Activities for Children
A. Twenty-five years ago, children in London walked to school and played in parks and playing fields after school and at the weekend. Today they are usually driven to school by parents anxious about safety and spend hours glued to the television screens or computer games. Meanwhile, community playing fields are being sold off to property developers at an alarming rate. ‘This change in lifestyle has, sadly, meant greater restrictions on children,’ says Neil Armstrong, Professor of Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of Exeter. ‘If children continue to be this inactive, they’ll be storing up big problems for the future.’
B. In 1985, Professor Armstrong headed a five-year research project into children’s fitness. The results, published in 1990, were alarming. The survey, which monitored 700 11-16-year-olds, found that 48 per cent of girls and 41 per cent of boys already exceeded safe cholesterol levels set for children by the American Heart Foundation. Armstrong adds, “heart is a muscle and need exercise, or it loses its strength.” It also found that 13 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls were overweight. More disturbingly, the survey found that over a four-day period, half the girls and one-third of the boys did less exercise than the equivalent of a brisk 10-minute walk. High levels of cholesterol, excess body fat and inactivity are believed to increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
C. Physical education is under pressure in the UK – most schools devote little more than 100 minutes a week to it in curriculum time, which is less than many other European countries. Three European countries are giving children a head start in PE: France, Austria and Switzerland – offer at least two hours in primary and secondary schools. These findings from the European Union of Physical Education Associations, prompted specialists in children’s physiology to call on European governments to give youngsters a daily PE programme. The survey shows that the UK ranks 13th out of the 25 countries, with Ireland at bottom, averaging under an hour a week for PE. From age six to 18, British children received, on average, 106 minutes of PE a week. Professor Armstrong, who presented the findings at the meeting, noted that since the introduction of the national curriculum, there had been a marked fall in the time devoted to PE in UK schools, with only a minority of pupils getting two hours a week.
D. As a former junior football international, Professor Armstrong is a passionate advocate for the sport. Although the Government has poured millions into beefing up the sport in the community, there is less commitment to it as part of the crammed school curriculum. This means that many children never acquire the necessary skills to thrive in team games. If they are no good at them, they lose interest and establish an inactive pattern of behaviour. When this is coupled with a poor diet, it will lead inevitably to weight gain. Seventy per cent of British children give up all sport when they leave school, compared with only 20 per cent of French teenagers. Professor Armstrong believes that there is far too great an emphasis on team games at school. “We need to look at the time devoted to PE and balance it between individual and pair activities, such as aerobics and badminton, as well as team sports. “He added that children need to have the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of individual, partner and team sports”.
E. The good news, however, is that a few small companies and children’s activity groups have reacted positively and creatively to the problem. Take that, shouts Gloria Thomas, striking a disco pose astride her mini-space hopper. Take that, echo a flock of toddlers, adopting outrageous postures astride their space hoppers. ‘Michael Jackson, she shouts, and they all do a spoof fan-crazed shriek. During the wild and chaotic hopper race across the studio floor, commands like this are issued and responded to with untrammelled glee. The sight of 15 bouncing seven-year-olds who seem about to launch into orbit at every bounce brings tears to the eyes. Uncoordinated, loud, excited and emotional, children provide raw comedy.
F. Any cardiovascular exercise is a good option, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be high intensity. It can be anything that gets your heart rate up: such as walking the dog, swimming, miming, skipping, hiking. “Even walking through the grocery store can be exercise,” Samis-Smith said. What they don’t know is that they’re at a Fit Kids class and that the fun is a disguise for the serious exercise plan they’re covertly being taken through. Fit Kids trains parents to run fitness classes for children. ‘Ninety per cent of children don’t like team sports,’ says company director Gillian Gale.
G. A Prevention survey found that children whose parents keep in shape are much more likely to have healthy body weights themselves. “There’s nothing worse than telling a child what he needs to do and not doing it yourself,” says Elizabeth Ward, RD, a Boston nutritional consultant and author of Healthy Foods, Healthy Kids. “Set a good example and get your nutritional house in order first.” In the 1930s and ’40s, kids expended 800 calories a day just walking, carrying water, and doing other chores, notes Fima Lifshitz, MD, a paediatric endocrinologist in Santa Barbara. “Now, kids in obese families are expending only 200 calories a day in physical activity,” says Lifshitz, “incorporate more movement in your family’s life park farther away from the stores at the mall, take stairs instead of the elevator, and walk to nearby friends’ houses instead of driving.”
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Question Focus: Detail question - asks about Professor Armstrong's concern in paragraph A
Correct Answer: C
Why this is correct: This is correct because Professor Armstrong clearly worries about future problems caused by children being inactive, which means their future health is at risk.
