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Passages on researches studies and surveys

Try to figure out:

What is the finding of the research?

How does it conducted?

What does the research suggest/show?

A

Here is an astonishing and significant fact: Mental work alone can’t make us tire. It sounds absurd. But a years ago, scientists tried to find out how long the human brain could labor without reaching a stage of fatigue (疲劳). To the amazement of these scientists, they discovered that blood passing through the brain, when it is active, shows no fatigue at all! If we took a drop of blood from a day laborer, we would find it full of fatigue toxins(毒素) and fatigue products. But if we took blood from the brain of an Albert Einstein, it would show no fatigue toxins at the end of the day.
      So far as the brain is concerned, it can work as well and swiftly at the end of eight or even twelve hours of effort as at the beginning. The brain is totally tireless. So what makes us tired?
       Some scientists declare that most of our fatigue comes from our mental and emotional(情绪的) attitudes. One of England’s most outstanding scientists, J.A. Hadfield, says, “The greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin. In fact, fatigue of purely physical origin is rare.” Dr. Brill, a famous American scientist, goes even further. He declares, “One hundred percent of the fatigue of sitting worker in good health is due to emotional problems.”
       What kinds of emotions make sitting workers tired? Joy? Satisfaction? No! A feeling of being bored, anger, anxiety, tenseness, worry, a feeling of not being appreciated---those are the emotions that tire sitting workers. Hard work by itself seldom causes fatigue. We get tired because our emotions produce nervousness in the body.

1. What surprised the scientists a few years ago?
       A. Fatigue toxins could hardly be found in a laborer’s blood.
       B. Albert Einstein didn’t feel worn after a day’s work.
       C. The brain could work for many hours without fatigue.
       D. A mental worker’s blood was filled with fatigue toxins.

2. According to the author, which of the following can make sitting workers tired?
       A. Challenging mental work.        B. Unpleasant emotions.
       C. Endless tasks.                           D. Physical labor

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards the scientists’ idea?
       A. He agrees with them.               B. He doubts them.
       C. He argues against them.           D. He hesitates to accept them.

4. We can infer from the passage that in order to stay energetic, sitting workers need

to ________.
       A. have some good food.             B. enjoy their work
       C. exercise regularly                    D. discover fatigue toxins

B

If you’re concerned about gaining weight over the upcoming holiday season, consider eating more slowly and you might consume less, a study suggests. Diet experts have been giving this advice for years, and now nutrition scientists at the University of Rhode Island have some new data to back it up.

They had 30 normal-weight, college-age women come into a laboratory for lunch on two separate occasions. Each time, the women were offered a huge plate of pasta with tomato-vegetable sauce and grated parmesan cheese, plus a glass of water. They were asked to eat until the point of comfortable fullness. On one occasion, they were instructed to eat as quickly as they could; on the other occasion they are slowly and put down their spoons between bites.

They did not know the food and water was weighed before and after the meal to determine the amount consumed. Findings: When eating quickly, the women consumed 646 calories in about nine minutes. When eating more slowly, they had an average of 579 calories in about 29 minutes.

“ They ate 67 calories more in nine minutes than they did in 29 minutes,” says lead researcher Kathleen Melanson, director of the university’s Energy Metabolism Laboratory. “ If you add that up over three meals a day, that’s a big difference in calories.”

Upon completion of the meal and an hour afterwards, the women were less satisfied and hungrier when eating quickly compared with when they ate slowly, she says. They said they enjoyed the meal more when they were taking their time. Not surprisingly, the women drank more water when they ate more slowly, and researchers are doing a follow-up study on whether that factor contributed to their feeling of fullness.

One way to help control calories intake during Thanksgiving “ is to slow down and savor and enjoy your food more,” Melanson says.

“ Put down the fork between bites and take time to have a conversation and linger over the meal.” She says.

 But Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University, says another study showed that people who paused between bites actually consumed more food during a meal.

Eating rate is hard to change, so eat at a pace that maximize ( 最大化) your enjoyment of the food.” Rolls says. “ If slowing down and savoring the flavors and textures of foods leaves you feeling more satisfied, go for it”.

1. Scientists at the at the University of Rhode Island conducted their study by comparing the

amount of food consumed in ________.

A.  two different groups eating the same kind of food on two occasions

B. the same group eating different kinds of food on two occasions

C. two different groups eating different kinds of food on two occasions

D. the same group eating the same kind of food on two occasions

2. Melanson’s study shows that after a meal, people may feel more satisfied if ______.

  A. they eat food with more calories    B. they eat a wide variety of foods

  C. they eat slowly                  D. they eat with spoons

3. It can be inferred that Barbara Rolls’ attitude towards study of Melanson is ___________.

  A. approving        B. optimistic       C. positive      D. questioning

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

  A. Eating Is a Science                  B. Eating Slowly Means Eating Less

  C. Drinking Water Makes One Eat Less    D. Eating Less Is the Best Way to Control Weight