A.Shopping lists. | B.Eating habits. | C.Cooking methods. |
1. How much did the man weigh two months ago?
A.About 150 pounds. | B.About 160 pounds. | C.About 170 pounds. |
A.From a book. | B.From a friend. | C.From a cook. |
A.Change his diet. |
B.Learn about an author. |
C.Start to exercise regularly. |
3 . A few months ago, I was in a cinema queue behind a man whose two sons were asking if they could have Tango Ice Blasts bright blue partly frozen drinks. The father hesitated for a moment. They’d already had too much sugary stuff that day, he said. “But it’s sugar-free,” replied one of the boys. That sealed the deal. The boys walked off happily into the cinema holding their drinks.
In an era when sugar is widely seen as enemy No.1, sugar-free drinks and treats, sweetened with low-calorie additives (添加剂), become well-liked and promise guilt-free sweetness. Some people deliberately choose low-sugar options in the hope of losing weight or managing diabetes; others just enjoy the taste.
But even if you aren’t seeking them out, it’s hard to avoid artificial sweeteners. In 2021, researchers looked at foods for sale in Hong Kong and found that sweeteners were present not just in products where you would expect them, such as sugarless chewing gum, but also in salad dressings, breads, instant noodles and many crisps.
They have become such a common part of our diet that environmental scientists have started looking for traces of them-particularly acesulfame potassium, which passes through the body largely undigested — as a marker for human waste in lakes and rivers.
The rise of sweeteners is, in part, a sign of the spectacular success of sugar taxes, which have been introduced in more than 40 countries since 2010. In the UK, the soft drinks industry tax was announced in 2016 and fully carried out in 2018, as part of a plan to “tackle childhood obesity”. The tax charged manufacturers 24p a litre for any drink with 8g or more of added sugar per 100ml. Almost all the major soft drinks brands in the UK cut the sugar content of their products and replaced the missing sweetness with some kind of artificial alternative. “Original” Coca-Cola and “blue” Pepsi were among the few drinks to keep their recipes the same. Once they became more expensive, compared to the sugar-free alternatives, their sales fell.
1. What made sugar-free drinks and treats popular?A.The public’s pursuit of health. | B.The taste of low-calorie additives. |
C.People’s promise to manage diabetes. | D.Parents’ expectation of guilt-free sweetness. |
A.Because they are present in every food product. |
B.Because they can be found in the environment. |
C.Because they are widely used in our diet. |
D.Because they are part of a plan to deal with obesity. |
A.Major soft drinks brands reduced their products’ sugar content. |
B.Coca-Cola and Pepsi refused to change their recipes. |
C.Nearly all big soft drinks brands turned to artificial sweeteners. |
D.Drink companies lowered the price to raise their sales. |
A.Sugar, Enemy No.1. | B.The Rise of Artificial Sweeteners. |
C.The Secret to Health: Low-calorie Additives. | D.Scientific Facts Behind Health. |
4 . A recent analysis from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine highlights the benefits of replacing animal products with plant-based foods. This analysis, which amplifies a previous study by the same committee, further emphasizes the significant impact of plant-based diets on weight loss, cholesterol (胆固醇) and fat intake in overweight adults.
The most significant finding is that both healthy and unhealthy plant-based foods contribute to weight loss when they replace animal products in the diet. This conclusion is significant because it underlines the potential of a plant-based diet, regardless of the specific type of plant-based foods consumed, in managing weight and improving overall health.
This analysis is a secondary examination of a prior study that involved 244 overweight adults. The participants were divided into two groups. The first group followed a low-fat vegan (素食的) diet, and the second made no changes to their diet. Obviously, the study set no restrictions on calorie intake, and the researchers did not give participants specific instructions on diet quality.
The study authors used two different indexes (指标) to assess: the healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), and the unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI). The hPDI emphasizes fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans, while the uPDI includes more refined grains and fruit juices. Higher scores on the indexes correlate with greater consumption of plant-based foods and reduced consumption of animal products.
The results revealed that after 16 weeks, participants on the vegan diet showed increased scores in both indexes. This increase significantly correlated with participants losing an average of about 13 pounds, mainly from reduced fat mass. The second group showed no change in their index scores.
Overall, the analysis provides strong evidence that eating plant-based foods is effective for weight management and health improvement.
1. What does the underlined word “amplifies” mean in paragraph 1?A.Abuse. | B.Expand. | C.Launch. | D.Classify. |
A.The causes of putting on weights. | B.The key insight on plant-based foods. |
C.The significance of managing weights. | D.The specific types of plant-based foods. |
A.By improving participants’ diet quality. |
B.By following participants’ daily routines. |
C.By monitoring participants’ calorie intake. |
D.By comparing participants’ indexes scores. |
A.Being on diet is the key to losing weight. |
B.All plant products are beneficial to health. |
C.Plant-based foods show promising results. |
D.Animal products have no effect on weight. |
5 . An increasingly popular way of eating called reducetarianism may sound like a new weight loss trend. But that’s not the goal; instead, reducetarianism is about cutting down the amount of meat you eat and making small changes that are healthy for you and the planet. “But the vast majority don’t want to go vegan”, says Brian Kateman, co-founder of the Reducetarian Foundation. So he has a simple message for us: “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good.” Compared with a vegetarian, reducetarians take a more flexible approach that acknowledges challenges of giving up meat entirely but still limits meat when possible.
