桃子有多健康？

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. According to the article, which of the following is true about flavonoids in peaches?

A. They are directly absorbed by the brain to improve memory.

B. They are produced by plants to attract insects for pollination.

C. They may enhance cognitive functions in older adults after being broken down by gut bacteria.

D. They are more abundant in peaches than in wild blueberries.

无注释原文：

How Healthy Are Peaches?

From: The New York Times

There's a reason you need a napkin when you bite into a ripe summer peach — the fruit is nearly 90 percent water.

In addition to helping you stay hydrated, peaches contain nutrients that keep your eyes healthy and may reduce chronic disease risk. Here are some of their biggest benefits.

Their potassium is helpful on summer days.

Getting fluids from fruit and other food sources is just as good as drinking a glass of water, said Diane Stadler, the director of the graduate programs in human nutrition at Oregon Health & Science University. In addition to their high water content, peaches contain a modest dose of the electrolyte potassium, which you sweat out during exercise and on hot days, she said. Electrolytes like potassium help your muscles contract, your heart pump and your neurons fire.

One small peach contains around 180 milligrams of potassium, which is about five percent of the recommended daily amount. (By comparison, one Nuun electrolyte tablet contains 125 milligrams.)

They're rich in flavonoids and carotenoids.

“Peaches combine two groups of pigments that you don't often see together in other fruits and vegetables,” said Mary Ann Lila, a distinguished professor in the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University. Their signature sunset colors come from flavonoids and carotenoids — chemicals plants produce as a defense mechanism against insects and the harmful effects of sunlight.

Research suggests that people who eat a diet rich in flavonoids, which produce peaches' red and pink shades, tend to have a lower risk of heart disease.

Flavonoids can also help keep memory and cognition sharp, Dr. Lila said. After gut bacteria break them down, they release chemicals into the bloodstream that can cross into the brain. Dr. Lila has studied flavonoids (using wild blueberry powder, not peaches), and her research has found that a diet rich in them may improve reaction times, motor skills and information processing in older adults.

Carotenoids, responsible for peaches' orange tones, are powerful antioxidants, added Beth Olson, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Antioxidants help reduce disease risk by binding to free radicals, molecules that can cause damage to our tissues and trigger inflammation.

They provide a modest amount of vitamin A.

Carotenoids have a second benefit: The body can convert them into vitamin A. A small peach contains the equivalent of 35 micrograms of vitamin A, around four percent of the recommended daily amount.

Vitamin A is best known for its role in eye health and vision. That's because it's a key building block in the retina, the part of the eye that converts light into information that it sends to the brain, Dr. Lila said.

It's also crucial for cell division, Dr. Olson said, including those cells that need to replace themselves frequently, like immune and skin cells.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为纽约时报官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

How Healthy Are Peaches?

From: The New York Times

There's a reason you need a napkin when you bite into a ripe summer peach — the fruit is nearly 90 percent water.

要吃熟透的夏桃，总是离不开餐巾纸——这种水果将近90%都是水分。

ripe /raɪp/ 表示“（果实或庄稼）成熟的”，英文解释为“(of fruit or crops) completely developed and ready to be collected or eaten”举个🌰：Those bananas aren't ripe yet - they're still green. 那些香蕉还没有成熟——还是绿的。

In addition to helping you stay hydrated, peaches contain nutrients that keep your eyes healthy and may reduce chronic disease risk. Here are some of their biggest benefits.

除了帮你补水，桃子还富含有助眼睛健康，并可能降低慢性病风险的营养物质。以下是桃子的主要益处。

📍hydrated /haɪˈdreɪ.tɪd/ 表示“摄入足够水分（或其他液体）的”，英文解释为“having absorbed enough water or other liquid”举个🌰：Be sure to stay hydrated during the race by drinking plenty of fluids. 在比赛中一定要多喝水，保持水分。

📍dehydrated /ˌdiː.haɪˈdreɪ.tɪd/ 表示“脱水的，极度干渴的”，英文解释为“not having the normal amount of water in your body so that you feel ill or weak”

nutrient /ˈnjuː.tri.ənt/ 表示“养分；营养物，滋养物”，英文解释为“any substance that plants or animals need in order to live and grow”举个🌰：It's good soil - full of nutrients. 这土壤肥沃——养分很足。

chronic /ˈkrɒnɪk/ 1）表示“（疾病）慢性的，长期的”，英文解释为“a chronic disease or illness is one that continues for a long time and cannot be cured”如：chronic arthritis表示“慢性关节炎”。

2）表示“（问题）长期的”，英文解释为“a chronic problem is one that continues for a long time and cannot easily be solved”举个🌰：There is a chronic shortage of teachers. 长期存在师资短缺的问题。

3）还有一种解释是用来形容人“积习难改”，如“长期酗酒/沉迷赌博等的人”我们就可以用chronic alcoholic/gambler表示。

Their potassium is helpful on summer days.

桃子所含的钾元素在夏日大有裨益

potassium /pəˈtæs.i.əm/ 表示“钾”，英文解释为“a silver-white chemical element that, when combined with other elements, is used in the production of soap, glass, and fertilizers (= substances that help plants to grow)”

Getting fluids from fruit and other food sources is just as good as drinking a glass of water, said Diane Stadler, the director of the graduate programs in human nutrition at Oregon Health & Science University. In addition to their high water content, peaches contain a modest dose of the electrolyte potassium, which you sweat out during exercise and on hot days, she said. Electrolytes like potassium help your muscles contract, your heart pump and your neurons fire.

