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考研英语阅读理解有一部分是截取自报刊文章,因此考生在复习备考的过程中要注意提高报刊文章的阅读能力,把握时事阅读。下面新东方在线小编分享历年真题同源的30篇报刊文章,附有注释和解析,希望考生认真阅读,提高对此类文章的阅读能力和增加相关词汇量。
考研英语阅读真题同源报刊文章30篇(12)
Can milk make you happy Can fish make you smart
Imagine yourself lying in bed, your mind in turmoil. You toss and turn, but
sleep won't come. Maybe a bedtime snack would help. What should you choose If
you think first of toaster waffles or popcorn, some experts would say you're on
the right track. Foods high in complex carbohydrates-such as cereals, potatoes,
pasta, crackers, or rice cakes-make many people relaxed and drowsy.
Missed that one Try again. Suppose the weather's rotten, you forgot your
homework, and your best friend's mad at you. What's good medicine when you're
feeling low A sugary cola or candy may give you a quick lift, but you'll crash
just as quickly. Better choices may be Brazil nuts (for selenium), skim milk
(for calcium), or a spinach salad (for folic acid). In research studies, all
three of those nutrients have been shown to lift spirits and battle the
blues.
Try one more. You have a math test coming up in the afternoon. You want to
be sharp, but you usually feel sleepy after lunch. Is your best choice an energy
fix of fries and a shake or a broiled chicken breast and lowfat yogurt If you
pick the highfat fries and shake, you may feel sluggish and blow that test. The
proteinrich chicken and yogurt are better choices. Protein foods energize, some
experts say.
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 neurotransmitter molecules from one neuron and their attachment 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 stub your toe. They also carry messages in
the other direction, from the brain to the muscles. That's why you back away
from the obstacle that initiated the pain signal 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. Phenylalanine
from beets, almonds, eggs, meat, and grains goes into making the
neurotransmitter dopamine.
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, relaxation,
and contentment. Drugs that prevent its reuptake (into the neuron that released
it) are prescribed to treat depression. In at least some healthy, nondepressed
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.
Proper nutrition may also enhance brainpower. Choline is a substance
similar to the B vitamins. It's found in egg yolks, whole wheat, peanuts, milk,
green peas, liver, beans, seafood, and soybeans. The brain uses it to make the
neurotransmitter acetylcholine. 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.
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