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

Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.

Junk food is now a staple of many Americans' diets. Advertising campaigns send the message that we can neutralize negative effects by getting more exercise. But recent studies show a lack of exercise is not to blame for obesity rates. Bad diets are.

Interventions are especially important for teens, but they have been hard to reach. A large-scale study tried an innovative approach. Researchers argued previous interventions failed because they focused on a “future, healthier you.” In contrast, the new intervention exploits teenagers' instinct for rebelliousness, autonomy, and social justice.

Researchers revealed deceptive strategies used to make junk food addictive. They explained how advertising targets vulnerable groups. Afterwards, teens read about others who wanted to “fight back by buying less processed food.” The results showed that teens associated healthy eating with autonomy and social justice, and later actually chose healthy snacks more often in unrelated contexts.

46. What do we learn about advertising campaigns from the snack food companies?

A) They convey the idea that their products are ok if consumers exercise more.

B) They send the message that bad diets are responsible for Americans' obesity.

C) They usually feature sports stars to emphasize the benefits of their snack foods.

D) They claim that lack of exercise is to blame for the increasing obesity rates.

47. What does the passage say about health education?

A) It has shed light on teens' instinct for rebellion.

B) It has placed emphasis on cure than on prevention.

C) It has contributed little against obesity.

D) It has largely failed to turn teens away from junk food.

48. What is a major flaw in previous interventions to help reduce junk food consumption?

A) They motivated teens only temporarily.

B) They focused on the benefits young people would reap in the future.

C) They assumed that motivation was the only key.

D) They were incapable of appealing to rebelliousness.

49. In what way is the new intervention innovative?

A) It emphasizes people's sense of social responsibility.

B) It cleverly exploits teenagers' personal weaknesses.

C) It takes advantage of teenagers' natural inclination.

D) It promises immediate rather than future benefit.

50. What conclusion can be drawn from the new research?

A) Different approaches combat advertising.

B) Persuade teens to switch to healthier lifestyles.

C) Obesity can be prevented by building links between teens' values and healthy eating.

D) Expose food companies' manipulative and deceptive practices.

Passage Two

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

Adults dream during REM sleep and infants have loads of REM. So, it might be fair to assume that babies have tons of dreams. But scientists believe REM serves a completely different purpose for infants: it allows their brain to develop pathways and learn languages.

Since your baby doesn't dream at this stage, it's safe to assume babies do not have nightmares, either. Nightmares stem from trauma or overactive imagination. The consensus is that babies start dreaming around the age of two. David Foulkes studies children by waking them 3 times a night and asking them to describe what they recall.

Foulkes' findings are unsurprising: little kids have little dreams. Dreams of very small kids are usually just snapshots, featuring animals or familiar sights like people eating. According to Foulkes, “dream life seems to be similar to their waking imagination.” Kids ages 5-9 begin seeing characters in action and strung multiple events together.

51. What do scientists think of REM?

A) It is a sign of dreaming in adults and infants alike.

B) It is essential to human beings' language learning.

C) It determines the formation of connections in the brain.

D) It performs a different function in babies than in adults.

52. What can we infer about nightmares from the passage?

A) They occur in people with an active imagination.

B) They occur in people suffering from emotional stress.

C) They vary in different stages.

D) They appear in sleep of both adults and infants.

53. What is the aim of David Foulkes' study?

A) To reveal the secrets of children's dreams.

B) To see if children start dreaming at age two.

C) To solve mystery of dreaming and growth.

D) To confirm consensus on when kids dream.

54. What are Foulkes' findings about kids' dreams?

A) They feature strange animals.

B) They are unsurprising to adults.

C) They grow and evolve with age.

D) They reflect kids' waking life.

55. What can we assume about babies who appear upset upon waking?

A) They have been roused against their will.

B) They have been disturbed by a nightmare.

C) They have trouble recollecting images.

D) They have been affected by something other than dreaming.

Answers & Explanations

Passage One: Changing Teenagers' Diets

46. A。解析：题干问从文章中我们了解到零食公司的广告活动传达了什么信息。定位第一段第二句：Advertising campaigns send the message that we can neutralize negative effects by getting more exercise.（广告活动传递的信息是，我们可以通过多锻炼来抵消负面影响）。neutralize negative effects... simply by getting more exercise 对应 conveying the idea that their products are ok if consumers exercise more。对应选项 A (They convey the idea that their products are ok if consumers exercise more 它们传达了这样一种观念：如果消费者多锻炼，他们的产品就没问题)。

47. D。解析：题干问关于健康教育文章说了什么。定位第二段第一句：Interventions are especially important for teens, but they have been hard to reach.（干预措施对青少年来说尤为重要，但一直很难影响到他们）。have been hard to reach 对应 failed to turn teens away。对应选项 D (It has largely failed to turn teens away from junk food 很大程度上未能让青少年远离垃圾食品)。

