Section C: Reading Comprehension
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
To write his 2010 book, The 5-Factor World Diet, nutritionist Harley Pasternak traveled to the healthiest countries around the world to learn more about what made their meals extra nourishing. He noted that Japanese people ate a wonderful variety of seaweeds, and that Chinese people tried to include at least five different colors in every meal. Pasternak also came away with some valuable observations about how different the North American way of life was, compared with many other countries.
For starters, Americans eat much bigger portions than people in other countries. 'We don't prioritize eating seasonally or locally, and we also add lots of salt, sugar and thickening agents to our foods,' explained Pasternak. Contrast that to the healthy Mediterranean, Nordic and Okinawan diets listed in Pasternak's book. They all seem to stick to the ethos of regional, seasonal produce.
For example, a traditional Mediterranean diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and olive oil as the main components of nutritional intake. Fish, chicken and red wine make moderate appearances, while red meat, salt and sugar are used much less often. The benefits of a traditional Mediterranean diet have been studied since the 1970s, and researchers have found that living that olive oil life can help people lose weight, lower their heart disease risk and reverse diabetes.
Most other healthy eating cultures also make meals an event—say, multiple courses around the family table, or a glass or two of red wine at a long lunch—as opposed to hastily wolfing down handfuls of cereal above the kitchen sink and calling it dinner. Each of the healthy eating cultures has its own unique feature. But Pasternak did take note of one unifying factor in all of the healthy societies he observed. 'The only overlapping feature in most of these healthy countries is that they all walk way more than the average American,' said Pasternak.
46. What characterizes Japanese and Chinese foods?
47. What is typical of Americans in the way of eating?
48. What features in Mediterranean, Nordic and Okinawan diets?
49. What do people in most healthy eating cultures have in common?
50. Compared with the average American, people in healthy societies
Passage Two
Recognizing when a friend or colleague feels sad, angry or surprised is key to getting along with others. But a new study suggests that being sensitive to people's feelings may sometimes come with an extra dose of stress. This and other research challenge the prevailing view that emotional intelligence is uniformly beneficial to its bearer. In a study, psychologist Myriam Bechtoldt measured 166 male university students' emotional intelligence.
In students who were rated more emotionally intelligent, the stress measures increased more during the experiment and took longer to go back to baseline. The findings suggest that some people may be too emotionally clever for their own good, says Bechtoldt. 'Sometimes you can be so good at something that it causes trouble,' she notes. Indeed, the study adds to previous research hinting at a dark side of emotional intelligence.
A study suggested that emotionally perceptive people might be particularly influenced by feelings of depression and hopelessness. Furthermore, several studies have implied that emotional intelligence can be used to manipulate others for personal gains. Nevertheless, emotional intelligence is a useful skill to have, as long as you learn to also properly cope with emotions—both others' and your own.
For example, some sensitive individuals may assume responsibility for other people's sadness or anger, which ultimately stresses them out. Remember, as Bechtoldt says, 'you are not responsible for how other people feel.'
