Elderly adults who regularly drink green tea may stay more agile (敏捷的) and independent than their peers over time, according to a Japanese study that covered thousands of people.
Green tea contains antioxidant chemicals (抗氧化物) that may help stop the cell damage that can lead to disease. Researchers have been studying green tea’s effect on everything from cholesterol (膽固醇) to the risk of certain cancers, with mixed results so far.
They found those who drank the most green tea were the least likely to develop “functional disability”, or problems with daily activities or basic needs, such as dressing or bathing.
Specifically, almost 13 percent of adults who drank less than a cup of green tea per day became functionally disabled, compared with just over 7 percent of people who drank at least five cups a day.
The study did not prove that green tea alone kept people agile as they grew older. Green-tea lovers generally had healthier diets, including more fish, vegetables and fruit, as well as more education, lower smoking rates, fewer heart attacks and strokes, and greater mental sharpness. They also tended to be more socially active and have more friends and family to rely on. But even with those factors accounted for, green tea itself was tied to a lower disability risk, the researchers said.
People who drank at least five cups a day were one-third less likely to develop disabilities than those who had less than a cup per day. Those people who averaged three or four cups a day had a 25 percent lower risk.
Although it’s not clear how green tea might offer a buffer (緩沖) against disability, Tomata’s team did note that one recent study found green tea extracts (提取物) seem to increase leg muscle strength in older women.
While green tea and its extracts are considered safe in small amounts, they do contain caffeine and small amounts of vitamin K, which means it could affect drugs that prevent blood clotting (凝固).
【小題1】What can be learned from the passage?

A．Antioxidant chemicals can lead to disease.

B．Those who often drank green tea can’t develop “functional disability”.

C．“Functional disability” is related to problems with daily activities or basic needs.

D．People who drank at least five cups a day are not likely to become functionally disabled.

【小題2】What does the fifth paragraph mainly tell us?

A．How the study was proved.	B．Why green tea-lovers can keep agile.
C．What healthier diets include.	D．How to lower disability risk.

【小題3】What have the Researchers discovered?

A．Those who drank green tea can't develop “functional disability”.

B．Green tea alone kept people agile as they grew older.

C．How green tea might offer a buffer against disability.

D．Green tea extracts (提取物) seem to increase leg muscle strength in older women.

UGG boots have been a winter-weather fashion for several years now, combining function, comfort, warmth and even some style. What many UGG-enthusiasts don’t know is that their boots are a breeding ground for bacteria and cause foot problems.
Doctors believe the boots, which are particularly popular among young teenage girls, are leading to a rise in the number of people suffering pains in their feet and knees.
Dr. Ian Drysdale，head of the British College of Osteopathic Medicine，believes because the foot does not get the proper support on the inside，it will lead to more ankle，knee，hip and back problems. “These boots are not designed for outside wear. Just because something becomes a trend or fashionable doesn’t mean it’s good or right，” he said, “The particular problem with this type of footwear is that it is unsupported. It’s a slipper. You wouldn’t normally expect to be doing outdoor activities from something that’s indoor. If you decide to wear your pajamas outside all. the time, someone will come up and say it’s not a good idea. ” Dr. Drysdale explained that the feet issues become a particular problem among young teenage girls，whose bones are “ plastic ” and developing when they are growing. “ If that structure is developing in an inappropriate way,” he said, “then the ultimate structure will be deformed ”
Mike 0，NeiU, a consultant surgeon, said, “As the foot slides around, you get wear and tear (磨損）on the joints on the inside of the foot The ankle is m the wrong position, the thigh bone also changes position, and you get an abnormal movement in the pelvis, which leads to back problems. ”
UGG AustraUa₉ who makes the designer version of the boots, told The Daily Mirror that their boots are “comfort” rather than “performance” footwear and consumers should be aware of “knockoffs”（仿制品)which lack reinforced heels in their boots.
【小題1】Teenage girls prefer to wear UGG boots because of the following except______