Passage Reference: 'This change in lifestyle has, sadly, meant greater restrictions on children,' says Neil Armstrong, Professor of Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of Exeter. 'If children continue to be this inactive, they'll be storing up big problems for the future.'
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'storing up big problems for the future' = Option: 'the future health of British children'
Tips: When a question asks about someone's concern, look for opinion language like worries, warnings, or predictions.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Students may choose this because the passage mentions television and computer games. However, it never talks about academic level. This is a Not Given trap.
- B: Students may think this because parents drive children to school, but the passage does not say parents spend less time with children. This is a Not Given trap.
- D: The passage mentions playing fields being sold, but Professor Armstrong's concern is about children's inactivity, not property development itself. This is a Context shift trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- inactive = not physically active
- restrictions = limits
Question Focus: Inference question - what Armstrong indicates in paragraph B
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: Armstrong adds, 'heart is a muscle and need exercise, or it loses its strength.' It also found that 13 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls were overweight.
Why this is correct: This is correct because Armstrong directly says the heart needs exercise or it becomes weak, which clearly means we should do more physical activity.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'heart is a muscle and need exercise' = Option: 'do more activity to exercise heart'
Tips: For inference questions, focus on what the writer suggests or implies, not extreme claims.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Students may choose this because the passage mentions a 10-minute walk, but it is used only as a comparison, not advice for everyone. This is a Partial truth trap.
- C: The passage gives numbers for boys and girls, but it does not say girls are better off. In fact, both have problems. This is a Paraphrase trap.
- D: Exercise is linked to reducing risk, but the passage never says exercise can cure diseases. This is a Not Given trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- cholesterol = fat in the blood
- overweight = too heavy
Question Focus: Purpose question - asks about the aim of Fit Kids' training
Correct Answer: C
Passage Reference: What they don't know is that they're at a Fit Kids class and that the fun is a disguise for the serious exercise plan they're covertly being taken through. Fit Kids trains parents to run fitness classes for children.
Why this is correct: This is correct because the passage clearly states that Fit Kids trains parents so they can run fitness classes for children.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'trains parents to run fitness classes for children' = Option: 'guide parents on how to organise activities for children'
Tips: For purpose questions, look for verbs like train, aim, designed to, or meant to.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Students may think this because Fit Kids is a company, but there is no mention of making profit. This is a Not Given trap.
- B: The passage lists many activities like walking, swimming, skipping, so it does not focus on only one activity. This is a Contradiction trap.
- D: The passage actually says many children do not like team sports, so it does not promote them as better. This is a Contradiction trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- covertly = secretly
- disguise = something that hides the truth
Question Focus: Detail question - asks what Lifshitz suggests at the end
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: 'Now, kids in obese families are expending only 200 calories a day in physical activity,' says Lifshitz, 'incorporate more movement in your family's life park farther away from the stores at the mall, take stairs instead of the elevator, and walk to nearby friends' houses instead of driving.'
Why this is correct: This is correct because Lifshitz clearly suggests adding more movement into daily life, which means creating opportunities to exercise.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'incorporate more movement in your family's life' = Option: 'create opportunities to exercise your body'
Tips: Be careful with answers using words like never or always. The passage usually gives balanced advice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- B: The passage says to take stairs instead of the elevator, not that elevators save time. This is a Contradiction trap.
- C: The passage mentions 200 calories as a problem, but it does not say children should spend more than 200 calories. This is a Paraphrase trap.
- D: The passage gives examples of walking more, but it does not say we should never drive. This is an Extreme language trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- incorporate = add
- expending = using up
Question Focus: Main idea question - asks about the overall point of the passage
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: 'If children continue to be this inactive, they'll be storing up big problems for the future.' High levels of cholesterol, excess body fat and inactivity are believed to increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Any cardiovascular exercise is a good option, and it doesn't necessarily have to be high intensity.
Why this is correct: This is correct because the whole passage repeatedly focuses on children being inactive and the need for proper exercise, especially in the UK.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'children continue to be this inactive' = Option: 'children in the UK need proper exercises'
Tips: For main idea questions, think big. Ask yourself what all paragraphs together are trying to say.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: This is part of the passage, but it focuses only on overweight children, not the overall message. This is a Partial truth trap.
- C: The government is mentioned, but criticizing it is not the main focus of the whole passage. This is a Context shift trap.
- D: Parents are discussed in one section, but they are not presented as the most important focus of the entire passage. This is a Wrong section trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- coronary heart disease = serious heart illness
- cardiovascular = related to heart and blood
General Tips:
- MCQ questions follow passage order, so use the location of the last answer to help find the next one.
- Always read all options before choosing. The first reasonable option is not always the best one.
- Watch out for Not Given traps where the idea sounds logical but is not stated in the passage.
- Be careful with extreme words like always, never, or only. These are often wrong.
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