1 . A research model of dietary intake in 184 countries, developed by researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, estimates that poor diet contributed to over 14.1 million cases of type 2 diabetes (糖尿病) in 2018, representing over 70% of new diagnoses globally. The analysis, which looked at data from 1990 and 2018, provides valuable insight into which dietary factors are driving the burden of type 2 diabetes in the world region.
Of the 11 dietary factors considered, 3 had an outsized contribution to the rising global incidence of type 2 diabetes: insufficient intake of whole grains, excesses of refined (精制的) rice and wheat, and the overconsumption of processed meat. Factors such as drinking too much fruit juice and not eating enough non-starchy vegetables, nuts, or seeds, had less of an impact on new cases of the disease.
“Our study suggests poor carbohydrate quality is a leading driver of diet-attributable type2 diabetes globally, and with important variation by nation and over time,” said senior author Dariush Mozaffarian, Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition. “These new findings reveal critical areas for national and global focus to improve nutrition and reduce devastating burdens of diabetes.”
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by the resistance of the body’s cells to insulin (胰岛素). Of the 184 countries included in the Nature Medicine study, all saw an increase in type 2 diabetes cases between 1990 and 2018, representing a growing burden on individuals, families, and healthcare systems.
The analysis revealed that poor diet is causing a larger proportion of total type 2 diabetes incidence in men versus women, in younger versus older adults, and in urban versus rural residents at the global level. Regionally, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, particularly in Poland and Russia, where diets tend to be rich in red meat, processed meat, and potatoes, had the greatest number of type 2 diabetes cases linked to diet.
1. How did researchers draw their conclusion?| A．Through data analysis. | B．Through follow-up visits. |
| C．Through doing experiments. | D．Through worldwide surveys. |
| A．Impressive. | B．Destructive. | C．Rewarding. | D．Identical. |
| A．Whole grains. | B．Potatoes. | C．Refined wheat. | D．Processed meat. |
| A．Diets determine the type of diabetes | B．It is important to improve nutrition |
| C．Type 2 diabetes is common globally | D．Type 2 diabetes is linked to poor diets |
2 . How much salt is too much salt? Unfortunately, it’s most likely the amount you’re consuming.
A new study published Monday in the journal JAMA found that cutting one teaspoon of salt a day results in a decline in blood pressure comparable to taking blood pressure medication.
Humans need sodium (钠), which is found in salt, for our bodies to work properly. It plays an important role in nerve and muscle function by allowing nerves to pulse with electricity and muscles to contract. But too much sodium can be bad for our health. It contributes to high blood pressure, or hypertension (高血压)which is a major cause of stroke and heart disease.
One way it does this is by making the body absorb more water. Extra sodium in the blood pulls more water into blood vessels (血管), which increases the amount of blood in the vessels. This increases blood pressure and, in some people, leads to high blood pressure and can damage vessels and even organs like the heart, kidney s and brain.
In this latest study, participants who cut out their daily salt intake by one teaspoon had lower blood pressure in just one week. This was even true for people already on blood pressure medication.
But how much sodium is in one teaspoon of salt? A teaspoon of salt has about 2,300 mg of sodium in it. And according to the FDA, Americans eat an average of 3,400 mg of sodium. So cutting out a teaspoon would be equivalent to cutting two-thirds of a person’s daily sodium intake.
But the researchers say that cutting out any amount of sodium will help lower blood pressure-at least more than no reduction at all.
1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To describe an interesting fact. | B．To present a confusing question. |
| C．To introduce the topic of the text. | D．To provide background information. |
| A．By causing muscle disorders. | B．By bringing about hypertension. |
| C．By directly damaging our organs. | D．By absorbing the water in blood vessels. |
| A．Equal. | B．Relevant. | C．Beneficial. | D．Important. |
| A．The Recommendation on the Intake of Salt |
| B．The Less Sodium We Have, the Better We Are |
| C．Cutting One Teaspoon of Salt May Improve Health |
| D．The Relationship Between Salt and Blood Pressure |
3 . Some people hold the idea that being starving is the most effective way of losing body fat. Remember, if we go on a starvation diet, we lose weight but not much fat. In starvation mode, we use up our energy stores of carbohydrate (碳水化合物) first (in the form of a substance called glycogen). However, the body can store only a little glycogen, and this is used up within two days. Then we start breaking down fat and protein. But we can’t afford to lose body proteins: our muscle mass decreases, we become noticeably weaker, and our immunity is threatened because the lack of protective immunoglobulin proteins (保护性免疫球蛋白) means we are subject to an increased risk of infection.