A．design

B．comfort

C．quality

D．warmth

【小題2】Accordi^ to Dr. Ian Drysdale，_____

A．there is a possibility that bacteria will multiply in UGG boots

B．wearing UGG boots will lead to more ankle and toe problems

C．it’s not a good idea to wear boots like UGG outside all the time

D．teenage girl’s bones are plastic enough to wear UGG boots

【小題3】The underlined word “ deformed” is closest in meaning to_____
A. shaped            B_ strengthened    C. reformed     D. damaged
【小題4】Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Potential Harm of UGG Boots	B．The Popularity of UGG Boots
C．The Unique Design of UGG Boots	D．Benefits of UGG Boots

Do you love holidays but hate the increase（增長(zhǎng)的） weight that follows? You are not alone.
Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods. Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods.
With proper planning, though, it is possible to con­trol your weight. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don’t have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy. The following suggestions may be of some help to you. 
Do not miss meals. Before you leave home for a feast (宴會(huì)), have a small, low-fat snack(小吃). This may help to keep you from getting too excited before de­licious foods.
Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables. A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full. Use a small plate; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough.
Better not have high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy have much fat in them.
Choose lean meat (瘦肉). Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables.
If you have a sweet tooth, try mints (薄荷) and fruits. They don’t have fat content as cream and chocolate.
Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off excess (過(guò)多的) calories.
【小題1】Holidays are happy days with pleasure but they may______.

A．bring weight problems

B．bring you much trouble in your life

C．make you worried about your foods

D．make you hate delicious foods

【小題2】In order to really enjoy your holidays without putting on weight, you’d better ___.

A．drink much water and have vegetables only

B．not eat much food in high fat

C．not accept invitations to feasts

D．turn away from delicious foods

【小題3】According to the passage, ___ is a necessary part to stop you from putting on weight.

A．vegetables

B．water

C．calories of energy

D．physical exercise

【小題4】Many people can’t help putting on weight after the holidays because they ___.

A．can’t control themselves

B．go to too many feasts

C．enjoy delicious foods

D．can’t help turning away from the foods

We have proof that you become what you eat. When you know the effects of different types of food, you can use your knowledge well and eat what you want to become.
Food has an impact on our physical and mental health. Have you ever heard any of the following advice?
Lettuce (萵苣) or milk can make you sleepy.
To stop feeling sleepy you should eat peanuts or dried fish.
Everyone has their own advice to give, which they have read about or have been told by older relatives. Some of these pieces of advice seem to contradict each other.
Eating chocolate makes you fat and gives you spots.
Chocolate contains the essential minerals: iron and magnesium (鎂).
What we need to figure out is what type of chocolate to eat to get the benefits and how much of it to eat. We can do this by reading the list of ingredients (原料) on the chocolate bar package. Exactly how much real chocolate is in there? And how much of that do we need to eat to get the benefits of the minerals it contains?
Future restaurants might be named after the physical or mental state they hope to create. Their menus will list the benefits of each dish and drink. Some restaurants have already started this concept, and list the nutritional (營(yíng)養(yǎng)的) content of their dishes on the menus.
Let’s take the restaurant “Winners” as an example. Their menu would list dishes specifically designed to help you win sports competitions. Or you could choose the Go-faster salad, which is a large bowl of mixed raw vegetables in a light salad dressing, giving you energy without making you gain weight. And what kind of dishes do you think would be on the menu at the “Clever Café”?
So what’s going to happen to hamburgers and biscuits? Will the concept of eating food, because it’s tasty, go out of fashion? Of course not! Junk food is also changing. If ice-cream is not good for children, can’t we give them fat-free, sugar-free tofu ice-cream? Unhealthy food is going out of fashion, so brands are changing. We are told not to drink cola because of the sugar and caffeine content so cola companies are making sugar-free and caffeine-free drinks. We are told dried fruit is a healthier snack than biscuits so some biscuit companies are making biscuits with added vitamins.
【小題1】By saying “you become what you eat”, the writer means that ________.

A．you will become your own food

B．you will know what food is good by its appearance

C．food has an effect on your health

D．you will know the effects of different types of food

【小題2】What does the underlined word “contradict” mean in the text?

