1 . Picture the scene: It’s midnight. You’re very hungry after studying for a long time. Then you see a nice pie in the fridge. Will you eat it? It seems that you shouldn’t, for many reasons, including its influence on your studies.
Scientists have long known that eating late at night can make us put on weight. But now a new study has shown that late night eating can also have a bad influence on our brains—it might hurt our ability to learn new things and store memories.
“We believe that late night eating may have an influence on the parts of the brain that control learning and memory,” Dawn Loh, PhD, a scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said, “We believe the timing of when we eat may be the main cause of the damaged memory. ”
For the study, the researchers did an experiment. They looked at two groups of mice with strict feeding plans. For two weeks, the mice were allowed to eat either during the time when they are usually the most active, or during the time when they usually sleep. The mice received the same amount of sleep and calories.
Then the researchers tested the brains of the mice. In one test, the scientists tried to find out whether the mice had a good memory by putting the mice in a room connected to an electric shock for some time. The researchers noticed that, when the mice were put in the room again after 24 hours had gone by, those mice that ate when they should have been sleeping were less scared than those mice that ate during usual hours. It means that they didn’t remember.
So think twice before the midnight snack—it might be bad for more than your weight.
1. Which one is the correct order of the experiment? ________①Researchers put the mice in the room again after 24 hours.
②Researchers fed the mice in different times for two weeks.
③Researchers watched which group of mice were more scared in the room.
④Researchers put the mice in a room connected to an electric shock for some time.
| A．②④①③ | B．②④③① | C．②①③④ | D．②①④③ |
| A．the mice became smarter after the experiment |
| B．they chose the mice that enjoyed eating late at night |
| C．the mice that ate during usual hours were less scared |
| D．they gave the mice the same amount of sleep and calories |
| A．Snacks make us fat |
| B．Late eating hurts brain |
| C．Never stay up late |
| D．Keep away from snacks |
It used to be that people would drink coffee or tea in the morning to pick them up and get them going for the day. Then cola drinks hit the market. With lots of caffeine and sugar, these drinks soon became the pick-me-up of choice for many adults and teenagers. Now drink companies are putting out so-called “energy drinks.” These drinks have the specific aim of giving tired customers more energy.
One example of a popular energy drink is Red Bull. The company that puts out this drink has reported that Red Bull is not a thirst quencher (解渴饮料). Instead, the drink is meant to revitalize (使恢复生机) a tired customer’s body and mind. In order to do this, the makers of Red Bull, and other energy drinks, typically add vitamins and certain chemicals to their drinks. The added chemicals are like chemicals that the body naturally produces for energy. The vitamins, chemicals, caffeine, and sugar found in these drinks all seem to give a person energy.
Health experts are not so sure, though. For one thing, there is not enough evidence (证据) to show that all of the vitamins added to energy drinks actually raise a person’s energy level. Another problem is that there are so many things in the drinks. Nobody knows for sure how all of the ingredients in energy drinks work together.
Dr. Brent Bauer cautions (告诫) people about believing all the claims (申明) energy drinks make. He says, “It may be true if you put these twelve things together, you will get a good result.” However Dr. Bauer adds the mix of ingredients could also have a negative impact (负面影响) on the body “We just don’t know at this point,” he says.
1. Which of the following can be found in most energy drinks?①Caffeine ②Sugar ③Vitamins ④Thirst Chemicals
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．The age of the customers. | B．The number of ingredients. |
| C．Natural chemicals in a person’s body. | D．The company that makes the drinks. |
| A．Drinks for teenage athletes. | B．Vitamins and chemicals in the body. |
| C．Countries where Red Bull is popular | D．Habits of healthy and unhealthy adults. |
| A．Red Bull is a good energy drink. | B．Caffeine is bad for people to drink. |
| C．Energy drinks may or may not work. | D．Teenagers should not drink energy drinks. |
3 . Is drinking milk the best way to get calcium (钙)? A new report says it may not be.
“Drink your milk. It’s good for you!” You’re probably heard that many times, and it’s true. Milk has calcium, which is necessary for keeping bones (骨骼) and teeth healthy and strong. The US government (政府) even says that students should drink one cup of milk at each meal.
However, an organization asked the government to take milk off the school lunch menu. The organization says, “Milk is high in sugar, high in fat and high in animal protein (蛋白质), all of which have not been so good for health.” The organization says there are better and healthier ways to get calcium, such as eating beans, broccoli and tofu. “People talk about milk because it is going to help build strong bones.” says Dr. Neal Barnard, the president of the organization, “But drinking milk may not be the best way to get the calcium your body needs.”
Of course, calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth, but there are other ways to improve your bones strength, such as getting plenty of vitamin D and getting an hour’s exercise every day.
