There it was. A test of will power. I’m on a special diet with foods carefully selected for balanced nutrition and caloric value. A piece of cheese cake is not an option. So here was my dilemma: Should I not eat the cheese cake, feel dissatisfied and take out my frustration on the annoyingly skinny physical instructor at the gym? Or should I eat the cheese cake and work off the calories?
The latter seemed like a win-win solution. Not only would I get to enjoy the cheese cake, but I’d get an exercise session. And then it hit me: a delicate plan to use my cheese cake as an exercise incentive. I plated a thin slice of cheese cake and carefully walked it up the stairs and set it on my bedside table with a small fork. I put on my exercise outfit and went downstairs.
The appeal of the cheese cake got stronger so I launched my plan: I would run up and down the stairs and then back up again. My reward: one small bite of cheese cake. If I wanted another, I’d have to run down and up and down and up again. Off I went. Ah, creamy vanilla goodness without guilt. I wanted another bite so I quickly sprinted through another stair climbing run.
Admittedly, it is harder to enjoy the creaminess of the cheese cake when my tongue was dry from over-breathing. I placed a bottle of water next to the cake.
Down and up and down and up again. When I struggled over to the cheese cake, my hand bypassed the plate and went for the water instead. I didn’t want the cake any more. I wanted all this sweat and effort to do more than cancel the calories from cheese cake. I was exhausted and sure the cheese cake tasted fine but just not good enough to make me run up and down the stairs one more time.
My plan worked. Now, any time I felt tempted to indulge in a former favorite, I remembered my stairs trick.
1.What can we infer about the author from paragraph 1?
A.She has weak will power.
B.She is bad-tempered and very critical.
C.She needs assistance with making the choice.
D.She hesitated over eating something against her diet.
2.What does the underlined word “incentive” in paragraph 2 mean?
A.Motivation. B.Excuse.
C.Substitute. D.Companion.
3.What do we learn about the author’s plan?
A.It involved much energy consumption.
B.It rid the cake of the pleasant taste.
C.It changed the author’s preference for food.
D.It was exhausting and caused suffering.
4.What may be the best title for the passage?
A.A costly dilemma.
B.An evil cheese cake.
C.A trick that worked.
D.A sweating experience.
Eating red meat is linked to cancer and heart disease, but are the risks big enough to justify giving up juicy burgers and delicious steaks? Probably not, according to researchers who reviewed data from 12 clinical trials involving about 54,000 people. In a series of controversial papers, the researchers argue that the increased health risks tied to red meat are small and uncertain, and that cutting back likely wouldn't be worth it for people who enjoy meat.
Those conclusions go against established medical advice. They were swiftly attacked by a group of famous U.S. scientists who took the unusual step of trying to stop the papers from being published until their criticisms were addressed.
The new work does not say red or processed meats like hot dogs and bacon are healthy, or that people should eat more of them. The team’s reviews of past studies generally support the ties to cancer, heart disease and other bad health outcomes. But the authors say the evidence is weak, and that there’s not much certainty meat is really the cause, since other diet and lifestyle factors could be at play.
If the latest example of how divisive nutrition research has become, with its uncertainties leaving the door open for conflicting advice. Critics say findings often aren't backed by strong evidence. Defenders counter that nutrition studies can rarely be conclusive because of the difficulty of measuring the effects of any single food, but that methods have improved.
Based on their analyses, the researchers said people do not have to cut back for health reasons. But they noted that their own advice is weak, and acknowledged that they didn't consider factors such as animal welfare and the environment. Indeed, the case that meat production is bad for animal welfare and the environment is stronger than the case that it's bad for human health, according to an editorial that accompanies the report.
Not all of the report authors agreed with its conclusions. Three of the 14 researchers said they support reducing red and processed meats. A coauthor of one of the reviews is also among those who called for a publication delay.
Those who pushed to postpone publication also questioned why certain studies were included in the reviews while others were left out.
As for his own diet, Dr. Gordon Guyatt, a member of the international research team that conducted the reviews, said he no longer thinks red or processed meats have significant health risks. But he said he still avoids them out of habit, and for animal welfare and environmental reasons.
1.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A.To introduce a new relationship between health and eating red meat.
B.To urge more people to keep away from eating red meat regularly.
C.To present a new controversial view on impacts of eating red meat.
D.To criticize nutrition studies for lacking of conclusive evidence.
2.What is the author’s attitude towards the new research?
A.Doubtful. B.Positive.
C.Disapproving. D.Objective.
3.Guyatt’s avoiding red meats has the weakest connection with ________.
A.health risks B.diet habits
C.animal welfare D.environmental protection
4.What can we learn from the recent research?
A.Red meats don’t have significant health risks.
B.Reducing meat consumption will be worth it.
C.The report authors have reached a consensus.
D.Consuming red meat will do good to health.
Traveling by subway ______ sometimes be quite an adventure, especially during the rush hour.
A.must B.can C.shall D.should
Her companion_____ a trick on her, for she was not in the mood for everything that day.
A.can’t have played B.must have played
C.should have played D.needn’t have played
You _____ be right but I’m going back to check anyway.
A.should B.must C.need D.might
—What about seeing the new movie at the theatre tonight?
—Sounds great, but I ____ work extra hours to finish a report.
A.have got to B.am able to
C.am glad to D.am willing to
