For many people, it is hard to imagine what it is like to lose their sense of smell. Known as “anosmia”, loss of smell can have a substantial effect on our overall wellbeing and quality of life. But while a sudden respiratory infection (呼吸道感染) might lead to a temporary loss of this important sense, your sense of smell may well have been gradually eroding away for years due to something else- air pollution.
Exposure to PM2. 5 has previously been linked with smell loss, but typically only in occupational or industrial settings. But new research is now starting to reveal the true scale and the potential damage caused by the pollution we breathe in every day. On the underside of our brains lies the olfactory bulb (嗅球). This sensitive bit of tissue is essential for the enormously varied picture of the world we get from our sense of smell. It’s also our first line of defense against viruses and pollutants entering the brain. But, with repeated exposure to PM2. 5, these defenses slowly get worn down.
“Our data show there’s a 1.6 to 1.7-fold increased risk of developing anosmia with sustained particulate pollution (粒状物污染),” says Murugappan Ramanathan, a rhinologist. One Mexican study in 2006, which used strong coffee and orange odors showed that residents of Mexico City which often struggles with air pollution — tended to have a poorer sense of smell on average than people living in rural areas of the country.
So, should we care that air pollution to which we are all exposed -is damaging our sense of smell and causing anosmia? Clearly, the answer is yes. Ramanathan says, “Air quality matters. I think we need tight regulations and control. Many people may not even realize the pollution they are exposed to. But even the everyday, low level air pollution we are exposed to should be taken more seriously.”
1. What do the underlined words “eroding away” mean in paragraph 1?| A．Evolving. | B．Becoming weak. |
| C．Becoming sharp. | D．Appearing. |
| A．Exposure to PM2. 5 has nothing to do with smell loss. |
| B．The pollution we breathe in on a daily basis may cause harm. |
| C．Our nose stops viruses and pollutants from entering the brain. |
| D．Our defenses will disappear quickly with air pollution exposure. |
| A．They have developed anosmia with air pollution. |
| B．Their sense of smell is poorer than rural people’s. |
| C．They often consume strong coffee. |
| D．They tend to have a good sense of smell. |
| A．How we should react to air pollution. |
| B．What we should do to protect the environment. |
| C．What steps we can take to recover from anosmia. |
| D．How we can improve our life quality. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】What is the difference between a college and a university? This is a good question for students who want to attend a college or a university in the United States.
Colleges and universities have many things in common. Both provide a greater understanding of the world and its past. Both provide education in the arts and sciences. And both can help prepare young people to earn a living.
Students who complete their undergraduate studies either at a four-year college or a university receive a bachelor’s degree. One difference is that many colleges do not offer graduate studies.
Universities are generally bigger, offer more programs and do more research. Modern universities developed from those of the Middle Ages in Europe. The word “university” comes from the Latin “universitas”. This described a group of people organized for a common purpose. The word “college” comes from a Latin word with a similar meaning, “collegium”. In England, colleges were formed to provide students with places to live in. Usually each group of students was studying the same thing. So college came to mean an area of study. But a college can also be a part of a university. The first American universities divided their studies into a number of areas and called each one a college. This is still true.
Programs in higher learning may also be called schools. The University of Arizona in Tucson, for example, has 18 colleges and 10 schools. They include the colleges of pharmacy (制药学), education, engineering and law. They also include the schools of architecture, dance and public administration.
College is also used as a general term for higher education. A news report might talk about “college students” even if they include students at universities. Or someone might ask, “Where do you go to college?”
Today, most American colleges offer an area of study called liberal arts. These are subjects first developed and taught in ancient Greece. They include language, philosophy and mathematics. The purpose is to train a person’s mind instead of teaching job skills.
