课文内容
Vocabulary: diet: 词汇：减肥
This time of year many of us resolve to get back into shape. But if you are having trouble fitting into your tight jeans, it may not be your fault. Scientists now believe that willpower alone is not enough lose weight. They say success depends on your genes, hormones and psychology.
A study of 75 people by BBC Science and Oxford and Cambridge Universities has looked into why one-size-fits-all diets are often not successful. The scientists divided over-eaters into three groups – people who feast, people who constantly crave food and emotional eaters. They tailored diets to the needs of each group.
Feasters can’t stop eating once they start. This is because they don’t have the hormones that tell them when they are full. Scientists designed a diet for this group featuring high protein foods that make them feel full for a long time. This included fish, chicken, basmati rice and grains. Bread and potatoes were not allowed because they do not fill you up for long.
Constant cravers always feel hungry. Scientists say that certain genes disrupt the messages the stomach sends to the brain saying it is full, meaning the cravers always feel like they need more fatty, sugary food. Dieting seven days a week is very hard for these people, so scientists put them on a normal, healthy diet five days a week, and cut their calorie intake to 800 on two days a week.
Emotional eaters have got into the habit of eating whenever they feel stressed. To help them change this behaviour, scientists offered them group support in meetings and online as well as a diet. During the study, people from all three groups lost weight on the tailored diets, with feasters losing the most and constant cravers losing the least.
So what about you? If any of the eating habits sound familiar, perhaps you should consider a new approach to slimming for 2015.
词汇表
to resolve 下决心
willpower 意志力、毅力
genes 基因
hormone 荷尔蒙
psychology 心态
one-size-fits-all 一成不变的
diet (n) （为减轻体重的）节食
to feast 大吃大喝
to crave 非常想吃（某样食物），渴望
emotional 情绪化的
to tailor 专为……订制
protein 蛋白
to disrupt 干扰、扰乱
to diet （动词）节食
calorie intake 卡路里的摄入
habit 习惯
behaviour 行为，习性
测验与练习
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. According to scientists, what three things can affect weight loss?
2. How many people took part in the recent study on dieting?
3. What should feasters not eat?
4. What extra help was given to emotional eaters?
5. Which group didn’t lose as much weight as the other two?
2. 请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。
1. My husband doesn’t have the __________ to stop smoking.
calorie intake willpower habit behaviour
2. Chimpanzees’ __________ are more similar to those of humans than other apes.
psychology feasts diets genes
3. She is always __________ but she never seems to keep the weight off.
dieting resolving craving disrupting
4. We can __________ the English course to your needs.
diet emotion one-size-fits-all tailor
5. An important source of __________ in the Japanese diet is fish.
cravings protein hormones emotions
答案
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. According to scientists, what three things can affect weight loss?
Genes, hormones and psychology.
2. How many people took part in the recent study on dieting?
Seventy-five.
3. What should feasters not eat?
Bread and potatoes.
4. What extra help was given to emotional eaters?
Group support.
5. Which group didn’t lose as much weight as the other two?
The constant cravers.
2. 请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。
1. My husband doesn’t have the willpower to stop smoking.
2. Chimpanzees’ genes are more similar to those of humans than other apes.
3. She is always dieting but she never seems to keep the weight off.
4. We can tailor the English course to your needs.
5. An important source of protein in the Japanese diet is fish.