Kids run more slowly than 30 years ago

BEFORE READING

1. SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	levels	a.	figures
2	data	b.	concerning
3.	roughly	c.	variety
4.	reasons	d.	rates
5.	decreasing	e.	usually
6.	worrying	f.	dropping
7.	generally	g.	about
8.	conditions	h.	talented
9.	range	i.	causes
10.	skillful	j.	illnesses

A new report from the American Heart Association says fitness levels in children are lower today than they were 30 years ago. The researchers looked at data from the past 46 years. The statistics were on more than 25 million children in 28 countries. The research team found that on average, today's children run one kilometre about one minute slower than their parents did three decades ago. The figures were roughly the same for boys and girls. The distance a child can run is decreasing by around half of one per cent every year. One of the biggest reasons for the slowdown in children's running ability is obesity. Kids are overweight because they are eating too much and not exercising enough.

The researchers say their report is worrying. If children are becoming fatter and less fit, they will be unhealthier in the future. Lead researcher Dr Grant Tomkinson said: "If a young person is generally unfit now, then they are more likely to develop conditions like heart disease later in life." Dr Tomkinson said: "We need to help to inspire children and youth to develop fitness habits that will keep them healthy now and into the future. They need to choose a range of physical activities they like or think they might like to try, and they need to get moving." He added: "Young people can be fit in different ways. They can be strong like a weightlifter, or flexible like a gymnast, or skillful like a tennis player."

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Kids are running more slowly because they have shorter legs.	T / F
b.	Researches looked at statistics on over 25 million kids worldwide.	T / F
c.	Boys are running much more slowly than girls.	T / F
d.	Obesity is one of the biggest reasons for kids running more slowly.	T / F
e.	The researchers are not so concerned about what they found out.	T / F
f.	The researchers said too many kids today have heart disease.	T / F
g.	A doctor said we need to inspire children to start exercising.	T / F
h.	The doctor suggested kids could become a gymnast or tennis player.	T / F