Consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has increased over the past 20 years. UPFs contain few or no whole foods, are industrially produced, are ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat, and include additives. The ultra-processing of food lessens its nutritional value. It has been known that higher UPF consumption is associated with overweight and heart disease. Now, research has been extended to examine its impact on mental health.
In a new study, over 72,000 participants who were at least 55 years old and didn’t have dementia (痴呆) at the start of the study were followed for an average of 10 years, during which they filled out questionnaires regarding their diet. By the end of the study, 518 people were diagnosed (诊断) with dementia. After adjusting for other factors that could affect risk of dementia such as age, gender, and heart disease, researchers found every 10 percent increase in daily intake of UPFs was associated with a 25percent higher risk of dementia. They also found replacing 10 percent of UPFs with unprocessed or minimally processed foods was associated with a 19 percent lower risk of dementia.
In another study, researchers found individuals who consumed the most UPFs had statistically significant increases in the symptoms (症状) of mild depression, “mentally unhealthy days”, and “anxious days”. Eric Hecht, Founder and Executive Director of the Institute of Etiological Research, said, “More than 70 percent of packaged foods in the US are classified as UPFs and represent about 60 percent of all calories consumed by Americans. Given the degree of exposure to and effects of UPF consumption, this study has great significance in clinical practice and public health. It might help improve future development of dietary guidelines.”
Facing such alarming data, maybe it’s time for Americans to reconsider their food options. Researchers recommend taxes on UPFs and carrying out policies to reduce the consumption. They also support programs and policies to increase the availability and affordability of whole foods, especially among disadvantaged populations.
1. What do we know about UPFs?| A．They have no nutritional value. | B．They are ready-made and instant foods. |
| C．They are cheap and mass-produced. | D．They serve as additions to our daily diets. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Mixed. | D．Conservative. |
| A．Collecting higher taxes on UPFs. | B．Decreasing UPFs’ share in diet. |
| C．Focusing on the nutrient content of foods. | D．Increasing public awareness of whole foods. |
| A．Public Health Response to UPFs | B．Physical Disorders Linked to UPFs |
| C．Rising Consumption of UPFs in the US | D．Negative Effects of UPFs on Mental Health |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】We live in a sweet world. The average American kids consume more than 20 teaspoons of sugar per day.
During the 58-week-long study, mice were fed the diet containing 25% more sugar.
Though the mice did not show signs of obesity or high blood pressure, they gave birth to 25% fewer offspring（后代）than the other mice. Scientists often use mice for research because they have something similar to humans. Findings from this study show negative effects that are not as obvious as weight gains or heart problems.
Different types of sugar have different effects on the human body. Some of the sugar we consume comes from foods we might expect — candy, soda f and cookies.
| A．But much of the sugar that we eat is hidden. |
| B．They found it could have serious side effects on people’s health. |
| C．A big bowl of milk and cereal turn he a great way to start the day. |
| D．And adults eat 50% more sugar today than they did in the 1970s. |
| E．Some kids’ foods are high in sugar hut low in vitamins and minerals. |
| F．This percentage is equal to a healthy human diet along with three cans of soda daily. |
| G．But large amounts of sugar can cause long-term health problems and even shorten lives. |
【推荐2】A study of 27,000 men showed those skipping (不吃) breakfast were at a greater risk of heart problems. The British Heart Foundation said breakfast helped people resist (抵制) sugary snacks before lunch.
The men, aged 45-82, were studied for 16 years. During that time there were more than 1,500 heart attacks or cases of deadly heart failure. However, people who skipped breakfast were 27% more likely to have heart problems than those who started the day with a meal. The researchers took into consideration other lifestyle risk factors (因素) such as smoking and exercise.
Researcher Dr Leah Cahill told the BBC: “The take-home message is to eat in the morning when you wake up, preferably within an hour. The results show that something is better than nothing, but it’s always better to have something healthy and balanced.”
She said the timing of the meal seemed to be key and waiting until lunch rather than “having breakfast” may be straining (损伤) the body over time. This could be increasing the risk of high blood pressure and fatness which could in turn damage the heart. “Don’t skip breakfast,” Dr Cahill suggested.
