Question

WASHINGTON(Reuters)‑People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer (胰腺癌), an unusual but deadly cancer, researchers reported on Monday.

      People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk, the study of 60,000 people in Singapore found.

      “Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits,” said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota, who led the study.

      “The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin(胰岛素) in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth,” President said in a statement.

      Writing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Pereira and his colleagues said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore—Chinese Health Study for 14 years.

      Over that time, 140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer. Those who drank two or more sweetened soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic cancer.

      Pereira said he believed the findings would apply elsewhere.

      “Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent healthcare. Favorite pastimes(消遣) are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries.” he said.

      But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious.

      “Although this study found a risk, the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it was a causal(因果的) connection or not.” Said Mayne, who serves on thee board of the journal, which is published by the American Association for Cancer Research.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest form of cancer, with 230,000 cases globally. In the United States, 37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34, 290 die of it.

1.We can infer from Pereira’s word that_________

A. the healthcare in Singapore should be greatly improved

B. 2 soft drinks a day are considered harmful to health

C. 87 out of 140 volunteers developed pancreatic cancer

D. sugar might not be the only cause of pancreatic cancer.

2.How does Susan seem to feel about the findings of the study?

A. Satisfied        B. Doubtful        C. Worried         D. Hopeful

3.The best title of the text might be_______

A. The Deadliest Forms of Cancer

B. Drink Fruit Juice Instead of Sodas

C. A Study in University of Minnesota

D. Sugary Soft Drinks Lead to Cancer

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.D

2.B

3.D

【解析】

试题分析：研究人员通过调查发现：每周喝两瓶或更多含糖软饮料的人患胰腺癌的几率会更高。而且指出在西方其他国家应该存在同样情况。但是也有人提出异议，认为通过研究这么少的病例不足以证实饮用含糖软饮料和胰腺癌之间存在必然的因果关系。

1.D推理判断题。“Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits,”意思是糖应该承担责任（在患胰腺癌方面），但是那些喜欢喝含糖饮料的人经常有其他不良饮食习惯。由此可知其他的不良饮食习惯也会导致胰腺癌的发病，所以D选项正确。

2.B细节理解题。从“the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it was a causal(因果的) connection or not.”可知Susan认为研究的病例比较少，含糖软饮料和胰腺癌之间的关系还有待于进一步证实，所以她是持怀疑态度的。B选项正确。

3.D主旨大意题。‑文章开头提出中心People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer ，然后再进一步叙述研究细节详情等，所以D选项正确。

考点：考查科学知识类短文阅读。