2012职称英语卫生类新增文章

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第八篇Eat Healthy

"Clean your plate!" and "Be a member of the clean-plate club1!’’ Just about every kid in the US has heard this from a parent or grandparent. Often, it's accompanied by an appeal：“Just think about those starving orphans in Africa!2" Sure, we should be grateful for every bite of food. Unfortunately, many people in the US take too many bites3. Instead of staying "clean the plate", perhaps we should save some food for tomorrow.

According to news reports, US restaurants are partly to blame for the growing bellies.

A waiter puts a plate of food in front of each customer, with two to four times the amount recommended by the government, according to a USA Today story.4 Americans traditionally associate quantity with value and most restaurants try to give them that. They prefer to have customers complain about too much food rather than too little.

Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University； told USA Today that restaurant portion sizes began (o grow in the 1970s, the same time that the American waistline began to expand.

Health experts have tried to get many restaurants to serve smaller portions. Now, apparently, some customers are calling for this too. The restaurant industry trade magazine QSR reported last month that 57 percent of more than 4,000 people surveyed believe restaurants serve portions that are too large； 23 percent had no opinion；

20 percent disagreed. But a closer look at the survey indicates that many Americans who can't afford fine dining still prefer large portions. Seventy percent of those earning at least $150,000 per year prefer smaller portions； but only 45 percent of those earning less than $25,000 want smaller.

It's not that working class Americans don't want to eat healthy. It's just that, "after long hours at low-paying jobs, getting less on their plate hardly seems like a good deal.5 They live frompaycheck to paycheck, happy to save a little money for next year's Christmas presents.

词汇：

orphan n.孤儿

belly n.肚子

nutrition n.营养

waistline n.腰围

paycheck n.薪金支票

练习：

1. Parents in the United States tend to ask their children

A to save food.

B to wash the dishes.

C not to waste food.

D not to eat too much.

2. Why do American restaurants serve large portions?

A Because Americans associate quantity with value.

B Because Americans have big bellies.

C Because Americans are good eaters.

D Because Americans are greedy.

3.What happened in the 1970s?

A The US government recommended the amount of food a restaurant gave to a customer.

B Health experts persuaded restaurants to serve smaller portions.

C The United States produced more grain than needed.

D The American waistline started to expand.

4.What does the survey indicate?

A Many poor Americans want large portions.

B Twenty percent Americans want smaller portions.

C Fifty seven percent Americans earn $150,000 per year.

D Twenty three percent Americans earn less than $25,000 per year.

5.Which of the following is Not true of working class Americans?

A They work long hours.

B They live from paycheck to paycheck.

C They don't want to be healthy eaters.

D They want to save money for their children.

注释：

1. Be a member of the clean -plate club!做清盘俱乐部的成员

2. Just think about those starving orphans in Africa!只要想想在非洲挨饿的孤儿们！

3. take too many bites 吃得太多

4. A waiter puts a plate of food in front of each customer, with two to four times the amount recommended by the government, according to a USA Today story.根据《今日美国》刊登的一个故事,服务员给每个顾客一盘饭菜,其量是政府推荐的2至4倍。

5. It's just that, after long hours at low-paying jobs, getting less on their plate hardly seems like a good deal.事情是这样的，美国工人觉得做许多个小时低收入的工作下来,盘子里的饭菜量小有点不合算。

