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  3. In an experiment published last month, researchers from the University of Illinois recruited schoolchildren, ages 9 and 10 and a

In an experiment published last month, researchers from the University of Illinois recruited schoolchildren, ages 9 and 10 and a

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问题     In an experiment published last month, researchers from the University of Illinois recruited schoolchildren, ages 9 and 10 and asked them to run on a treadmill, hoping to learn more about how fitness affects the immature human brain.
    The researchers sorted the children, based on their treadmill runs, into highest-, lowest- and median-fit categories. Only the most- and least-fit groups continued in the study (to provide the greatest contrast). Both groups completed a series of cognitive (认知的) challenges. Finally, the children’s brains were scanned, using MRI technology to measure the volume of specific areas.
Previous studies found that fitter kids generally scored better on such tests. And in this case, too, those children performed better on the tests. But the MRIs provided a clearer picture of how it might work. They showed that fit children had significantly larger basal ganglia, a key part of the brain that aids in maintaining attention and "executive control". Since both groups of children had similar socioeconomic backgrounds, body mass index and other variables, the researchers concluded that being fit had enlarged that portion of their brains.
    The findings arrive at an important time. For budgetary and administrative reasons, school boards are reducing physical education, while on their own, children grow increasingly sluggish (懒散的). Roughly a quarter of children participate in zero physical activity outside of school.
At the same time, evidence accumulates about the positive impact of even small amounts of aerobic (有氧的) activity. Past studies found that "just 20 minutes of walking" before a test raised children’s scores, even if the children were otherwise unfit or overweight.
    But it’s the neurological (神经的) impact of sustained aerobic fitness in young people that is especially compelling. A years-long Swedish study published last year found that, among more than a million 18-year-old boys who joined the army, better fitness was correlated with higher IQs, even among identical twins. The fittest of them were also more likely to go on to profitable careers than the least fit, rendering them less likely to live in their parents’ basements.
    No correlation was found between muscular strength and IQ scores. There’s no evidence that exercise leads to a higher IQ, but the researchers suspect that aerobic exercise, not strength training, produces specific growth factors and proteins that stimulate the brain.
What conclusion did researchers from the University of Illinois draw?
选项 A、Basal ganglia helped maintain attention.
B、Fitness enlarged children’s basal ganglia.
C、Overweight affected children’s complex memory.
D、Kids with similar backgrounds performed similarly.
答案B
解析 根据题干中的conclusion将本题出处定位到第3段末句。该句提到，……研究人员由此得出结论，身体的健康扩大了这些儿童大脑的that portion，结合前文提到的fit children had significantly larger basal ganglia可知，此处的that portion指代basal ganglia(基底神经节)，故答案为[B]。文中提到大脑基底神经节协助维持注意力，但这不是伊利诺斯州大学研究者得出的结论，故排除[A]。[C]在文中未提及。文中提到受试儿童具有相似的社会经济背景，但并未提及他们表现相似，故排除[D]。
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