Is the Fountain of Youth a myth? Not entirely,many experts in nutrition now believe, "Age fast, orage slow—it's up to you. " declares Dr. KennethCooper, president and founder of the Aerobics Centerin Dallas. Jeffrey Blumberg, associate director ofthe U. S. Department of Agriculture's HumanNutrition Research Center on Aging at TuftsUniversity in Boston, agrees, " Research shows that many so-called age-related declines inphysiological function seem to have less to do with aging than with environmental factors likediet and exercise. "

　　Obesity (過度肥胖) is one of the leading causes of accelerated aging, according to Cooper, "Ifyou lose weight, stop smoking, and exercise," he says, "you can slow the aging process—andmake dramatic changes in your looks in a relatively short period of time. "

　　A 37-year-old sales director for a Boston computer-distribution company is a primeexample. Over six feet tall, he had been considerably overweight most of his like. Then hebegan to worry that his appearance could be hurting his career. "I got tired of people thinkingI was the same age as my brother, who's nearly nine years older," he says, "When you're fat,people in the business world assume you're out of control. "

　　Determined to change, the sales director entered a hospital-based diet program anddropped over 70 pounds. "I feel—and look—ten years younger. " he says.

　　At 82, Clarice R. Mc Williams, a retired business owner in Dallas, has the appearance, skintone (膚色) and mental agility of someone many years younger. "Most people think I'm in my60s. " she boasts.

　　Mc Williams admits genes play some role in the way she looks, but believes diet is animportant factor. "It doesn't matter how good the genes are if you don't eat properly and takecare of yourself," she says. "If you want to look good, get plenty of rest, exercise every day, eatmostly raw fruits and vegetables—and quit worrying. "

　　Says Blumberg, "There's certainly a link between good nutrition, a positive attitude andimproved quality of life. People can have a say in what's going on with their bodies by selectinga healthful diet. "

　　Skin. Nowhere do the signs of aging manifest themselves more clearly than in thecondition of the skin. When your weight fluctuates, the skin stretches with each up cycle, but itmay not completely shrink back to its original size in the down cycle. As a result, the skin maysag(松弛下垂).

　　A severely deficient diet can lead to skin disorders, dramatically affecting one'sappearance. By the same token, a well-balanced diet with ample supplies of nutrients isthought by many experts to produce a glowing, younger look.

　　Zinc and vitamin A are important for normal, healthy skin. Zinc helps the skin repair itself,and vitamin A aids in keeping skin supple, preventing dryness and helping shed dead cells.Good sources of zinc are beef, eggs and seafood, while many dark-green leafy vegetables arerich in beta carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. Other foods containing ampleamounts of beta carotene include carrots, cantaloupe, winter squash, sweet potatoes, sweet redpeppers, apricots and mangoes.

　　Vitamin C helps improve the blood supply to the skin and aids in forming collagen(膠原) ,the fibrous protein that lies beneath the skin's surface and gives it a smooth appearance.Good sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits and juices, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, snowpeas, red and green peppers, broccoli, white and sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon,honeydew melon and cantaloupe.

　　Greens are excellent sources of skin-preserving nutrients and, generally, the darker theleaves, the more nutritious. Romaine lettuce, for example has about six times as muchvitamin C and eight times as much beta carotene as iceberg lettuce.

　　How food is prepared matters too. The longer vegetables cook, the greater the loss ofvitamins and texture. Don't soak vegetables when washing them, since water-soluble vitaminssuch as C will be lost.

　　Blumberg also recommends drinking six to eight glasses of water or other fluids each day tohelp keep skin and other tissues hydrated. "That's especially important for older people," hesays, "who are at risk for dehydration because their thirst drive becomes blunted with age. "Coffee, colas and tea aren't the best sources, since they contain caffeine, a diuretic thatinduces water loss.

　　Hair. Healthy, shining hair is second only to vibrant skin for making one look younger. Yetmany people unwittingly mistreat their hair by eating an unbalanced diet.

　　When a 33-year-old employee at a Texas corporation decided to lose weight quickly, shewent on a fad diet, high in fiber and bulk, but low in protein. Over three months, she lost a lotof weight. She also lost a good deal of her hair.

　　Dermatologist (皮膚病學家) David Alkek, a clinical professor at the University of TexasSouthwest Medical Center at Dallas, sees too many cases like this woman's. When diets don'tcontain enough amino acids, the building blocks of protein, there's dramatic increase in hairloss as the body breaks down its own protein.