1. The passage is probably written to ________.| A．persuade students to go to college instead of schools |
| B．tell students the differences between colleges and universities |
| C．help students make a better choice of what kind of colleges they should go to |
| D．inform students about how much they are going to spend in going to college |
| A．Colleges and universities don’t have many similarities. |
| B．Colleges and universities are similar as students spend four years in both of them. |
| C．The word “college” comes from a Latin word meaning the students’ living places. |
| D．The words “universitas” and “collegium” both mean a group of people studying for a common purpose. |
| A．only students studying in colleges |
| B．students studying in colleges in the USA |
| C．only students studying in universities |
| D．students receiving higher education |
| A．Both universities and colleges include different schools. |
| B．The purpose of liberal arts is to train a person’s job skill. |
| C．Both universities and colleges can help prepare students to make a living. |
| D．Most American universities have 18 colleges and 10 schools. |
| A．get students ready to earn a living |
| B．teach students subjects from engineering to philosophy |
| C．help students achieve a stronger and clearer mind |
| D．encourage more students to begin the study of arts |
【推荐2】The Useful Social Benefits Of Drinking Wines
Drinking wine in moderation (适度) will give you tons of benefits. Apart from the health benefits,
Boost confidence
One of the social benefits of drinking wine is to boost yourself-confidence. Wine can influence how your mind thinks, and how your heart feels. One good example is courtship among youth. If a man is so shy and has no self-confidence at all, it’ll be impossible to court a woman. The same goes with women.
Meet new friends
Wine has been part of social life for many people. It could be going to a party with friends, or might be a corporate meeting in a company. With the impact of drinking wine in your social life, you tend to show yourself to different places and people.
True friends are so hard to find. Thus, social activities play a significant role in strengthening ties with people within your reach. Besides playing basketball or putting make upon together, real friends usually gather with a bottle of wine on a centre table. Drinking wine has been an effective way to discover who are your real friends within a circle.
Bond families together
Imagine a whole family is having a meal together at the dining table. Wine in hand, sharing fun stories, cracking jokes, and laughing together.
| A．there are some more benefits |
| B．It happens once in a blue moon to know your siblings or parents very well |
| C．it also provides you with various social benefits |
| D．Strengthen friendship |
| E．Gain friendship |
| F．Every time you feel shy and doubtful of yourself |
| G．Social exposure is your door outside to let people know your existence |
【推荐3】Fluid(流体) intelligence is a decisive factor of human cognition(认知) . Studies show that high fluid intelligence predicts professional success, social mobility, health, and longevity, and also relates to stronger additional cognitive capacities like memory. Now, new research has mapped the parts of the brain that support our ability to think quickly.
“Our findings indicate for the first time that the right frontal regions of the brain are critical to the high-level functions involved in fluid intelligence, such as problem solving and reasoning,” says lead study author Professor Lisa Cipolotti of the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology.
Despite modern science largely agreeing that fluid intelligence is a key aspect of what makes us human, it’s quite difficult for scientists to study these matters. In order to establish which parts of the brain are necessary for a certain ability, researchers must study patients in whom that part is either missing or damaged. So, earlier studies have mainly made use of functional imaging techniques, which are not entirely accurate and sometimes can be misleading.
This latest project, led by Professor Lisa Cipolotti, included a total of 227 patients who had experienced brain injuries, like a brain tumor or stroke. The team completed this using the Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM): the best-established test of fluid intelligence.
The APM features multiple-choice visual pattern problems of increasing difficulty. Each of the problems shows an incomplete pattern of geometric figures and asks participants to select the missing piece from a set of multiple possible choices.
Next, researchers introduced a novel lesion-deficit mapping(损伤缺陷映射)approach that helped to make out the complex patterns of common brain injuries, such as stroke.
Results show fluid intelligence-damaged performance was mostly limited to patients with right frontal damage, as opposed to a wide set of regions distributed across the brain.
“Our approach of combining novel lesion-deficit mapping with detailed investigation of APM performance in a large sample of patients provides crucial information about the neural basis of fluid intelligence,”Professor Cipolotti concludes.
1. What have the researchers newly found?| A．The function of fluid intelligence. |
| B．The importance of fluid intelligence. |
| C．The link between cognition and memory. |
| D．The position involving fluid intelligence. |
| A．Make full use of functional imaging techniques. |
| B．Establish the structures of each part of the brain. |
| C．Research people with the disability of the brain. |
| D．Analyse the difference between brain loss and damage. |
| A．To list the result of the study. | B．To explain the feature of APM. |
| C．To praise the researchers’ efforts. | D．To offer solutions to brain injuries. |
| A．Fruitful. | B．Perfect. | C．Time-consuming | D．Labor-saving. |
【推荐1】Microplastics, as the name implies, are tiny plastic particles found in the environment. Any plastic particle that has a diameter of less than 5 mm is considered to be microplastic. For a long time, a majority of people were unaware of the presence of microplastics and their effects on the environment. However, these particles have become a significant topic of debate in recent times after researchers noted their presence in almost every corner of the globe. from Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench.
