Question

    It happens from time to time that after a whole morning of studying, you are tired in the afternoon. It’s then that you might want to eat something sweet, perhaps a Coke or a chocolate bar,  to lift your mood. After all it’s popularly believed that a “sugar rush” gives us energy.

But a study published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews in April suggests that sugar can make us feel worse rather than boost our moods.

The German and UK researchers collected data from 31 studies involving nearly 1,300 adults. They studied the effect of sugar on various aspects of mood, including anger, alertness, depression and tiredness.

They found that people who have too much sugar become more tired and less alert within an hour and that these feelings become more intense over time.

According to the researchers, when people take in sugar their blood sugar levels rise rapidly, leading to a burst of energy and a short “feel good” period. However, as they begin to digest the sugar, their blood sugar levels decrease quickly leading to a bad feeling.

To remain on a “high” people are likely to eat more and more sugar until they become addicted to it. As with caffeine, this prevents the body from relaxing, leaving people feeling tired and less alert.

But the study findings needn’t make us think we must give up sweet food altogether. According to the World Health Organization, it is healthy to have the sugars found naturally in fruit, vegetables and milk so long as these make up less than 5 percent of daily total energy intake.

So the next time you feel tired and can’t concentrate, perhaps you should think twice before you bite into a chocolate bar. Maybe a spot of exercise at midday would be a better idea!

Tips for beating afternoon fatigue.

* Head outside and sit in the daylight for 10 minutes.

* Get into the routine of a mid-afternoon cup of tea.

* Plan group activities for midday.

* Add variety to your routine.

1.What does the underlined word “boost” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A.harm B.improve C.control D.change

2.How did the people feel after they had sugar in the study?

A.They felt more tired. B.They felt relaxed.

C.They were more alert. D.They felt energetic.

3.What do we learn from Paragraphs 5-6?

A.Our mood is connected to our blood sugar levels.

B.Taking in more sugar benefits mental health.

C.Getting caffeine is another way to relax.

D.Sugar and caffeine are all the same.

4.What would the author suggest people do when they are tired?

A.Give up sweet food. B.Have a bar of chocolate.

C.Do an hour of exercise. D.Eat foods with natural sugars.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.A

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。人们普遍认为糖的输入会带给我们能量，比如吃巧克力和喝可乐等。一项研究表明，糖会导致人们产生不良的感觉，但并不是说人们必须完全放弃甜食。合理食用水果，蔬菜和牛奶中天然存在的糖是健康的，也可以在中午进行一点运动以及采取一些技巧来消除下午的疲劳。

1.词义猜测题。根据第一段中的“It’s then that you might want to eat something sweet, perhaps a Coke or a chocolate bar, to lift your mood.”可知，在感到疲倦后，你可能想吃点甜的东西，例如喝点可乐或吃巧克力以补充能量提高活力。第二段的but一词进行了转折，一项研究表明糖会使我们感觉更糟，因此rather than boost our moods理解为“而不是提高活力”，即boost与lift是同义词。结合选项可知improve(提高，改善)能够解释boost一词。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段中的“They found that people who have too much sugar become more tired and less alert within an hour and that these feelings become more intense over time.”可知，他们发现，摄入糖分过多的人在一小时内变得更疲劳、不再那样机敏了。并且随着时间的推移，这些感觉变得更加强烈。故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据第五段和第六段可知，根据研究人员的说法，当人们摄入糖分时，血糖水平迅速上升，导致能量爆发和使人短暂地“感觉良好”。但是，随着他们开始消化糖，血糖水平迅速下降，从而导致不好的感觉产生。人们为了保持情绪高涨的状态，人们可能会吃会越来越多的糖，直到他们依赖于糖。与咖啡因一样，这会阻止身体放松，使人感到疲倦且不再那么机敏。即从第五和第六段中能够知道人们的心情与血糖水平有关。故选A。

4.推理判断题。根据第七段中的“it is healthy to have the sugars found naturally in fruit, vegetables and milk so long as these make up less than 5 percent of daily total energy intake.”可知，水果，蔬菜和牛奶中天然存在的糖是健康的，只要它们占每日总能量摄入量的5％以下即可。因此作者建议人们在疲倦时可以吃含天然糖的食物。故选D。