51. What is the finding of the new study?
52. What was the purpose of psychologist Myriam Bechtoldt's experiment?
53. What does the finding of Myriam Bechtoldt's study indicate?
54. What do we learn about emotional intelligence from a number of studies?
55. What does the author suggest sensitive individuals do?
Answers & Explanations
Passage One: Healthy Lifestyles
46. A。解析：第一段提到日本饮食有 wonderful variety（多种多样）的海藻，中国饮食包含五种颜色。虽然提到颜色，但在 2022 年 12 月该套题的标准答案中，重点在于食物的“多样性 (Variety)”。
47. B。解析：第二段首句明确指出 Americans eat much bigger portions（美国人的食量更大/份量更大），对应选项 B (eat quite a lot)。
48. C。解析：第二段提到地中海等饮食遵循 regional, seasonal produce（地区性、季节性农产品）的特质，对应选项 C。
49. D。解析：第四段提到健康饮食文化 make meals an event（把吃饭当作一种仪式/盛事），如家庭围坐或漫长的午餐，对应选项 D（非常重视餐饮）。
50. B。解析：末段 Pasternak 指出这些健康国家唯一重叠的特征是 walk way more（走得路多得多），对应选项 B (considerably more walking)。
全文翻译
为了写他2010年的书《五元素世界饮食》，营养学家Harley Pasternak游历了世界上最健康的国家，以更多地了解是什么让他们的餐食格外有营养。他注意到日本人吃各种各样美妙的海藻，中国人试图在每餐中包含至少五种不同颜色。Pasternak还得到了一些宝贵的观察，关于北美生活方式与许多其他国家相比有多么不同。首先，美国人吃的分量比其他国家的人大得多。「我们不优先考虑季节性或本地化的饮食，而且我们还在食物中添加大量的盐、糖和增稠剂，」Pasternak解释道。对比Pasternak书中列出的健康地中海饮食、北欧饮食和冲绳饮食，它们似乎都坚持地域性、季节性农产品的精神。例如，传统的地中海饮食包括水果、蔬菜、全谷物、坚果和橄榄油作为营养摄入的主要组成部分。鱼、鸡肉和红酒适量出现，而红肉、盐和糖则用得少得多。自1970年代以来，传统地中海饮食的益处已被研究，研究人员发现，过着那种橄榄油生活方式可以帮助人们减肥、降低心脏病风险并逆转糖尿病。大多数其他健康饮食文化也将进餐作为一件大事——比如，家庭餐桌上的多道菜品，或者在漫长的午餐中喝一两杯红酒——而不是匆忙地在厨房水槽上大口吞下几把麦片就称之为晚餐。每种健康饮食文化都有自己独特的特征。但Pasternak确实注意到，在他观察的所有健康社会中，有一个统一的因素。「在这些健康国家中，唯一重叠的特征是，他们都比普通美国人走路多得多，」Pasternak说。
Passage Two: The Cost of Emotional Intelligence
51. C。解析：第一段指出 being sensitive to people's feelings may sometimes come with an extra dose of stress（对他人情绪敏感有时会带来额外的压力），对应选项 C。
52. B。解析：实验通过测量学生情商并观察其在压力任务下的生理反应，是为了评估“情商高/聪明”所带来的影响，对应选项 B。
53. D。解析：第二段提到 students rated more emotionally intelligent 压力上升更高且恢复更慢，且 Bechtoldt 提到这可能 cause trouble，说明高情商者可能因此受苦，对应选项 D。
54. C。解析：第三段提到 EI can be used to manipulate others for personal gains（情商可被用来操纵他人获利），对应选项 C (take advantage of it)。
55. A。解析：最后一段建议不要 assume responsibility for other people's sadness，即不要把别人的情绪负担揽在自己身上，对应选项 A。
全文翻译
识别朋友或同事何时感到悲伤、愤怒或惊讶，是与他人相处的关键。但一项新研究表明，对人们的感觉敏感有时可能伴随着额外的压力。这项研究和其他研究挑战了情商对其拥有者总是有益的普遍观点。在一项研究中，心理学家Myriam Bechtoldt测量了166名男大学生的情商。在被评定为情商更高的学生中，实验期间的压力指标上升得更多，并且需要更长时间才能回到基线水平。Bechtoldt说，研究结果表明，有些人可能在情商方面过于聪明，对他们自己不利。「有时你可以在某件事上做得太出色以至于引发麻烦，」她指出。事实上，这项研究补充了之前暗示情商存在阴暗面的研究。一项研究表明，情感敏锐的人可能特别容易受到抑郁和绝望情绪的影响。此外，几项研究暗示，情商可以被用来操纵他人以获取个人利益。尽管如此，情商是一项有用的技能，只要你学会也适当地应对情绪——无论是他人的还是自己的。例如，一些敏感的个体可能会为他人的悲伤或愤怒承担责任，这最终会让他们压力过大。记住，正如Bechtoldt所说，「你不必为他人的感受负责。」
核心搭配与高分句型
【核心搭配与高频短语】
- make meals an event：把用餐当作一种仪式/盛事
- as opposed to：与...截然相反
- seasonal local produce：季节性的本地农产品
- overlapping feature：重叠/共同的特征
- get along with others：与他人和睦相处
- uniformly beneficial：一致地有益（文中用于转折）
- stress hormones：压力荷尔蒙
- manipulate others for personal gains：操纵他人以谋私利
【亮点句型解析】
- Regardless of what you're eating... (让步状语)：
"So really, regardless of what you're eating, if someone's walking four miles more than you each day, they're going to be a lot thinner..."
（所以事实上，不管你吃什么，如果有人每天比你多走四英里，他们都会比你瘦得多...）`Regardless of` 是四级写作中表达“无论如何”的高级替换词。 - Too... for one's own good (固定用法)：
"The findings suggest that some people may be too emotionally clever for their own good."
（研究结果表明，有些人可能情商太高了，反而对自己没好处。）`Too [adj] for one's own good` 这是一个地道的英语表达，指某项品质过度后反而产生了负面影响。