Victoria Taylor, an expert with the British Heart Foundation, said: “These researchers only looked at men aged over 45, so we would need to see further research to prove that breakfast has the same effect on the heart health of other groups of people. What we do know is that a healthy breakfast can make that mid-morning biscuit less tempting, as well as giving you another opportunity to widen the variety of foods in your diet. Cereals (谷类食品) with low fat milk are a good way to start the day. Try a banana or dried fruit on top and you’ll be on your way to a fine day before you’ve even left the house.”
1. What does the text mainly deal with?| A．The effects of snacks on the health of the heart. |
| B．An interview by the BBC on people’s lifestyles. |
| C．What a healthy and balanced diet should contain. |
| D．The relationship between breakfast and a healthy heart. |
| A．fix the time for each meal we eat in a day |
| B．make sure our breakfast is always balanced |
| C．eat our breakfast immediately after getting up |
| D．have breakfast within an hour after waking up |
| A．attractive | B．valuable |
| C．obvious | D．familiar |
| A．men over 45 are more likely to get heart diseases |
| B．fresh fruits like bananas are necessary for a healthy breakfast |
| C．it’s healthy to eat some biscuit between breakfast and lunch |
| D．the researchers should have covered other age groups in their study |
【推荐3】“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is one of the most common sayings in the English languages. This is because apples were one of the first foods that medical professionals recognized as healthy—their benefits became obvious when, quite simply, doctors found that people who ate apples were sick less often than those who did not. Today we have a more specific understanding of why apples are so beneficial to overall health.
Apples can help keep your levels of bad cholesterol (胆固醇) down. The pectin (果胶) in apples helps you to maintain cardiovascular health and reduce LDL cholesterol(which is the “bad” kind). Apples themselves do not add cholesterol to your diet and are full of water and fiber to help prevent the cholesterol in other foods you might digest. According to Health Diaries, people who eat two apples per day may lower their cholesterol by as much as 16 percent.
Apples are naturally low in calories and high in water content. Eating an apple can satisfy your hunger and keep you from reaching for high-sugar, high-calories snacks. By eating apples, you will be more able to maintain a healthy weight because they fill you up, potentially stopping you from eating food that encourages a waistline increase.
Apples contain respectable levels of boron (硼), which helps build healthy bones, and can also prevent diseases like arthritis. Apples are rich in vitamin C, which is known to help build immunity.
Studies have shown that apples can decrease the risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, and liver cancer. One theory is that the apple skins are responsible for this, so be sure not to peel your apple before you eat them, as you could remove some of the health benefits.
1. By eating apples we can get many benefits EXCEPT________.| A．lowering the cholesterol | B．keeping a healthy weight |
| C．building immunity | D．preventing heart disease |
| A．Admirable. | B．Considerable. |
| C．Reliable. | D．Valuable. |
| A．The pectin. | B．The apple skins. |
| C．The flesh of apples. | D．The fiber of apples. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Uncertain. |
【推荐1】If history is “a race between education and catastrophe”, education seemed until recently to be winning. In 1950 only about half of adults globally had any schooling; now at least 85% do. Between 2000 and 2018, the proportion (比例) of school-age children who were not enrolled (使加入) in classes fell from 26% to 17%. But the rapid rise in attendance masked an ugly truth: many pupils were spending years behind desks but learning almost nothing. In 2019 the World Bank started keeping count of the number of children who still cannot read by the time they finish primary school. It found that less than half of ten-year-olds in developing countries could read and understand a simple story.
Then the pandemic struck and millions of pupils were locked out of school. It should be noted that globally, the harm that school closures have done to children has vastly outweighed any benefits they may have had for public health. The World Bank says the share of ten-year-olds in middle-and low-income countries who cannot read and understand a simple story has risen from 57% in 2019 to roughly 70%. If they lack such elementary skills, they will struggle to earn a good living.
This should be seen for what it is: a global emergency. Nearly every problem that confronts humanity can be alleviated by good schooling. Better-educated people are more likely to work out a cleaner energy source, a cure for malaria or a smarter town plan. If the damage the pandemic has done to education is not reversed (逆转), all these goals will be harder to reach.
Politicians talk endlessly about the importance of schooling, but words are cheap and a fit-for-purpose education system is not. Spending has risen modestly in recent decades but fell in many countries during the pandemic. Apart from the money, the education system itself is in urgent need of change: Testing is a mess, leading governments to overestimate levels of literacy. New teachers have been hired but not trained properly. Teachers, who have come through the same education systems they are supposed to be improving, often struggle to teach.