Sure, we look slimmer, and we certainly weigh less, but we are weaker and becoming unhealthy. There is no point in dieting if it’s going to make us ill. And, of course, because we need our muscles, when we are even slightly distracted from the diet, our bodies immediately rebuild muscle and we regain all of the ‘lost’ weight very quickly. Not only have we gone through a period of reduced immunity and a lack of proteins, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and other essential nutrients, there is evidence that so-called immediately effective dieting is detrimental to health in the longer term.
Quite simply, we are going to virtually eliminate all refined (精制的) carbohydrates and sugars (which are also carbohydrates), leaving us with a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet. On this diet, you will be cutting out virtually all refined carbohydrates so that body fat is burned with priority, to provide energy. Sugar, white flour, cakes, bread, pasta and rice are the usual trouble-makers. These foods have very little nutritional value and, what’s more, can cause medical and fat problems. Of course, there are forms of these carbohydrates — such as wholemeal rice, wholemeal bread and wholemeal pastas — that do have nutritional benefits and which you can reintroduce later, but in the initial stage of the diet, you have to reduce all carbohydrates, to switch on the fat-burning mechanism.
One point to be aware of is that refined carbohydrates can appear in many unexpected sources. You probably know that bread, cakes, biscuits, potato crisps and fried potato chips all contain refined carbohydrates, but pasta, rice, most breakfast cereals, most tinned foods, many pre-packaged foods, and prepared sauces do as well… In fact the list goes on and on. Virtually all ‘fast foods’ contain very high proportion of refined carbohydrates and if your diet is high in refined carbohydrates, you will definitely put on weight. If you’re worried that by cutting out refined carbohydrates you’ll have virtually no foods left to choose from, fear not. In fact, high-protein and nutritious foods such as meat, fish, shellfish and eggs are all open to you, along with vegetables, cheese, spices and herbs, from which you can easily produce delicious, healthy and quick meals. You’ll be relieved to hear that you don’t have to live on a diet of lettuce and tomato. On the contrary, you will be eating virtually limitless quantities of very tasty food with delicious sauces and dressings: in other words, real food!
1. What do you know about people following a starvation diet?| A．They are more likely to develop diseases. |
| B．They run the risk of immediate health problems. |
| C．Their fat and protein will be burnt prior to carbohydrates. |
| D．Their appetite will be spoiled gradually. |
| A．Damaging. | B．Insignificant. | C．Unpredictable. | D．Constructive. |
| A．They are banned although considered beneficial. |
| B．They are used as a primary source of energy. |
| C．They can be consumed only under certain circumstances. |
| D．Carbohydrates foster the consumption of sugary food. |
| A．You can become less muscular and athletic. |
| B．You should only eat meat, fish, shellfish and eggs. |
| C．You should monitor all the protein you take in. |
| D．You can have and make delicious dishes. |
4 . Food choice has become a dangerous pursuit. Nutritional horrors are on every shelf. Ready-meals are packed with salt and preservatives (防腐剂), breakfast cereals are sweeter than chocolate bars, and processed meats are packed with preservatives, which can form harmful compounds when cooked. A new term is catching on to describe these nutritional bad guys: ultra-processed foods (UPFs). In his new book, “Ultra-Processed People”, Tulleken, a doctor and television presenter, argues that UPFs dominate the food supply in rich countries, and are also getting into diets in low and middle income countries. As they multiply, so do concerns about their effects on human health. Just how bad are UPFs, and what do they do to us?
UPFs were first put forward by Monteiro, a Brazilian scientist, in 2009. His team of nutritionists observed that although people in Brazil were buying less sugar and oil, rates of obesity were rising. That was because they were instead eating more sugar, fat and additives in packaged snacks and pre-made meals. In response, Chirs Wood, a scientist and dietitian, proposed a food classification system to take into account the degree of processing involved in the food supply.