　　Hair and skin cells are constantly reproducing and are, therefore, very sensitive tonutritional deficiencies, explains Dr. Alkek. Foods high in amino acids include meats, eggs, milk,grains and legumes. Just remember that the body cannot store protein. So foods high inprotein must be ingested daily. Under Alkek's care, the woman began eating nutritionallybalanced meals, and her hair was restored in about eight months.

　　Immune system. Vitamins E and C and beta carotene, known as antioxidants (抗氧化劑 ) ,are considered powerful disease-fighters, capable of slowing down or preventing a number ofailments typically associated with aging.

　　A growing body of evidence suggests that aging and decline in immune function mayresult in part from accumulated damage to cells caused by certain toxic compounds called freeradicals (自由基). Antioxidants seem to counteract or impair the ability of these substances toattack healthy cells, thus avoiding at least some of the damage. Foods containing thesenutrients are being linked—by science rather than myth—to the control and prevention ofheart disease and cancer, stroke, cataracts and to the body's ability to ward off infectiousdiseases.

　　Good general nutrition is essential to maintaining a healthy, youthful appearance. Andthe key to good general nutrition is balance. Proteins should make up roughly ten percent ofyour daily calorie intake; no more than 30 percent should come from fats; and the remainingcalories should come mostly from complex carbohydrates.

　　1. The passage primarily tells us how to lose weight so as to improve one's appearance.

　　2. Dark-green leafy vegetables are good sources of beta carotene.

　　3. When one gains weight, the skin becomes loose.

　　4. It is particularly important for the old to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water to help keep skinand other tissues hydrated.

　　5. Food low in protein is harmful to hair.

　　6. Free radicals play an important role in immune function.

　　7. In order to look younger, one should cut back on fats.

　　8. Amino acids are the building blocks of______.

　　9. Genes are______than diet in determining one's looks.

　　10. The body changes______into vitamin A.

　　參考答案：

　　1. N 2. Y 3. N 4. Y 5. Y 6. N 7. NG 8. protein 9.less important 10. beta carotene

　　六級閱讀理解模擬練習二：

　　As we know, it is very important that a firmshould pay attention to the training of its staff asthere exist many weak parts in its variousdepartments. Staff training must have a purpose,which is defined when a firm considers its trainingneeds, which are in turn based on job descriptionsand job specifications.

　　A job description should give details of theperformance that is required for a particular job, and a job specification should giveinformation about the behavior, knowledge and skills that are expected of an employee whoworks in it. When all of this has been collected, it is possible to make a training specification.This specifies what the Training Department must teach for the successful performance of thejob, and also the best methods to use in the training period.

　　There are many different training methods, and there are advantages and disadvantages ofall of them. Successful training programmes depend on an understanding of the differencebetween learning about skills and training in using them. It is frequently said that learningabout skills takes place "off the job" in the classroom, but training in using these skills takesplace "on the job", by means of such activities as practice in the workshop.

　　It is always difficult to evaluate the costs and savings of a training programme. Thesuccess of such a programme depends not only on the methods used but also on the quality ofthe staff who do the training. A company can often check oh savings in time and cost byexamining the work performed by the workers and technicians who have completed a trainingprogramme. The evaluation of management training is much more complex than that.

　　21. To be successful in our training programmes, we must understand the differencebetween______.

　　A. a job description and a job specification

　　B. what is taught and how it is taught

　　C. learning about skills and training in using them

　　D. the savings in time and the savings in cost

　　22. The success of a training programme depends on_________.

　　A. the places where the training takes place

　　B. the correct evaluation of the costs and savings of the programme

　　C. the performance of the workers and technicians trained in the programme

　　D. the training methods and the quality of the training staff

　　23. A training specification specifies_______.

　　A. the performance required for a certain job

　　B. the behavior, knowledge, and skills expected of an employee

　　C. the training contents and methods

　　D. the costs and savings of the programme

　　24. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

　　A. As there exist weak parts in different departments of a firm, the training of its staff ishighly necessary.

　　B. A training specification is based on the information collected from a job descriptionand a job specification.

　　C. Training in using skills and learning about skills usually do not happen at the same place.

　　D. It is easier to evaluate management training than to evaluate the training of workersand technicians.

　　25. The best title for this passage might be_______.

　　A. A Successful Training Programme

　　B. How to Describe and Specify a Job

　　C. Staff Training

　　D. The Importance of Training Workers and Technicians

　　參考答案：

　　21. C 22. D 23. C 24. D 25. C