【推荐1】A diet rich in fruit and vegetables and incorporating a daily glass of wine can protect the brain against dementia, a study suggests. Sticking closely to Mediterranean eating habits, which also include plenty of nuts, seafood, whole grains and olive oil, has been linked to a 23 per cent lower risk of dementia.

Based on data gathered on 60,000 people via the UK Biobank, a medical database set up in 2006, the researchers scored participants’ diets for how closely they matched the ideal Mediterranean diet on two scales.

Using one, those whose eating habits were the best match were 23 per cent less likely to develop dementia than those whose diets least fit the pattern. A diet with a perfect score would involve more than four tablespoons of olive oil, at least two portions of vegetables and three of fruit per day as well as a glass of wine. It would also include at least three servings of legumes, 90 grams of nuts, and three servings of fish or shellfish a week. The ideal diet would also involve very little red or processed meat, avoiding too many sweetened drinks, butter, margarine or cream.

The second scale used similar criteria and a close match on that was linked to a 14 per cent lower risk of dementia. The findings, published in the journal BMC Medicine, appeared to show a “protective effect regardless of someone’s genetic risk”.

Dr Susan Mitchell, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said, “There is a wealth of evidence that eating a healthy, balanced diet can help reduce the risk of cognitive decline. But the evidence for specific diets is much less clear-cut.” She pointed out that the study only drew on data from people with white, British or Irish ancestry. She said, “While there are no surefire ways to prevent dementia yet, a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, along with plenty of exercise and not smoking, all contribute to good heart health, which in turn helps to protect our brain from diseases that lead to dementia.”

1. What did the study find out?

A．A new way to cure a disease.	B．A popular diet to keep balance.
C．A medical database to do research.	D．A possible strategy to reduce the risk of dementia.

2. How did the researchers carry out the study?

A．By making comparison.	B．By presenting the process.
C．By consulting other studies.	D．By analyzing cause and effect.

3. What does Susan Mitchell think of the study?

A．It’s evident.

B．It’s limited.

C．It’s practical.

D．It’s promising.

4. Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?

A．	B．
C．	D．

【推荐3】Show Some Love to the Ugly and Endangered

Let’s face it-not every animal is going to win a beauty contest. But all of them are important, and they all deserve a chance at survival. Let’s show a little love for some of the endangered species that may not be the prettiest, but need our help all the same.

Pallid Sturgeon(浅色鲟鱼)

The species has been around for more than 78 million years. These guys once shared the planet with dinosaurs. And sadly，they could be going the same way as their now fossilized(变成化石的)friends. Today, the last wild-born pallid sturgeons are nearing extinction. As humans built dams in the waterways these fish need to survive, they blocked the pallid sturgeon from being able to reach its breeding grounds.

California Condor(加州秃鹫)

The California condor sports a bare featherless head, the better to put into dead things without getting too dirty. With a wingspan of up to 9 feet, they’re one of the largest birds in the world. But due in large part to habitat loss, illegal shootings, and lead poisoning, by 1985 the entire known wild population had been reduced to just nine birds.

Northern Long-eared Bat

Few animals have as undeserved a bad reputation as bats do but they actually provide incredibly valuable services like pollination(授粉)or eating insects that could otherwise kill crops or make us sick.

North American bats like the Northern long-eared bat are being killed right now by a disease called “white nose syndrome”. This infection has lent new urgency to efforts to protect bat habitats and reduce other threats to their survival.

These are just three of a long list of endangered species that need our help-even if they aren’t always the ones that get the lion’s share of the spotlight. This Valentine’s Day, show some love for species like these.

1. What is the main reason for the pallid sturgeon’s close extinction?

A．Its ugly appearance.

B．The extinction of its fossilized friends.

C．Its long history of more than 78 million years.

D．Dams prevent them from reaching breeding grounds.

2. Which of following statements is TRUE?

A．Bats deserve a bad reputation.

B．North American bats are being killed by “white nose syndrome”.

C．The California condor sports featherless.

D．The California condor is the largest birds in the world.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．No animal can share the spotlight of the lion.

B．Few endangered species need human’s help.

C．All species are equally important.

D．The Valentine’s Day is intended for endangered species.