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.

每年的这个时候，我们中的许多人都决心恢复身材。但如果你穿不进紧身牛仔裤，那可能不是你的错。科学家们现在认为，单靠意志力是不足以减肥的。他们说成功取决于你的基因、荷尔蒙和心理。

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.

英国广播公司科学频道、牛津大学和剑桥大学对75人进行了一项研究，研究了为什么一种适合所有人的饮食往往不成功。科学家们将暴饮暴食者分为三组:大吃大喝的人、不断渴望食物的人和情绪化的人。他们根据每一组人的需要量身定做饮食。

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.

宴会者一旦开始吃就停不下来。这是因为他们没有荷尔蒙来告诉他们什么时候吃饱了。科学家们为这群人设计了一种高蛋白食物，让他们长时间有饱腹感。这包括鱼、鸡肉、印度香米和谷物。面包和土豆是不允许的，因为它们不能让你长时间感到饱腹。

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.

总爱吃东西的人总觉得饿。科学家表示，某些基因会破坏胃向大脑发送的“饱了”信息，这意味着爱吃东西的人总是觉得自己需要更多高脂肪、高糖的食物。对于这些人来说，一周7天的节食是非常困难的，所以科学家们让他们一周5天保持正常、健康的饮食，一周2天将他们的卡路里摄入量减少到800卡路里。

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.

情绪化进食者已经养成了一有压力就吃东西的习惯。为了帮助他们改变这种行为，科学家们在会议和网上为他们提供了小组支持以及饮食。在研究期间，三组人都通过量身定制的饮食减肥，饕餮者减重最多，而经常吃零食的人减重最少。

So what about you? If any of the eating habits sound familiar, perhaps you should consider a new approach to slimming for 2015.

那你呢?如果这些饮食习惯听起来很熟悉，也许你应该考虑在2015年采取新的减肥方法。

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.

文章来源BBC，侵权删，本文仅用于英语学习。