第十八篇　　exercise can replace insulin 胰岛素for elderly diabetics 糖尿病

most older people with so-called typeⅱdiabetes could stop taking insulin if they would do brisk exercise for 30 minutes just three times a week，according to new medical research results reported in the copenhagen newspaper berlingske tidende on monday.

　　results from tests conducted on diabetics at the copenhagen central hospital rigshospitalet's center for muscle research showed that physical exercise can boost the body's ability to utilise insulin by 30 per cent，the newspaper reported.

　　this is equal to the effect most elderly diabetics get from their insulin medication today，it said.

　　researchers had a group of non-diabetic men and a group of men with type ii，all more than 60 years of age，exercise on bicycles six times a week for three months. after the three months the doctors measured how much sugar the test subjects'muscles could utilise as a measure for how well their insulin worked.

　　associate professor dr. hemming dela of the muscle research center said the tests demonstrated that the exercising diabetics had just as high insulin utilisation as the healthy non- exercising persons.

　　“this means that the insulin works just as well for both groups. physical exercise cannot cure people of diabetes， but it can eliminate almost all their symptoms. at the same time it can put off the point at which they have to begin taking insulin or perhaps completely avoid insulin treatment，”dela was quoted as saying.

　　insulin isa hormone produced by the pancreas，controlling sugar in the body and used against diabetes.

　　dela said that to achieve the desired effect diabetics need only exercise to the point where they begin to work up a sweat，but that the activity has to be maintained since it wears off after five days without sufficient exercise.

　　most diabetics realise that they have to watch their diet while remaining unaware of the importance of exercise，dela added.

练习：

1. how could most elderly type ii diabetics stop taking insulin?

　　a by taking more salt.than usual.

　　b by taking less salt than usual.

　　c by doing brisk exercise for half an hour at least three times a week.

d by going climbing，swimming or boxing every day.

1 most older people with so-called typeⅱdiabetes could stop taking insulin if they would do brisk 轻快的exercise for 30 minutes just three times a week，according to new medical research results reported in the copenhagen newspaper berlingske tidende on monday.

 

2. physical exercise may increase the body ability to utilise利用使用insulin by

a 70 per cent.             b 30 per cent.

c 60 per cent.             d only a few per cent.

    2 results from tests conducted on diabetics at the copenhagen central hospital rigshospitalet's center for muscle research showed that physical exercise can boost促进 the body's ability to utilise insulin by 30 per cent，the newspaper reported.

 

3. the subjects of the research tests conducted at the copenhagen central hospital included

a elderly non-diabetic men.  b elderly type ii diabetic men.

c both sexes of all ages.     d both a and b.

先从答案入手

  　  2results from tests conducted on diabetics at the copenhagen central hospital rigshospitalet's center for muscle research showed that physical exercise can boost the body's ability to utilise insulin by 30 per cent，the newspaper reported.

　　3 this is equal to the effect most elderly diabetics get from their insulin medication today，it said.

 4　researchers had a group of non-diabetic men and a group of men with type ii，all more than 60 years of age，exercise on bicycles six times a week for three months. after the three months the doctors measured how much sugar the test subjects'muscles could utilise as a measure for how well their insulin worked.

 

4. to what a degree have diebetics to exercise in order to achieve the desired effect?

a to the degree where they begin to sweat.

b to the degree where they feel exhausted.

c to the point when they feel thirsty.

d to the point when they have to take insulin.

    8　dela said that to achieve the desired effect diabetics need only exercise to the point where they begin to work up 逐渐a sweat，but that the activity has to be maintained since it wears off after five days without sufficient exercise.

 

5.according to dela，among most diabetics the importance of exercise is the importance of watching their diet.

a as poorly understood as    b as well understood as

c less understood than       d better understood than

 

9 most diabetics realise that they have to watch their diet while remaining持有 unaware of the importance of exercise，dela added.