Processing can make healthy foods unhealthy: fruit, for instance, goes from healthy to unhealthy as it is squeezed or sweetened. UPFs often go through many complex industrial processes. Most contain a blend of artificial ingredients, plenty of salt and sugar, and few nutrients. Finally, some UPFs are more akin (类似) to industrial products than food.
Eating UPFs has also been linked to poor health. Another study by Carlos in 2019 found an association between intake of UPFs and overall risk of some diseases, which affect the brain, such as strokes. It showed that eating fewer UPFs was linked with lower risk of a number of cancers. A UPF-heavy diet also seems to affect health in a range of ways. That said, there is plenty of evidence linking many ingredients in UPFs, such as sugar, salt, and saturated fats, to negative health outcomes.
1. What does UPFs refer to?| A．A kind of natural food. | B．A food classification system. |
| C．An unwise food choice. | D．A regulated industrial product. |
| A．being made much sweeter | B．being changed into a new product |
| C．being added artificial additives | D．being transported for so long |
| A．Tulleken. | B．Carlos. | C．Chirs. | D．Monteiro. |
| A．UPFs are so bad for your health | B．UPFs exist in the modern food supply |
| C．It is hard to reveal the features of UPFs | D．The food industry is promoted with UPFs |
5 . Recent research highlights that the timing of our meals, particularly the last one of the day, can significantly affect our health. The story is not merely about what we consume, but also about when we do so.
The debate about dinner timing finds substantial, scientific support with a Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) study published in Cell Metabolism in October 2022, suggesting that early dinners could have more health benefits than previously believed. And it defined an early dinner as a meal consumed three to four hours before bedtime, in line with our body’s circadian rhythm (生理节奏).
The BWH study discovered clear differences in metabolic (新陈代谢的) profiles of early and late diners. Early diners demonstrated lower blood glucose (葡萄糖) levels, improved fat-burning capacity, better sleep quality, and higher energy levels. Meanwhile, late dinners led to increased hunger, slower calorie burning, and higher fat storage, posing risks for conditions like diabetes(糖尿病).
The exact timing of dinner isn’t a one-size-fits-all choice, as people’s routines vary widely. Maya Feller, a nutritionist based in Brooklyn, NY, emphasizes that our schedules —ranging from traditional nine-to-five to round-the-clock — are critical when considering “ideal” meal times. Therefore, finding a dinner time that fits into your schedule is essential, rather than sticking to a strict, potentially impossible timetable.
Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, offers insightful tips for those whose routines may not permit an early dinner. She recommends consuming meals or snacks every three to five hours. This regular eating pattern can help . stabilize blood sugar levels, preventing the feeling of hunger. Furthermore, it’s advantageous to leave a gap of two to three hours between your last meal and bedtime. This gap ensures your body has sufficient time for most of the digestion process — letting you get adequate rest and repair during sleep.
So it’s time to reconsider not just the contents of your plate, but also the clock. After all, leading a healthy lifestyle isn’t merely about counting calories but alșo understanding when and how to fuel our bodies.
1. What did the Brigham and Women’s Hospital(BWH) study mainly focus on?| A．The recommended daily diet. | B．Our body’s circadian rhythm. |
| C．The drawbacks of early dinners. | D．The importance of dinner timing. |
| A．Having a strong sense of hunger. | B．Storing up more fat in your body. |
| C．Having a higher risk of diabetes. | D．Enjoying a sound night’s sleep. |
| A．They’re supposed to grab some food every 5. hours. |
| B．They’d better have access to adequate rest and repair, |
| C．They should allow for digestion process before bedtime. |
| D．They are advised to keep their blood sugar level stable. |
| A．The Healthiest Time to Eat Dinner. | B．We Are What We Eat. |
| C．Benefits of Good Dietary Habits. | D．Eating Less in the Evening. |
6 . Fast food chains have tried for years to appeal to customers who care about their health. They have added lighter food to their menus, such as salads and yogurt. Of course, the lighter food goes with the usual burgers, fried chicken and shakes.