Some nutritionists (营养学家) disagree with the idea that milk isn’t important. Keri Gans says, “I don’t think it’s wise to take this drink off the school menu.”
Marion Nestle, a teacher at New York University, says. “It’s true that milk has healthy ingredients. Other foods have the same ingredients. It’s just a kind of food. Drinking too much might be a problem.”
1. The second paragraph is mainly about ________.| A．the importance of milk in people’s life | B．different opinions about milk |
| C．a new report about drinking milk | D．a new decision of the government |
① Milk has something bad for people’s health.
② People can get calcium from broccoli and tofu.
③ Calcium is not important for healthy bones.
④ Milk should be taken off the school lunch menu.
| A．①②③ | B．②③④ | C．①③④ | D．①②④ |
| A．Getting calcium | B．Getting vitamin | C．Eating sugar | D．Taking exercise |
| A．Don’t Drink Milk Any More. | B．Do You Still Need Milk Now? |
| C．Let’s Keep Drinking Milk! | D．How can we get calcium properly? |
4 . ①Have you ever thought about what’s more important, looking fashionable or feeling comfortable? You might have noticed many people choosing style over comfort and some even go to extremes (极端) to follow fashion. But we should remember: being fashionable isn’t everything. It’s more important to be healthy.
②Some people believe that they need to be a certain size to look good. So, they start extreme diets (日常饮食) that are not good for their health. They might not eat meals or eat too little, which can make them feel sick. Is it a healthy way to live?
③Also, many girls wear shoes with very high heels. They might think high heels make them look taller. But these shoes can actually hurt their feet and make it hard to walk comfortably, and it can increase risks of falls. Some even wear tight (紧的) clothes that influence blood circulation (循环), making it hard to breathe. Should we put fashion over comfort and physical health?
④Besides, some boys and girls spend a lot of time and money changing changing their hair color. The material they use is usually harmful to their health. To make their hair straight or curly, they also use tools that are hot enough to burn their hair. But using these tools too often or at very high temperatures can make the hair dry or even burnt. Is it really worth it to risk our health, spending so much time and money?
⑤So, let’s rethink what’s really important. Is it fashion or is it our well-being? Clothes or hairstyles don’t tell us anything about a person’s character. Instead of spending a lot of time choosing clothes, we could use that time to do fun things with friends. And instead of following extreme diets, let’s eat properly and exercise regularly. Remember, your worth is not decided by your appearance, but by who you are as a person.
1. Why do some people go on extreme diets according to the passage?| A．Because the diets are healthy. |
| B．Because they just want to look good. |
| C．Because they want to save time. |
| D．Because they want to save money. |
| A．To ask for help from readers. |
| B．To tell how to spend time and money. |
| C．To describe the latest fashion. |
| D．To lead readers to think about the topic. |
| A．Growth. | B．Health. | C．Warmth. | D．Wealth. |
| A．①/②③④/⑤ | B．①②/③④/⑤ | C．①②③/④⑤ | D．①/②③/④⑤ |
①Sugar-free cookies, reduced-sugar cereal, sugar-free candy, diet soda. Do these seem like healthier alternatives (替代物)? After sugar became something forbidden in the nutrition and fitness world, sugar-free products acted as alternatives for once beloved sweet drinks and snacks. Claiming to be ZERO sugar, they were believed as healthier choices, especially for those people who manage diabetics (糖尿病), or aim to slim down. But the truth is they aren’t equal to better.
②When a product is labeled sugar-free, it means artificial sweeteners are used instead of real sugar. Artificial sweeteners don’t come from natural sources but they are chemical substances that are added to food and drinks to make them sweeter. Actually, most artificial sweeteners are a lot sweeter than sugar, even 200—600 times sweeter, so only a tiny amount is needed.
③Let’s find out how artificial sweeteners work. They work similarly to regular sugar by exciting your taste buds. The taste buds send signals to the brain that they have tasted something sweet and you feel a similar sense as you would with sugar.
④In recent studies, scientists have revealed artificial sweeteners are more harmful to our body than real sugar. Many businesses market sugar-free alternatives as “low-calorie” or “no-calorie”. It misleads people to believe sugar-free products can make them slim and healthy. But it’s reported that you get no nutritional value from consuming them.
⑤What’s worse, when you eat this kind of sweet food, your body continues to desire it even though your body can’t metabolize (新陈代谢) these sugar-free alternatives. Your brain does not know the difference, either. In turn, sugar-free alternatives connect to weight gain and Type 2 diabetes.
⑥Similarly, artificial sweeteners also damage your gut’s ability to break down sugar which affects everything you eat. In other words, your body doesn’t know how to deal with artificial sweeteners because they have nothing real to process.