The opposite side of eating less meat is eating more plant foods. Animal products often replace fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, leading to lack of nutrients from them. A more plant-based diet can help lower the risk of health problems including heart disease, colon cancer, and obesity. And research shows the climate impact from raising plant-based foods is less than that caused by animal-based foods. This is largely because it takes much more land, water, and other resources to produce a pound of meat than plant protein, says Dana Ellis, a dietitian.
The type of meat you buy matters too. Grass-fed meat — from animals raised without antibiotics (抗生素) — tend to be the more sustainable options. By grazing, cows encourage grass growth and nutrient turnover in the soil, which may help offset cattle’s climate impact, according to a study published in 2021.
Looking for local produce that requires no air transport and cutting down the food waste are also significant aspects of being a reducetarian. The message of reducetarianism is that you don’t have to be perfect to help yourself and the planet by making small changes in how you eat and shop for food. And that’s something we all can accomplish.
1. What does reducetarianism refer to?A.A new weight loss trend. | B.A healthy diet with little meat. |
C.An idea of accepting imperfection. | D.An approach to being a vegetarian. |
A.It ensures all the nutrients needed. | B.It does less damage to the environment. |
C.It helps to free people from diseases. | D.It allows people to obtain more protein. |
A.A meat lover. | B.A cow raiser. | C.A keen environmentalist. | D.A devoted vegetarian. |
A.Small changes in diet better man and the earth. | B.Any quantity of food waste should be avoided. |
C.Reducetarianism is something far from perfect. | D.Food produced locally can offer more nutrition. |
6 . Just like a car engine needs petrol, your body needs fuel. It needs food!
The things you eat and drink are turned into energy.
You need energy for everything-playing, walking, running, thinking-even sleeping.
Feeling hungry may mean you are running low on energy. If it is not meal time, you may need a snack to refuel.
But what sort of snack should you eat? This is like choosing the right fuel for a car. Some cars, such as racing cars, need the best fuel to go fast and keep their engines running smoothly.
So, if you want to be at your most lively, choose the best fuel. This means eating healthy snacks.
There is no better way to keep your engine running smoothly!
Healthy Snacks (Eat these often) | Unhealthy Snacks (Eat these only sometimes) |
●Nuts ●Seeds ●Dried ●Fresh vegetables ●Fresh fruit | ●Chips ●Sweets ●Soft drinks ●Chocolate bars ●Cookies ●Fast food |
A.Your body. | B.Petrol. | C.Fuel. | D.A car engine. |
A.Bananas. | B.Peanuts. | C.Cookies. | D.Tomatoes. |
A.Chips. | B.Chocolate. | C.Nuts. | D.Biscuits. |
A.eat chips and biscuits | B.eat seeds than vegetables |
C.eat healthy snacks at mealtimes | D.eat healthy snacks between meals |
A.The best fuel helps racing cars go slowly. |
B.Eating healthy food is good for your health. |
C.Feeling hungry means you are sick. |
D.You can’t eat unhealthy snacks. |
7 . Why Cooking Meals at Home Benefits More Than Just Your Wallet
When hunger strikes, the convenience of entering a fast-food restaurant or ordering takeout can be terribly attractive.
· It’s cheaper.
You could spend $100 at a fancy restaurant for one dinner, while the same amount of money could buy you groceries for a week. When you shop smart and get creative, you needn’t spend more than $1 on breakfast, $2 on lunch and $4 on dinner to purchase wholesome, healthy foods. Here’s how:
· It may reduce your exposure to certain chemicals.
The most surprising benefit of cooking at home can decrease the amount of harmful chemicals you’re exposed to.
·You can better estimate calories.
·
Many chefs use a lot of salt while cooking. While salt can make food tastier, too much of it is linked to serious health issues like heart disease and high blood pressure. At home, you can control the quantity of salt on your plate by seasoning food in other ways, like using lemon juice. The same goes for sugar. You can use smaller quantities of natural sweeteners like honey to add sweetness to your food. Too much added sugar is linked to some diseases as well.
A.You can reduce added salt and sugar. |
B.Eating out can make calorie counting tricky. |
C.Buy in large quantities and stick to store-brand items. |
D.Salt and sugar are both essentials in cooking delicious foods. |
E.Relying on food away from home occasionally is totally acceptable. |
F.People are always too engaged in their work to cook at home personally. |
G.People cooking at home have lower levels of dangerous chemicals in their bodies. |
8 . The “diet” in diet drinks maybe a false promise for some soda lovers. True, they deliver the taste of a soda experience, without the calories. Yet, new research shows they can also leave people with increased appetite.
