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
Even though we are living in an age where growing old is thought of as an inevitable misery, this doctor has been changing the game for seniors over the last 25 years. It all started in 1991 when the Harvard-educated physician was transferred from working in a stressful emergency room to being the medical director of a nursing home in upstate New York. The depressing and regimented environment got him thinking on what exactly could improve the residents' conditions.
Even though animals in nursing homes were illegal at the time, Dr. Bill Thomas took a chance. Based on a hunch, he brought in two dogs, four cats, hens, rabbits, 100 birds, a multitude of plants, a flower garden, and a vegetable patch. The change was dramatic. There was a 50% drop in medical prescriptions along with a dramatic decrease in death rates—but most importantly, the residents were simply happier.
Dr. Thomas's approach, named the Eden Alternative, has driven nursing homes to allow a more autonomous and creative living space for their elderly. It erases the belief that growing old means growing useless. He encourages residents to think of their age as an enriching new phase of life rather than the end of it. Thomas, also created small, independently-run residences with their own bedrooms and bathrooms, and he has been preaching a singular message that getting old is not a bad thing.
The 56-year-old doctor's methods have been adopted in Australia, Japan, Canada, and America with enormous success. Last year he published Second Wind: Navigating the Passage to a Slower, Deeper, and More Connected Life, a guide on how to shift our perspectives on aging and growth.
46. What has Bill Thomas been doing for a quarter of a century?
47. Why did Bill Thomas try something different in the nursing home?
48. What do we learn about Bill Thomas bringing animals and plants into the nursing home?
49. What has Bill Thomas been persistently advocating?
50. How is Bill Thomas's new concept received?
Passage Two
Research shows that in developed countries, more affluent and educated people tend to consume higher-quality diets—including more fruits and vegetables, fish and whole grains. On the contrary, economically disadvantaged people report diets that are nutrient-poor and energy-dense. These dietary differences are often accompanied by higher rates of obesity and diabetes among lower-income people.
Public-health initiatives to promote healthy diets often focus on providing nutrition education and recipes. These approaches, however, often presume less food literacy among low-income people. Research suggests that adults in food-insecure households are just as likely as those in food-secure households to adjust recipes to make them more healthy. They are also just as proficient in food preparation and cooking skills. There is no indication that increasing food skills or budgeting skills will reduce food insecurity.
Instead, disadvantaged groups are constrained by their economic, material and social circumstances. For example, low income is the strongest predictor of food insecurity in Canada. It's well-established that food prices are an important determinant of food choice. Low-income households report that they find it difficult to adopt dietary guidelines because food prices are a barrier to improving their diets.
While high-quality diets are typically more costly, it does not, in itself, prove that healthy diets are necessarily cost-prohibitive. After all, not all socioeconomically disadvantaged people consume poor diets. We can easily think of a number of foods and recipes that are both inexpensive and nutritious. The internet is full of recipes for 'eating well on a budget.'
