Eating chocolate is good for maths

Scientists reveal how eating chocolate can help improve your maths
Eating chocolate could improve the brain's ability to do maths, a new study suggests. Mental arithmetic became easier after volunteers had been given large amounts of compounds found in chocolate, called flavanols, in a hot cocoa drink. They were also less likely to feel tired or mentally drained, the findings, presented at the British Psychological Society annual conference in Brighton show.
Prof David Kennedy, director of the brain, performance and nutrition research centre at Northumbria University, and a co-author of the study, said that chocolate could be beneficial for mentally challenging tasks. The findings suggest students who binge on chocolate when revising for exams may gain a real benefit from doing so. The flavanols, part of a group of chemicals called polyphenols, work by increasing the flow of blood into the brain.
For the study 30 volunteers were asked to count backwards in groups of three from a random number between 800 and 999 generated by a computer. The findings show that they could do the calculations more quickly and more accurately after they had been given the drink. However, the same was not true when the group was asked to count backwards in groups of seven, which the researchers described as a more complex task, requiring a slightly different part of the brain. The findings also show that the volunteers did not get as tired doing the calculations if they had been given the cocoa drink, despite being asked to do them over and over for an hour.
The researchers gave the volunteers a total of 500mg of flavanol. Although the amount was too great to be found naturally in the diet, researchers said that people should ensure that they have lots of flavanols, also found in fruit and vegetables, on a regular basis. Dark chocolate contains higher quantities of the chemical than plain or milk chocolate.
Prof Kennedy said: "The amount that we are giving is more than in the diet but there is quite a lot of evidence that general amounts are protective. The more fruit and vegetables and things that are high in polyphenols the better that is for your brain in the long run.”

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether these statements are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.
a. The study took place at a conference in Brighton.
b. Chocolate contains a substance which makes blood flow more easily.
c. People normally eat around 500mg of flavenol every day.
d. There is more flavenol in dark chocolate than there is in milk chocolate.
Question 2. (2 points) Answer these questions in your own words.
a. Why is it more difficult to count backwards in groups of seven than in groups of three?
b. Which foods does Professor Kennedy suggest that we should eat to help us perform mental activities and why?
Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that mean the same as:
a. to eat a lot of something (p.2) b. repeatedly (p.3) c. contain a lot of (p.5)
Question 4 (1.5 points) Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a. Eating chocolate could improve the brain’s ability to do maths.
The brain’s ability ..........................
b. Students who eat a large amount of chocolate when revising for exams may gain a real benefit from doing so.
If ............................................
c. Professor Kennedy said “The amount that we are giving is more than in the diet but there is quite a lot of evidence that general amounts are protective. “
Professor Kennedy said that ..................................................
Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic.
So many different people tell us what to eat and what not to eat. Should we listen to their advice?