⑦Here’s a golden rule: stay away from artificial sweeteners and look for non-sugar, natural sweeteners like Stevia or date sugar. In the war against artificial sweeteners and real sugar, both lose. Satisfy your sweet tooth with natural sugars that come from fruits and stay away from products claiming to be sugar-free or diet!
1. What’s special about sugar-free products?| A．They don’t taste delicious. | B．They are good for health. |
| C．They can make people excited. | D．They contain artificial sweeteners. |
| A．using | B．storing | C．breaking | D．controlling |
| A．People should fight against sugary products and stay away from them all the time. |
| B．People who like sweet food can choose fruit sugars to improve their ability to metabolize. |
| C．It’s wise for people to refuse artificial sweeteners because they result in some health risks. |
| D．There is still a need for more scientific studies on sugary products whether they are safe or not. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
6 . Water plays an important role in keeping you healthy. This should come as no surprise. Much of your body is made up of water, after all. It keeps your body working properly. But did you know that too much water can poison (使……中毒) you?
Water poisoning happens when people drink too much water. This makes sodium (钠) in their blood too little.
You probably already know that too much sodium can be unhealthy. That’s true, but too little is also harmful. When you have too little sodium in your body, a lot of things will go seriously wrong in your body. Then you will feel really terrible.
Your brain may begin to go wrong. You may get a headache, feel very tired and want to throw up. In these cases, water poisoning can be deadly. You will need to be sent to a hospital right away.
Protecting yourself from water poisoning may seem easy—just don’t drink too much water, right? In some situations, however, this is easier said than done. For example, when you do some heavy exercise, such as running a marathon, you may have to drink a lot of water. It is then important to balance the number of water you drink with the number of water your body is losing. This can help you stay healthy whenever you are exercising.
So, how much water should a person drink each day? For years, we have been told to drink two liters (升) of water a day. But in fact, the actual number needed is different for each person. Today, most doctors are telling people that they should drink water whenever they feel thirsty. We can’t live without water. Neither can we live with too much water in our bodies. Make sure you take the right number of it each day—staying healthy is all about staying balanced!
1. What is much of people’s body made up of according to the passage?| A．Water. | B．Blood. | C．Hair. | D．Brain. |
a. People feel really terrible.
b. People drink too much water.
c. A lot of things go seriously wrong.
d. There is too little sodium in their blood.
| A．c-b-a-d | B．b-c-a-e | C．b-d-c-a | D．b-a-d-c |
| A．Water poisoning won’t make people die. |
| B．Different people need different number of water. |
| C．Too little sodium will not be harmful to people’s health. |
| D．It’s easy for people to protect from water poisoning. |
| A．To tell us stay in good health. |
| B．To tell us stay in a balance of water. |
| C．To tell us drink as less water as possible. |
| D．To tell us drink two liters of water a day. |
If eating more healthily is one of your New Year’s decisions, maybe you should try the Mediterranean diet. In January, US News&World Report regarded the Mediterranean diet as the best diet of 2023. This is the fourth year the diet has been thought to be the top one.
According to USA Today, the Mediterranean diet is based on the eating habits in areas of southern Italy, parts of Greece, Spain and Morocco. It mainly includes plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables, whole grain: and seeds, and even puts more extra virgin olive oil. Fish and chicken are more common than red meat in this diet. That means the diet is rich in tastes but low in fat. In addition to helping people keep weight off, experts believe that the diet can make people take less risks of heart trouble and high blood pressure.
Besides, the Mediterranean diet is not only a diet, but also a kind of lifestyle. Living the Mediterranean way also means being active and sharing meals with loved ones. “Compared with others, the Mediterranean diet pays much attention to the value of friendliness and neighborliness,” said the UNESCO. “Eating together has become a very common cultural activity around the Mediterranean areas.” In Mediterranean tradition, it is natural for family and friends to eat at big tables, talking about their lives and experiences while eating together. Usually the meals can last for several hours. It’s a good time for them to be with each other as well as the enjoyable food.
If you are interested in trying the Mediterranean diet, you can start with these tips:
·Build meals around vegetables, beans and whole grains.
·Eat fish at least twice a week.
·Use olive oil instead of butter in preparing food.
·Serve fresh fruit for dessert.
