七月的尾巴
是极好的的意思，顺便借楼If you don't have a weight problem, you have more than your diet or your gym to thank. You also owe a nod to your leptin gene. And while you' re at it, tip a hat to your MC4 receptors and your PC1 enzymes and your POMC peptides. Hard to figure out the role this alphabet soup of stuff plays in helping keep you thin? Don't feel bad. It' s all new to scientists too. Nutritionists know that the two great pillars' of weight control-diet and exercise-can’t be all there is to avoiding obesity。Why else could two otherwise healthy people eat identical foods，keep identically active and still see the numbers on the scale move in opposite directions? For years much of this has been explained with hand-waving references to' body types and metabolism-broadly accurate, but cold comfort to the estimated 61% of Americans who are overweight or obese and want to have their weight controlled , not merely explained. Now, however, explanations are coming. As scientists hack deeper into the underbrush' of the human genome，they are at last beginning to understand the genetics of weight regulation and how the whole system can go awry" . With that understanding，they believe , it may be possible to develop drugs that do the job balky，genes fail to do- controlling a problem that decades of fad diets and self-help books have never solved. It was the discovery of leptin in 1994 that got the genetic study of obesity rolling, and it was Jeffrey Friedman' s research team that was responsible. Studying the genome of a rare strain of hugely obese mice, the investigators found that all of them shared a defect in a gene that coded for a previously unknown hormone released by body fat. When a normal animal gains too much weight. the hormone signals the brain to turn down the appetite rheostat！When fat stores drop, the hormone is shut off, causing appetite to rebound. In the gene-damaged mice, there was no leptin at all , causing them to eat and eat without satiation. "We called the hormone leptin, ”Friedman says, “after the Greek word leptos，for thin.” The announcement of leptin' s discovery was big news to biologists, particularly after Friedman administered it to the obese mice and saw their weight drop by a dramatic 30% within as little as two weeks. A next , obvious step was to look for humans with as two weeks. A next , obvious step was to look for humans with O' Rahilly of the University of Cambridge did find a pair of leptin-deficient children，one of whom at age 9 weighed a staggering 208 lbs. After modest leptin treatments were begun , both children began dropping weight at a steady rate that sometimes exceeded 4 lbs. a month, So leptin is the answer to obesity- -right? Not quite. The further science travels along the leptin trail , the more genetic stops it will find- and the more therapies these will suggest.What is clear is that obesity is a fantastically complicated condition, with a fantastic number of spots for science to step in and setthings right. " What recent research has done," says O’ Rahilly,is take obesity out of the realm of sociology and put it in therealm of biology. " For many obese people, that is a welcomestart.
库尔尼郭娃
阅读理解（1）The announcement that England�s mad cow disease was involved in 10 cases of a fatal human brain disorder has been met with understandable hysteria.The market for British beef collapsed,100,000 farmer�s jobs are in jeopardy,and the government is trying to defuse a crisis that could cause billions of dollars in loses.But what is striking about the situation is how sharply the decisive public reaction to the crisis contrasts with the cautious language in the announcement.Scientists said consumption of contaminated beef was “the most likely explanation” for 10 cases of a similar human illness called Creutzfeldt�Jakob disease—nothing more definite than that.The crisis is a telling example of a phenomenon occurring ever more frequently: A complex scientific debate I suddenly thrust upon an anxious public that is ill�equipped to understand it.Instant communications,combined with the greater willingness of government and industry leaders to go public with their scientific disputes,trigger concern.The core of real science gets overwhelmed by a flurry of “junk science”—conflicting statements by politicians,confusing press reports,legal depositions,even dueling ads.The real problem is the nature of scientific inquiry,which inevitably involves uncertainty.Researchers cannot say conclusively whether mad cow disease poses a risk to humans.They don�t know the extent of the epidemic or how it can be stopped.Indeed,they can�t even agree on the cause.