The same energy that was once poured into building schools and filling up classrooms should now be used to improve the lessons that take place within them. No more children should stumble (蹒跚而行) through their school days without learning to read or add up.
1. What did the World Bank find out about pupils in 2019?| A．They could hardly concentrate in class. |
| B．Many of them had to drop out of school. |
| C．They had difficulty finishing primary school. |
| D．Many of them failed to acquire necessary knowledge. |
| A．They could well protect children’s health. |
| B．They made matters worse for children. |
| C．They produced unexpected benefits for public health. |
| D．They made it hard for teachers to make a good living. |
| A．reduced | B．caused | C．described | D．strengthened |
| A．Primary schools should only hire experienced teachers. |
| B．Teachers should be motivated to cooperate with each other. |
| C．A reliable system should be created to test pupils’ knowledge and ability. |
| D．Primary schools should spend more on improving facilities. |
【推荐2】Recently, I was talking with a friend of mine about a mutual(共同的) friend of ours. “I wish I could be like Jenny. She always seems so happy. I’m not joking; I honestly think she has the perfect life,” said my friend.
If you were to look at the Instagram account of Jenny, you would indeed see what looks like the perfect life. However, despite the enviable content of her Instagram, I learned through a conversation with this girl that it was all carefully handled. Everything was put together to maintain the public image that she was a happy-go-lucky and carefree girl. When she was sad or upset, there was no indication of these emotions on her Instagram.
In fact, we all choose our online media presence. Look through your Instagram — I bet that you don’t post pictures where you don’t feel camera-ready. On Instagram, we always show our “good side”. Think about it. Would you rather post “I tried so hard but I ended up failing my test” or “ I treated myself to a hot coffee after studying hard all week”?
We all want to present the best parts of our lives, to show what’s going well and what we’re proud of. We take photos of the nice things we own, or of any sorts of events considered “special”, such as invite-only or formal parties. We post photos of the good times rather than the bad times. No matter what happens, we try to make our online image perfect.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making your online presence perfect — everyone does it in some way or another. However, when it comes to feeling envious of someone else’s Instagram posts, remember that just like you, they’re showing their good side.
1. What’s Jenny’s life like indeed?| A．She lives a perfect life. | B．Her life is full of sadness. |
| C．Her life is boring and meaningless. | D．She lives an ordinary life just like others. |
| A．That people dream of living a perfect life. |
| B．That people hide their bad side online. |
| C．That people love reading posts online. |
| D．That people want to please others online. |
| A．We shouldn’t perfect our online image. |
| B．We should always show our good side. |
| C．We should stop reading online stories. |
| D．We don’t need to envy others’ online presence. |
| A．A professor’s speech. | B．A survey of people’s life. |
| C．A personal online account. | D．An entertainment magazine. |
【推荐3】A new survey finds the gender gap in home cooking has widened, with women cooking more meals than men in nearly every country worldwide.
Women cooked just under nine meals per week, on average, in 2022. Men cooked about four per week. These are the results of an annual survey by Gallup and Cookpad, which tracks how often people prepare and eat home-cooked meals in countries around the globe.
When the survey began in 2018, traditional gender roles were well established, but during the pandemic years the survey results showed that men were cooking more. This narrowed the gender gap, explains Andrew Dugan, a research director at Gallup, who has worked on the survey since it began. The latest results, which Dugan says come as a surprise, point to a reversal (颠倒) of this trend. In 2022, women continued to cook at about the same frequency, but men started to cook less.
“It’s the first year that the gap actually widened,” Dugan says, pointing out that the gap has reverted back to its starting point in 2018, “What it might suggest is that the traditional gender roles are starting to reassert themselves,” Dugan says.
The gender gap varies by country. In the United States, women cook about two more meals per week on average, than men. The survey report charts the countries with the largest gender gaps, including Ethiopia, Egypt, and Nepal where women are making about eight more meals per week than men. The countries with the smallest gender differences in cooking are clustered (成群的) in Europe, including Spain, the UK, France, and Ireland.
It’s not clear why the gender gap widened in all the other countries including the U. S., but chef Mike Friedman, who operates several restaurants in the Washington D. C. area, has his take. “The survey may not capture the whole picture,” Friedman says, “In my house, lots of meals are collaborations (合作). My wife does a lot of the cooking. But we talk about it and we talk through what we should make tonight. And most times she’ll start and I’ll finish and then I’m always left with the dishes”.