51. What can we learn from research on diets in developed countries?
52. What does the author say is important in formulating policies to improve diets and health?
53. What does research reveal about adults in food-insecure households?
54. What would help improve food security among the disadvantaged groups in Canada?
55. What does the author suggest disadvantaged people do to improve their health?
Answers & Explanations
Passage One: Dr. Thomas and the Eden Alternative
46. D。解析：文章第一段和倒数第二段明确提到他在过去25年里 changing the game for seniors，以及如何 shift our perspectives on aging and growth（转变对老龄化和成长的视角），对应 D 选项。
47. A。解析：第一段提到当时的环境是 depressing and regimented（令人沮丧且严格管制的），他开始思考 what exactly could improve the residents' conditions（到底什么能改善居民的状况），即他想让老人的生活更愉快（pleasant）。
48. D。解析：第二段首句明确指出 animals in nursing homes were illegal at the time（当时在养老院养动物是违法的），对应 D 选项（违反了州法律）。
49. C。解析：第三段末尾指出 he has been preaching a singular message that getting old is not a bad thing（他一直宣扬变老不是坏事），即变老绝非痛苦之事（not miserable）。
50. A。解析：倒数第二段首句指出 methods have been adopted in Australia, Japan, Canada, and America with enormous success（已经在多国被采用并获得巨大成功），对应 A 选项（正在许多国家普及）。
全文翻译
尽管我们生活在一个将变老视为不可避免的痛苦的时代，在过去的25年里，这位医生一直在为老年人改变游戏规则。一切始于1991年，当时这位哈佛大学毕业的医生从在高压急诊室工作，调任纽约州北部一家养老院的医疗主任。压抑且高度管制环境让他开始思考到底什么能改善居民的处境。尽管当时养老院禁止养动物，Bill Thomas博士冒了一次险。基于直觉，他带进了两只狗、四只猫、母鸡、兔子、100只鸟、大量的植物、一个花园和一块菜地。变化是巨大的。药物处方减少了50%，死亡率也大幅下降——但最重要的是，居民们更快乐了。Thomas博士的方法被称为「伊甸园替代方案」，它推动养老院为老年人提供更自主、更有创造性的生活空间。它消除了变老就是变得无用的信念。他鼓励居民将他们的年龄视为一个丰富多彩的人生新阶段，而不是人生的终结。Thomas还创建了独立经营的小型居所，带有自己的卧室和浴室，并且他一直在倡导一个简单的信息：变老并不是坏事。这位56岁医生的方法已在澳大利亚、日本、加拿大和美国被采用，并取得了巨大成功。去年，他出版了《第二阵风：通向更慢、更深、更紧密联系的人生之路》一书，这本书是关于如何转变我们对衰老和成长的视角的指南。
Passage Two: Diet Quality and Social Class
51. B。解析：第一段描述了富裕阶层和弱势阶层在饮食上的巨大差异：前者倾向高质量饮食，后者倾向营养匮乏的高热量饮食，对应 B 选项（不同社会群体的饮食习惯不同）。
52. A。解析：第二段指出研究虽然记录了社会地位与健康的关系，但没有解释 why this is the case，这对制定有效政策具有重大意义，暗示需要更深入地理解这种阶级与健康的关系。
53. D。解析：第三段指出 food-insecure households 里的成年人与 food-secure 群体一样会调整食谱，一样精通烹饪，且没有迹象表明增加预算技能会减少不安全感，即他们并不缺乏相关知识或技能，对应 D。
54. C。解析：第四段指出低收入是加拿大粮食不安全的最强预测指标，他们 insufficient access to nutritious foods（无法获得充足的营养食物），因此要改善现状需使他们有更多渠道获得营养食物。
55. B。解析：文章最后一段指出健康饮食不一定昂贵，并提到网上充满了 eating well on a budget（在预算内吃得好）的食谱，建议弱势群体选择既健康又负担得起的（affordable）饮食。
全文翻译
研究表明，在发达国家，更富裕、受教育程度更高的人倾向于消费更高质量的饮食——包括更多的水果和蔬菜、鱼类和全谷物。相反，经济弱势人群的饮食报告则是营养贫乏且热量密集。这些饮食差异通常伴随着低收入人群中更高的肥胖和糖尿病发病率。促进健康饮食的公共卫生倡议通常侧重提供营养教育和食谱。然而，这些方法往往预设低收入人群的食品素养较低。研究表明，粮食不安全家庭中的成年人调整食谱使其更健康的可能性，与粮食安全家庭中的成年人一样高。他们在食物准备和烹饪技能方面也同样熟练。没有迹象表明提高食品技能或预算技能会减少粮食不安全。相反，弱势群体受到经济、物质和社会环境的制约。例如，低收入是加拿大粮食不安全的最强预测因素。众所周知，食品价格是食物选择的重要决定因素。低收入家庭报告说，他们发现难以采纳饮食指南，因为食品价格是改善饮食的障碍。虽然高质量饮食通常更昂贵，但这本身并不能证明健康饮食一定是成本过高的。毕竟，并非所有社会经济弱势群体都吃得很差。我们很容易想到许多既便宜又有营养的食物和食谱。互联网上充满了「预算内吃得好」的食谱。
核心搭配与亮点解析
【核心搭配与高频短语】
- change the game：改变规则；带来革命性变化
- Eden Alternative：伊甸园替代方案（养老模式名）
- shift our perspectives on：转变对...的看法
- economically disadvantaged：经济上处于弱势的（穷人的委婉说法）
- nutrient-poor and energy-dense：营养匮乏且高热量的
- food literacy：饮食素养（关于食物的知识和技能）
- cost-prohibitive：价格高得令人望而却步的
- eating well on a budget：在预算有限的情况下吃得好
【深度理解：Eden Alternative 模型】
文章提到的 Eden Alternative 是对传统医疗模式（Clinical Model）的反思。它认为老年的三大隐患是：孤独（Loneliness）、无助（Helplessness）和厌倦（Boredom）。通过引入宠物、植物和增加居民的自主权，能有效打破这些心理困境，从根本上改善生命质量。