“This is tremendously difficult for the public to sort out.If scientists are disagreeing,what�s the citizen to presume?” asks Paul Slovic,an American psychologist at Decision Research in Eugene.One lesson to be drawn from the mad cow crisis is that government shouldnt cut funding for basic research,which can help prevent tomorrow�s crises.But the only real solution is for government and industry leaders to use scientific information responsibly.Unresolved scientific disputes have become a fact ofmodern life.Nothing else so clearly illustrates science�s limits.1.The announcement indicating the connection between the mad cow disease and the fatal human brain disorder has brought about .A) a drastic decline in beef consumptionB) unemployment of 100,000 farmersC) the British government�s decisive action to prevent future crisesD) scientific disputes concerning the nature of Creutzfeldt�Jakob disease2.We can infer from the passage that Creutzeldt�Jakob disease .A) is an epidemic fatal to humans as well as to cattleB) is caused by eating contaminated beefC) is incurable but preventableD) is still under scientific investigation3.In the author�s opinion,which of the following should NOT be held responsible for the crisis?A) Uncertainty of scientific inquiries.B) Irresponsibility of government officials in using scientific information.C) Misleading news reports written by journalists.D) Advertisements competing for public attention and market.4.Which of the following does the author regard as the most important in preventing future crises of this kind?A) The government should give more money to basic research.B) The public should not be officially given scientific information which might lead tconfusion.C) Government and industry leaders should be more responsible in handling scientific information.D) Scientists should settle their disputes before informing the public of their discoveries.5.To the author,the way in which the public reacted to the announcement is .A) incomprehensible B) ridiculousC) justifiable D) illogical语言注释1.defuse v.缓和，平息、减少危险性、紧张程度或敌对程度2.Creutzfeldt�Jakob 克雅氏症3.flurry n.骚动，混乱骚动或突然的爆发4.deposition n.宣誓作证(尤指通过写下的证词或记录的形式作出的，今后在法庭上使用的证词)答案1.A 本题答案主要依据文章第一段。本段中心为疯牛病的消息带来的后果。第一句是本段的主题句——英国宣布疯牛病与10例致命的人脑疾病有关。这一声明引起了公众的极度不安，是可以理解的。第二句中讲述了三个具体的细节说明后果：牛肉市场销量骤减，10万农民面临失业的危险，政府正努力缓解损失可达数十亿美元的危机。由此可见，选项A的陈述是准确的。2.D 第二段中这样一些信息是理解的关键：…the cautious language…consumption of contaminated beef was “the most likely explanation” for …nothing more definite than that。依据这些线索可知文中未被提及选项A、C的内容；选项B的内容所给信息不符。故正确答案为D。3.A 本题涉及造成这场危机的原因，判断应依据第三、四段。作者认为，不确定性在科学研究中是不可避免的(…the nature of scientific inquiry,which inevitably involves uncertainty…)，而现代生活中总是存在着悬而未决的科学争论(…Unsolved scientific disputes have become a fact of modern life)。而此次危机的起因是政客和企业领导急于公布没有定论的研究结果、混乱的新闻报道、法律证词、甚至相互竞争的广告等大量的伪科学(junk scientific)淹没了科学的真相(the core of real science)。由此可知，正确答案应为A。4.C 作者在最后一段中总结了由此次危机中获得的经验教训，因此只有选项A、B与本题中涉及的问题相关。在这里考生必须准确理解题干的要点——最重要的方法(the most important)，并且准确把握文中作者语气的轻重。But the only real solution is …之后才是问题的答案所在。5.C 本题中要求考生准确理解作者对整件事情的态度。作者以疯牛病造成的恐慌为引子，意在批评政府和企业界领袖在没有科学定论的情况下就把相互矛盾的信息公之于众的做法。全文中提供了许多线索表明作者对公众恐慌的理解，如understandable hysteria…tremendously difficult for the public to sort out.If scientists are disagreeing,whats the citizen to presume? 由此可知，正确答案为C(justifiable，可理解的)。