly，the Tremont Hotel stay open during the entire operation，and many of its guests didn't even notice anything was happening.
Some people like to say that every problem has a solution.But in Chicago's early history，every engineering solution seemed to create a new problem.Now that Chicago's waste water was draining efficiently into the Chicago River，the city's next step was to clean the polluted river.
1. The author mentions the joke to show ______ .| A．horses were fairly useful in Chicago |
| B．the Chicago people were particularly humorous |
| C．Chicago was very dangerous in the spring |
| D．Chicago's streets were extremely muddy |
| A．change | B．lift |
| C．repair | D．decorate |
| A．build the pipes above ground | B．lower the Chicago River |
| C．fight against heavy floods | D．get rid of the street dirt |
| A．popular life styles and their influences |
| B．environmental disasters and their causes |
| C．engineering problems and their solutions |
| D．successful businessmen and their achievements. |
【推荐2】If you have ever traveled to Dali in Yunnan province, you may find that many white cloth decorations with blue patterns are hung on the wall in the local buildings. They are tie-dyed (扎染的) products of the Bai nationality.
The dyeing technique can date back to more than 1,000 years ago and reached its height during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The tie-dyes use hand-weaved white cloth and colors extracted (提取) from plants. People use needle and thread to make different folds in a cloth and put it into a dye jar several times until the color becomes darker. Common patterns are geometric shapes and flowers. The tradition was listed as a national non-material cultural heritage (遗产) in 2006.
“Tie-dyeing is a lifestyle that we want to pass on to others. It’s about harmony between the Bai people and nature,” Zhang Hanmin, 36, told China Daily. Now she still remembers watching the local women dry their half-made tie-dyes on the stone road as a child and helping her mother tie-dye to get pocket money.
During a visit to her home in Zhoucheng village, she noticed that few young Bai people were interested in their traditions, choosing instead cheaper, machine-made clothes. This made Zhang decide to move back to her village to help the Bai people revive (复兴) the ancient tie-dye technique. She quickly learned how to tie-dye using plants and draw traditional tie-dye patterns from the local elders. A 90-year-old craftsman taught her how to extracts blue color from a plant. Zhang was inspired by the man, who worked for more than an hour without drinking water or resting. “I’m touched by their attitude and love for nature, and it encourages me to insist when I face difficulties,” she said.
Zhang started a class to teach the kids and young people in Dali. She believes that “it’s like sowing a seed—who knows which of them will become an successor of our culture in the future”.
1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To conclude the text. | B．To express the author’s attitude. |
| C．To set an example. | D．To introduce the topic. |
| A．Hand-made white cloth. | B．Colors taken from plants. |
| C．Different flowers. | D．Needles and threads. |
| A．To attract potential customers for the tie-dyes. |
| B．To help young Bai people take up the tradition. |
| C．To help young Bai people to earn pocket money. |
| D．To encourage the development of tourism in her village. |
| A．The Yunnan people almost know how to tie-dye the cloth. |
| B．Zhang learned how to draw traditional tie-dye patterns by herself. |
| C．The tie-dyeing technique is a traditional culture of Bai people. |
| D．Zhang started a tie-dyeing technique class for the elderly people. |
【推荐3】“When I grow up, I want to be a runner.” These words are spoken by thousands of Kenyan children. 50 percent of the Kenyan top runners are members of Kalenjin, one minority race of the country. They make up less than two percent of Kenya’s population. This fact has puzzled sports scientists. They have spent considerable time and effort trying to answer one question: What enables the Kalenjin people to run so fast?
Although the question seems simple, finding the answer has proven to be difficult and controversial (有争议的). A team of Danish sports scientists spent 18 months and discovered the Kalenjins had remarkably slow heart rates even when running long distances. The Kalenjins live in high-elevation (高海拔) villages in the Rift Valley in western Kenya. People living at high elevations produce more red blood cells, which aid in the transport of oxygen throughout the body. Because the air is thinner and contains less oxygen at high elevations, the body produces more red blood cells. Scientists believe there is a connection between increased red blood cells and low heart rates and that both may enable high-altitude athletes to outperform those who train at low altitudes. The Danish scientists also studied the bodies of the Kalenjins and compared them to those of the Danes. They found that the Kalenjins have longer “birdlike” legs. The Kalenjins also have lower body mass indexes (a measure of body fat based on weight and height) and shorter bodies than Danish people.
As a result of the Danish study, some scientists made the conclusion that the Kalenjins possess what is called a “speed gene (基因)”. However, Kenyan runners were offended by this conclusion. They owed their success to hard work and endless hours of training.
Although the controversy over the “speed gene” remains unsolved, British runner Mo Farah’s experience offers an interesting perspective on the subject. In 2005, he realized he wasn’t meeting his potential as a runner. A group of Kenyan runners were training in England then. After he accidentally observed the Kenyans’ strict training routines and dedication to their sport, Farah said it was like a switch had been turned on in his head. He began eating healthy foods, going to bed early, and training harder than he had ever trained in his life. As a result, Farah’s running career exploded. He has won seven world and Olympic titles in the 5000m and regularly beats Kenya’s top runners!
Farah’s story proves what Kenyans have known all along. Regardless of genetics, their success would not be possible without hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and mental toughness. Their “secret” is simple. Train hard, run fast and never give up.
1. What interested the sports scientists?| A．Kenyan sports history. | B．Kanlenjins’ running ability. |
| C．Kanlenjins’ training methods. | D．Kenyans’ enthusiasm for sport. |
| A．Physical condition. | B．Hard training. |
| C．Healthy lifestyle. | D．Strong will. |
| A．Satisfactory. | B．Typical. | C．Unacceptable. | D．Important. |
| A．To show running methods count. | B．To encourage British athletes. |
| C．To prove effort pays off. | D．To support gene theory. |
