Questões de Inglês

That sense of well-being, freedom and extra energy that runners often experience is not just a matter of endorphins. A study at the Université de Montréal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) shows that the "runner’s high" phenomenon is also caused by dopamine, an important neurotransmitter for motivation.

"We discovered that the rewarding effects of endurance activity are modulated by leptin, a key hormone in metabolism. Leptin inhibits physical activity through dopamine neurons in the brain", said Stephanie Fulton, a researcher at the CRCHUM and lead author of an article published today in the journal Cell Metabolism. Secreted* by adipose tissue, leptin helps control the feeling of satiety. This hormone also influences physical activity. "The more fat there is, the more leptin there is and the less we feel like eating. Our findings* now show that this hormone also plays a vital role in motivation to run, which may be related to searching for food", explained Stephanie Fulton, who is also a professor at Université de Montréal’s Department of Nutrition.

Hormone signals that modulate feeding and exercise are in fact believed to be closely linked. Endurance* running capacity in mammals, particularly humans, is thought to have evolved* to maximize the chances of finding food. This study suggests that leptin plays a critical role both in regulating energy balance and encouraging behaviours that are "rewarding" for the person’s metabolism, i.e., engaging in physical activity to find food. The researchers studied voluntary* wheel running in mice in cages. These mice can run up to seven kilometres a day. In a laboratory, the physical activity of normal mice was compared with that of mice who underwent* a genetic modification to suppress a molecule activated by leptin, STAT3 (signal transducer* and activator of transcription-3). The STAT3 molecule is found in the neurons that synthesize dopamine in the midbrain. This “mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway” is a like a motivational highway in the brain.

"Mice that do not have the STAT3 molecule in the dopaminergic neurons run substantially more. Conversely, normal mice are less active because leptin then activates STAT3 in the dopamine neurons, signalling that energy reserves in the body are sufficient and that there is no need to get active and go looking for food", explained Maria Fernanda Fernandes, first author of the study. And is leptin as important for motivation to be active in humans? Yes. "Previous studies have clearly shown a correlation between leptin and marathon run times. The lower leptin levels are, the better the performance. Our study on mice suggests that this molecule is also involved in the rewarding effects experienced when we do physical exercise. We speculate that for humans, low leptin levels increase motivation to exercise and make it easier to get a runner’s high", summed up Stephanie Fulton. Mice, humans and mammals in general are thought to have evolved to increase the return on effective food acquisition behaviours. Ultimately, hormones are sending the brain a clear message: when food is scarce, it’s fun to run to chase some down.

 

Source: Université de Montréal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM).

About the study The study “Leptin suppresses the rewarding effects of running via STAT3 signaling in dopamine neurons” was published in Cell Metabolism.

http://crchum.chumontreal.qc.ca/en/news-briefs/why-does-running-make-us-happy

Algumas expressões foram destacadas, com negrito, no texto. Dentre elas, qual NÃO corresponde à circunstância indicada abaixo?

Tick the alternative that completes the following sentence:

___________ the doctor, it seems he finally made his decision.

Tick the CORRECT statement:

Look at the following examples from the text. The words in bold typeface are combinations of verbs and prepositions or adverbs.

 

“The physics world had not yet caught up with his genius.”

 

“[…] even he was not likely to watch a real human plunging off a roof and think of gravitational theory […]”

 

Now match the columns.

 

( ) bring on

( ) fall out

( ) fix up

( ) keep up

( ) leave out

( ) put off

( ) write off

 

1) We have decided to __________ our trip to the Amazon because of a terrible flooding. (postpone)

2) Mary, I really don´t want __________ with you about over this! (have an argument)

3) She has been working so hard! But due to the crisis, I think it will be impossible for her to __________ the place. (maintain)

4) I always avoid birds. They __________ my terrible allergies. (cause)

5) Maybe out of superstition, many hotels in America __________floor number 13. (omit)

6) Although the car was a total __________ after the accident, nobody got hurt. (destroyed)

7) We haven´t seen each other for ages! We have to __________ a date for lunch! (arrange)

Japanese-American couple interned by U.S. in WW2 get high school diplomas

 

www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/20/us-usa-internment-californiaidUSKBN0P002H20150620.Acessado em 17/10/2015.

A Japanese-American couple who were plucked from their California high school during World War Two and forcibly detained at a U.S. government internment camp were given honorary diplomas this week at the school\'s graduation ceremony.

 

George and Miko Kaihara, both 90, were presented with their diplomas in Tustin High School near Irvine, outside Los Angeles, to a standing ovation from a crowd of several thousand people on Thursday, school district spokesman Mark Eliot said. They would have graduated from the school on June 23, 1943.

 

De acordo com o texto

 CIVIL-CRIMINAL LITIGATION

 

www.law.umich.edu/clinical/generalclinic/Pages/caseexamples.aspx. Acessado em 21/10/2015. Adaptado.

 

It took nine years and a lot of work going to US Courts of Appeals, for nearly 40 clinic students to stop the deportation of a mentally retarded man who had come to the United States with his family at age 14 and lived here for 33 years. At the final hearing, the immigration judge restored the client\'s permanent resident status. Students are now helping the client gain U.S. citizenship. 

Na terceira linha do texto, a palavra “who” refere-se