48. B。解析：题干问以前帮助减少垃圾食品消费的干预措施的一个主要缺陷是什么。定位第二段第三句：Researchers argued previous interventions failed because they focused on a “future, healthier you.”（研究人员认为，以前的干预措施之所以失败，是因为它们关注于“未来的、更健康的你”）。focused on a "future, healthier you" 对应 focused on the benefits young people would reap in the future。对应选项 B (They focused on the benefits young people would reap in the future 他们关注的是年轻人未来会获得的好处)。

49. C。解析：题干问新干预措施在哪些方面是创新的。定位第二段最后一句：In contrast, the new intervention exploits teenagers' instinct for rebelliousness, autonomy, and social justice.（相比之下，新的干预措施利用了青少年叛逆、自主和社会正义的本能）。instinct 对应 natural inclination（天生倾向），exploits 对应 takes advantage of。对应选项 C (It takes advantage of teenagers' natural inclination 它利用了青少年的天生倾向)。

50. C。解析：题干问从这项新研究中可以得出什么结论。定位最后一段最后一句：The results showed that teens associated healthy eating with autonomy and social justice, and later actually chose healthy snacks...（结果显示，青少年将健康饮食与自主权和社会正义联系起来，并且后来在无关的情境中实际选择了健康零食...）。associated healthy eating with autonomy and social justice 对应 building links between teens' values and healthy eating。对应选项 C (Obesity can be prevented by building links between teens' values and healthy eating 可以通过在青少年的价值观和健康饮食之间建立联系来预防肥胖)。

Passage Two: Do Babies Dream?

51. D。解析：题干问科学家对快速眼动睡眠（REM）有什么看法。定位第一段最后一句：But scientists believe REM serves a completely different purpose for infants...（但科学家认为，REM 对婴儿来说有着完全不同的作用...）。serves a completely different purpose 对应 performs a different function。对应选项 D (It performs a different function in babies than in adults 它在婴儿身上执行的功能与成年人不同)。

52. A。解析：题干问关于噩梦我们能从文章中推断出什么。定位第二段第二句：Nightmares stem from trauma or overactive imagination.（噩梦源于创伤或过度活跃的想象力）。overactive imagination 对应 active imagination。对应选项 A (They occur in people with an active imagination 它们发生在想象力丰富的人身上)。

53. A。解析：题干问大卫·福克斯研究的目的是什么。定位第二段最后一句：David Foulkes studies children by waking them 3 times a night and asking them to describe what they recall.（大卫·福克斯通过一晚叫醒孩子三次并要求他们描述回忆的内容来研究儿童）。询问回忆内容即是为了探究他们梦境的秘密。对应选项 A (To reveal the secrets of children's dreams 为了揭开儿童梦境的秘密)。

54. C。解析：题干问福克斯对孩子们梦境的发现是什么。定位最后一段：...little kids have little dreams. Dreams of very small kids are usually just snapshots... Kids ages 5-9 begin seeing characters in action and strung multiple events together.（...小孩子做简单的梦。非常小的孩子的梦通常只是快照...5-9岁的孩子开始看到角色在行动，并将多个事件串联起来）。这说明梦境会随着年龄增长而发展复杂。对应选项 C (They grow and evolve with age 它们随着年龄的增长而成长和演变)。

55. D。解析：题干问我们可以对醒来时显得不安的婴儿做出什么假设。定位第二段第一句：Since your baby doesn't dream at this stage, it's safe to assume babies do not have nightmares, either.（既然你的宝宝现阶段不做梦，那么可以有把握地假设婴儿也不会做噩梦）。既然不是因为做梦或噩梦，那肯定是因为其他原因。对应选项 D (They have been affected by something other than dreaming 他们受到了做梦以外的其他因素的影响)。

核心搭配与高分句型

【核心搭配与高频短语】

• a staple of：...的主食/主要部分（Junk food is now a staple of many Americans' diets）
• neutralize negative effects：抵消负面影响（neutralize negative effects by getting more exercise）
• be to blame for：应为...承担责任，是...的原因（lack of exercise is not to blame for obesity rates）
• fight back：反击，抵抗（fight back by buying less processed food）
• stem from：源于，由...造成（Nightmares stem from trauma）
• strung together：连串，串联起来（strung multiple events together）
• other than：除了...以外（常用于否定，affected by something other than dreaming）

【亮点句型解析】

• Because 引导的原因状语从句 (强调失败的根本原因)：
  "Researchers argued previous interventions failed because they focused on a 'future, healthier you.'"
  （研究人员认为，以前的干预措施之所以失败，是因为它们关注于“未来的、更健康的你”。）这句话清晰地指出了过去策略的盲点，为下文引出 `new intervention` 的创新点做了很好的铺垫。
• Since 引导的原因状语从句：
  "Since your baby doesn't dream at this stage, it's safe to assume babies do not have nightmares, either."
  （既然你的宝宝现阶段不做梦，那么可以有把握地假设婴儿也不会做噩梦。）`Since` 在句首通常表示“既然”，用于引出基于已知事实的自然推论。`it's safe to assume...` 是学术表达中非常地道的“有把握地假设/可以断定”的用法。