Question

    We think of winter as cold and flu season，but the cold temperatures have powerful biological upsides too.

Boosts your brain

1. .Studies have found that people perform some cognitive（认知的）tasks like making decisions better when the temperature is cooler. Research has also shown that people are less willing to handle complex tasks in the summer than in the winter.

Burns calories（卡路里）

When it's cold，your body works harder to keep your core temperature，which is typically. about 98.6 degrees. "Our bodies use a considerable amount of energy to keep us warm and to dampen the air we breathe when we're out in the cold，"explains Stacy Tucker，an expert from Kansas City. 2.  . A recent study showed that participants burned 34 percent more calories when they hiked in 14-to 23-degree temperatures than they did hiking on 50-degree days.

Activates healthy fat

We know accumulating too much ordinary fat or "white fat" can endanger our health. But adults also have small amounts of beneficial "brown fat" that can quicken their metabolism（新陈代谢）and bum more calories 3. .

Encourages better sleep

Your body's core temperature drops when you're trying to sleep. 4. ，but it's much faster in winter，says Tucker. Plus，with darker mornings，you naturally sleep later.

5.

Yes，you might get more colds during the winter. However，studies have shown that the immune system can be activated by colder temperatures，which improves our ability to fight infections，explains Tucker. That said，the flu virus becomes strong in cold，dry air，and time spent indoors increases your chance of infection. To reduce risk，get your annual flu shot，wash your hands frequently，and go outside.

A. Fights infections

B. So fasten your boots

C. Suffers from infections

D. Colder temperatures can help you think more clearly

E. And cold temperatures can activate this useful fat

F. Exercising in the winter makes heart muscles stronger

G. This process can take up to two hours in the summer

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.E

4.G

5.A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，主要讲述了冬天较低的气温给人体带来的五种生理方面的好处。

1.横线后一句“Studies have found that people perform some cognitive（认知的）tasks like making decisions better when the temperature is cooler.”告诉我们当温度较低的时候，人们在完成认知任务的时候，表现会更好。由此可见低温可以帮助我们更加清晰地思考问题。故选择D项。

2.横线前句“Our bodies use a considerable amount of energy to keep us warm and to dampen the air we breathe when we're out in the cold”告诉当天气寒冷的时候，我们的身体需要耗费更多的能量来保暖。所以我们自己要做好保暖措施，选项中只有B项“系紧你的靴子”是我们可以采取的保暖措施。本题也可以用排除法来解题，其余6句内容与此内容无关。故选B项。

3.本段的主题是“Activates healthy fat”激活健康脂肪。横线前一句“But adults also have small amounts of beneficial "brown fat" that can quicken their metabolism（新陈代谢）and bum more calories”告诉我们人体内有一些可以加快新陈代谢的脂肪同时燃烧更多的卡路里。较低的温度恰好可以激活这样的脂肪，故E项正确。

4.横线前一句“Your body's core temperature drops when you're trying to sleep.”告诉我们当人们睡觉的时候，体温会下降。横线句对本句进行解释，G项“夏天这一过程需要两个小时”中的夏天与横线后句“but it's much faster in winter”中的冬天形成呼应。故G项正确。

5.根据本段第二句“However，studies have shown that the immune system can be activated by colder temperatures，which improves our ability to fight infections，explains Tucker.”可知低温可以激活我们的免疫系统抵抗感染。A项“Fights infections”与本段内容一致，故选择A项。