答案与题解：

1. C本题问的是：美国父母总是叫他们的孩子干什么？文章开头说到,每个美国孩子都能从父母或爷爷奶奶那里听到这样的话,“吃光你盘子里的东西”，“做淸盘俱乐部的成员”。这些话表达的意思就是不要浪费粮食。因此C是正确的答案。

2. A本题问的是：美国饭馆为什么饭菜给得多？第二段相关的话是这么说的：美国人在传统上

把东西值不值是跟数量联系在一起,因此大多数的饭馆给的量大。这些饭馆乐于让顾客们抱怨饭菜给得太多而不乐于让他们抱怨饭菜给得太少。所以A是正确的答案。

3. D本题问的是:20世纪70年代发生了什么？文章第三段是这样说的：一位宾州大学营养教授,Barbara Rolls，告诉《今日美国》20世纪70年代饭馆给的饭菜的量开始增加，与此同时,美国人的腰围也开始增大。所以D是对的。

4. A本题问的是：调查报告说明了什么？选项B，C和D所说的数字不对。因此唯有A是正确的。A说的是：许多美国穷人希望量大。这个信息可以在第四段中找到。相关的句子是这么说的：许多吃不起精美正餐的美国人仍然要量大。

5. C本题问的是:下面的哪一种说法不符合美国工人的实际情况？ C说的是：他们不想做吃得健康的人。这个说法是不对的。最后一段的第一句话是这么说的:美国工人不是不想做吃得健康的人。因此C正确。

译文：

健康饮食

“把盘子里的东西吃完了!”“要成为一名清盘俱乐部的成员!”几乎每一个美国小孩都会听到父母亲或祖父母这样的唠叨。父母亲或祖父母们还经常会加上一句恳求的话：“想想

那些饥饿的非洲孤儿吧，多可怜啊!”我们的确应该为每一口食物充满感激。但不幸的是，很多美国人吃得太多了。也许我们应该为明天节约一些粮食，而不足坚持“把盘子里的东西吃完”。据新闻报导，美国的餐馆应该为美国人日益增大的肚腩负——部分责任。《今日美国》刊登的一个故事，服务员给每个顾客提供的一盘食物的量是政府推荐的二至四倍。美国人传

统的认为有量才有质，所以大多数餐馆都试图迎合顾客们的这一想法。他们宁愿被抱怨提供了过多的食物也不愿意被投诉提供的食物太少。

芭芭拉?罗尔斯是宾夕法尼亚州立大学的一位营养学教授。在接受《今日美国》采访时她说道：“从20世纪70年代起，美国的餐馆就开始提供越来越大份的食物；也就是从这个时候起，美国人的腰围也变得越来越粗了。”

健康专家已经试着让很多餐馆提供份量小一些的食物。显然，现在很多顾客也为此而呼吁。据《QSR杂志》(美国的一份餐饮业经营杂志)报道：在上个月对4000多人所做的一次调查中，有57％的人认为餐馆提供的食物份量太大了，23％的人没有发表看法，还有20％的人不同意此看法。但是再仔细看看调查结果，你就会发现很多买不起精美菜肴的美国人还是喜欢买大份量食物。在年收入15万美元以上的人群中，70％的人更愿意买份量小一点的食物：但在年收入少于2．5万美元的人群中，只有45％的人愿意买份量小一点的食物。

事情是这样的，不是美国的工人不想吃的健康一点，而是美国工人觉得做许多个小时低收入的工种下来，盘子里的饭菜量小有点不合算。他们是指望薪金支票过日子的，希望能为来年的圣诞节节约一些钱来买圣诞礼物。

第十九篇Prolonging Human Life

Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.

Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, whereas if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illness than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often "go on welfare" if they have a serious illness.

When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have

been built. These are often profit-making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions arc good, most of them are simply "dumping grounds" for the dying in which "care" is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under-skilled personnel.

译文：延长人类生命

人类生命的延长使人口增加了。许多现在还活着的人，如果早出生100年的话，可能在幼年就得病死了。因为活得长的人越多，在任何一个特定的时间里的人也就越多。实际上导致人口爆炸的是死亡率的降低而不是出生率的增长。

延长人的生命同时也使需要抚养的人口数量增长了。在所有的社会里，残疾的、太小或太老的以至不能工作的人，要靠社会中其他人的救助。在以狩猎和采集为生的时代，不能跟上其他人的老人会被甩在后面，任他死去。在饥荒年代，人们允许婴儿死，因为如果他们的父母饿死了，他们也活不成，但是如果他们我父母活下来了，他们还可以再要个孩子。在大部分的当代社会里，人们觉得在道义上负有让人们活着的义务，不管他们能不能工作。现在有许多人已经过了想工作或能工作的年龄；我们也制定了让人们在特定年龄退休的规章制度。除非这些人为他们退休后的生活攒够了钱，否则别人就得负担他们。在美国，许多退休的老人靠很少的一点社会保障金过日子，生活几近赤贫。老年人比年轻人或中年人更容易得病；除非他们很有钱，或有私人或政府的保险金，否则他们在得重病的时候就得靠福利救济。

