1 . When plates are set on the table, phones, rather than forks, are at the ready. At this point in our social media entanglement (纠缠)，the fact that the camera eats first is pretty much a given. Sure, some chefs, including Michelin rated star chefs, express their displeasure at this, but efforts to make the table a screen-free domain have mostly fallen flat.
New research from Aston University has found that people are indeed influenced by the food photos that their friends post on social media. For example, for every serving of fruits and vegetables that a person thinks their friends are eating, they’ll eat one-fifth of a serving more. This number makes more sense within the context of the recommended “five a day”, meaning someone who’s being influenced would make a point of eating six portions of fruits or vegetables. Similarly, for every three portions of junk food that a person sees friends consuming on social media, they’ll eat an extra one.
The researchers have suggested that social media can be very beneficial when it comes to people’s choices of food and their diets. Study supervisors Dr. Jason Thomas said, “The implication is that we can use social media as a tool to encourage each other’s eating choice within friendship groups, and use this knowledge as a tool for public health interventions.”
Actually, the daily food situation is somewhat different from everything else posted on social media. People also desire to copy what they see but they need good social media literacy skills in order to grasp what’s realistic and what’s absurd. It is necessary to avoid the fake perfection of social media.
It gets boring trying to figure out what to eat three times a day, week after week, so no wonder people want to take the path of least resistance and eat what their friends are eating. Unfortunately, most of what gets posted is the more time-consuming recipes or the attractively styled restaurant meals. By all means, keep your antennae (触角) out for new ideas, but gather them from food magazines, cookbooks, store flyers, reliable cooking websites, and recommended recipes from friends and family.
1. What phenomenon is talked about in Par.1?| A．The influence of social media on people’s diet. |
| B．People’s taking photos of food before eating. |
| C．Chefs’ efforts to make the table screen-free. |
| D．The pursuit of dining in fancy restaurant. |
| A．They’ll copy what their friends do. |
| B．They’ll take junk food more seriously. |
| C．They’ll consume more than their friends. |
| D．They’ll care more about their friends’ eating habits. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Concerned. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Form their own diet styles. |
| B．Find the similarities among others’ diets. |
| C．Avoid aiming for perfection in daily meals. |
| D．Enhance their critical thinking and skepticism. |
| A．Point out the unreality of social media. |
| B．Call on people to enrich their knowledge in cooking. |
| C．Introduce the general classification of food posted online. |
| D．Encourage people to broaden their sources of food inspiration. |
2 . Many sugar—sweetened beverages(饮料)have little to offer—no nutritional value and lots of calories, and their harmful health effects have been well—documented. Now, a study links drinking too many sugary beverages—and even 100% natural fruit juices—to an increased risk of early death. Specifically, drinking too much fruit juice could lead to an increased risk of early death ranging from 9% to 42%, according to a study.
Overall, the sugars found in orange juice, although naturally occurring, are pretty similar to the sugars added to soda and other sweetened beverages, the study suggests. “Sugary beverages, whether soft drinks or fruit juices, should be limited,” Jean Welsh, a co—author of the study said.
Seven US cities, including New York and most recently Philadelphia, have levied(征收)taxes on sweetened drinks with added sugar in an effort to reduce consumption. The new study defined “sugary beverages” as both sugar—sweetened drinks, like soda and fruit—flavored drinks, and 100% natural fruit juices that have no added sugar. So how does fruit juice compare to soda? “Previous research has shown that high consumption of sugars like those in soft drinks and fruit juices is linked to several cardiovascular(心血管的)disease risk factors,” Welsh explained.
People who consumed 10% or more of their daily calories as sugary beverages had a 44% greater risk of dying due to a heart disease and a 14% greater risk of an early death from any cause compared with people who consumed less than 5% of their daily calories as sugary beverages, the study showed. Each additional 12—ounce(盎司)serving of fruit juice per day was associated with a 24% higher risk of death from any cause, and each additional 12—ounce serving of sugary beverages per day was associated with an 11% higher risk.
This is one of the first studies to examine the relationship between sugary drinks, including 100% fruit juices, and early death, wrote Marta Guasch—Fere and Dr. Frank B. Hu in an editorial published alongside the new study. “Although fruit juices may not be as harmful as sugar—sweetened beverages, their consumption should be moderated in children and adults, especially for individuals who wish to control their body weight,” Guasch—Fere and Hu wrote.
Welsh said we need to consider both fruit juices and sugar—sweetened beverages when we think about how much sugar we consume each day. Between the two, she was in favor of fruit juices: “Given its vitamin and mineral content, fruit juice in small amounts may have a beneficial effect that isn’t seen with sodas and other sugar—sweetened beverages.”
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Sugar—free drinks basically have no nutritional value. |
| B．Natural fruit juices are usually healthier than sugary beverages. |
| C．The negative effect of drinking too many beverages remains unknown. |
| D．Drinking too much fruit juice may not be a healthy option. |
| A．To increase the government’s income. |
| B．To let people buy less sweetened beverages. |
| C．To urge people to turn to sugar—free drinks. |
| D．To increase the consumption of natural juice. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By giving advice. | D．By stating the facts. |
| A．Avoided. | B．Increased. | C．Reduced | D．Encouraged |
| A．sugar is a major cause of cardiovascular disease |
| B．the sugar in juice is different from the sugar in sweetened beverages |
| C．fruit juices are only recommended when consumed in small amounts |
| D．the amount of sugar we consume mainly lies in drinks with added sugar |
Putting on weight could be a side-effect of loneliness, research suggests. Women, who feel lonely, are hungrier, and they even find a big meal less satisfying. This could be the body’s way of telling them to seek company, for eating has been a sociable activity throughout human evolution.
The researchers asked 42 women not to eat overnight, and then gave them a large breakfast. The women rated their hunger before and after their meal and blood samples which revealed their levels of ghrelin --- the “hunger hormone (激素)”. As expected, levels of ghrelin fell after eating and then started to rise. However, the rise was much quicker in the lonely women, and they made much more of the hormone. They also said they felt hungrier. They said: “The need for social connection is essential to human nature. As a result, people may feel hungrier when they feel socially disconnected.”
Interestingly, loneliness only makes thin women hungrier. It has no effect on the appetite of those who are corpulent. It isn’t clear why this is, but it is possible that the shame related with being fat makes socializing less valuable for them. Other studies suggest you should choose your company carefully at mealtimes. It has been shown that we tend to mimic (模仿) our dining companion’s eating habits, taking mouthfuls at the same time and eating more when our companion does. The link with appetite could help explain the range of devastating effects loneliness can have on health.
Being cut off from friends and family can raise blood pressure, stress and the risk of depression, as well as weakening the immune system (免疫系统) and a person’s resistance to disease (早老性痴呆). Overall, loneliness is as damaging as smoking or not exercising.
1. How will the lonely people react, according to Paragraph 1? (no more than 5 words)2. What does the body want to tell by being hungry? (no more than 7 words)
3. What is essential to human nature? (no more than 5 words)
4. What does the underlined word “corpulent” probably mean? (1 word )
5. What do you tend to do while feeling lonely? (no more than 30 words)