Menus have changed over the past three decades. According to a recent study, fast food menus are less healthy than they were 30 years ago. The study suggests the problem is getting worse. The fat, salt content and size of fast food meals are the problem. They are often the reason for the rising obesity (肥胖) rate among adults in the United States. The researchers found that the average main dish weighed more in 2016 than in 1986. It also had more calories and more sodium (钠). One expert said, “The restaurants have not done enough. The big picture is that there have been some positive changes, but they are small. Overall, the changes have gotten worse.”
The average fast food dessert had more calories in 2016. It also weighed more than the average fast food dessert thirty years earlier. Restaurants are counting on bigger sundaes and cookies to increase the amount spent on each order. For example, McDonald’s recently introduced “donut sticks” dusted with sugar. Six sticks have 280 calories. But you can also order 12 sticks for less than the cost of two single orders.
The researchers found that, over the 30 years, there were more calories in items like chips, soup, and French fries. Sodium content rose even though portion(一份) size did not grow much. When consumed together as a single meal, the study found that the average main dish and side order account for nearly 40 percent of a 2000-calory daily diet.
1. Why do fast food chains provide lighter food?| A．To match the fast food. | B．To attract more customers. |
| C．To reduce the cost of each meal. | D．To improve the health of customers. |
| A．They take in more calories from fast food. |
| B．They have little time to exercise regularly. |
| C．They eat much more dessert after every meal. |
| D．They eat fast food more frequently than before. |
| A．Showing the way of restaurants’ making cookies. |
| B．Presenting the popularity of restaurants’ new food. |
| C．Stressing the increase in restaurants’ food varieties. |
| D．Explaining the intention of restaurants’ adding dessert. |
| A．Fast Food Is Still Killing Us | B．Don’t Eat Any Fast Food Now |
| C．Try to Eat More Lighter Food | D．People Are Becoming Fatter and Fatter |
7 . It’s clear that following a plant-based diet is connected with a lower risk of heart disease. There are many types of plant-based diets, and they are all related to certain foods connected with heart benefits, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and healthy oils. The diets have been most studied for their impact on heart health. These diets are rich in vitamins and minerals that help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of diabetes (糖尿病) and keep a healthy weight, all of which can lower your risk of heart disease.
Yet, the types of plant foods and their sources are also important. For example, white rice and white bread are plant-based foods, so you would think they’re good to eat. But they are highly processed, and so are depleted of many heart-healthy nutrients (营养) and have enough sugar, which means they can make blood sugar levels rise sharply and increase hunger, leading to overeating. Drinking 100% fruit juice is not the same as eating the whole fruit, since juices can be high in sugar.
Do you really have to cut out all meat for your heart’s health? Which animal foods could have an impact on heart health? Some research has shown that the type and amount matter most. A 2014 study showed that men aged 45 to 79 who ate 75 grams or more per day of processed red meat, like cold cuts, sausage, bacon and hot dogs, had a 28% higher risk of heart failure than those who ate less than 25 grams. However, a study in the January 2017 found that eating 85 grams of unprocessed red meat, three times per week, did not worsen blood pressure.
What is the right plant-based diet for you? “For many men, this may be a matter of bettering their current foods,” says Dr. Satija, a researcher from American College of Cardiology.
1. From the first two paragraphs, we know that plant-based diets ________.| A．benefit heart health | B．increase hunger | C．lead to overweight | D．contain enough sugar |
| A．Added to. | B．Short of. | C．Filled with. | D．Rooted in. |
| A．To prove the result believable. | B．To attract readers’ attention. |
| C．To show the process clearly. | D．To make the study popular. |
| A．Risks of animal foods. | B．Disadvantages of plant-based diets. |
| C．Changes of eating habits. | D．Effects of heart-healthy diets. |
8 . Farm to school events are taking place nationwide this month. The events are aimed at bringing fresh food to students’ plates.
Students in Watkins Elementary grow vegetables in their school garden. They excitedly prepare for FRESHFARM classes held in the school’s kitchen. In one such class, children joyfully cut and cook freshly harvested vegetables, filling the air with their sweet smell. Regina Green, a coach of the class, stresses, “Teaching nutrition (营养) without a kitchen is like swimming lessons without a pool.” The students at Watkins Elementary are fortunate to have access to such a kitchen with various cooking tools.