A study published recently in JAMA Network open adds to the evidence that drinks made with sucralose, an artificial sweetener (甜味剂), may increase the appetite among some people. “We found females and overweight people had greater brain reward activity after consuming the artificial sweetener,” says study author Katie Page, a physician at the University of Southern California. Both groups ate more food after consuming drinks with sucralose, compared with after regular sugar-sweetened drinks. In contrast, the study found males and people of healthy weight did not have an increase in either brain reward activity or hunger response, suggesting they’re not affected in the same way.
One theory is that it’s not the artificial sweetener itself that has a direct effect on the body. The idea is that artificial sweeteners may confuse the body by tricking it into thinking sugar is coming. “You are supposed to get sugar after something tastes sweet,” explains Swithers, “Your body has been used to that.” But the sugar never arrives, which may lead to the body’s less efficiency in processing sugar that s consumed later.
Swithers’ lab has also documented that when animals with a history of consuming artificial sweeteners get real sugar, their blood sugar levels rise higher than those of animals not fed artificial sweeteners. “It’s a small effect, but overtime this could contribute to potentially significant consequences,” she says. If this is happening in some people who consume diet soda, it could add to the risk of Type 2 diabetes (糖尿病), because when blood sugar rises, the body has to release more insulin (胰岛素) to absorb the sugar. “So what you’re doing is that you are kind of pushing the system harder,” Swithers says.
1. What can we learn from Katie page’s study?A.Females enjoying diet drinks consume more food. |
B.Artificial sweeteners help males with better appetite. |
C.Diet drinks increase hunger response of healthy people. |
D.people consuming sucralose have greater brain reward activity. |
A.The effect of sugar. | B.Response to sweetness. |
C.Artificial sweetener. | D.The absence of sweetness. |
A.More insulin release helps sugar level rise. |
B.people drinking diet soda hardly absorb sugar. |
C.Type 2 diabetes mainly results from artificial sweeteners. |
D.Consuming artificial sweeteners might cause health problems. |
A.The potential of artificially-sweetened drinks. |
B.The wisdom of choosing healthy sweet drinks. |
C.The underlying link between diet drinks and health. |
D.The differences among artificially-sweetened drinks. |
9 . Alarming levels of dangerous chemicals known as Perfluorinated Alkylated Substances (PFAS) were discovered in food packaging at a number of well-known fast-food restaurants and grocery store chains, a new report found. The report comes more than two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, when the public has relied heavily on takeout and grocery deliveries.
Often called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down in the environment, PFAS are used in food packaging to prevent grease (油脂) and water from soaking through food wrappers and cups. PFAS can also be found in the ink used to print logos and instructions on food containers.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls exposure to PFAS a “public health concern”, citing that the human-made chemicals can harm the immune system and reduce a person’s resistance to infectious diseases.
Regulatory limits for how much PFAS food packaging should contain can vary greatly. For instance, a new law in California set the limit at less than 100 ppm. “Compared to America, Denmark sets a much lower regulatory limit of 20 ppm with great success,” said Xenia Trier, an expert at the European Environment Agency. “It does work to set limits and enforce them. PFAS do migrate from the paper into the food. Even though it was not 100%, we still saw considerable transmission. In general, transmission from packaging to food is increased as the temperature of the food rises. It is the same with the time spent in wrapping materials.” Trier told NBS, one of the major American mass-media companies.
In response to the issue, Whole Foods became the first grocery chain to publicly commit to remove PFAS from takeout containers and bakery paper. Many other companies followed suit. Experts say people who want to avoid PFAS in their takeout and food delivery packaging should favor companies that have promised to remove the chemicals. “As soon as you receive your takeout, you’d better take food out of the container immediately, and never reheat food in its original container. Instead, remove your food and heat it in ceramic (陶瓷的) or glass containers.” Trier said.
1. What can we learn about PFAS in food packaging?A.They have been used for two years. |
B.They do little harm to consumers’ health. |
C.They are used to break down the chemicals. |
D.They can make wrappers resistant to grease and water. |
A.Favorable. | B.Neutral. |
C.Ambiguous. | D.Opposed. |
A.Considerable migration of grease and water. |
B.PFAS transmission from packaging to food. |
C.Wrapper exposure to high food temperature. |
D.Regulatory limits concerning food packaging. |
A.Food packaging contains dangerous chemicals. |
B.Consumers are recommended to have PFAS-free products. |
C.PFAS found in food packaging has become a great concern. |
D.The government has taken measures to reduce PFAS exposure. |
It’s common knowledge that most people love breakfast. Unfortunately,we have a lot of different types of breakfasts available,