当老年人变得衰老，或太虚弱，病太重以至于不能照料自己时，他们就给他们的家庭带来了很严重的问题，在过去和一些流传的习俗里，他们会在家中得到照料直到死去。现在，由于大部分的家庭成员都在工作或上学，所以常常没有人在家照料病弱的人。为满足这种需要，许多养老院和康复医院被建立起来。这些机构通常是赢利的，尽管其中有一些是宗教及其他非赢利团体资助的。然而只有少数的这样的机构是好的，它们大部分是垂死的人的“垃圾场”，里面的工作是由一些工资低的、劳动量大的、没有技术的人做的。

词汇：

dependency / di'pend?nsi/ n.依赖性

contemporary / k?n'temp?r?ri / α.现代的

obligation / ,?bli'ɡei??n / n. 义务

insurance / in'?u?r?ns / n. 保险

welfare / 'welfε? / n.福利

senile / 'si:nail / αdj. 衰老的

grave /ɡreiv / αdj. 严肃的

convalescent /,k?nv?'les?nt/ αdj.康复的

sponsor / 'sp?ns?/ v. 发起，资助

institution /,insti'tju:??n / n. 机构

注释:

1. Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population:延长人类生命的结果使得人口的数量有了增加。句中的 prolonging human life是动名词短语。由动名词短语作句子的主语时，句中动词必须用单数形式。如 : Collecting stamps is his hobby.

2. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago:如果今天活着的很多人生于一百年以前，他们会死于各种儿童疾病。

3. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time:因为有更多的人寿命更长，所以在任何一个特定的时间里的人也就更多。

4. the dependency load: 抚养人口数量。

5. In times of famine: 在饥荒年代

6. go on welfare : 靠福利救济

go on 有许多意思，其中的一个意思是"依靠……过活"。例:

Many people go on welfare when jobs become scarce.

(工作难找时，许多人靠政府救济金过日子。)

7. grave problems: 严重的问题

8. convalescent hospitals: 康复医院;疗养院

9. profit-making organizations: 赢利机构

10. dumping grounds: 垃圾场

练习:

1. The writer believes that the population explosion results from

A an increase in birthrates.

B the industrial development.

C a decrease in death rates.

D cultural advances.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures

A it was a moral responsibility to keep old-aged people alive.

B infants could be left dead in times of starvation.

C parents had to impart the cultural wisdom of the tribe to their children.

D death was considered to be freedom from hardships.

3. According to the passage, which of the following statements about retired people in the United States is true?

A Many of them have a very hard life.

B They cannot live a decent life without enough bank savings.

C They rely mainly on their children for financial support.

D Most of them live with their children and therefore are well looked after.

4. In Paragraph 3, the phrase "this need" refers to

A the need to prolong the lives of old people.

B the need to enrich the life of the retired people.

C the need to build profit-making nursing homes.

D the need to take care of a sick and weak person.

5. Which of the following best describes the writer's attitude toward most of the nursing homes, and convalescent hospitals?

A Sympathetic.

B Unfriendly.

C Optimistic.

D Critical.

答案与题解 :

1. C 第一段最后一句说： In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion. 事实上，是由于死亡率的下降，而不是出生率的上升，导数了人口爆炸。因此，选项 C是正确答案。

2. B 第二段第四句说： In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, whereas if the parents survived they could have another child. 在灾年，可能会容忍婴儿死亡，因为，如果他们的父母饿死了，他们也无法生存，而如果父母生存下来可重新生儿育女。因此，选项 B是正确的答案。

3. A 第二段倒数第二句是这么说的：In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. （在美国，许多退休人员依靠社会保障金生活，其数额之小差不多使人穷困潦倒。）可以看出，在美国许多退休人员的生活是很艰难的。这正是选项A表达的意思，因而选项A是正确的答案。

4. D 第三段第三句：Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. （当今，由于家庭中大多数人都出去工作或上学，家里常常没有人来照顾有病或虚弱的人。）"this need" 出现在下面这个短语中："To meet this need"（为了满足这种需要），它指句子前面的care for

a sick or weak person。这正是选项D表达的意思。

5. D文章昀后一句说 : … most of them are simply "dumping grounds" for the dying in which "care" is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under-skilled personnel.

