Food and Cancer

    Medical expels have suspected for many years that there is a strong link between what a person eats and cancer. They say a new study provides the first evidence¹ that vitamins could reduce a person’s chance of developing cancer. A team of Chinese and American scientists did the study. They are from American National Cancer Institute² and the Cancer Institute of the ChineseAcademyof Medical Sciences³ inBeijing. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of the study. About thirty thousand people between the ages of 40 to 69 took part in the study. They were from the northern central Chinese area of Linxian. Most of them took vitamins and minerals every day for five years.

    Linxian was chosen because the people there have all extremely high rate of cancer of stomach and esophagus. Researchers believe that fungus and molds in local foods may be partly responsible for the high cancer rate. Researchers divided those into eight groups. Seven of the groups received different mixtures of vitamins and minerals daily. The amounts of the vitamins and minerals were 1 to 2 times greater than what American health officials say is needed. The eighth group received sugar pills⁴ that had no effect. Those who seemed to gain the most received a mixture of a form of vitamin A called β–carotene, vitamin E and the mineral selenium. The vitamin and mineral are believed to prevent damage to cells caused by cancer-causing substances. Researchers reported a 13 percent drop in cancer rates in those who took β–carotene, vitamin E and selenium⁵. They also found a 10 percent drop in the number of deaths caused by strokes from bursting blood vessels.

    Scientists warn that it is too soon to know if the effect would be the same among people in other countries. They note that the people in Linxian eat foods that lack necessary vitamins and minerals. Chinese officials will continue to record the health records of the people in Linxian for many years. For now officials reportedly are considering using the results of the study. They want to find a way to improve the health of people in Linxian and other small towns inChina.

词汇：

esophagus /ɪ"sɒfəɡəs/ n.食道 

mixture /ˈmɪkstʃə(r)/ n.混合物；合成品；混合药
fungus /"fʌŋɡəs/ n.菌类 

carotene /ˈkærəti:n/ n.胡萝卜素
mold /məʊld/n.霉；霉菌 

selenium /sɪˈli:niəm/ n.硒

注释：

1.the first evidence ：第一手证据
2.American National Cancer Institute：美国国家癌症研究所
3.the Cancer Institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences ：中国医学科学院癌症研究所
4.sugar pills ：糖丸
5. a mixture of a form of vitamin A called β–carotene, vitamin E and the mineral selenium: 一种叫做β–胡萝卜素的维生素A、维生素E和矿物质硒的混合物

Fungus and molds in local foods may be partly responsible for the high cancer rate in Linxian

A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned

真菌 fungus

.Chinese Caterpillar Fungus

What’s killing the Bats First it was bees. Now it is bats. Biologists in America are working hard to discover the cause of the mysterious deaths of tens of thousands of bats in the northeastern part of the country. Most of the bats affected are the common little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), but other species, such as the long-eared bat, the small-footed hat, the eastern pipistrelle, and the Indiana bat have also been affected. In some caves, more than 90 percent of the bat populations have died. One possibility is disease. A white fungus（真菌）known as fusarium has been found on the noses of both living and dead bats. However, scientists don’t know If the fungus is the primary cause of death, a secondary cause of death, or not a cause at all, but the result of some other conditions. Another possible cause is a lack of food. For example, bats typically eat a large number of moths（蛾）, and in some states such as New York, the number of moths has been declining in recent years. If bats can’t eat enough food, they starve to death. Still other scientists believe that global warming is to blame. Warmer temperatures in recent years have been waking up hibernating（冬眠）bats earlier than usual. If bats break their hibernation at the wrong time, they might not find their expected food sources. The weather might also turn cold again and weaken or kill the bats. Scientists might not agree on the causes of the bat die-off, but they do agree on the consequences. Bats are an important predator of mosquitoes; a single brown bat can eat 1,000 or more insects in an hour. They also eat beetles and other insects that damage plant crops. If there aren’t enough bats, damage will be great from the insects they eat While bats live a long time for their size－the little brown bat can live for more than 30 years－a female bat has only one baby per year, so bat populations grow slowly. Many bat species in the United States are already protected or endangered. How can you help? Do not disturb sleeping or nesting bats. If you discover bate that seem to be sick or that are dead, contact your local Fish ＆ Wildlife Department with the details. However, be careful not to touch the animals. The word “pipistrelle" in Paragraph 1 refers to

A:a kind of fungus. B:an area in the U.S. C:a special cave. D:a kind of bat.