There are two categories of microplastics: primary and secondary. Primary microplastics are tiny particles meant for external commercial use such as cosmetics, as well as microfibers to make other textiles, such as fishing nets. Secondary microplastics are particles that result from the breakdown of larger plastic items, such as water bottles.
There are various sources of microplastics. Wastewater treatment plants and sewage treatment plants are the major sources of primary microplastics, most of which are residues (残留物) of cosmetics, paint, household and industrial waste. Single-use plastics plastic items meant to be used just once and then discarded, such as a straw — are the main source of secondary plastics in the environment.
The problem with microplastics is that like plastic items of any size they do not readily break down into harmless molecules. Plastics can take hundreds or thousands of years to decompose (降解). That means once produced, we cannot get rid of them. Microplastics exist on beaches and deeper waters, and have been detected in marine organisms from plankton to whales, in commercial seafood, and even in drinking water. They are mistaken for food by marine animals and some plastics are so tiny that they end up in the animal tissues. They are passed across the food chain, and some find their way to humans.
Scientists are still unsure whether consumed microplastics are harmful to human or animal health and if so, what specific dangers they may pose. Even so, many countries are taking action to reduce microplastics in the environment. The best approaches to controlling microplastics include proper handling of plastics and thorough treatment of wastewater.
1. According to the first two paragraphs, microplastics are_________| A．common in our daily life |
| B．used to make glass bottles |
| C．found in all the uninhabited areas |
| D．tiny plastic particles with a diameter of 5mm |
| A．The use of straws should be forbidden. |
| B．Household waste contains microplastics. |
| C．Industrial waste is a source of secondary plastics |
| D．Wastewater and sewage treatment plants are useless. |
| A．Because they’re consumed as food. |
| B．Because they exist on the beaches. |
| C．Because they easily break down. |
| D．Because they’re left out in the food chain. |
| A．To analyze the sources of microplastics. |
| B．To warn people of the danger of microplastics. |
| C．To give an overall introduction to microplastics. |
| D．To persuade people to give up the use of microplastics. |
【推荐2】Most of us are used to the sound we hear in daily life, such as loud music, the television, people talking on their phone and even pet dogs barking in the middle of the night.
Too much noise pollution in working areas such as offices, construction sites, bars and even in our homes can influence psychological health. Studies show that the occurrence of aggressive behavior, disturbance of sleep, and constant stress can be linked to excessive(过度的) noise levels.
Loud noise can certainly influence your sleeping pattern.
As of now, there do not exist many solutions to such pollution.
| A．You’ll feel it hard to deal with others |
| B．It may lead to problems related to tiredness |
| C．But everybody can help to reduce the noise in their homes |
| D．These, in turn, can cause more severe health problems later in life |
| E．Many firm measures should be taken to remove loud noises in our life |
| F．Our ears can take in a certain range of sounds without getting damaged |
| G．All of these have become a part of the urban culture and rarely disturb us |
【推荐3】Researchers from London’s Queen Mary University studied how participants were affected by pollution based on where they live. In the journal Circulation on Friday, the scientists revealed that air pollution can harm the heart to the point where it resembles (类似) the early stages of heart failure.
According to Emory Healthcare, deaths have decreased around 12 percent per decade on average over the past 50 years, but 287,000 people die frorn heart failure each year. There are more hospitalizations from heart failure each year than all cancers combined.
In this study, the scientists examined information from 4,000 participants that were in the UK Biobank study. Volunteers had blood tests, health scans and heart MRIs, which measured the function, size and weight of their hearts. They also recorded their lifestyle, health record and where they’ve lived.