A．Oppose to	B．Help with
C．Have influence on	D．Benefit from

【小題3】How can we eat chocolate properly, according to the passage?

A．To eat chocolate containing the essential minerals.

B．To read the list of ingredients on the package.

C．To get advice from others before eating real chocolate.

D．To learn how much chocolate we can consume before eating.

【小題4】Which is true about the future restaurants?

A．The food in “Winners” can ensure you to win sports competitions.

B．They might list the nutritional content of their dishes on the menus.

C．Hamburgers will disappear in these restaurants.

D．The Go-faster salad helps you go faster.

【小題5】The concept of eating tasty food will not go out of fashion because ________.

A．the junk food companies are changing their brand names

B．biscuit companies are making dried fruit

C．junk food will become healthier than before

D．Cola companies are still making cola

Over the years, Americans have become used to salt．Most people have no idea how much salt they consume-on average, about 9 to 12 gram per person per day, according to the American Heart Association．That's twice the amount recommended by the government．
A new study last week showed eating even a little less salt could greatly help the heart．The scientists said the results would be thirteen percent fewer heart attacks, eight percent fewer strokes（中風(fēng)）, four percent fewer deaths and eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease．
Researchers also found that the benefits would be greatest for African Americans and women．As a group, African Americans tend to have higher blood pressure than the general population, and "many studies suggest that they may be more sensitive to salt," says Dr.Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an epidemiologist（流行病學(xué)家）at the University of California, San Francisco．Her analysis found that a reduction of 3 gram of salt per day would reduce heart attacks 8% on average; among African Americans, that rate would drop 10%．A similar result was found in women, whose stroke risk dropped 8% with a 3-g reduction in salt intake; in men, the risk fell 5%．
They and public health professionals in the United States are interested in a national campaign to persuade people to eat less salt．
However, other scientists say such a campaign is an experiment with the health of millions of people．
Michael Alderman, a high blood pressure expert and professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, says that eating less salt results in lower blood pressure．But he says studies have not clearly shown that lowering salt means fewer heart attacks or strokes．
“Salt has other biological effects． Calling for reductions in the national diet could have good effects, as well as harmful results． There is not enough evidence either way,”said Michael Alderman．
【小題1】Eating too much salt may lead to the following EXCEPT           ．

A．stroke

B．heart disease

C．high blood pressure

D．lung cancer

【小題2】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Most Americans take more salt than advised．

B．African women eat more salt than Americans．

C．One's origin determines how much salt he can eat．

D．Good health is just on the basis of having less salt．

【小題3】The author's attitude toward the study is         ．

A．cold

B．objective

C．subjective

D．doubtful

【小題4】What's the best title of the passage?

A．The Benefits of Eating Less Salt．

B．A New Study on Salt and Diseases．

C．An Argument Over Salt and Health．

D．The Harm Caused by Too Much Salt．

Since 1950, the amount of information about the nutrition of food has increased by nearly 900 percent. Besides this fact, obesity has risen by 214 percent and nearly two out of every three adults in America are overweight or obese. Being overweight is not only an appearance problem, and it also increases the risk of various diseases including diabetes, sleep disorder and cancer.
With so much nutritional knowledge easy to find, we cannot simply ignore our present obesity epidemic(流行病). We know that fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamin. Though we are overweight, many of us choose junk food over healthy food out of habits. One explanation for our strong desire for junk food is that we learn to connect junk food with positive feelings when we are young, and changing this attitude requires a huge amount of confidence and determination. Fortunately, new research published in May 2012 has shown a simple and accessible way to make healthier food choices- the one that doesn’t rely on great determination.
The research was based on two separate studies and it was carried out by T. Bettina Cornwell of the University of Oregon and Anna R. McAlister of Michigan State University. In the first study, 60 adults between the ages of 19 and 23 were questioned about the role of food and drinks. The survey tells us that adults prefer sweetened drinks with high-calorie, salty foods, to sweetened drinks with vegetables.
In the second study, 75 children between the ages of 3 and 5 were gathered for some experiments including drinks served with vegetables. The preschooler experiments were carried out under different situations and on different days. The researchers found that the children chose to take more green vegetables when they were served with water instead of a sweetened drink.
According to Cornwell, children learn to connect high calorie, sugary drinks such as cola, with high fat foods such as French fries, from a very early age. McAlister adds that early taste development appears to play an important role in food choices later in life. Meals served at home and meals offered at restaurants, set the stage for this idea and for the preference to choose junk food over healthy food, when beginning to take sweetened drinks.
“Our taste preferences are heavily influenced by regularly eating particular food and drinking particular drink,” states Cornwell. “If the drink on the table goes against both adults and children eating their vegetables, then perhaps it is time to change that drink… and to serve water with all meals. Restaurants could easily use water as free drink for children’s meals and charge extra money for other drinks.” Both McAlister and Cornwell are confident that serving water with meals could effectively reduce the nation’s obesity rates, diabetes rates and ever rising healthcare costs.
【小題1】What may cause the risk of diseases according to the text?