（2）Now and then,researchers retreat from the trackless jungle at the edge of knowledge and set up camp in more familiar territory.Such expeditions don ’t often yield surprises,but it’s always reassuring to know that the back yard looks much as we thought it did. Among those scientists were psychologists from the State University of the New York at Stony Brook.To prove their theory—that people are more likely to yell at a family member or a peer than a superior—they asked 100 college students to wear blood�pressure cuffs and to keep notes about when they got angry and what they did about it.The momentous conclusion: people tend to bottle up anger felt toward an authority figure,and are more likely to vent it instead at family members or friends.While these findings are far from earth�shattering,one researcher pointed out that nobody had ever looked at anger this way before. Big words can make a self�evident result seem weightier.Psychologists at the National Institute for Healthcare Research in Maryland used this technique when they announced that when one person hurts another,forgiveness “isassociated with restored relational closeness following an interpersonal transgression.” Couples who have adopted the kiss�and�make�up strategy will no doubt be pleased to learn that there is now a sound scientific basis for their actions.Psychologists,however,aren�t the only ones taking pains to prove the obvious.Some boldly going where few have gone don�t always lead to radical conclusions.Over the years,researchers have set up weather�monitoring stations in remote areas of Antarctica.According to data from stations on the Ross Ice Shelf—where almost all those taking part in Robert Scott�s ill�fated South Pole expedition perished sometime between late February and mid�March of 1912—temperatures as low as those recorded in Scott�s journal have been documented only once in the past 15 years.This evidence led to one inexorable conclusion about what killed Scott and most of his party: it was the cold.1.According to the author,the scientists who do researches in more familiar territory .A) have confirmed what we have already knownB) have looked at things in new waysC) have done some useless workD) have had important discoveries by studying the obvious2.Which of the following is NOT true according to the psychologists at Stony Brook?A) They have looked at anger in a unique way.B) When people get angry,their blood pressure changes.C) People tend to let off their grievance at home.D) People are less likely to show their anger to their family members.3.The psychologists in Maryland have proved that when one person hurts another, .A) it is easier for them to make up if they have very close relationsB) it is easier for them to make up if they show their intimacyC) they should find a sound scientific basis to make upD) they should kiss each other to make it up4.According to the research on the Ross Ice Shelf,Robert Scott�sexpedition failed because .A) most of the expeditors couldn�t stand hardshipsB) it was exceptionally cold on Antarctica that yearC) Robert Scott should not have chosen to go there in winterD) Robert Scott did not pay much attention to the temperature record of An tarctica5.It is implied in the passage that .A) what scientists say is not necessarily importantB) bold researches would lead to radical conclusionC) people should not bottle up their anger at their family member or friendsD) researchers should shift from the edge of knowledge to familiar fields语言注释1.Now and then,researchers retreat from the trackless jungle at the edge of knowledge and set up camp in more familiar territory.此句中作者用了暗喻的手法，将知识的前沿比作荆棘密布的丛林，将人们熟知的领域比作宿营地。以此批评研究者为了获取研究成果，不愿探索新的科学领域，而谨慎地选择了所熟悉的领域，仅仅满足于一些对人类认知的进步毫无益处的所谓的科学发现。2.momentous adj.重大的、重要的3.…that when one person hurts another,forgiveness “is associated withrestored relational closeness following an interpersonal transgression.”当一个人伤害了另一个人，原谅与否取决于在双方发生冲突之后，是否恢复了以往的亲昵关系。4.inexorable adj.无情的答案1.C 在文章开头，作者就直接指出科研领域里的一个现象——研究者不去探索新的知识领域，而为了稳妥只研究一些熟悉的领域。对此作者认为这样的研究不会带来任何实际的好处(such expedition don�t often yield surprises…)。在这种意义上，这种研究是没有价值的研究。故C为正确答案。2.D根据第二段中的研究结果可知正确答案为D。解题的关键是考生要准确理解…people tend to bottle up anger felt toward an authority figure,and are more likely to vent it instead at family members or friends一句的含义。此句中bottle up意为“控制”，vent意为“放出、排出、发泄(感情等)”。3.B第三段中作者指出，一些研究结果使本来显而易见的事实显得更加重要。