Drink Up！

Zachary Humenik

导读：夏天已经来了，天气越来越热，小朋友们要喝多少水才健康呢？研究表明，小朋友每天应该要喝10 到14杯水。

A new study shows that many kids arent drinking enough water. Kids should drink between 10 and 14 cups every day， according to a new study. Summer is here， and the weather is heating up. Are you drinking enough water？ Many kids arent， according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The studys lead author， Erica Kenney， a scientist at Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health， originally planned to look into the amount of sugary drinks kids were consuming in schools. However， during her research she found that many kids were simply not drinking enough water.

Kenney and her team examined data from a group of 4，000 children， ages 6 to19， between the years of 2009 and 2012. The data was taken from the National Health and Nutrition Survey， a study on the health of children in the United States conducted each year by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

While looking through the survey results， she noticed that more than half of the kids who participated were dehydrated. Of that group， boys were 76% more likely than girls to not have enough water in their system. Nearly one quarter of the kids in the survey reported drinking no plain water at all.

How much is enough？

The human body is made up of 60% water. It adjusts body temperature， delivers oxygen all over the bodyand performs various other tasks that keep our bodies healthy.Not drinking enough water can lead to health problems such as headaches， irritability， poor physical performance， and even more serious issues. Your body needs more water when you are in hot climates， when you are physically active， and if you have a fever.

The United States National Agriculture Library says on average， kids need between 10 to 14 cups of water every day. This water can come from a mix of drinks and foods that contain high amounts of water， such as melons， or tomatoes. It is also recommended that fluids come from water instead of sugary drinks that are high in calories and can lead to weight problems.

Vocabulary

consume v. 消耗

dehydrated adj. 脱水的

deliver v. 传递

irritability n. 易怒

calories n. 卡路里

（Have you noticed if you have consumed enough water every day？）