大多数机构只不过是倾倒垂死的人的"垃饭场"，所谓的"照顾"都是由收入低、超量工作、技术水平低下的人员提供的。作者如此措辞显然是对大多数机构的强烈批评。因此，选项 D是正确答案。

*第二十四篇Sleep Lets Brain File Memories

To sleep. Perchance to file? Findings published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences further support the theory that the brain organizes and stows memories formed during the day while the rest of the body is catching zzz's.

Gyorgy Buzsaki of Rutgers University5 and his colleagues analyzed the brain waves of sleeping rats and mice. Specifically, they examined the electrical activity emanating from6 the somatosensory neocortex (an area that processes sensory information) and the hippocampus, which is a center for learning and memory. The scientists found that oscillations in brain waves from the two regions appear to be intertwined. So-called sleep spindles (bursts of activity from the neocortex) were followed tens of milliseconds later by beats in the hippocampus known as ripples. The team posits that this interplay between the two brain regions is a key step in memory consolidation. A second study,

also published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, links age-associated memory decline to high glucose levels.

Previous research had shown that individuals with diabetes suffer from increased memory problems. In the new work, Antonio Convit of New Y ork University School of Medicine and his collaborators studied 30 people whose average age was 69 to investigate whether sugar levels, which tend to increase with age, affect memory in healthy people as well. The scientists administered11 recall tests, brain scans and glucose tolerance tests, which measure how quickly sugar is absorbed from the blood by the body's tissues. Subjects with the poorest memory recollection, the team discovered, also displayed the poorest glucose tolerance. In addition, their brain scans showed more hippocampus shrinkage than those of subjects better able to absorb blood sugar.

"Our study suggests that this impairment12 may contribute to the memory deficits13 that occur as people age." Convit says. "And it raises the intriguing possibility that improving glucose tolerance could reverse some age-associated problems in cognition.14" Exercise and weight control can help keep glucose levels in check15, so there may be one more reason to go to the gym.

译文：睡眠促使记忆归档存储

睡觉，说不定就是在整理归类记忆？刊登在最近网上出版的国家科学院文献汇编上的新发现进一步证明了这个理论：当人体的其他部分在鼾声中安眠时，人体大脑就在整理和储存着白天形成的记忆。

美国新泽西州立大学的乔治Buzsaki和他的同事们分析了睡眠中的老鼠和田鼠的脑电波。他们特别研究了发源于学习记忆中心——大脑知觉新皮层（处理知觉信息的区域）和海马状的电流活动。科学家们发现，这两个区域的脑电波变化仿佛处于交织状态。而数十毫秒后海马状突起发出的波动将紧跟着所谓的睡眠纺锤体（新皮层上的种种活动）。这对科学家们假设这两个大脑区域的互动是理解增强记忆的关键。

接下来的研究，同样也是刊登在这周网上出版的国家科学院文献汇编中，是关于与日俱增年龄相关的由于葡萄糖浓度过高引起的记忆衰退。

之前的一项研究表明，患糖尿病的人一直受到记忆衰退的困扰。纽约大学医学院的安东尼`康威特及其同事在一项新的工程中研究了30个平均年龄69岁的人，以调查是否血糖浓度，随着年龄增长而增长，同样会影响健康人的记忆。科学家们实施了回忆测试、脑部扫描和葡萄糖耐量测试，以便测量出人体组织从血液中吸收糖分的速度。这组科学家发现，与最次的记忆相对的，是最低的葡萄糖耐量。此外，他们的脑部扫描也显示出海马状突起的缩小要比那些更容易从血液中吸收糖分的人明显。

“我们的研究表明，这种海马状突起的缩小对随着人类年龄增大而出现的记忆衰退有着不可忽视的影响”，康威特指出，“这一发现大大提高了令人兴奋的可能性，即，不断改善葡萄糖耐量可以完全改变对某些与年龄相关的认识问题。”身体锻炼和体重控制能限制葡萄糖浓度，由此，我们有了另外一个去健身房的理由。

