[冲刺中考]英语阅读与填空：15-Wednesday 苹果 290词

15-Wednesday 苹果 290词

题材： 苹果 词数： 290 建议阅读时间： 6分钟

阅读下面的短文，选择正确答案。

You are probably familiar with the saying：An apple a day keeps the doctor away．A recent research carried out by the Chinese University of Hong Kong may change the saying：An apple a day may keep aging away.

The research chose fruit flies，as they share many genes with humans．The fruit flies were either fed normally or had an apple extract added to their diet.

It turned out that those fruit flies that were given apple extract lived about 55 days—five days longer than the flies that were normally fed．The research group also found it easier for the flies to walk，climb and move about as they aged.

According to the result，the researchers believed that the antioxidants （抗氧化剂） in the apple extract helped clean up dangerous chemicals that cause illnesses，as well as aging.

In another study，researchers examined diets of thousands of women．They discovered that those who regularly ate apple were 20 percent less likely to suffer heart illnesses and stroke.

The apples' genetic code was discovered recently．It allows scientists to develop nicer and healthier fruits．Researchers are already using the information to grow a kind of apples full of antioxidants that can keep eyes and joints healthy and protect humans against heart illnesses and cancer.

Apples that kill the desire to eat could also be produced，with the first“extra-healthy”apples on supermarket shelves within just four or five year.

The team that keeps studying apple DNA includes 100 scientists from five countries．Their research also suggests that around 65 million years ago，when dinosaurs began to die off，the plant，which would finally become today's apple tree，experienced a great genetic change．The number of many of its genes doubled．The extra genes allowed the apple to get used to worse conditions and go through a different development from peaches，strawberries，and other related fruits.

生词

age　v． 变老，衰老：After his wife's death，Wilfred seemed to age quickly.妻子死后，威尔弗雷德看上去老得很快。‖aging　n． 变老，衰老：the aging and decay of things事物的老化腐朽

extract　n． 提炼物，提取物；浓缩物：an extract of coffee浓缩咖啡

code　n． 密码，代码：All government messages were to be sent in code.政府的所有信息都是用密码发送的。

desire　v． 欲望：Teenagers' desire for independence can cause problems for their parents.青少年对独立的渴望会给父母带来麻烦。

1．Why were fruit flies used for the research？

A．Because they have a similar diet to humans.

B．Because they have a history as long as apples.

C．Because they share a lot of genes with humans.

D．Because they feed on nothing but apple extract.

2．What result did the researchers find out？

A．Apples produce chemicals that can change human genes.

B．Apples have antioxidants that kill chemicals that cause aging.

C．Apples are rich in vitamins that are needed in humans' bodies.

D．Apples produce chemicals that make apples taste more delicious.

3．What happened to apples around 65 million years ago according to the research？

A．Their genes stopped their development as the environment got worse.

B．Their genes became twice in number but they finally died off like dinosaurs.

C．They experienced a great genetic change making them used to worse conditions.

D．They went through a similar development to peaches，strawberries and other related fruits.

4．What can we infer from the passage？

A．Eating apples may bring us more advantages than we might believe before.

B．People who have the habit of eating apples don't need to see a doctor.

C．Apples that kill the desire to eat are already available in supermarkets now.

D．People will eat apples instead of peaches and strawberries from now on.

参考译文

你可能熟悉这句俗语：一日一苹果，医生远离我。然而，香港中文大学最近进行的一项研究却可能改写这句俗语：一日一苹果，衰老远离我！

研究人员选择果蝇作为实验对象，因为它们的基因与人类有许多相似之处。果蝇被分成两组，一组按常规饲养，另一组在食谱中添加浓缩苹果汁。

实验表明，食物中添加了浓缩苹果汁的果蝇活了约55天——比常规饲养的果蝇寿命长5天。研究小组还发现，这些果蝇衰老后，无论在行走、攀爬和飞行时都显得更为利索。

根据实验结果，研究人员认为浓缩苹果汁中的抗氧化剂能帮助清除致病、致衰老的危险化学物质。

在另一项研究中，研究人员调查了数千名女性的食谱。结果发现，常吃苹果的女性罹患心脏病和卒中的概率少20％。

苹果的遗传密码近日已被破解。这使得科学家能够培养出更好、更健康的水果。研究人员已经着手运用这些信息去培育富含抗氧化剂的苹果新品种，这种苹果能保护视力、增强关节、预防心脏病、远离癌症。

抑制食欲的苹果也能被生产出来，只要四五年时间，首批这种“超级健康的”苹果就能出现在超市的货架上。

这支仍在研究苹果DNA的团队包括5个国家的100名科学家。他们的研究还表明，大约6500万年前，也就是恐龙走向灭绝之时，最终成为今天的苹果树的那种植物经历了一次基因突变。它的许多基因数量翻倍，这些额外的基因使得苹果树适应了严酷的环境，并走上与桃树、草莓及其他相关水果不同的进化之路。

参考答案

Wednesday 1．C　2．B　3．C　4．A