D
Eating spicy foods frequently may be tied to a slightly lower risk of an earlier death，according to a new study.However，more research is needed to confirm the link，experts say.
The researchers found that the people in the study who ate spicy foods one or two days a week were 10 percent less likely to die during the study, compared with those who ate spicy foods less than once a week，according to the study published in the journal The BMJ. Moreover, the people in the study who ate spicy foods three or more days a week were 14 percent less likely to die during the study, compared with those who ate spicy foods less than once a week.
However，the study was observational, and so it is too early to tell whether there is a certain relationship between eating spicy foods and lower mortality,_said study author Lu Qi，an associate professor at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. “We definitely need more data from other populations，” Qi told Live Science.“The researchers don't know why exactly the consumption of spicy foods may be linked to the drop of early death, but previous research on cells and animals has suggested several possible connections，” Qi said.
“It is unclear whether the observed associations are the direct result of spicy foods intake, or whether spicy foods are simply a marker for other beneficial but unmeasured dietary components(成分)，” said Nita Forouhi，a nutritional expert. At this point, researchers don't know for sure whether eating spicy foods can have a beneficial effect on human health and mortality, Forouhi wrote.“Future research is needed to make sure whether spicy food consumption has the potential to improve health and reduce mortality directly, or if it is merely a marker of other dietary and lifestyle factors，” she said.
【语篇解读】 这是一篇科普类说明文。主要讲了新的研究发现经常吃辛辣食品可能有助于降低死亡率。
13．Which section of a newspaper is the article probably taken from?
A．Advertisement. B．Business.
C．Science. D．Education.
C [文章出处题。这篇文章主要讲了新的研究发现经常吃辛辣食品可能有助于降低死亡率，所以这篇文章最可能出现在报纸的科学板块。故选C。]
14．What does the underlined word “mortality” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A．Death rate. B．Living cost.
C．Physical suffering. D．Energy requirement.
A [词义猜测题。由第二段研究结果可知，经常吃辛辣食品的人比不经常吃的人死亡的可能性要小。也就是研究的吃辛辣食品和死亡率的关系。 由此可猜测出“mortality”的意思是“死亡率”。 故选A。]
15．What does the passage mainly tell us?
A．Link between food and health.
B．Association between a certain food and health.
C．Connection between habits and health.
D．Relation between food and health.
B [主旨大意题。这篇文章主要讲了新的研究发现经常吃辛辣食品可能有助于降低死亡率，也就是讲了特定食物和健康之间的关系。故选B。]
Eating spicy foods frequently may be tied to a slightly lower risk of an earlier death，according to a new study.However，more research is needed to confirm the link，experts say.
The researchers found that the people in the study who ate spicy foods one or two days a week were 10 percent less likely to die during the study, compared with those who ate spicy foods less than once a week，according to the study published in the journal The BMJ. Moreover, the people in the study who ate spicy foods three or more days a week were 14 percent less likely to die during the study, compared with those who ate spicy foods less than once a week.
However，the study was observational, and so it is too early to tell whether there is a certain relationship between eating spicy foods and lower mortality,_said study author Lu Qi，an associate professor at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. “We definitely need more data from other populations，” Qi told Live Science.“The researchers don't know why exactly the consumption of spicy foods may be linked to the drop of early death, but previous research on cells and animals has suggested several possible connections，” Qi said.
“It is unclear whether the observed associations are the direct result of spicy foods intake, or whether spicy foods are simply a marker for other beneficial but unmeasured dietary components(成分)，” said Nita Forouhi，a nutritional expert. At this point, researchers don't know for sure whether eating spicy foods can have a beneficial effect on human health and mortality, Forouhi wrote.“Future research is needed to make sure whether spicy food consumption has the potential to improve health and reduce mortality directly, or if it is merely a marker of other dietary and lifestyle factors，” she said.
【语篇解读】 这是一篇科普类说明文。主要讲了新的研究发现经常吃辛辣食品可能有助于降低死亡率。
13．Which section of a newspaper is the article probably taken from?
A．Advertisement. B．Business.
C．Science. D．Education.
C [文章出处题。这篇文章主要讲了新的研究发现经常吃辛辣食品可能有助于降低死亡率，所以这篇文章最可能出现在报纸的科学板块。故选C。]
14．What does the underlined word “mortality” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A．Death rate. B．Living cost.
C．Physical suffering. D．Energy requirement.
A [词义猜测题。由第二段研究结果可知，经常吃辛辣食品的人比不经常吃的人死亡的可能性要小。也就是研究的吃辛辣食品和死亡率的关系。 由此可猜测出“mortality”的意思是“死亡率”。 故选A。]
15．What does the passage mainly tell us?
A．Link between food and health.
B．Association between a certain food and health.
C．Connection between habits and health.
D．Relation between food and health.
B [主旨大意题。这篇文章主要讲了新的研究发现经常吃辛辣食品可能有助于降低死亡率，也就是讲了特定食物和健康之间的关系。故选B。]