 

答案：1. c  2. b  3. d  4. a  5. c

 

 

第二十二篇                  egypt felled by famine

被饥荒颠覆的埃及
　　even ancient egypt's  mighty pyramid builders were powerless in the face of the famine that helped bring down their civilian around 2180bc. now evidence gleaned from mud deposited by the river nile suggests that a shift in climate thousands of kilometers to the south was ultimately to blame- and the same or worse could happen today.
　　the ancient egyptians depended on the niles annual floods to irrigate their crops. but any change in climate that pushed the african monsoons southwards out of ethiopia would have diminished these floods.
　　dwindling rains in the ethiopian highlands would have meant fewer plants to establish the soil. when rain did fall it would have washed large amounts of soil into the blue nile and into egypt, along with sediment from the white nile.
　　the blue nile mud has a different isotope signature from that of the white nile. so by analyzing isotope differences in mud deposited in the nile delta, michael krom of leeds university worked out what proportion of sediment came from each branch of the river.
　　krom reasons that during periods of drought, the amount of the blue nile mud in the river would be relatively high. he found that one of these periods, from 4,500 to 4,200 years ago, immediately predates the fall of the egypt's old kingdom.
　　the weakened waters would have been catastrophic for the egyptians. changes that affect food supply don't have to be very large to have a ripple effect in societies, says bill ryan of the lamont doherty earth observatory in new york.
　　similar events today could be even more devastating, says team member daniel stanley, a geoarchaeologist from the smithsonian institution in washington, d.c. “anything humans do to shift the climate belts would have an even worse effect along the nile system because the populations have increased dramatically.”

练习：

1. why does the author mention pyramid builders?
　　a  because they once worked miracles.
　　b  because they were well-built
　　c  because they were actually very weak
　　d  because even they were unable to rescue their civilisation

even ancient egypt's  mighty pyramid builders were powerless in the face of the famine饥饿 that helped bring down降低their civilisation around 2180bc.  now evidence gleaned from mud deposited by the river nile suggests that a shift in climate thousands of kilometers to the south was ultimately to blame- and the same or worse could happen today.

2. which of the following factors was ultimately根本responsible for the fall of the civilisation of   ancient egypt?
　　a  change of climate   天气的改变
　　b  famine              饥饿
　　c  food                食物
　　d  population growth    人口增长

even ancient egypt's  mighty pyramid builders were powerless in the face of the famine that helped bring down their civilian around 2180bc. now evidence gleaned from mud deposited by the river nile suggests that a shift in climate thousands of kilometers to the south was ultimately to blame- and the same or worse could happen today.
3. which of the following statements is true?
　　a  the white nile is the trunk 躯干of the river nile
　　b  the white nile is the trunk of the blue nile
　　c  the white nile is a branch of the blue nile
　　d  the white nile and the blue nile are branches of the river nile

3　dwindling rains in the ethiopian highlands would have meant fewer plants to establish the soil.  when rain did fall it would have washed large amounts of soil into the blue nile and into egypt, along with连同一起 sediment沉寂 from the white nile.

    4 the blue nile mud has a different isotope signature from that of the white nile. so by analyzing isotope differences in mud deposited in the nile delta, michael krom of leeds university worked out what proportion of sediment came from each branch of the river.

4. according to krom, egypt's old kingdom fell
　　a  immediately after a period of drought
　　b  immediately after a period of flood
　　c  just before a drought struck
　　d  just before a flood struck

5　krom reasons that during periods of drought, the amount of the blue nile mud in the river would be relatively high.  he found that one of these periods, from 4,500 to 4,200 years ago, immediately predates在日期上早于 the fall of 坠落the egypt's old kingdom.

5. the word “devastating” in the last paragraph could be best replaced by 毁坏
　　a “frustrating”  挫败
　　b “damaging”  损害
　　c “defeating”   击败
　　d “worrying”   担心，

7 similar events today could be even more devastating, says team member daniel stanley, a geoarchaeologist from the smithsonian institution in washington, d.c. “anything humans do to shift the climate belts would have an even worse effect along the nile system because the populations have increased dramatically.”