Question

PART FOUR WRITING

SECTION A

Directions: Read the following passage. Complete the diagram / Fill in the numbered blanks by using the information for the passage.

Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer

Dieters are often advised to stop drinking alcohol to avoid the extra calories hidden in a glass of wine or a favorite cocktail. But new research suggests that women who regularly consume fair amounts of alcohol are less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers and are at lower risk for fat.

The findings are based on a study of 19,220 United States women aged 39 or older who, at the start of the study, fell into the “normal weight” category based on their body mass index (身體質量指數). Researchers tracked the women’s drinking habits over 13 years. About 60 percent of the women were light or regular drinkers, while about 40 percent reported drinking no alcohol.

Over the course of the study, 41 percent of the women became overweight or fat. Although alcohol is packed with calories (about 150 in a six-ounce glass of wine), the nondrinkers in the study actually gained more weight over time: nine pounds, on average, compared with an average gain of about three pounds among regular mild drinkers. The risk of becoming overweight was almost 30 percent lower for women who consumed one or two alcohol drinks a day, compared with nondrinkers.

The findings are certain to be confusing for women who continue to receive conflicting messages about the health benefits and risks of alcohol. Although mild drinking is associated with better heart health, regular drinking also increases breast cancer risk.

The trend toward less weight gain among drinkers doesn’t appear to hold true for men. A 2003 study of British men showed that regular drinkers gained more weight than nondrinkers. There may be differences in how men and women metabolize(代謝) alcohol. Metabolic studies show that after men drink alcohol, they experience little if any metabolic change. But alcohol appears to slightly speed up a woman’s metabolism.

The findings don’t mean women should rush to drink alcohol to lose weight. Other research shows that once a person is already overweight, her alcohol metabolism is more efficient, and so an overweight woman may gain more weight from alcohol than a lean woman. The data do, however, suggest that for many women facing weight problems, the extra calories are probably not coming from alcoholic drinks.

Title: Women Who Drink Gain     71    

Ⅰ. Widely known advice

Stop drinking alcohol to avoid the extra calories.

Ⅱ. 72    subjects: 19,220 United States women aged 39 or older of    73  

●about 60 percent－light or regular drinkers;

●about 40 percent－  74  

Ⅲ. Findings

● 41 percent becoming overweight or fat;

●nondrinkers gaining more weight over time, 9 pounds on average;

●   75   gaining about three pounds on average;

●compared with nondrinkers, women who consumed one or two alcohol drinks a day almost 30 percent    76   to become fat;

●women being    77   men in metabolism

Ⅳ. 78   fact

Mild drinking may    79   to better heart health, but it also increases breast cancer risk.

Ⅴ. Suggestion and conclusion

●Women should not rush to drink alcohol to lose weight.

●For women with weight problems, alcoholic drinks are probably not the 80 of extra calories.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

71. Less Weight 72. Experimental/Tracked/ Investigated / Analysed  73. normal weight

74. nondrinkers 75. regular mild drinkers 76. less likely 77. different from 78. Confusing

79. contribute / be related / be linked 80. cause / source

【解析】略