Question

【題目】 Families should reduce exposure to synthetic chemicals found in food colorings, preservatives and packaging materials as a growing body of research shows they may harm children’s health, according to a policy statement and technical report from the American Academy of Pediastrics released online.

The statement also suggests improvements to the food additives regulatory system, including updating the scientific foundation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations safety assessment retesting all previously approved chemicals.

Leonard Trasande ,the author of the policy statement, to tell us more about these concerns.

Q: What are the growing number of studies showing us?

A: Over the past two decades, an accumulating body of science suggests some food additives can interfere with a child’s hormones, growth and development.

Potentially harmful effects of food additives are of special concern for children because they are more sensitive to chemical exposures because they eat and drink more relative to body weight, than adults do and are still growing and developing. An early injury to their organ systems can have lifelong and permanent consequences.

Q: What additives does the statement highlight?

A: The additives of most concern, based on rising research evidence cited in the report, include:

Bisphenols, such as BPA, used to harden plastic containers and line metal cans, can act like estrogen（雌激素）in the body which may potentially change the timing of puberty, decrease fertility, increase body fat and affect the nervous and immune systems. BPA is now banned in baby bottles.

Phthalates, which make plastic and vinyl tubes used in industrial food production flexible, may affect male genital development increase childhood obesity and contribute to cardiovascular disease. In 2017, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use or some phthalates in child-care products such as teething rings.

【1】According to the American Academy of Pediatric’s report, people should ___ to cope with the problem of food additives.

A. try to avoid food additives in daily life and revise relevant rules on food additives

B. update the food safety assessment program and check the approved chemicals again

C. improve the food additives regulatory system and retest all approved chemicals

D. reduce the usage of food additives and establish new food protection system

【2】Leonardo Trasande holds the view that food additives do more harm to children than adults because study shows ___.

A. children are more sensitive to what they eat and drink than adults

B. children usually eat and drink more unhealthy food than adults

C. children are just too young and weak to protect themselves

D. children’s organs are easier to be damaged and hard to recover

【3】How many specific kinds of harmful effect caused by the additives are mentioned in the passage?

A. 2B. 7

C. 8D. 3

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】D

【3】B

【解析】

這是一篇介紹說明類的文章。研究表明：食品添加劑對兒童健康有巨大的危害。研究建議家庭應該減少接觸食品色素，還建議改進食品添加劑監(jiān)管體系。

【1】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一和第二段中的“Families should reduce exposure to synthetic chemicals found in food colorings, preservatives and packaging materials … according to a policy statement and technical report from the American Academy of Pediastrics released online. The statement also suggests improvements to the food additives regulatory system”可知，美國兒科學會在網(wǎng)上發(fā)布的一份政策聲明和技術報告顯示，越來越多的研究表明，家庭應該減少接觸食品色素、防腐劑和包裝材料中的合成化學物質(zhì)……聲明還建議改進食品添加劑監(jiān)管體系。故結合選項，A選項正確：盡量避免日常生活中的食品添加劑，修改食品添加劑的相關規(guī)定。故選A。

【2】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文中的“Potentially harmful effects of food additives are of special concern for children because they are more sensitive to chemical exposures…An early injury to their organ systems can have lifelong and permanent consequences.”可知，食品添加劑的潛在有害影響是我們尤其要特別關注的兒童問題，因為他們對化學品接觸更加敏感。早期損傷他們的器官系統(tǒng)可能會帶來終身和永久的后果。也就是說，兒童器官容易受損，不易恢復。故D選項正確。

【3】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)最后兩段中的“Bisphenols, such as BPA…which may potentially change the timing of puberty, decrease fertility, increase body fat and affect the nervous and immune systems…Phthalates… may affect male genital development increase childhood obesity and contribute to cardiovascular disease.”可知，雙酚類化合物，如雙酚A……這可能會改變青春期的時間，降低生育能力，增加身體脂肪，并影響神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)和免疫系統(tǒng)。鄰苯二甲酸酯……可能影響男性生殖器官的發(fā)育，增加兒童肥胖，并導致心血管疾病。很明顯，一共提到7種有害影響。故B選項正確。