Have you ever heard someone say, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, or give you advice about why it’s vital to start the day with a healthy breakfast? It seems that this meal, for many of us, is necessary for our day to start well, but is it really that important?
The word “breakfast” comes from “breaking the fast”— the idea of ending the period in which we don’t eat during the night. The regeneration process that takes place while we sleep consumes some of our natural food reserves. Breakfast gives us an opportunity to replenish those reduced stores of things like protein and calcium. So, in that way, a healthy breakfast makes sense.
There are also many often-quoted studies which seem to connect a state of being overweight with not eating breakfast. In fact, it leads many health experts to advise a healthy breakfast to not only control but also lose weight. In a US study, 50,000 people were monitored over seven years, and those who ate a healthy breakfast were found to have a lower BMI ( 体重指数 ), which seems to suggest that breakfast may indeed help people maintain a healthy weight.
But it might not be as simple as that. Alexandra Johnstone, professor of appetite research at the University of Aberdeen, suggests those who do not have breakfast might be less aware of healthy diets and nutrition, and people who eat breakfast might have a healthier lifestyle overall exercising and not smoking, for example. And he also points out that with the rise in popularity of intermittent ( 间歇性的 ) fasting to lose weight, there may also be some benefits to not eating breakfast, like improving blood sugar control and lowering blood pressure.
So, while breakfast has its benefits, it might not be the most important meal. It seems that a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet might be more important for many of us than just one single meal.
1 ． Why does the author list the questions in the first paragraph?
A ． To give a warming. B ． To offer some advice.
C ． To introduce the topic. D ． To prove a certain fact.
2 ． What does the underlined word “replenish” mean in paragraph 2?
A ． Set aside. B ． Manage without.
C ． Make up for. D ． Run out of.
3 ． What conclusion can we draw from Johnstone’s research?
A ． Skipping breakfast may do good to our health.
B ． Those who eat breakfast can keep a lower BMI.
C ． Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
D ． Intermittent fasting contributes greatly to weight loss.
4 ． What does the author suggest we do at the end of the text?
A ． Try new lifestyles.
B ． Follow a balanced diet.
C ． Pay more attention to breakfast.
D ． Be aware of the benefits of each meal.
1 ． C
2 ． C
3 ． A
4 ． B
【解析】
【分析】
本文为一篇说明文。研究表明，早餐对于健康有一定的意义，但更重要的是健康的生活方式和均衡的饮食。
【详解】
1. 推理判断题。根据文章第一段列举的问题及关键句 “It seems that this meal, for many of us, is necessary for our day to start well, but is it really that important?” （对我们许多人来说，这顿饭似乎是一天良好开始的必要条件，但它真的那么重要吗？）可知，作者在第一段列举问题，是为了引出下文的话题。故选 C 项。
2. 词义猜测题。根据文章第二段关键句 “The regeneration process that takes place while we sleep consumes some of our natural food reserves.” （在我们睡觉时发生的再生过程消耗了我们的一些自然食物储备。）及下一句内容 “those reduced stores of things like protein and calcium” （那些减少的蛋白质和钙等物质的储存）可知， replenish 与 make up for 意思相近，表示 “ 补充、弥补 ” 。即：早餐让我们有机会补充那些减少的蛋白质和钙等物质。故选 C 项。
3. 细节理解题。根据文章第四段关键句 “And he also points out that with the rise in popularity of intermittent fasting to lose weight, there may also be some benefits to not eating breakfast, like improving blood sugar control and lowering blood pressure. ” （他还指出，随着间歇性禁食减肥的流行，不吃早餐也可能有一些好处，比如改善血糖控制和降低血压。）可知，从 Johnstone 的研究中可知，不吃早餐也有一些好处。故选 A 项。
4. 推理判断题。根据文章最后一段关键句 “It seems that a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet might be more important for many of us than just one single meal.” （对我们许多人来说，健康的生活方式和均衡的饮食似乎比一顿饭更重要。）可知，作者建议我们应该均衡饮食。故选 B 项。