1. What do we know about the survey?| A．It began across the U. S. in 2022. | B．It indicated men cooked less in 2018. |
| C．It measured how often people ate out. | D．It focused on gender gaps in eating habits. |
| A．Women are more willing to do the cooking. |
| B．Traditional cooking methods stay unchanged. |
| C．The researchers come from different countries. |
| D．Gender gaps in cooking are smaller in richer countries. |
| A．Friedman thinks the survey has limitations. |
| B．Friedman is critical of women’s roles in cooking. |
| C．Friedman’s household seldom works together on meals. |
| D．Friedman’s household has a strict division of cooking roles. |
| A．Traditional Gender Roles in Cooking | B．The Pandemic’s Impact on Home Cooking |
| C．Chef Friedman Comments on the Survey | D．Gender Gap Widens in Home Cooking |
【推荐1】Stroke (中风) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. You may be familiar with some of the most common lifestyle and health factors that could affect your stroke risk. However, there is another overlooked factor—altitude.
How can living at high altitudes affect your chance of suffering a stroke? This question is at the heart of a new study in journal Frontiers in Physiology. The study examined more than 100,000 stroke hospitalisations and deaths from between 2001 and 2017 in Ecuador. The researchers assessed levels of stroke hospitalisation and death among people living at four different elevation ranges: low altitude (under 1,500 metres), moderate altitude (1,500-2,500 metres), high altitude (2,500-3,500 metres) and very high altitude (3,500-5,500 metres).
The results showed that people who lived at higher altitudes (above 2,500 meters) tended to experience stroke at a later age compared with those at lower altitudes. They were also less likely to be hospitalized or die because of stroke. However, this protective effect was the greatest between 2,000 and 3,500 meters and tailed off a little above 3,500 meters.
So, why might living at high altitudes protect against stroke? It may be that people who live at high altitude have adapted to the low oxygen conditions, and more readily grow new blood vessels (血管) to help overcome stroke-related damage. They may also have a more developed network of vessels in their brains that helps them to make the most of the oxygen they take in.
More research is needed to identify the mechanisms behind this phenomenon, but the results may be some comfort to those who live on top of the world.
1. How did the researchers carry out their study?| A．By analyzing specific cases. | B．By conducting a questionnaire. |
| C．By studying the previous findings. | D．By consulting data from the database. |
| A．Became more. | B．Became less. |
| C．Became better. | D．Became higher. |
| A．A small vessel network. | B．Special brain structures. |
| C．Narrowed blood vessels. | D．Adaptation to the environment. |
| A．A science fiction. | B．A science report. |
| C．A geography textbook. | D．A doctor’s notebook. |
【推荐2】The weather is getting hotter and you’ll be getting thirstier playing basketball or riding home from school. A cold drink may be just the thing. But be careful what you pour down your throat. Something that looks cool may not be good for your health.
There are plenty of so-called energy drinks on the market. Most of them have an attractive color and cool name. Their nutrition lists also contains various things from vitamins to ginseng. Sounds great!
But after a careful check you may find that most energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine. These drinks are typically aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players.
Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake. But be careful not to drink too much Caffeine raises your heartbeat. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee has limited their use. The amount of caffeine in most energy drinks is at least as high as in a strong cup of coffee or strong tea.
There are potential health dangers linked to energy drinks. Just one can of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty sleeping and can even cause heart attacks.
Teenagers should be discouraged from taking drinks with a lot of caffeine in them, an expert from the Australia Nutrition Foundation said.
1. The teenagers like drinking energy drinks because of the following EXCEPT that ________.| A．they have an attractive color and cool name | B．they contain high levels of caffeine |
| C．they can keep them awake and better at sports | D．they are said to have various nutrition |
| A．dropped | B．stopped | C．helped | D．asked |
| A．advertisements play an important part in getting people to buy the goods |
| B．the amount of caffeine in most energy drinks is lower than that in a strong cup of coffee |
| C．Australian teenagers drink more energy drinks than those in the other countries |
| D．The energy drinks are typically aimed at young people |
| A．What’s the Use of Energy Drinks? | B．Who can Drink Energy Drinks? |
| C．What is That in Energy Drinks? | D．Why can’t We Buy Energy Drinks? |
【推荐3】March 8 marks the annual International Women’s Day. Around the world, women usually played a not well-known role in history. They were often buried with their unknown talents and amazing tales. Yet there are still some lucky ones whose stories have been recorded. Here are six talented ancient Chinese women who once impressed in their time, and still affect us in our time.