词汇：

perchance [p?'t?ɑ:ns] adv. 偶然；可能

online ['?nlain] n. 在线的

stow [st?u] vt. 贮藏，堆装

emanate ['em?neit] vi. 发源

somatosensory [,s?um?t?'sens?ri] adj. 体觉的

neocortex [,ni:?u'k?:teks] n. 新（大脑）皮质

oscillation [,?si'lei??n] n. 振荡

intertwine [,int?'twain] v. 缠绕

spindle ['spindl] n. 纺锤体

ripple ['ripl] n. 波动，脉动

diabetes [,dai?'bi:ti:z] n. 糖尿病

recollection [,rek?'lek??n] n. 回忆

shrinkage ['?ri?kid?] n. 收缩

impairment [im'p??m?nt] n. 损伤

intrigue [in'tri:ɡ] n. 引起。。。兴趣（或好奇心）

cognition [k?ɡ'ni??n] n. 认识

注释：

1. file memories：归档并储存记忆。file：意为"to put or keep (papers,etc. ) in useful order for storage or reference"（把…归档）。

2. To sleep. Perchance to file? ：从莎士比亚笔下哈姆雷特的独白中的名句" To sleep: perchance to dream. "改编而来。

3. the Proceedings: (科学文献、会议文献)汇编，常用复数形式。

4. zzz：（拟声词）打鼾声

5. Rutgers University：美国新泽西州立大学(the State University of New Jersey)。

6. emanating from：发源于。

7. neocortex：新(大脑)皮质，尤指大的高等哺乳动物大脑中新生长的部分，也叫做neopallium。neo-：前縀，意思是"新的"。

8. thehippocampus：大脑侧面脑室壁上的隆起物，也称"海马状突起"，在泛记过程中起主要作用。

9. tens of milliseconds：几十毫秒

10. age-associated memory decline：与年龄相关的记忆衰退

11. administer：实施

12. this impairment：指上句中hippocampus shrinkage.

13. memory deficits：记忆衰退

14. … the intriguing possibility that improving glucose tolerance could reverse some age-associated problems in cognition：令人兴奋的可能性，即不断改善葡萄糖容许量可以完全改变对某些与年龄相关的认知问题。

15. keep glucose levels in check：限制葡萄糖水平。in check：在控制中，被阻止。

练习：

1. Which of the following statements is nearest in meaning to the sentence "To sleep. Perchance to file?"? A Does brain arrange memories in useful order during sleep?

B Does brain have memories when one is sleeping?

C Does brain remember files after one falls asleep?

D Does brain work on files in sleep?

2. What is the result of the experiment with rats and mice carried out at Rutgers University?

A The electrical activity is emanating from the somatosensory neocortex.

B Oscillations in brain waves are from hippocampus.

C Somatosensory neocortex and hippocampus work together in memory consolidation.

D Somatosensory neocortex plays it primary role in memory consolidation.

3. What is the relation of memory to glucose tolerance, as is indicated by a research mentioned in paragraph 4?

A People with poor memory have high glucose tolerance.

B People with good memory have low glucose tolerance.

C Memory level has nothing to do with glucose tolerance.

D The poorer the memory, the poorer glucose tolerance.

4. In what way is memory related to hippocampus shrinkage?

A There is no relation between memory and hippocampus shrinkage.

B The more hippocampus shrinks, the poorer one's memory.

C The more hippocampus shrinks, the better one's memory.

D The less hippocampus shrinks, the poorer one's memory.

5. According to the last paragraph, what is the ultimate reason for going to the gym?

A To prevent hippocampus shrinkage.

B To control weight.

C To exercise.

D To control glucose levels.

答案与解释:

1. A文章第一段告诉我们，科学新发现进一步支持了一种理论，即，当人体进入睡眠状态时，大脑对在白天形成的记忆进行组织和储存。To sleep. Perchance to file?见注释1和注释2。

2. C 第二段告诉我们，科学家分析了老鼠的脑电波，尤其是从somatosensory neocortex和hippocampus两个区域发出的脑电波。该段是后两句指出，这两个大脑区域的活动是互相作用的。第二段并没有说somatosensory neocortex或hippocampus起主导作用。

3. D 该段倒数第二句提供了答案。

4. B 第四段的后一句中their brain scans，指上句中的subjects

5. D 锻炼身体和体重控制能保持葡萄糖水平，闲此，去健身房就有了另外一个理由。

+第三十四篇Who Want to Live Forever?