1. The Mediterranean diet has been the top one since ________.| A．2020 | B．2021 | C．2022 | D．2023 |
| A．may cause some illnesses | B．includes a lot of red meat |
| C．can help people lose weight | D．is rich in both tastes and fat |
| A．are friendly to strangers |
| B．like eating in silence and very fast |
| C．enjoy eating together with friends and family |
| D．believe eating with each other is more important than food |
| A．Come and visit the Mediterranean Sea |
| B．How delicious the Mediterranean food is |
| C．The Mediterranean diet and its advantages |
| D．The Mediterranean diet is a kind of lifestyle |
8 . Starting from the end of 2023, all drinks sold in Singapore must put a Nutri-Grade label (标签) on the drinks, according to sugar and saturated fat levels. The more sugar and saturated fat a drink has, the less healthy it is. The label can help customers pick healthier drinks at a quick look. Here’s what the label means.
| Nutri-Grade Label | ||||
A | B | C | D | |
| sugar (g/100ml) | ≤1 and No sweetener (甜味剂) | 1~5 | 5~10 | >10 |
| saturated fat (g/100ml) | ≤0.7 | 0.7~1.2 | 1.2~2.8 | >2.8 |
| examples |  |  |  |  |
·Only Grade A and B drinks will be awarded with “Healthier Choice” label  .·If sugar level and saturated fat level are in different grades, the LOWER one will be put on. | ||||
1. What is the usual sugar level in the Nutri-Grade C drink?
| A．<1g/100ml. | B．1~5g/100ml. | C．5~10g/100ml. | D．>10g/100ml. |
| A．Nutri-Grade A. | B．Nutri-Grade B. | C．Nutri-Grade C. | D．Nutri-Grade D. |
?A． | B． | C． | D． |
Many scientists believe our love of sugar may actually be an addiction (上瘾). When we eat or drink sugary foods, the sugar goes into our blood and influences the parts of our brain that make us feel good. Then the good feeling goes away, leaving us wanting more. All tasty foods do this, but sugar has an especially strong influence. In this way, it is an addictive drug (药) that doctors suggest we should all cut down on.
“It seems like every time I study an illness and follow a way to the cause, I find my way back to sugar,” says scientist Richard Johnson, One-third of adults worldwide have high blood pressure, and up to 347 million have diabetes (糖尿病). Why? “Sugar, we believe, is one of the causes, if not the major (主要) cause,” says Johnson.
Our bodies are designed to live on very little sugar. Early humans often had very little food, so our bodies learned to be very experienced in storing sugar as fat. In this way, we had energy stored for when there was no food. But today, most people have more than enough. So the very thing that once saved us may now be killing us.
So what is the solution? It’s clear that we need to eat less sugar. The trouble is, in today’s work, it’s not easy to avoid. From breakfast cereals (谷物) to after-dinner desserts (甜点), our foods are increasingly filled with it. Some producer even use sugar to replace taste in foods that are advertised as low in fat. So while the foods appear to be healthier, plenty of sugar are often added.
1. What did scientists find about sugar?| A．It can be found in all tasty foods. | B．It is something that influence our brain. |
| C．It can make us feel good for a long time. | D．It is the main cause of high blood pressure. |
| A．Saving sugar as fat. | B．Having less energy. |
| C．Having no food to eat. | D．Eating too much fat. |
| A．People today seldom exercise. | B．We get used to eat it at school. |
| C．It’s in so many food and drinks. | D．Some producers sell too much sugar. |
| A．To remind readers to eat less sugar. | B．To ask scientists to fight against sugar. |
| C．To tell readers the illness caused by sugar. | D．To teach readers different ways to store sugar. |
Thanks to improvements in both health care and personal safety, most people are living healthier, longer lives. Someone who is born today can expect to live 25 years longer than someone who was bon in the 19th century. It’s even thought that in the future more and more people will celebrate their hundredth birthday. Here are five rules for a healthy life.
We all know that we shouldn’t run across the road in front of the oncoming traffic, or cycle too close to cars. But we’re not sure about how to stay safe in the countryside. When you’re out walking you should always go with someone and tell your parents where you’re planning to go. Remember! Climbing may also mean falling—what goes up must come down. Safety rules and advice are there to help you, not to make life less fun.
Sure, it’s comfortable to sit on the couch and watch. But experts say you should walk at least 10,000 steps every day to keep fit. In the past, people’s jobs required more physical effort. When farmers were working in the fields, they were keeping fit at the same time. Think about it: do you get the same amount of exercise today as they did in the past?
It’s important to eat plenty of the right things, above all, fruit, vegetables, and to see fast food or sweets as something very special—maybe just and then. The wrong diet means you’ll put on weight, one of the fastest ways to an unhealthy life.
When we were babies, we slept for much of the day—if our parents were lucky! Teenagers don’t need as much sleep but it’s important to get about eight hours’ sleep. At weekends, you’ve got more time, so use it not just for your friends, but for rest, too.
Yes, you knew I was going to say this! But it’s so important. More teenagers damage their health through smoking and taking drugs than any other dangers. Think about the effect on your family and friends, and think about its effect on you and your health.
| A．Don’t worry. Be happy! |
| B．Say no to smoking and drugs! |
| C．Be careful! It’s dangerous out there! |
| D．Rest up while you can! |
| E．Watch your diet! |
| F．Don’t be a couch potato! |