Plants, like animals, are subject to diseases of various kinds. It has been estimated that some 30,000 different diseases attack our economic plants; forty are known to attack corn, and about as many attack wheat. The results of unchecked plant disease are all too obvious m countries which have marginal food supplies. The problem will soon be more widespread as the population of the world increases at its frightening rate. Even in countries which are now amply fed by their agricultural products there could soon be critical food shortages. It is easy to imagine the consequences of some disastrous attack on one of the major crops; the resulting famines could kill millions of people, and the resulting hardship on other millions could cause political upheavals disastrous to the order of the world.
Some plants have relative immunity to a great many diseases, while others have a susceptibility to them. The tolerance of a particular plant changes as the growing conditions change. A blight may be but a local infection easily controlled; on the other hand it can attack particular plants in a whole region or nation. An example is the blight which killed virtually every chestnut tree in North America. Another is the famous potato blight in Ireland in the last century. As a result of that, it was estimated that one million people died of starvation and related ailments.
Plant pathologists have made remarkable strides in identifying the pathogens of the various diseases. Bacteria may invade a plant through an infestation of insect parasites carrying the pathogen. A plant can also be inoculated by man. Other diseases might be caused by fungus which attacks the plant in the form of a mold or smut or rust. Frequently such a primary infection will weaken the plant so that a secondary infection may result from its lack of tolerance. The symptoms shown may cause an error in diagnosis, so that treatment may be directed toward bacteria which could be the result of a susceptibility caused by a primary virus infection.
Which of the following statements is not true

A:Some plant diseases may be caused by bacteria. B:Some plant diseases may be caused by pathogens. C:Some plant diseases may be caused by fungus. D:Symptoms are always helpful in identifying diseases.

Diseases of Agricultural Plants
Plants, like animals, are subject to diseases of various kinds. It has been estimated that some 30,000 different diseases attack our economic plants; forty are known to attack com, and about as many attack wheat. The results of unchecked plant disease are all too obvious in countries which have marginal food supplies. The problem will soon be more widespread as the population of the world increases at its frightening rate. Even in countries which are now amply fed by their agricultural products there could soon be critical food shortages. It is easy to imagine the consequences of some disastrous attack on one of the major crops; the resulting famines could kill millions of people, and the resulting hardship on other millions could cause political upheavals disastrous to the order of the world.
Some plants have relative immunity to a great many diseases, while others have a susceptibility to them. The tolerance of a particular plant changes as the growing conditions change. A blight may be but a local infection easily controlled; on the other hand it can attack particular plants in a whole region or nation. An example is the blight which killed virtually every chestnut tree in North America. Another is the famous potato blight in Ireland in the last century. As a result of that, it was estimated that one million people died of starvation and related ailments.
Plant pathologists have made remarkable strides in identifying the pathogens of the various diseases. Bacteria may invade a plant through an infestation of insect parasites carrying the pathogen. A plant can also be inoculated by man. Other diseases might be caused by fungus which attacks the plant in the form of a mold or smut or rust. Frequently such a primary infection8 will weaken the plant so that a secondary infection may result from9 its lack of tolerance. The symptoms shown may cause an error in diagnosis, so that treatment may be directed toward bacteria which could be the result of a susceptibility caused by a primary virus infection.

Which of the following statements is not true（　）

A:Some plant diseases may be caused by bacteria. B:Some plant diseases may be caused by pathogens. C:Some plant diseases may be caused by fungus. D:Symptoms are always helpful in identifying diseases.

? ?下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题，每题后面有4个选项。请仔细阅读短文并根据短文回答其后面的问题，从4个选项中选择1个最佳答案。
{{B}}第一篇{{/B}}

Which of the following statements is not true?

A:Some plant diseases may be caused by bacteria. B:Some plant diseases may be caused by pathogens. C:Some plant diseases may be caused by fungus. D:Symptoms are always helpful in identifying diseases.

{{B}}第二篇{{/B}}

What can be inferred from the passage about penicillin?

A:It effectively treats fungus infections. B:It was developed before nystation. C:It was developed before the Second World War. D:One of its by-products is nystatin.