Can Milk Make You Happy? Can Fish Make You Smart? Hippocrate

游客2023-12-11  12

问题                 Can Milk Make You Happy? Can Fish Make You Smart?
    Hippocrates, the "Father of Medicine", said, "Let your food be your medicine, and let your medicine be your food. " For a Greek born in the fifth century B.C. , Hippocrates was wise beyond his time. Today, we know that a low fat diet strengthens the immune system and reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease. But there’s more to the story. New evidence suggests that food may influence how healthy people think and feel. Were he alive today, Hippocrates might look back to his last meal to explain his cheerful or sour mood. He might also change his eating habits to become happier or smarter.
    How does food affect mood and mind? The answer may lie in the chemistry of the brain and nervous system. Molecules called neurotransmitters are chemical messengers. They carry a nerve impulse across the gap between nerve cells. The release of neurotransmitters from one neuron to receptor sites on another keep a nerve impulse moving. Nerve impulses carry messages from the environment to the brain, for example, the pain you feel when you strike your toe against an obstacle. They also carry messages in the other direction, from the brain to the muscles. That’s why you back away immediately and exclaim, "Ouch!"
    "Many neurotransmitters are built from the foods we eat," says neuroscientist Eric Chudler of the University of Washington. Too little or too much of a particular nutrient in the diet can affect their production, Chudler says. For example, tryptophan from foods such as yogurt, milk, bananas, and eggs is required for the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
    Dozens of neurotransmitters are known; hundreds may exist. Their effects depend on their amounts and where they work in the brain. The neurotransmitter serotonin, for example, is thought to produce feelings of calmness and relaxation. Drugs that prevent its return back (into the neuron that released it) are prescribed to treat depression. In at least some healthy, non depressed people, carbohydrate foods seem to enhance serotonin production and produce similar effects. "It is the balance between different neurotransmitters that helps regulate mood," Chudler says.
    Choline is a substance similar to the B vitamins. It’s found in peanuts, milk and seafood. To test the effects of choline on memory and learning, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology gave memory tests to college students before increasing the amount of choline in their subjects’ diets.
    Later, they retested. On the average, memories were better, and the students learned a list of unrelated words more easily. There’s a lot to learn, and future research may reveal more about the chemistry of mood, brain, and nutrition. Until then, it makes sense to choose healthy foods that nourish both body and mind. If he were alive today, a smart and happy Hippocrates might be spotted buying skinless turkey at the supermarket or chewing broccoli from the salad bar. [br] Which of the following is closest to the main idea the passage tries to convey?

选项 A、A balanced diet promotes a healthy mind.
B、Mental and physical health lies in food.
C、The food you eat is the cause of your health problems.
D、One man’s food is another man’s poison.

答案 A

解析 本题考查全文主旨。纵观全文,第一段通过“医学之父”Hippocrates的观点引出了现代医学研究更进一步的发现:食物可以影响人的情绪和思维。第二至四段说明食物影响情绪和思维的原理。其中,第二段介绍大脑和神经系统的化学结构,第三、四段以抑郁症为例说明:饮食通过促进神经递质之间的平衡调节人的情绪。第五段用实验证明食物可以增强人大脑的功能。最后一段总结指出:人们应该选择有利于身心健康的食物。由此可见,全文、侧重于介绍饮食对情绪和头脑的影响。[A]是全文论述的对象。[B]中physical health不是本文论述的内容,虽然Hippocrates的观点是关于食物和身体健康的关系,但它只是为了引出下文。[C]的错误在于:文章并没有提及健康问题(health problem)的根源。[D]强调人们食物喜好的差别,显然不正确。
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