No one would much like the idea of eating 61 pounds of tomatoes a day. But if their goodness was put into an easy-to-swallow pill that you were told might prevent strokes(中风) and heart attacks you would probably be putting in an order tomorrow.
Researchers believe they may have come up with just that after trials. The daily pill contains a chemical called lycopene which makes tomatoes red and is known to break down fat in the vessels(血管). A Cambridge University study found taking the pills improved blood flow and the lining of vessels in patients with pre-existing heart conditions. It also increased the flexibility of their vessels by 50 percent. The scientists believe it could limit the damage caused by heart disease-responsible for 180,000 deaths a year-and help cut the 49,000 deaths a year from strokes. They also hope it could benefit those with arthritis(关节炎), diabetes(糖尿病) and even slow the progress of cancer.
Each pill is equal to eating around 61 pounds of ripe tomatoes. Studies have shown eating a Mediterranean-style diet rich in tomatoes fish, vegetables, nuts and olive oil can significantly reduce cholesterol(胆固醇) and help prevent cardiovascular disease.
Preliminary results from a two-month trial, in which the pill was given to 36 heart disease patients and 36 healthy volunteers with an average age of 67, were presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association. It was shown to improve the function of the endothelium- the layer of cells lining blood vessels. It also improved their sensitivity to nitric oxide, the gas which causes the enlargement of the vessels in response to exercise.
Ian Wilkinson, head of Cambridge University’s clinical trials unit, said “These results are potentially very significant and it meets the goal, but we need more trials to see if they translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes.”
Further studies are planned, with researchers hoping it could offer a choice for heart disease sufferers who can not take the cholesterol-lowing drugs.
Mike Knapton, head of the British Heart Foundation, said, “Although this showed lycopene improved blood flow in people with heart disease, that’s a long way from demonstrating that taking it could improve outcomes for people with heart disease. The best way to get the benefits of a good diet is to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.”
25. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?
A. We can eat too much tomato food.
B. Tomatoes are helpful to strokes and heart attacks.
C. Tomatoes will lose healthy elements were put into pills.
D. We had better not eat tomatoes.
26. We can learn from the passage that the pills ____.
A. are at the experiment stage B. can cure all the disease
C. are widely used among patients D. cost patients so little money
27. What Was Ian Wilkinson’s opinion on the trial?
A. Disappointing. B. Surprising. C. Satisfactory. D. Terrible.
BAC
健康环保累阅读概念:
健康环保类文章常是介绍科学知识、生活常识和环境保护方面的短文。体裁有记叙文、 说明文、议论文和各种应用文。
健康环保类文章阅读技巧:
健康环保类文章常是介绍科学知识、生活常识和环境保护方面的短文。阅读此类短文要以现象或事物为中心进行思考,理解现象产生的原因、条件和客观规律等。同时要抓住事物的特征、用途和相互关系等。科普环保类文章一般为说明文,从结构上看大致可分为三个部分:
第一部分一般是文章的首段,主要用来提出文章的主题,即文章想要阐述、说明的主要内容;
第二部分是文章的主体,可由若干个段落组成,对文章的主题进行展开说明;
第三部分是结尾段,对文章的主题进行归纳总结。这类文章多用一般现在时,而且一般多使用客观性词语表述。有时为了强调客观性,也常使用被动语态。
从近几年的考试题来看,科普环保类的文章越来越与人们的实际生活相接近。由于此类文章缺乏故事情节,很多同学对此类文章感到费解。但一般的科普类文章都是就事论事,需要逻辑推理和想象的时候较少,因此此类阅读题也没有同学们想象中的那么难,只要多加训练,就能较好地答题。
【阅读策略】
1、概要(Summarizing):
阅完材料后,将所阅材料浓缩,摘要,做出所阅材料的书面或口头梗概。
2、组织(Organization):
阅读后根据阅读内容,识别观点、人物、事件之间的关系以及文章的结构关系。如:时间关系、比较或对比关系、相关关系及因果关系等。
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A. The effects of flu and its symptoms B. Types of virus to cause flu C. People’s attitudes toward flu D. The cause of flu E. The way that flu spreads F. The methods to fight flu |
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Flu (which is short for influenza) is a highly infectious disease, the cause of which is a very tiny organism known as a virus. Several types of flu are recognized, depending on the type of virus that causes the disease.
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Flu can often cause problems in breathing, and general infection of the lung. With elderly and weak people, these added complications often produce serious results. The virus, if not properly treated, can weaken the body so that patient may develop more serious illnesses, such as pneumonia and bronchitis. When people catch flu, they often complain of a headache or a sore throat. They usually have a fever and their temperature rises from the normal 37℃ (98.6) to about 39.5℃ (103). Sometimes a person has a dry hacking cough and aching joints.
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Today many doctors use drugs that fight the disease. And scientists have also developed vaccines that help to prevent it. If the patient has proper treatment, and complete rest in bed, the virus is normally beaten within a week to ten days.
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How does flu spread so quickly? When the infected person breathes out, sneezes or coughs, he gives out droplets of moisture in the breath from his mouth or nose. These remain in the air for some time. Flu viruses are present in these droplets. If a person sneezes in a crowd or poorly ventilated place, such as a lift, viruses can easily be carried from an infected person to a healthy person. This is known as droplet infection. The healthy person will breathe in the viruses given out by the infected person.
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There are three main types of virus that cause flu, which are called type A, B and C. type A is the most powerful of the three, and undergoes minor changes in its genetic material every few years. The new form of the virus is called a strain. The new strain is not affected by the current vaccines. It is said to be “resistant” to them. So doctors must be continually producing new vaccines to combat the new strains of virus.