作者评论了马里兰国家健康研究所的研究结果，夫妻之间争吵后用来和解的惯用手段，以及两者之间的关系。并以此为例证明了自己的观点。由此可知B为正确答案。4.B根据文章最后一段可知，Scott等在南极之旅中全部丧生的真正原因是那次科考中他们遇到了前所未有的严寒天气。故正确答案为B。5.A通读全篇，不难体会作者对科研领域中这种怪现象的讽刺和否定的态度，由此暗示了作者的观点——科学家的研究结果不一定有重要的意义。选项B、C、D中所陈述的内容与文中事实不符。故正确答案为A。（3）Scientists have developed a slimming drug that successfully suppresses appetite and results in a dramatic loss of weight without any apparent ill effects. The drug interferes with appetite control and prevents the build�up of fatty tissue.More importantly,the drug appears to prevent a serious decline inmetabolic rate—causing tiredness and lethargy—which is typically associated with living on a starvation diet.As a result,mice taking the drug lost 45 percent more weight than mice fed the same amount of food,which compensate for the lack of food by becoming more sluggish.The scientists,from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore,said that C75 is likely to produce a similar effect on humans because appetite control in the brain is thought to be based largely on the same chemical pathways as those in mice.“We are not claiming to have found the fabled weight�loss drug.What we have found,using C75,is a major pathway in the brain that the body usesnaturally in regulating appetite at least in mice,” said Francis Kuhajda,apathologist and senior team member.“We badly need effective drugs for weight loss.Obesity is a huge problem.We�re hoping to explore the possibilities of this new pathway,” he said.Discovering a biochemical pathway in the brain that controls appetite raises new prospects for developing slimming aids.Research on leptin,ahormone produced in fatty tissue for controlling fat deposits,has so far failed to produce the expected slimming drug breakthrough.The latest study,published in the journal Science,showed that even moderate doses of C75 produced a significant loss of appetite,which returned to normal after a few days.Human studies are being planned. The scientists believe that C75,which they produced synthetically in the laboratory,binds to an enzyme called fatty acid sythase,which is involved in storing excess food intake as fat.Inhibiting the enzyme caused a build�up of achemical in the liver which acts as a precursor to fat deposition.This precursor is thought to have an indirect effect on the brain,causing appetite suppression.Normally,when animals fast,a hormone called neuropeptide Y increases sharply in the appetite�control centers of the brain,stimulating the desire for food.However,when animals are given C75,levels of this hormone fall,leading to a loss of interest in food.Dr Kuhajda said discovering that C75 has no effecon metabolic rate is one of the most significant findings of thestudy.“If you try to lose weight by starving,your metabolism slows down after a few days,”he said.“It�s a survival mechanism that sabotages many diets.We see this in fasting mice.Yet metabolic rate in the C75�treated mice doesn�t slow at all.”Further animals studies will be needed before C75 could be tested on humans. 1.Living on a starvation diet may result in . A) a dramatic loss of weight without any ill effects B) a long�term loss of interest in eating C) a slowdown of fat deposition D) fatigue and inactivity 2.The scientists from the Johns Hopkins University said that C75,the slimming drug proved effective in mice,is likely to work on humans because. A) the chemical pathway responsible for appetite control in human is believed to be the same as that in mice B) it is a major pathway in the brain which is activated to regulate appetite C) it is especially effective in the battle against obesity D) its effect has also been proved by human studies 3.Leptin . A) refers to a new biochemical pathway in the brain that controls appetite B) raises new prospects for developing slimming drugs C) is a hormone produced in fatty tissue for controlling fat build�up D) has turned to a breakthrough in the search for effective slimming drug 4.The newly�found slimming drug can successfully suppresses appetite because . A) C75 made synthetically in the laboratory works effectively on human body B) fatty acid sythase is involved in storing excess food intake as fat C) C75 inhibits the activity of an enzyme called fatty acid sythase D) it increases a hormone called neuropeptide Y in the appetite�control centers of the brain 5.What is the most remarkable about the new slimming drug C75? A) It successfully suppresses appetite. B) It encourages the scientists to study slimming drugs from new perspectives. C) It generates a new hormone that may prove to be the key to overweight. D) It doesn�t affect the metabolic rate,a survival mechanism in living beings. 