Praised as the “No.1 talented woman”, Li Qingzhao, a poet from the Song Dynasty, was born in Shandong province. She excelled at poetry and in ink painting and calligraphy (书法). Li was most well-known for her poems, which were divided into two contrasting styles reflecting her life as a married woman and a widow. Before her husband’s death, her poems were mainly about a carefree and happy life. The keynote turned into a sad tune after her husband passed away. However, Li was not a narrow-minded woman. Apart from expressing feminine (女性的) feelings and experiences, she also wrote poems praising war heroes and criticizing the corrupted emperor. As an example of female patriot, Li has a great effect on modern women’s literature.
Cai Wenji was good not only at poetry and calligraphy, but also mathematics, astronomy, debate and music. Her masterpieces were Hu Jia Shi Ba Pai. As the daughter of literatus Cai Yi of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cai had a very unusual life. After her first husband died, she was forced to marry Xiongnu tribe’s king. Living in a totally different environment, Cai was very homesick. Twelve years later, Cao Cao, a student of Cai Yi, rescued Cai from the Xiongnu tribe. At the age of 35, Cai got married for a third time in a union arranged by Cao to a man named Dong Si.
Ban Zhao was the first female historian in China. She was also good at writing poems, yet only seven of her works have survived. Ban was often invited by the emperor to teach the queen mathematics, astronomy and poetry. She was honored as Da Gu, a title for knowledgeable and noble women. At the age of 40, Ban finished Han Shu, based on her brother’s writings. A total of four people wrote the book, and Ban, as the last writer, faithfully kept the style of the first three. Ban Zhao also wrote Nv Jie, a book to teach women how to deal with relationships with their husbands and husbands’ relatives and how to properly behave.
Shangguan Wan’er was famous for being given an important position by the only female emperor, Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty. Despite Shangguan’s grandfather being killed for offending Wu, she was highly praised by the female emperor for her literary talent. She served as a key secretary to Wu and was called “a female prime minister” at the time. Shangguan changed court poetry so that it used more meaningful expressions than empty praise, and further developed her style based on her grandfather’s poems.
Su Hui was known for a handkerchief she made. It was embroidered (刺绣) with 841 characters that could form 7,958 poems. Named Xuan Ji Tu, the handkerchief was originally made by Su to send to her husband, Dou Tao. Su waited for her husband to come back after Dou’s exile (流放), yet Dou had an affair with another woman. Sad and angry, Su created the poems on a handkerchief in red, yellow, blue, white, black and purple silk thread and sent it to her husband. Dou was deeply moved by the poems, felt guilty for his behavior and reunited with Su.
When Xue Tao’s name was mentioned, people would think of the famous Xue Tao Jian, a sort of small-size colorful writing paper. It is recorded that Xue Tao created this colored paper to write poems. During her time, writing paper was yellow, yet Xue changed the simple color into different shades of red or green. Later, people made similar colorful paper and named them “Xue Tao Jian”. Xue had talent for poetry and music. Her poems were not limited to those private feminine feelings and emotions; she also expressed her empathy (共鸣) to soldiers on the frontier.
1. These six talented ancient Chinese women were chosen by the author because ______.| A．they were buried with amazing tales |
| B．only their stories have been recorded |
| C．they played an important role in history |
| D．they still have great influences on us |
| A．was famous for | B．was good at |
| C．was interested in | D．was buried in |
| A．Li Qingzhao has effects on modern women’s literature greatly |
| B．Li Qingzhao thought she was No.1 talented woman |
| C．Li Qingzhao’s poems were influenced by her husband’s death |
| D．Most of Li Qingzhao’s poems were about war heroes and the emperor |
| A．Both of them were thought highly of by their emperors. |
| B．Few of their poems have survived for people to read. |
| C．They developed their poems’ styles based on others’ writing. |
| D．Both of them were praised for writing history books. |
| A．Xuan Ji Tu was a poem embroidered on a handkerchief. |
| B．Xue Tao created Xue Tao Jian to express her empathy to soldiers. |
| C．Being forced to leave her hometown made Cai Wenji homesick. |
| D．Ban Zhao wrote Nv Jie mainly to teach women to behave themselves. |
| A．making contributions to history | B．living an unhappy life |
| C．expressing feminine feelings bravely | D．being gifted at writing poems |