The team found participants had larger right and left ventricles (心室) in the heart when they lived closer to busy roads and were exposed to nitrogen dioxide(NOz), which enters the air when fuel is burned. The right and left ventricles are crucial for pumping blood. They were healthy but resembled the ventricles in early-stage heart failure. The scientists found that the higher the exposure to the pollutants, the greater the changes in the heart.
“Air pollution should be seen as a modifiable risk factor,” Dr. Nay Aung, who led the data analysis of the study, said in a statemnent from Queen Mary University. “The public all need to be aware of their exposure when they think about their heart health, just like they think about their blood pressure and their weight.”
Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation said in the statement from Queen Mary University, “We can’t expect people to move home to avoid air pollution, so government and public bodies must act right now to make all areas safe and protect the population from these harm.”
1. What is the finding of the study?| A．Air pollution causes many people to die. |
| B．People have big problems of heart health. |
| C．People’s houses have a great effect on the heart. |
| D．Air pollution makes our hearts at risk of heart failure. |
| A．It can be cured easily. | B．It remains a serious threat. |
| C．It’s the most common illness. | D．It causes people to suffer cancers. |
| A．They had many health problems. | B．Their ventricles worked better. |
| C．Their hearts were out of danger. | D．The size of their hearts was bigger. |
| A．Moving to safer areas. | B．Living far away from crowds. |
| C．Taking notice of air pollution. | D．Taking blood pressure regularly. |
【推荐1】An international research team has examined how English lessons in primary school affect language ability in this subject in secondary school. Children who started learning English in the first grade of primary school performed significantly better in listening and reading comprehension in Grade Nine than children who started in Grade Three. The study was a continuation (继续) of an earlier paper that had only covered the period up to the seventh grade and couldn’t find any such learning advantage.
The team headed by Professor Markus Ritter from Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (RUB) and Dr. Nils Jakel from the University of Oulu, Finland, deseribes their findings in System. The study included data from around 3, 000 students who participated in a long-term study conducted in Germany between 2010 and 2014. The same data had also been used in the previous study, the researchers had published the results of which in 2017. At that time, the new research had compared two groups, one of which had started English lessons in Grade One, the other in Grade Three. In grades five and seven, they had compared both groups in terms of English reading and listening comprehension. The new analysis contained another set of data collected in 2016 to measure the English performance of the same children in Grade Nine.
The previous study had found that children who had started English lessons earlier in primary school performed worse in reading and listening comprehension in Grade Seven than children who had not started English lessons until Grade Three. However, the new analysis showed that, in Grade Nine, the early starters in English performed better than the late starters in English.
“We believe the most acceptable explanation is that lessons following the transition (过渡) period in secondary school have been increasingly adapted to the needs of children who start to take English lessons at an early stage,” concludes Nils Jakel, formerly at RUB, now at the University of Oulu.
Additional background variables such as gender, language of origin or cognitive (认知的) abilities could not account for the difference between the poorer performance in the seventh grade and the late learning gains in the ninth grade.
1. What did the early research find?| A．Students in Grade Nine were smarter than others. |
| B．Students in Grade Seven were good at learning English. |
| C．Learning English from Grade One had no learning advantage. |
| D．Learning English from Grade Three had some learning advantages. |
| A．By listing different data and numbers. |
| B．By making comparisons among different groups. |
| C．By asking the primary school students to do some tests. |
| D．By inviting some volunteers to take part in the research. |
| A．The late starters in English performed better than the early starters in English in Grade Seven. |
| B．The early starters in English performed better than the late starters in English in Grade Nine. |
| C．It is hard to find an appropriate time to start to learn English. |
| D．Academic performance has nothing to do with when to start learning English. |
| A．a website of education research | B．a book about one’s life story |
| C．an advertisement in a newspaper | D．a magazine of fashion |
【推荐2】Pumpkins of almost any variety have flesh high in fiber and beta carotene(β-胡萝卜素). But we don't eat the vast majority of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. Instead, we, of course, carve faces into them, light them and perhaps leave them to sit outside for days. And then we threw them. But could we be eating more pumpkins?
The Howden pumpkin-the most common variety for decorative uses-has been produced for its size, shape, color and having a handle-like stem for easy carrying, according to Katie Kammler, gardening specialist with the University of Missouri Extension. “If it was my choice, carved pumpkins are not what I'd want to eat,” Kammler says. Instead, she'd prefer one of the smaller and sweeter varieties-like the jack-be-little, Hubbard or kabocha, which have been selected over time for taste.
