Question

【题目】 Researchers from Pennsylvania University suggest that loud snoring can be caused by having a fat tongue. Scientists have long known that losing weight can help the condition, but now they know why. It explains why losing weight reduces the risk of obstructive sleep apnoea (阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停).

Improved symptoms are linked to slimming down the unexpected part of the body - opening the door to better treatments. Professor Richard Schwab, chief of sleep medicine at Pennsylvania University, said: "Most clinicians, and even experts in the sleep apnoea world, have not typically focused on fat in the tongue for treating sleep apnoea."Having a large neck was previously believed to be the culprit(引起问题的事物). Prof Schwab said: "Now we know tongue fat is a risk factor and sleep apnoea improves when tongue fat is reduced, we have established a unique therapeutic target that we've never had before.

In sleep apnoea the airways become blocked - leading tosnoring. It blights the lives of four and two percent of middle aged men and women, respectively, in the UK. Long term, sleep apnoea is linked with a number of chronic diseases, including highblood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and depression.

Analyzing MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans of the throat and nose of obese patients, the researchers found reducing tongue fat is the key. They found that a reduction in tongue fat volume was the key factor. Weight loss also resulted in a smaller pterygoid - the jaw muscle that controls chewing. This is irrespective of whether they appear to fall into the typical "high-risk" obese categories, said Prof Schwab.

He added: "Primary care doctors, and perhaps even dentists, should be asking about snoring and sleepiness in all patients, even those who have a normal body mass index, as, based on our data, they may also be at risk for sleep apnoea."

Twenty-two million Americans suffer from sleep apnoea, in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts, causing patients to wake up randomly throughout their sleep cycles. One of the recommended treatments is CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), which has been free on the NHS since March 2008.

【1】What can we learn from Prof Schwab?

A.People with high tongue fat must be at high risk of obesity.

B.Sleep apnea improves when tongue fat is reduced.

C.Patients with a normal body mass index won’t develop sleep apnea.

D.Most clinicians focus on the fat on the tongue to treat sleep apnea.

【2】What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A.The shape of tongue fat.

B.The harm of tongue fat.

C.The feature of tongue fat.

D.The cause of tongue fat.

【3】What does the underlined word “blight” in the third paragraph most probably mean?

A.harmB.affect

C.benefitD.cost

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】B

【3】A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章阐述了最新研究的发现：舌头脂肪和睡觉打鼾之间的关系。文章认为舌头脂肪太厚容易引起打鼾和阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停。

【1】

细节理解题。根据文章第二段Now we know tongue fat is a risk factor and sleep apnea improves when tongue fat is reduced, we have established a unique therapeutic target that we've never had before（现在我们知道舌脂是一个危险因素，当舌脂减少时，睡眠呼吸暂停综合征会改善，我们已经建立了一个独特的治疗目标，这是我们以前从未有过的）可知，Prof Schwab认为舌头的脂肪和呼吸暂停综合征有很大关系。如果舌头的脂肪少了，就会改善睡眠呼吸暂停综合征。故选B项。

【2】

主旨大意题。根据第2段"Most clinicians, and even experts in the sleep apnoea world, have not typically focused on fat in the tongue for treating sleep apnoea（大多数临床医生，甚至睡眠呼吸暂停症领域的专家，都没有把注意力集中在治疗睡眠呼吸暂停症的舌头脂肪上）可知，舌头上的脂肪和睡觉呼吸暂停综合征有关却被很多医生忽略了。同时根据后句Now we know tongue fat is a risk factor and sleep apnea improves when tongue fat is reduced, we have established a unique therapeutic target that we've never had before（现在我们知道舌脂是一个危险因素，当舌脂减少时，睡眠呼吸暂停综合征会改善）可知，舌头脂肪减少，睡眠呼吸暂停综合征的情况就会改善。综合分析，该段主要在讲舌头脂肪的危害。故选B项。

【3】

词义辨析题。根据第三段中的Long term, sleep apnoea is linked with a number of chronic diseases, including high blood pressure , heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and depression（长期来看，睡眠呼吸暂停综合征与许多慢性疾病有关，包括高血压、心脏病、2型糖尿病、中风和抑郁症）可知前句强调的是睡眠呼吸暂停综合征给许多英国人民带来了危害。所以换线词的意思是“ 危害”的意思。故选A项。