Question

    It’s 3 o’clock and you’ve been hard at work. As you sit at your desk, a strong desire for chocolate overcomes you. You try to busy yourself to make it go away. But it doesn’t. Here is another situation. Perhaps you are not feeling well. The only thing you want to eat is a big bowl of chicken soup, like your mum used to make when you were sick as a child. Food cravings are a strong desire for a specific type of food. And they are normal.

Scientists at the website How Stuff Works compare hunger and cravings (渴望) this way. Hunger is a fairly simple connection between the stomach and the brain. They even call it simply “stomach hunger”. When our stomachs burn up all of the food we have eaten, a hormone (激素) sends a message to one part of the brain for more food, which regulates our most basic body functions such as thirst, hunger and sleep. The brain then produces a chemical to start the appetite and you eat. Hunger is a function of survival.

A craving is more complex. It activates brain areas related to emotion, memory and reward. These are the same areas of the brain activated during drug-craving studies. Because of this, some scientists call food cravings “mind hunger”. People often crave foods that are high in fat and sugar. Foods that are high in fat or high in sugar produce chemicals in the brain. These chemicals give us feelings of pleasure.

In a 2016 study, researchers at Cambridge University found that dieting or restricted eating generally increases the possibility of food cravings. So, the more you deny yourself a food that you want, the more you may crave it. However, fasting (禁食) is a bit different. They found that eating no food at all for a short period of time lessened food cravings.

So, the next time you crave something very specific, know that your brain may be more to blame than your stomach.

1.Which of the following statements is NOT true when “stomach hunger” appears?

A.The part of brain which regulates some functions of our body works.

B.A chemical is produced by the stomach to start the appetite.

C.All the food we have eaten has been exhausted.

D.A hormone delivers a message to the brain for food.

2.What do we learn about food cravings?

A.It means the stomach functions well.

B.It ensures a person survives hunger.

C.It shows food is linked to feelings.

D.It proves the brain decides your appetite.

3.What’s the likely result of dieting?

A.The increase of food desire. B.The decrease of chemicals.

C.The refusal of fat and sugar. D.The disappearance of appetite.

4.What is the best title of this passage?

A.Dieting: It Makes You Crave More

B.Fasting: It Lessens Food Cravings

C.Food Cravings: They are All in Your Brain

D.Hunger: It is a Function of Survival

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了对食物的渴望与大脑工作机制之前的关系。人在饥饿的时候会向大脑发送一种激素，要求更多的食物。但人类对于食物的渴望是非常复杂的，人类经常渴望吃一些高热量、高糖、高脂肪的东西让自己保持快乐，而且越是不让自己吃东西就越想吃。

1.细节理解题。第二段第四句提到“When our stomachs burn up all of the food we have eaten, a hormone (激素) sends a message to one part of the brain for more food, which regulates our most basic body functions such as thirst, hunger and sleep. The brain then produces a chemical to start the appetite and you eat.”当胃里的食物都消化完后，就会向大脑发送一种激素，这种激素调节了最基本的身体机能，如口渴、饥饿和睡眠。然后大脑会产生一种化学物质让人有食欲并开始吃东西。由此可知，是大脑产生一种化学物质让人开始吃东西，而不是胃产生的化学物质。故选B。

2.推理判断题。第三段第一句提到“A craving is more complex. It activates brain areas related to emotion, memory and reward.”渴望是非常复杂的，它会激活与情绪、记忆和奖励相关的大脑区域。由此判断出，食物渴望是与人类的情感有关系的。故选C。

3.细节理解题。第四段第一句提到“…that dieting or restricted eating generally increases the possibility of food cravings. So, the more you deny yourself a food that you want, the more you may crave it.”节食或限制进食通常会增加对食物的渴望。越是否认自己想吃东西，就越想吃。由此可知，节食反而会激发人对食物的渴望。故选A。

4.主旨大意题。分析文章可知，这是一篇说明文。第一段通过一个例子引出该段的主题句“Food cravings are a strong desire for a specific type of food. And they are normal.”。第二段第三段则介绍了饥饿与渴望进食之间的联系和区别，以及这两种情况对大脑工作机制的影响。最后一段进行总结，每次想吃什么特定东西时，大脑比胃更应该受到责备。文章通过总分总的结构，说明了食物渴望和大脑之间的关系。因此短文的最佳标题为“食物渴望:它们都在你的大脑里”。故选C。