At a time when diet-related diseases are a leading cause of death, it’s impossible for a cooking program to solve such a social problem. It needs many things to come together to support healthy eating. In promoting healthy eating, various factors must be considered. Among the challenges is the marketing of unhealthy products. Often there’s easy access to snacks and children’s taste preferences are shaped by the foods that are around them.
Despite these challenges, programs like FRESHFARM play an important role in encouraging children to explore new tastes. At first, many kids were turned off by the bitter taste of greens. But through different cooking ways, many kids become inspired.
The excitement of 5th graders is obvious as they happily taste the biscuits they’ve made, winning over many of their classmates. Catie Kelley, whose children have taken part in the program, shares, “Our family has new cooking experiences because of the program. The kids bring home recipes (食谱) that introduce us to dishes we don’t usually make. They show more interest at the store in identifying foods they’ve tried in the program.”
It is hoped that such school programs can arm children with the skills and inspiration needed to make healthy food choices, setting them on a path towards health in every way.
1. What does Regina stress?| A．Skills are hard to learn. | B．Kids should learn happily. |
| C．Practice is quite necessary. | D．Kitchens should be advanced. |
| A．Healthy eating is a tough task. | B．Kids can make wise food choices. |
| C．Programs of this kind will go nowhere. | D．Diet-related diseases draw no attention. |
| A．Costly. | B．Helpful. | C．Challenging. | D．Popular. |
9 . UK safety advisers have dismissed concerns that highly processed food, also known as ultra-processed food (UPF), is automatically unhealthy because of the way it is made or its artificial ingredients. The current way that the UK and most other countries assess the nutrition al value of foods—which is generally by how much fat, salt, sugar and calories they contain—remains the best approach to achieving a health y diet, said a team of scientists. They also warned that people who cut out all ultra-processed foods could make their diets more unhealthy, for instance, if they avoid foods such as yogurts, low-fat spreads, wholemeal bread and food made of grains.
Concerns about processed foods have been growing, but it is unclear if there is something uniquely bad about them or if they just tend to be higher in things like fat and sugar. The issue has come into focus this year since Chris van Tulleken, a doctor and TV presenter, published a book called Ultra-Processed People: Why do we all eat stuff that isn’ t food... and why can’t we stop? Chris van Tulleken has called for more countries to adopt dietary guidelines pioneered in Brazil, where people are advised to prioritise eating whole foods and homemade meals, and avoid eating factory-made foods.
On 27 September, researchers from nutrition organisations rejected the proposed system. “We absolutely need foods to be processed so that we can feed the world,” said May at the University of Leeds, UK, who is a member of the British Nutrition Foundation. May also said UPF includes products that are both healthy and unhealthy. “It’s important we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water here. There are many components that have a very important role to play in nutrition and in safety,” he said.
Benefits of food processing include the use of preservatives that make food last longest and artificial sweeteners that help people reduce their sugar intake, said May. Other examples of processed foods that can be beneficial include baby food, infant formula milk and breads with added vitamins and minerals, said the panel.
1. What can be known from paragraph 1?| A．Low-fat spreads are ultra-processed food. |
| B．Wholemeal bread is unhealthy to us. |
| C．Ultra-processed food doesn’t contain sugar. |
| D．The nutritional value of food needs to be precisely recorded. |
| A．They should avoid ultra-processed food. | B．They should not have homemade food. |
| C．They should consume more Brazilian food. | D．They should read more books on healthy food. |
| A．Kids should raise their awareness of food safety. |
| B．Children are the biggest victims of ultra-processed food. |
| C．Ultra-processed food does cause more damage to children. |
| D．Ultra-processed food has both advantages and disadvantages. |
| A．How Ultra-processed Food Benefits People |
| B．Ultra-processed Food Isn’t Always Unhealthy |
| C．A Popular Book Brings Focus on Ultra-processed Food |
| D．What Health Risks Ultra-processed Food Brings to People |
10 . 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. |
