Question

If a woman has an extra piece of cake, don’t blame it on greed, blame it on her brain.

Scientists have found that women’s brains react to food very differently — and much more strongly — than men’s. Academics found that decades of dieting pressure on women and advertising have programmed certain parts of the female brain to react strongly when faced with any kind of food. Men, on the other hand, are not usually as obsessive about what they eat.

Dr. Rudolf Uher and his colleagues at the Institute of Psychiatry in King’s College London used brain scanning technology, known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), to look at the brains of eighteen men and women. The volunteers were given images of food to look at, as well as food to taste. Their brain reactions were observed by the scientists. They found that the female brains reacted much more strongly than those of males. The same reaction did not happen when they were shown non-food images. The team believe this means women think more about food than men tend to.

Dr. Uher said, “This could be related to biological differences between men and women. But the more likely explanation is that women have a more complicated reaction to food because of social pressure.”

Professor Carey Cooper, psychology and health professor at Lancaster University, said, “for centuries women have had a providing role — preparing and cooking food for their families. And it's part of that role to make sure the food is safe. They will therefore be much more sensitive to food than men are, and I would not be surprised if that was now built into their DNA. If the female brain reacts to food because it historically has developed neural(神经的) pathways to do this, then food will be the way they express their stress. Food actually, is a comfort for women.”

But other experts have said that more research must be done before the results can be proved. American scientist Angelo del Parigi of the John B. Pierce Laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut, said “Looking at an FMRI alone cannot make sure whether the stronger reaction in women is due to innate (天生的）differences or a learned process.”

1.Dr.Uher and his colleagues carried out the research by comparing ________.

A. Volunteers’ reactions to food before and after meals

B. FMRI’s scanning result of scientists

C. women’s and men’s brain reactions to pictures of food

D. volunteers’ imagination on the taste of food

2.In Dr. Uher’s opinion, women react more strongly to food than men most probably because they are ________.

A. born to do so due to biological reasons

B. influenced by advertisements

C. told to do so for a long time

D. forced by powerful social influences

3.According to Professor Carey Cooper, women ________.

A. are satisfied with preparing food for their families

B. turn to food when they feel sad

C. accept their social role from the heart

D. are stressed because of food safety

4.What was Angelo del Parigi’s attitude towards the research results?

A. Curious.B. Surprised.C. Uninterested.D. Doubtful.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.B

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：如果一个女人有一块额外的蛋糕，不要把它归咎于贪婪，要归咎于大脑。科学家发现女性的大脑对食物的反应非常不同，与男性相比更强烈。这归咎于社会压力对女性的影响。

1. 细节理解题。根据第五段“They found that the female brains reacted much more strongly than those of males.”及第六段中的“The same reaction did not happen when they were shown non-food images.”可知，Uher博士比较了男性和女性在面对不同图片时大脑的反应是否一样。故选C。

2. 细节理解题。根据倒数第三段中的“But the more likely explanation is that women have a more complicated reaction to food because of social pressure.”可知，女性比男性对食物的反应更为强烈是因为她们受到强大的社会影响。故选D。

3. 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的“food will be the way they express their stress. Food actually, is a comfort for women.”可知，食物可以带给女性安慰，因此女性伤心难过的时候会吃东西。故选B。

4. 推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“Looking at an FMRI alone cannot make sure whether the stronger reaction in women is due to innate (天生的) differences or a learned process.”可以看出，Angelo del Parigi对Uher博士的研究结果持怀疑的态度。故选D。

【学法指导】

细节题是针对文中某个细节、某句话或某部分具体内容设置问题，正确答案的根据一定可以在原文中找到，即原文的改写往往成为正确选项。

通常细节题的正确选项有以下特征：

1.对原文句子中的关键词进行替换。把原文中的一些词换成意义相近的词，成为正确选项。

2.词性或者语态的变化。把原文中的一些词变换一下词性，或者改变原文句子的语态，给考生制造障碍。

3.语言简化。把原文中的复杂语言现象进行简化，成为正确答案。

4.正话反说。把原文中的意思反过来表达而成为正确选项（适用于寻找错误选项的题目）。

干扰项也是以文章中的某个细节设题，若不仔细辨别，很容易把它当成正确选项。5.细节理解题。根据第五段“They found that the female brains reacted much more strongly than those of males.”及第六段中的“The same reaction did not happen when they were shown non-food images.”可知,Uher博士比较了男性和女性在面对不同图片时大脑的反应是否一样。故选C。

考点：考查科普类阅读