Question

    New research on vegetables and aging gives mothers another reason to say "I told you so". It found that eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old.

On measures of mental sharpness, older people who ate more than two servings（份）of vegetables daily appeared about five years younger at the end of the six-year study than those who ate few or no vegetables.

The research in almost 2, 000 Chicago-area men and women doesn't prove that vegetables reduce mental decline, but it adds to evidence pointing in that direction. The findings also echo previous research in women only.

Green leafy vegetables appeared to be the most beneficial. The researchers said that it may be because they contain amounts of healthy vitamin E, which is believed to help fight chemicals produced by the body that can damage cells. Vegetables generally contain more vitamin E than fruits, which was not linked with slowed mental decline in the study. "Vegetables also are often eaten with healthy fats such as salad oils, which help the body absorb vitamin E, "said the lead author Martha Clare Morris, a researcher at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center.

"This is a sound paper and contributes to our understanding of cognitive（认知的）decline, "said Dr Meir Stampfer of Harvard's School of Public Health.

"The findings specific for vegetables and not fruit add further credibility（可信性）that this is not simply a marker of a more healthful lifestyle, "said Stampfer, who was not involved in the research.

The research involved 1,946 people aged 65 and older who filled out questionnaires about their eating habits. A vegetable serving equaled about a half-cup chopped or one cup if the vegetable was a raw leafy green like spinach.

1.By saying "I told you so", the writer probably means __________.

A.mothers often tell their children to eat more vegetables

B.more research should have been done earlier

C.aging can be avoided by eating vegetables

D.we should slow down while eating

2.From this passage we can infer that_________.

A.the latest research has proved vegetables reduce mental decline

B.a research on vegetables and aging had ever been done before

C.green leafy vegetables contain less vitamin E than fruits

D.there were 1,946 people aged 65 who took part in the research

3.Stampfer's attitude towards the findings is __________.

A.negative B.unconcerned

C.supportive D.uncertain

4.The best title of this passage would be ___________.

A.New Ways to Become Healthy

B.Vegetables May Keep Brains Young

C.Vegetables Are Better than Fruits

D.Different Benefits of Vegetables

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。研究发现，吃蔬菜似乎有助于保持大脑年轻，并可能减缓与变老有关的智力下降。多吃蔬菜的老年人比那些不吃蔬菜的老年人健康。

1.推理判断题。根据下文It found that eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old.（研究发现，吃蔬菜似乎有助于保持大脑年轻，并可能减缓与变老有关的智力下降。）谈到吃蔬菜的好处可知作者说“I told you so”，可能是指妈妈们经常告诉孩子们多吃蔬菜, 故选A。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段最后一句话"The findings also echo previous research in women only. （这一发现也呼应了之前只针对女性的研究。）"可知从这篇文章我们可以推断出以前曾有人做过关于蔬菜与衰老的研究。故选B。

3.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中"The findings specific for vegetables and not fruit add further credibility（可信性）that this is not simply a marker of a more healthful lifestyle, "（“针对蔬菜而不是水果的发现进一步增加了可信度，这不仅仅是一种更健康的生活方式的标志。”）可知Stampfer对这项研究的态度是支持的。故选C。

4.主旨大意题。根据文章第一段中It found that eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old.（研究发现，吃蔬菜似乎有助于保持大脑年轻，并可能减缓与变老有关的智力下降。）以及本文主要告诉我们多吃蔬菜能减缓大脑衰老的速度, 因此B符合文章主题。故选B。