If your doctor could give you a drug that would let you live a healthy life for twice as long ，would you take it?

The good news is that we may be drawing near to that date，Scientists have already extended the lives of flies ，worms and mice in laboratories. Many now think that using genetic treatments we will soon be able to extend human life to at least 140 years. This seems a great idea. Think of how much more time we could spend chasing our dreams，spending time with our loved ones，watching our families grow and have families of their own.

"Longer life would give us a chance to recover from our mistakes and promote long term thinking," says Dr Gregory Stock of the University Of California School Of Public Health. "It would also raise productivity by adding to the year we can work."

Longer lives don't just affect the people who live them. They also affect society as a whole. "We have war，poverty，all sorts of issues around，and I don't think any of them would be at all helped by having people live longer," says US bioethicist Daniel Callahan."The question is 'What will we get as a society? 'I suspect it won't be a better society."

It would certainly be a very different society. People are already finding it more difficult to stay married. Divorce rates are rising. What would happen to marriage in a society where people lived for 140 years? And what would happen to family life if nine or 10 generations of the same family were all alive at the same time?

Research into ageing may enable women to remain fertile for longer. And that raises the prospect of having 100-year-old parents，or brothers and sisters born 50 years apart. We think of an elder sibling as someone who can protect us and offer help and advice. That would be hard to do if that sibling came from a completely different generation.

Working life would also be affected，especially if the retirement age was lifted. More people would stay in work for longer. That would give us the benefits of age-skill，wisdom and good judgment. On the other hand，more people working for longer would create greater competition for jobs. It would make it more difficult for younger people to find a job. Top posts would be dominated by the same few individuals，making career progress more difficult. And how easily would a 25-year-old employee be able to communicate with a 125-year-old boss?

Y oung people would be a smaller part of a society in which people lived to 140. It may be that such a society would place less importance on guiding and educating young people，and more on making life comfortable for the old.

And society would feel very different if more of its members were older. There would be more wisdom，but less energy. Y oung people like to move about. Old people like to sit still. Y oung people tend to act without thinking. Old people tend to think without acting. Y oung people are curious and like to experience different things. Old people are less enthusiastic about change. In fact ，they are less enthusiastic about everything.

The effect of anti-ageing technology is deeper than we might think. But as the science advances，we need to think about these changes now. " If this could ever happen，then we'd better ask what kind of society we want to get，" says Daniel Callahan. "We had better not go anywhere near it until we have figure those problems out."

词汇:

mice / mais / n. 老鼠(复数)

sibling / 'sibli? / n. 兄弟姐妹

bioethicist // n. 生物伦理学家

注释:

1. brothers and sisters born 50 years apart 出生年份相隔50年的兄弟姐妹

2. We had better not go anywhere near it 我们最好离它远点，这里的it指代前面讲的anti-ageing technology.

练习:

1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as one of the things that living longer might enable an individual to do?

A．Spending more time with his family.

B．Having more education.

C．Realizing more dreams.

D．Working longer.

2. Which of the following is implied in the sixth paragraph?

A Marriages in the US today are quite unstable.

B More and more people in the US today want to get married.

C Living longer would make it easier for people to maintain their marital ties.

D If people live longer ，they would stay in marriage longer.

3. All of the following are possible effects living longer might have on working life EXCEPT

A Communication between employers and employees would be more difficult.

B More money would be used by employees in payment of their employees.

C The job market would be more competitive.

D It would be more difficult for young people to be promoted to top positions.

4. An important feature of a society in which people live a long life is that

A．it places more emphasis on educating the young.

B．it is both wise and energetic.

C． it lacks the curiosity to experiment what is new.

D． it welcomes changes.

5. Which of the following best describes Callahan 's attitude to anti-ageing technology ?

A． Optimistic.

B． Pessimistic.

C． Reserved.

D． Negative.