语言注释 1.lethargy n.无生气,无精打采,呆滞懒散 2.As a result,mice taking the drug lost 45 per cent more weight than micefed the same amount of food,which compensate for the lack of food by becoming more sluggish.这个句子的句型略为复杂，有一个表示比较的壮语从句，后又跟了一个非限定性的定语从句。可译为“结果，服用新型减肥药的小鼠与喂食相同数量的食物的小鼠相比，体重下降了45%以上。而后者变得更加懒怠，即以减少活动量来弥补食物的不足”。 3.obesity n.肥胖 4.The scientists believe that C�75�,which they produced synthetically in the lab oratory,binds to an enzyme called fatty acid sythase,which is involved in storing excess food intake as fat.这个句子分别在两个关键词后，用了非限定性的定语从句，来进一步解释说明。整句意为：科学家们相信，这种在实验室用合成方法制成的C�75会与成为“脂肪酸合酶”的生物酶结合。这种酶参与了把过量食物摄取转化脂肪的过程。 5.neuropeptide n.神经肽 6.sabotage v.对……采取破坏行动、防碍、破坏 答案 1.D 文中第一段在介绍这种新型减肥药C75的特点时，将新药的特点与传统上通过节食减肥对代谢率的影响进行比较，指出由于后者使代谢速度减慢而引起疲劳、无力等症状。故正确答案为D。在解题时考生需注意文中more importantly这样强调语义的词和短语，并注意理解破折号(表示进一步解释说明)等标点符号的交际功能。 2.A 文章第二段开头便表明了人们可使用C75来减肥原因…that C75 is likely to produce a similar effect on humans because appetite control in the brain is thought to be based largely on the same chemical pathways as those in mice这正是选项A所表达的意思。C75是一种新型的减肥药，而非重要的化学路径，由此可排除选项B。目前关于这种新型药剂的效果的研究结果均来自动物实验结果，而人体实验正在计划当中。由此可排除C、D两个选项。 3.C 文中第三段中第二句话对Leptin做出了解释。它是脂肪组织中分泌的，一种可以控制脂肪积聚量的激素。故正确答案为C。 4.C 根据文章第四段，可知这种新型减肥药之所以可以有效地控制食欲是因为人体中被称为“脂肪酸和酶”的一种酶参与将过量摄取的食物转化成脂肪的过程。而C75可与这种酶结合，并且抑制其产生，从而促使一种化学物质在肝脏中积聚。这一过程间接地作用于大脑，抑制食欲。 5.D 文中曾在第一段(More importantly,the drug appears to prevent a serious decline in metabolic rate…)和最后一段(…that C75 has no effect on metabolic rate is one of the most significant findings of the study.)中两次提到这种新型减肥药的独特之处，即对生命体的新陈代谢不产生影响。故正确答案为D。（4）Since 1975 advocates of humane treatment of animals have broadened their goals to oppose the use of animals for fur,leather,wool,and food.They have mouned protests against all forms of hunting and the trapping of animals in the wild.And they have joined environmentalists in urging protection of natural habitats from commercial or residential development.The occasion for these added emphases was the publication in 1975 of “Animal Liberation: A New Ethics for Our Tr eatment of Animals” by Peter Singer,formerly a professor of philosophy at Oxford University in England.This book gave a new impetus to the animal rights movement. The post�1975 animal rights activists are far more vocal than their predecessors,and the organizations to which they belong are generally more radical.Many new organization are formed.The tactics of the activists are designed to catch the attention of the public.Since the mid�1980s there have been frequent newsreports about animal right organizations picketing stores that sell furs,haras sing hunters in the wild,or breaking into laboratories to free animals.Some of the more extreme organizations advocate the use of assault,armed terrorism,and death threats to make their point. Aside from making isolated attacks on people who wear fur coats or trying to prevent hunters from killing animals,most of the organizations have directed their tactics at institutions.The results of the protests and other tactics have been mixed.Companies are reducing reliance on animal testing.Medical research has been somewhat curtailed by legal restrictions and the reluctance of younger workers to use animals in research.New tests have been developed to replace the use of animals.Some well�known designers have stopped using fur. While the general public tends to agree that animals should be treated humanely,most people are unlikely to give up eating meat or wearing goods made from leather and wool.Giving up genuine fur has become less of a problem,since fibers used to make fake fur such as the Japanese invention