A．Over nutrition.

B．Obesity.

C．Unbalance diets.

D．Junk food.

【小題2】What makes many of us choose junk food according to the author?

A．Positive feelings about food.	B．High calorie of junk food.
C．Nice taste.	D．Eating habits.

【小題3】The underlined word “accessible” in Paragraph 2 means”_________”.

A．quick

B．useful

C．easy to change

D．easy to get

【小題4】From Paragraph5, we know that __________.

A．children may like sugary and high-calorie drinks even from an early age

B．early preference for food and drink may influence food choices later in life

C．easy preference for drinks should not be allowed in most of the restaurants

D．restaurants should provide the same food and drink as those at home

【小題5】Which would be the best title for this text?

A．Stop children drinking sugary drinks

B．Drink water to eat more healthy

C．Change eating habits to lose weight

D．Eat healthy food at home

The food we eat seems to have a great effect on our health. Although science has made big steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps eighty percent of human illness is related to food and forty percent of cancer is related to food as well. That food is related to illness is not a new discovery. In 1945, some researchers realized that things commonly used to keep colour in meats and other food additives（添加劑）caused cancer.
Yet, these additives remain in our food, and it is difficult to know which things on the wrappings（包裝）of foods are helpful or harmful. The additives which we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give penicillin to their animals, and because of this, penicillin has been found in the milk of cows. Sometimes similar tings are supplied to animals not for their health, but just to make a profit.
The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to get a higher price on the market. Although some countries have tried to control such things, the practice continues.
【小題1】Which of the following is not true?

A．Some wrappings of food are harmful.

B．Farmers try to make more money on the market by fattening their animals.

C．“The practice continues” means “things are still going on like that”.

D．We needn’t take care of what we eat.

【小題2】According to this passage, we can know      .

A．perhaps most of human illness is caused by what we eat

B．perhaps most kinds of cancer are related to what people eat

C．cancer was discovered in 1945

D．science has made food unfit to eat

【小題3】Things that are used to keep colours in meats are      .

A．harmful

B．useless

C．helpless

D．dangerous

【小題4】All the additives      .

A．a(chǎn)re bright and colourless

B．a(chǎn)re not bright and colourful

C．have indirect effects on our health

D．have direct effects on our health

How Americans Began to Eat Tomatoes
People have strange ideas about food. For example, the tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18^th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous (有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples.”
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President’s party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored (忠實(shí)的) guests about the fact.
【小題1】From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were       .

A．people from other countries	B．from France
C．people of his own country	D．men only

【小題2】After you read the passage, which of the following do you think is true?

A．Americans never ate tomatoes after they began to plant them.

B．Americans didn’t eat tomatoes before 19th century.

C．Even now Americans don’t eat tomatoes.

D．In the 18th century Americans ate a lot of tomatoes.

【小題3】The passage tells us that Jefferson was a President who learned to love the taste of tomatoes       .