答案与题解：

1. B 长寿使个人能做的事主要在第三、四段里讲到，作者没有提到长寿可以让人更多地接受教育。

2. A本题答案以下面的这两句话为依据:People are already finding it more difficult to stay married. Divorce rates are rising. 暗示美国人目前的婚姻关系已经十分脆弱。

3. B 文章的第九段讲了寿命延长、退休推迟可能带来的种种问题，但作者没有提到雇佣者需要更多的钱来支付员工的工资。

4. C 答案可以在第十、十一这两段里找到。

5. C 本题的答案依据可以在最后一段里找到。Callahan 认为在搞清楚长寿社会会给我们带来哪些问题之前，最好不要急着搞抗衰老的技术。可见他对抗衰老技术的发展是有保留的。

+第四十篇Some People Do Not Taste Salt Like Others

Low—salt foods may be harder for some people to like than others，according to a study by a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences l food scientist．The research indicates that genetic factors influence some of the difference in the levels of salt we like to eat．

Those conclusions are important because recent，well—publicized efforts to reduce the salt content in food2 have left many people struggling to accept fare that simply does not taste as good to them as it does to others3，pointed out John Hayes，assistant professor of food science，who was lead investigator4 0n the study．

Diets high in salt Can increase the risk of high blood pressure and stroke．That is why public health experts and food companies are working together on ways to help consumers lower salt intake through foods that are enjoyable to eat．This study increases understanding of salt preference and consumption．

The research involved 87 carefully screened participants who sampled salty foods such as soup and chips，on multiple occasions，spread out over weeks5．Test subjects were 45：men and 42 women, reportedly healthy，ranging in age from 20 t0 40 years．The sample was composed of individuals who were not actively modifying their dietary intake and did not smoke cigarettes．They rated the intensity of taste on a commonly used scientific scale，ranging from barely detectable to strongest sensation of any kind．

“Most of us like the taste of salt．However，some individuals eat more salt，both because they like the taste of saltiness more，and also because it is needed to block other unp leasant tastes

in food,” said Hayes. “Supertasters, people who experience tastes more intensely, consume more salt than nontasters do. Snack foods have saltiness as their primary flavor, and at least for these foods, more is better, so the supertasters see m to like them more.”

However, supertasters also need higher levels of salt to block unpleasant bitter tastes in foods such as cheese，Hayes noted．“For example，cheese is a wonderful blend of dairy flavors from fermented milk，but also bitter tastes from ripening that are blocked by salt，” he said．“A supertaster finds low-salt cheese unpleasant because the bitterness is too pronounced6．”

Hayes cited research done more than 75 years ago by a chemist named Fox and a geneticist named Blakeslee，showing that individuals differ in their ability to taste certain chemicals．As a result，Hayes explained，we know that a wide range in taste acuity exists，and this variation is as normal as variations in eye and hair color．

“Some people，called supertasters，describe bitter compounds as being extremely bitter，while others，called nontasters，find these same bitter compounds to be tasteless or only weakly bitter．”he said．“Response to bitter compounds is one of many ways to identify biological differences in food preference because supertastin7 is not limited to bitterness．(476)

词汇：

Publicize v．引起公众对…的注意；(用广告)宣传

Dietary adj．饮食的；规定食物的

Ferment v．(使)发酵

Geneticist n．遗传学家

Acuity n．敏锐；尖锐

注释：

1．Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences：即Penn State University--College of Agricultural Sciences宾州州立大学农学院。Penn是Pennsylvania的缩写，是美国宾夕法尼亚州名。宾州州

立大学建于1855年：在全国共有24个分校。在句中，Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences 用作定语，修饰food scientist。

2．Well-publicized efforts to reduce the salt content in food：大力宣传减少食物含盐量的做法

3．1eft many people struggling to accept fare that simply does not taste as good to them as it does to others：使得许多人努力去接受适合其他人而不适合他们口味的食物。fare相当于food。

4．1ead investigator：研发项目负责人

5．…carefully screened participants who sampled salty foods as soup and chips．on multiple occasion，spread out over weeks：……经过仔细筛选的实验参与者，他们在几周内的不同时间里品尝了汤和薯条等含盐食物。

