Table of Contents
Passage
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 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 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 sport. Although the Government has poured millions into beefing up 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-spacehopper. ’Take That, echo a flock of toddlers, adopting outrageous postures astride their space hoppers. ’ Michael Jackson, she shouts, and they all do a spoof fancrazed 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, running, 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, R.D., 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, M.D., a pediatric 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.”
Questions
Questions 14-17 The reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-G. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-G, in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.
14 Health and living condition of children
15 Health organization monitored physical activity
16 Comparison of exercise time between UK and other countries
17 Wrong approach for school activity
Questions 18-21 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 18-21 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the sataement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
18 According to American Heart Foundation, cholesterol levels of boys are higher than girls’ .
19 British children generally do less exercise than some other European countries.
20 Skipping becomes more and more popular in schools of UK.
21 According to Healthy Kids,parents should encourage their children to do more activities.
Questions 22-26 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write your answers in boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet.
22 According to paragraph A, what does Professor Neil Armstrong concern about?
A Spending more time on TV affect academic level
B Parents have less time stay with their children
C Future health of British children
D Increasing speed of property’s development
23 What does Armstrong indicate in Paragraph B?
A We need to take a 10 minute walk everyday
B We should do more activity to exercise heart
C Girls’ situation is better than boys
D Exercise can cure many disease
24 What is aim of First Kids’ training?
A Make profit by running several sessions
B Only concentrate on one activity for each child
C To guide parents how to organize activities for children
D Spread the idea that team sport is better
25 What did Lifshitz suggest in the end of this passage?
A Create opportunities to exercise your body
B Taking elevator saves your time
C Kids should spend more than 200 calories each day
D We should never drive but walk
26 What is main idea of this passage?
A Children’s health are at risk in the future
B Children in UK need proper exercises
C Government mistaken approach for children
D Parents play the most important role in children’s activity
Answers
Below are the answers, key words, synonyms and full explanations for the IELTS Reading passage Activities for Children (Passage 2, Questions 14–26).
Questions 14–17: Which paragraph contains the following information? (A–G)
14. Health and living condition of children
Answer: A
Key words: change in lifestyle; greater restrictions on children
Synonyms: living condition = “This change in lifestyle has, sadly, meant greater restrictions on children”
Explanation: Paragraph A describes how children’s lifestyle and living conditions have changed.
15. Health organization monitored physical activity
Answer: B
Key words: five-year research project; monitored 700 11-16-year-olds; American Heart Foundation
Synonyms: monitored activity = “The survey, which monitored 700 11-16-year-olds, found that … exceeded safe cholesterol levels set … by the American Heart Foundation”
Explanation: Paragraph B reports Armstrong’s monitored fitness survey referencing a health foundation.
16. Comparison of exercise time between UK and other countries
Answer: C
Key words: UK ranks 13th out of 25; less than many other European countries
Synonyms: comparison of exercise time = “most schools devote little more than 100 minutes a week … which is less than many other European countries”
Explanation: Paragraph C compares UK PE time with other European countries.
17. Wrong approach for school activity
Answer: D
Key words: far too great an emphasis on team games; need to balance
Synonyms: wrong approach = “there is far too great an emphasis on team games at school … balance it between individual and pair activities … as well as team sports”
Explanation: Paragraph D criticises the over-emphasis on team games in schools.
Questions 18–21: True / False / Not Given
18. According to the American Heart Foundation, cholesterol levels of boys are higher than girls’.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Key words: 48 per cent of girls and 41 per cent of boys exceeded safe cholesterol levels
Synonyms: The figures are the proportions who exceeded a safe threshold — “48 per cent of girls and 41 per cent of boys already exceeded safe cholesterol levels” — not the actual cholesterol levels of boys versus girls.
Explanation: The passage gives the percentage of each sex exceeding a limit, not whose cholesterol level is higher, so the comparison is not stated → NOT GIVEN.
19. British children generally do less exercise than some other European countries.
Answer: TRUE
Key words: UK ranks 13th; less than many other European countries; France, Austria, Switzerland offer at least two hours
Synonyms: do less exercise = “the UK ranks 13th out of the 25 countries … which is less than many other European countries”
Explanation: Paragraph C confirms UK children get less PE than several European countries.
20. Skipping becomes more and more popular in schools of UK.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Key words: skipping listed as a cardiovascular option
Synonyms: Skipping is only mentioned as one example of cardio exercise — “such as walking the dog, swimming, running, skipping, hiking” — nothing about its popularity in UK schools.
Explanation: The passage never says skipping is growing in popularity in UK schools → NOT GIVEN.
21. According to Healthy Kids, parents should encourage their children to do more activities.
Answer: FALSE
Key words: nothing worse than telling a child … and not doing it yourself; set a good example
Synonyms: The book’s advice is for parents to model behaviour, not merely to tell/encourage children — “There’s nothing worse than telling a child what he needs to do and not doing it yourself. Set a good example”
Explanation: Paragraph G stresses that parents should set an example themselves first, which contradicts the idea that the message is simply to encourage children → FALSE.
Questions 22–26: Multiple Choice
22. According to paragraph A, what is Professor Neil Armstrong concerned about?
Answer: C (Future health of British children)
Key words: storing up big problems for the future
Synonyms: future health = “If children continue to be this inactive, they’ll be storing up big problems for the future”
Explanation: Paragraph A: Armstrong worries about children’s future health.
23. What does Armstrong indicate in Paragraph B?
Answer: B (We should do more activity to exercise the heart)
Key words: heart is a muscle and needs exercise, or it loses its strength
Synonyms: exercise the heart = “heart is a muscle and need exercise, or it loses its strength”
Explanation: Paragraph B: Armstrong says the heart needs exercise to stay strong.
24. What is the aim of Fit Kids’ training?
Answer: C (To guide parents on how to organise activities for children)
Key words: Fit Kids trains parents to run fitness classes for children
Synonyms: guide parents = “Fit Kids trains parents to run fitness classes for children”
Explanation: Paragraph F: Fit Kids teaches parents to run children’s fitness classes.
25. What did Lifshitz suggest at the end of this passage?
Answer: A (Create opportunities to exercise your body)
Key words: incorporate more movement; park farther away; take stairs; walk to friends’ houses
Synonyms: create opportunities = “incorporate more movement in your family’s life—park farther away … take stairs instead of the elevator, and walk”
Explanation: Paragraph G: Lifshitz advises building everyday movement into life.
26. What is the main idea of this passage?
Answer: B (Children in the UK need proper exercise)
Key words: inactivity; too little PE; need a variety of activities
Synonyms: The passage centres on inactive British children and the need for suitable, balanced exercise.
Explanation: The overall focus is that UK children are too inactive and need proper exercise → B.
Answer Key (Quick Reference)
| Q | Answer | Q | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | A | 21 | FALSE |
| 15 | B | 22 | C |
| 16 | C | 23 | B |
| 17 | D | 24 | C |
| 18 | NOT GIVEN | 25 | A |
| 19 | TRUE | 26 | B |
| 20 | NOT GIVEN |