“You could puree(把……研成糊状) your pumpkin,” she tells The Salt by email. “If you go that route, I'd recommend using the puree for baking; sugar and spices will go a long way in improving the taste.”
Now, admittedly, eating your Halloween pumpkin this way means not carving it. So what if you have already carved it?
We asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) whether they recommended eating Halloween pumpkins. Spokeswoman Lauren Sucher said, “They may have been left outside for days and exposed to dirt and insects, and possibly wax and smoke. But we recommend that consumers who want to use their pumpkins for food set aside some parts, such as pumpkin seeds, and roast them soon after carving.”
But this doesn't mean after Halloween there aren't better things to do with your pumpkin than putting it in landfills(垃圾填埋地). Kammler says those in good condition make great farm animal feed.
Another suggestion from Chef Dan Barber. “Donate your pumpkin to compost(堆肥) at your local farmers' market. So if it doesn't feed us at least it's helping crops grow.”
1. What do we learn about the Howden pumpkin?| A．It is most suitable for Halloween. | B．It is mainly used for food products. |
| C．It is more delicious than the jack-be-little. | D．It is Kammler's favorite variety of pumpkin. |
| A．How to puree your pumpkin. | B．How to eat Halloween pumpkins. |
| C．How to cook uncarved pumpkins. | D．How to improve the taste of pumpkins. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Dissatisfied. |
| C．Uncertain. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．Eat those in good condition. | B．Bury them under the ground. |
| C．Sell them at local farmers' market. | D．Give them to farms to improve soil. |
【推荐3】One school night this month I quietly approached Alexander, my 15-year-old son, and patted him on the cheek in a manner I hoped would seem casual. Alex knew better, sensing by my touch, which remained just a moment too long, that I was sneaking (偷偷地做) a touch of the beard that had begun to grow near his ears. Suddenly he went stormily to his computer screen. That, and an angry look of his eyes, told me more forcefully than words: Mom, you are seen through!
I realized I committed a silly behavior: not showing respect for my teenager’s personal space. “The average teenager has strong feelings about his privacy,” said two young women experts. Ms. Frankel and Ms. Fox, both 17, are the authors of Breaking the Code, a new book that seeks to bridge the generational divide between parents and adolescents. It is being promoted by its publisher as the first self-help guide by teenagers for their parents, a kind of Kids Are From Mars, Parents Are From Venus that explains the language and actions of teenagers.
Personally, I welcomed insights into teenagers from any qualified experts, and that included the authors. The most common missteps in interacting with teenagers, they instructed me, result from the conflict between parents maintaining their right to know what goes on under their roof and teenagers striving to guard their privacy. When a child is younger, they write, every decision centers around the parents. But now, as Ms. Fox told me, “often your teenager is in this circle that doesn’t include you.”
Ms. Fox and Ms. Frankel acknowledge that teenagers can be quick to interpret their parents’ remarks a s negative or authoritative and respond with aggressiveness that masks their defenselessness. “What we want above all is your approval,” they write. “Don’t forget, no matter how much we act as if we don’t care what you say, we believe the things you say about us.”
1. What does the underlined part “Kids Are From Mars, Parents Are From Venus” mean?| A．A book sharing the same theme with Breaking the Code |
| B．A book disapproving of opinions showed in Breaking the Code |
| C．A book employing the same language style as Breaking the Code |
| D．A book ranking right after Breaking the Code among self-help guides |
| A．declare teenagers’ rights | B．help parents know teenagers better |
| C．remind parents of teenagers’ missteps | D．arouse much disagreement from the public |
| A．Teenagers’ defense of their privacy. | B．Teenagers’ refusal to follow experts’ advice. |
| C．Parents’ striving to instruct teenagers. | D．Parents’ dislike in teenagers’ attitudes to life. |
| A．Teenagers always rush to judgement on others. |
| B．Parents often seek to create an authoritative image. |
| C．Parents’ opinions about teenagers count a lot to them. |
| D．Teenagers have good comprehension and defenselessness. |