6．too pronounced：此处pronounced为形容词，意为very noticeable，conspicuous(明显的，显著的)。

7．supertasting：超重味感

练习：

1．In paragraph 2，John Hayes points out that

A．it is good to health to eat food without salt．

B．many people reject low—salt food completely．

C．many people accept low—salt tasteless food reluctantly

D．food with reduced salt tastes better．

2．The fourth paragraph describes briefly

A．how to select subjects and what to do in the research．

B．how to identify supertasters and nontasters．

C．why to limit the number of subjects to 87 persons．

D．why to select more male subjects than female ones．

3. The article argues that supertasters

A．1ike the；taste of saltiness to block sweet tastes in food．

B．1ike snack foods as saltiness is their primary flavor．

C．consume less salt because they don t like intensive tastes．

D．1ike to share salty cheese with nontasters．

4. Which of the following applies to supertasters in terms of bitter taste?

A．They like bitterness in foods as well as saltiness．

B．They like high．salt cheese as it has intense bitter taste．

C．They prefer high—salt cheese．which tastes less bitter．．

D. They prefer high-salt cheese as it is good to health．

5. What message do the last two paragraphs carry?

A．Taste acuity is genetically determined．

B．Taste acuity is developed over time after birth．

C．Taste acuity is related to one's eye and hair color．

D．Taste acuity is still a mysterious subject in science．

答案与题解：

1．C 根据短文的第二段内容，很多人因为食物中的含盐量降低，所以必须做出很大努力(struggling)去适应，而低盐食物对于他们来说，口味很不好(fare that simply does not

taste…good to them)。选项C有accept reluctantly(勉强接受)表达了这层意思，所以是正确的选择。A、B、D三个选项均是错误的。

2．A第四段介绍了科学家是如何设计这项研究的，它包含了研究对象的人数、性别、人选条件、咸度味感分级表等。选项A概括了这方面的内容，所以是答案。而选项B、C、D所述内容均不符合该段的意思。

3．B 短文的第五段提供了答案o supertaster在这里的意思是：口味重的人，在本文中，nontaster 是其反义词，即，口味清谈的人。该段告诉我们，口味重的人消耗更多的盐；因为快餐食品的主要味道就是咸味，而且咸度越高，口味越好，所以口味重的人对快餐较为偏爱。选项B表达了上述内容，所以是答案。

4．C 短文第六段提供了答案。该段告诉我们，奶酪发酵会产生苦味，supertasters不喜欢苦味，而高含盐量可以盖住奶酪里的昔味，这是他们偏爱高盐奶酪的原因。所以，只有C是正确选择。

5．A 文章第七段中，Hayes引用了75年前一位遗传学专家的实验。从这项实验中，Hayes得出的结论是，Taste acuity(味觉敏度)上的差异与他们头发和眼睛的颜色上的差异是同一类现象，也就是说，都是与生俱来的。第八段又说，这是一种biological difference(生物差异)，所以A 是答案。B说味觉敏度是后天形成的，显然与作者的结论相左0℃说味觉敏度的差异与头发和眼睛的颜色上的差异有关，显然是错误的。D的内容在最后两段都没有提到，所以不会是答案。

咸度味感因人而异

宾州州立大学农学院食品科学家进行的一项研究表明，有些人很难喜欢含盐量低的食物。该研究指出，遗传因素导致我们对咸度的不同喜好。

该研究负责人、食品科学副教授约翰·海斯指出，这些结论非常重要，因为近期对减少食物含盐量的大力宣传使得许多人努力去接受适合其他人而不适合自己口味的食物。

含盐量高的饮食会增加高血压和中风的风险，这就是公共健康专家和食品公司共同努力、通过可口的食品帮助消费者减少盐摄入量的原因。该研究使人们更加理解对盐的喜好和摄入的差异。

该研究包括87名经过仔细筛选的参与者，他们在几周的不同时间品尝了汤和薯条等含盐食物。参与者包括45名男性和42名女性，身体健康，年龄在20岁到40岁之间。参与者不会主动改变自己的饮食习惯，且不吸烟。他们通过一种常用的科学量表来区别咸度味感，分为“最轻微味感”到“最强烈味感”等级别。

海斯说，“大部分人都喜欢盐的味道。但是，有些人吃盐较多，这不仅是因为他们更喜欢咸味，也因为他们需要咸味来遮盖食物其他讨厌的味道。口味超重的人比口味清淡的人消耗更多的盐。因为快餐食品的主要味道就是咸味，而且咸度越高，味道越好，所以口味超重的人更喜欢快餐。”