Question

    Research published in the journal High Temperature found that an hour-long soak in hot water produced similar blood sugar responses to 60 minutes of moderate physical activity.

Sound too good to be true? While the research on these effects is still initial (初步)，there is a plausible explanation for this.

"It seems that activities that increase heat shock proteins (热体克蛋) may help to improve blood sugar control and offer an alternative to exercise," the lead study author Steve Faulkner wrote. “These activities—such as soaking in a hot tub or taking a sauna (桑拿) — may have health benefits to people who are unable to exercise regularly. to an hour- long session of cycling or an hour-long session in a 40℃bath.

The scientists discovered that both groups were better able to control their blood sugar levels in the 24 hours following their soak were approximately 10 percent lower than those of the participants who exercised.

Researchers say this implies that “passive heating" (a means of rising your body temperature) could assist in lowering blood sugar levels. Passive heating can affect proteins in the body called heat shock proteins, which helps regulate blood sugar. People with diabetes (糖尿病) tend to have lower levels of heat shock proteins. Passive heating can raise these levels.

It's critical to point out a few limitations of the study. For starters, the experiment only monitored men, so it's difficult to say if the same effect would happen in women. It also only included 14 volunteers, which was an extremely small sample size. More research needs to be conducted before scientists can come to any official conclusion. And, of course, you should still continue exercising regularly.

That being said, the study does offer some more promising insights (见解) into the healing effects of hot water.

1.What does the underlined word “plausible” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A.Strange. B.Ridiculous.

C.Reasonable. D.Confusing.

2.What can we know about the research by the U. K.'s team?

A.Cycling made no difference to blood sugar levels.

B.People with diabetes usually have higher levels of heat shock proteins.

C.14 lean and 14 overweight men were involved in the research.

D.A 24-hour tracking and monitoring was carried out after the one-hour activities.

3.How should scientists improve this study?

A.By extending the study period.

B.By changing the research method.

C.By including women in the research.

D.By adding more scientists involved in the investigation.

4.Which of the following best expresses the author's main point of view?

A.When you run a fever you get passive heating.

B.Passive heating can raise levels of heat shock proteins.

C.The research is of significance in spite of some imperfection.

D.You need either a hot bath or regular exercise to keep healthy.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.C

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了一项研究，该研究显示，在热水中浸泡一小时，会和60分钟适度体力活动产生类似的血糖反应。浸泡热水能更好地控制血糖水平。

1.词义猜测题。根据第三段中的"It seems that activities that increase heat shock proteins (热体克蛋) may help to improve blood sugar control and offer an alternative to exercise," the lead study author Steve Faulkner wrote.可知，提升热体克蛋白水平的活动似乎可以帮助改善血糖控制，并提供一种锻炼的替代方案。由此推知，there is a plausible explanation for this.意为“对此有一个合理的解释”。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段第二句" The participants were either assigned to an hour-long session of cycling or an hour-long session in a 40℃ bath和第五段第一句中的 The scientists discovered that both groups were better able to control their blood sugar levels in the 24 hours following the activities.可知，参与者在活动中分别被分配了一个小时的任务，任务结束后的24小时内，科学家们对他们的情况进行了跟踪监测。故选D。

3.推理判断题。根据第七段中的" For starters, the experiment only monitored men和only included 14 volunteers, which was an extremely small sample size."可知，这项研究有很多不足之处，实验仅跟踪监测了男性的情况，未涉及女性，且实验样本量很小。由此可知，该研究应增加女对象的研究。故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据文章最后一段中的That being said, the study does offer some more promising insights(见解) into the healing effects of hot water.可知，作者认为，尽管这项研究有不足之处，但它确实为热水的治疗效果提供了一些更有前景的见解。故选C。