A．while he was in Paris	B．when he was a little boy
C．because his parents told him so	D．from books

【小題4】According to the text, _______ made the beautiful pink soup served at the President’s party?

A．the President himself	B．a(chǎn) French cook
C．the President’s cook	D．the President’s wife

I know what you’re thinking : pizza（比薩餅）? For breakfast? But the truth is that you can have last night’s leftovers in the a. m. if you want to I know lots of women who skip breakfast（不吃早餐）, and they have a ton of different excuses for doing it . Some say they don’t have time. others think they ’re “saving” calories（卡路里）, still others just don’t like breakfast food.
But the bottom line is that eating in the morning is very important when you’re trying to lose weight. “Eating just about anything from 300 to 400 calories would be better than nothing at all,” says Katherine Brooking , R , D , who developed the super-easy eating plan for this year’s “SELF CHALLENGE”. And even pizza can be healthy if it’s loaded with vegetables, and you stick to one small piece.
Breakfast is one meal I never miss, and the same goes for most weight loss success stories. Research shows that eating breakfast keeps you from overeating later in the day. Researchers at the University of Southem California found that breakfast skippers have a bigger chance of gaining weight than those who regularly have a morning meal.
So eat something in the morning, anything. I know plenty of friends who end up having no breakfast altogether, and have just coffee or orange juice. I say, try heating up last night’s leftovers-it may sound crazy, but if it works for you, do it! I find if I tell myself, “You can always eat it tomorrow,” I put away the leftovers instead of eating more that night. Try it…you may save yourself some pre-bedtime calories. And watch your body gain the fat-burning effects.
【小題1】The word “l(fā)eftovers” in Paragraph 1 probably means              .

A．food remaining after a meal	B．things left undone
C．meals made of vegetables	D．pizza topped with fruit

【小題2】What can we infer from the text?

A．Working women usually have breakfast in a hurry

B．Many people have wrong ideas about breakfast

C．There are some easy ways of cooking a meal

D．Eating vegetables helps save energy.

【小題3】According to the last paragraph, it is important to              .

A．eat something for breakfast	B．be careful about what you eat
C．heat up food before eating it	D．eat calorie-controlled food

【小題4】The text is written mainly for those              .

A．who go to work early	B．who want to lose weight
C．who stay up late	D．who eat before sleep

Internet use appears to cause a drop in psychological health, according to a research at Carnegie Mellon University.
Even people who spent just a few hours a week on the Internet experienced more depression(沮喪) and loneliness than those who used Internet less frequently, the two-year study showed. And it wasn’t that people who were already feeling bad spent more time on the Internet, but that using the Net actually appeared to cause the bad feeling.
Researchers are puzzled by the results, which were completely the opposite to their experiences. They expected that the Net would prove socially healthier than television, since the Net allows users to choose the information and to communicate with others.
The fact that Internet use reduces time available for family and friends may explain the drop in well-being, researchers supposed. Faceless, bodiless “virtual” communication may be less psychologically satisfying than actual conversation, and the relationships formed through it may be shallower. Another possibility is that knowing the wider world via the Net makes users less satisfied with their lives.
“But it’s important to remember this is not about the technology; it’s about how it is used,” says psychologist Christine Riley of Intel, one of the study founders. “It really points to the need for considering social factors in terms of how you design applications(應(yīng)用) and services for technology.”
【小題1】The best title of the passage probably is        .

A．Internet May Cause Depression

B．The Danger of Internet

C．Communication with Others by Internet

D．Puzzled by the Results

【小題2】Why did the results of research puzzle the researchers?

A．People could choose their information through Internet.

B．They had expected the opposite results.

C．People can communicate with others.

D．They had thought Internet was much healthier.

【小題3】Which of the following may be the cause of depression?

A．Net users found their living conditions bad.

B．Net users already had mental problems.

C．Deep relationships were formed through Internet.

D．Net users had less time to communicate with other people.

【小題4】The writer’s attitude towards technology is        .

A．social factors must be considered while using technology

B．technology was to blame for depression

C．the problem doesn’t lie in technology

D．a(chǎn)pplications and services for technology must be designed