Question

If a woman has an extra piece of cake, don’t blame it on greed, blame it on her brain.

Scientists have found that women’s brains react to food very differently — and much more strongly — than men’s. Academics found that decades of dieting pressure on women and advertising have programmed certain parts of the female brain to react strongly when faced with any kind of food. Men, on the other hand, are not usually as obsessive about what they eat.

Dr. Rudolf Uher and his colleagues at the Institute of Psychiatry in King’s College London used brain scanning technology, known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), to look at the brains of eighteen men and women. The volunteers were given images of food to look at, as well as food to taste. Their brain reactions were observed by the scientists. They found that the female brains reacted much more strongly than those of males. The same reaction did not happen when they were shown non-food images. The team believe this means women think more about food than men tend to.

Dr. Uher said, “This could be related to biological differences between men and women. But the more likely explanation is that women have a more complicated reaction to food because of social pressure.”

Professor Carey Cooper, psychology and health professor at Lancaster University, said, “for centuries women have had a providing role — preparing and cooking food for their families. And it's part of that role to make sure the food is safe. They will therefore be much more sensitive to food than men are, and I would not be surprised if that was now built into their DNA. If the female brain reacts to food because it historically has developed neural(神经的) pathways to do this, then food will be the way they express their stress. Food actually, is a comfort for women.”

But other experts have said that more research must be done before the results can be proved. American scientist Angelo del Parigi of the John B. Pierce Laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut, said “Looking at an FMRI alone cannot make sure whether the stronger reaction in women is due to innate (天生的）differences or a learned process.”

1.Dr.Uher and his colleagues carried out the research by comparing ________.

A. Volunteers’ reactions to food before and after meals

B. FMRI’s scanning result of scientists

C. women’s and men’s brain reactions to pictures of food

D. volunteers’ imagination on the taste of food

2.In Dr. Uher’s opinion, women react more strongly to food than men most probably because they are ________.

A. born to do so due to biological reasons

B. influenced by advertisements

C. told to do so for a long time

D. forced by powerful social influences

3.According to Professor Carey Cooper, women ________.

A. are satisfied with preparing food for their families

B. turn to food when they feel sad

C. accept their social role from the heart

D. are stressed because of food safety

4.What was Angelo del Parigi’s attitude towards the research results?

A. Curious.B. Surprised.C. Uninterested.D. Doubtful.

Answer 1