(1) “It's clear that the brain benefits from exercise,” says neuroscientist William Greenough of the University of Illinois. (2) His studies suggest we can benefit in two ways. (3) Aerobic exercise fuels the brain with more nutrients, and skill-based exercise increases the number of synapses, or connections, which, some scientists theorize, makes brain better able to process information.
(4) Numerous studies show that children who engage in regular physical activity do better in school than their sedentary classmates. (5) The improvement was thought to be from increased self-confidence and concentration, but some scientists now believe the connection is physiological. (6) Learning a new dance step may boost the brain in the same way that learning a language can. (7) If the dance is aerobic, then the benefits double. (8) Other studies have shown that sedentary adults, aged 63 to 82, improved their reaction times after 10-week water aerobics course. (9) Pierce J. Howard, an organizational psychologist, says new research suggests that aerobic exercise increases the amount of certain brain chemicals that stimulate the growth of nerve cells. (10) It's believed that young people stand to gain the most improvement in brain function from exercise.
21. Based on the new findings of neuroscience, a dance-like activity…........
a) uses up the student's knowledge
b) adds to the student's knowledge
c) helps a student gain in confidence
d) causes positive physiological changes
22. A brain which has experienced skill-based exercise is claimed to …………...
a) require a strong memory
b) theorize more often
c) grow new connections with others
d) classify or analyze data more effectively
23. Reading the passage, we learn that students who exercise regularly prove to be ·········.
a) more successful in their studies
b) better solely at physical education
c) less able in their theoretical courses
d) the same as their sedentary classmates
24. Changes resulting from regular physical activity, once thought be due to increased self-confidence, are now claimed by some to be of a(n) …………. nature.
a) inappropriate b) static c) physiological d) psychological
25. A more effective way to boost brain function is claimed to result from ................
a) more nutrients b) aerobic dancing
c) traditional exercise d) increased concentration
🌺🌺 Passage Two
(1) Intelligence, the ability to comprehend or understand, is basically a combination of reasoning1, memory2, imagination3, and judgment4; each of these faculties relies upon the others. (2) Intelligence is not an entity within a person but a combination of cognitive skills and knowledge made evident by behaviors that are adaptive.
(3) In speaking of general intelligence, authorities often distinguish between a number of different kinds of basic mental ability. (4) One of these is verbal aptitude, the ability to understand the meaning of words and to use them effectively in writing or speaking. (5) Another is skill with numbers, the ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide and to use these skills in problems.
(6) The capacity to work with spatial relationships, that is, with visualizing how objects take up space, is still another (for example, how two triangles can fit together to make a square). (7) Perception, memory, and reasoning may also be considered different basic abilities.
26. The text views intelligence as ………………..
a) a concept identical to memory
b) a substitute for imagination or judgment
c) a number of interrelated faculties
d) certain externally-oriented abilities
27. The text implies that intelligence is a/an ………….. behavior.
a) physical
b) static
c) inherited
d) acquired