俄勒冈健康与科学大学人类营养学研究生项目主任黛安·斯塔德勒表示，从水果和其他食物来源获取水分与喝一杯水同样有益。她说，除了高含水量外，桃子还含有适量的电解质钾，而在运动和炎热的天气里，人体会通过出汗流失钾。钾等电解质有助于肌肉收缩、心脏泵血和神经元传导。

fluid /ˈfluː.ɪd/ 表示“液体；流质”，英文解释为“a substance that flows and is not solid”举个🌰：If you have a fever you should drink plenty of fluids. 如果发烧，应多喝流质。

作形容词，表示“流畅的”，英文解释为“smooth and continuous”如：fluid movements 流畅的动作。

dose /dəʊs/ 1）表示“一剂”（a measured amount of something such as medicine），如：a dose of penicillin 一剂青霉素；

2）表示“一些（糟糕或不愉快的事）”，英文解释为“an amount or experience of something, often something bad or unpleasant”举个🌰：He received a hefty dose of bad news this week. 本周他得到了许多坏消息。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述谷歌的文章中提到：The first route would involve taking a strong dose of managerial medicine to become a more tightly run conglomerate. 第一种解决方法是给它服用一剂管理上的强效药，让它成为管理更严格的企业集团。

electrolyte /iˈlek.trə.laɪt/ 表示“电解质；（通常指）电解液”，英文解释为“a substance, usually a liquid, that electricity can go through, or that separates into its parts when electricity goes through it”

One small peach contains around 180 milligrams of potassium, which is about five percent of the recommended daily amount. (By comparison, one Nuun electrolyte tablet contains 125 milligrams.)

一个小桃子约含180毫克钾，大约是每日推荐摄入量的5%。（相比之下，一片Nuun电解质片含有125毫克钾。）

They're rich in flavonoids and carotenoids. 桃子富含类黄酮和类胡萝卜素

flavonoid /ˈflæv.ə.nɔɪd/ 表示“类黄酮（水果或蔬菜中的一种物质，可能有助于抵御某些种癌症或心脏病）”，英文解释为“a substance in fruit and vegetables that may help protect people against some types of cancer or heart disease”

carotenoid表示“类胡萝卜素”，英文解释为“any of a class of mainly yellow, orange, or red fat-soluble pigments, including carotene and xanthophyll, that are found in plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria and serve as accessory pigments in photosynthesis and as antioxidants.”

“Peaches combine two groups of pigments that you don't often see together in other fruits and vegetables,” said Mary Ann Lila, a distinguished professor in the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University. Their signature sunset colors come from flavonoids and carotenoids — chemicals plants produce as a defense mechanism against insects and the harmful effects of sunlight.

“桃子结合了两种在其他水果和蔬菜中很少同时出现的色素，”北卡罗来纳州立大学人类健康植物研究所特聘教授玛丽·安·莱拉说。桃子标志性的夕阳色彩来自类黄酮和类胡萝卜素——这是植物为抵御昆虫和阳光的有害影响而产生的防御性化学物质。

pigment /ˈpɪɡ.mənt/ 表示“色素；颜料”，英文解释为“a substance that gives something a particular colour when it is present in it or is added to it”举个🌰：Melanin is the dark brown pigment of the hair, skin, and eyes that is present in varying amounts in every human being. 黑色素是头发、皮肤和眼睛中的黑褐色色素，每个人体内或多或少都有这种色素。

Research suggests that people who eat a diet rich in flavonoids, which produce peaches' red and pink shades, tend to have a lower risk of heart disease.

研究表明，饮食中类黄酮丰富的人患心脏病的风险往往较低。类黄酮正是让桃子呈现红色和粉色的物质。

熟词僻义，通常用法a xx shade (of sth)，表示“浓淡深浅；色度；色调”，英文解释为“a particular form of a colour, that is, how dark or light it is”如：an unusual shade of yellow/an unusual yellow shade 少见的黄色，a delicate/pale shade of red 淡/浅的红色，a rich/soft shade of red 艳/柔和的红色。

Flavonoids can also help keep memory and cognition sharp, Dr. Lila said. After gut bacteria break them down, they release chemicals into the bloodstream that can cross into the brain. Dr. Lila has studied flavonoids (using wild blueberry powder, not peaches), and her research has found that a diet rich in them may improve reaction times, motor skills and information processing in older adults.

莱拉表示，类黄酮还有助人类保持敏锐的记忆力和认知能力。在肠道细菌将其分解后，会释放出能进入血液并穿过血脑屏障的化学物质。莱拉曾对类黄酮进行过研究（使用的是野生蓝莓粉，而非桃子），她的研究发现，富含类黄酮的饮食可以改善老年人的反应时间、运动技能和信息处理能力。

gut /ɡʌt/ 作动词，表示“（尤指在烹调前）取出…的内脏”，英文解释为“to remove the inner organs of an animal, especially in preparation for eating it”举个🌰：She gutted the fish and cut off their heads. 她取出鱼的内脏并把鱼头切掉。

作名词，表示“消化道；肠道，肠”，英文解释为“the long tube in the body of a person or animal, through which food moves during the process of digesting food”举个🌰：Meat stays in the gut longer than vegetable matter. 和蔬菜相比，肉类在消化道中停留的时间更长。

sb's gut 表示“凭直觉，凭感情（决定或判断）”，英文解释为“a way of deciding what should be done or what is right, that is based on how someone feels rather than thinking about reasons”举个🌰：My head said that I should go but my gut said I should stay. 理智上我该走，但是感觉告诉我该留。

gut feeling/reaction 表示“直觉，本能，内心感觉”，英文解释为“a strong belief about someone or something that cannot completely be explained and does not have to be decided by reasoning”举个🌰：I have a gut feeling that the relationship won't last. 我有种直觉，这段关系不会太长久。

Carotenoids, responsible for peaches' orange tones, are powerful antioxidants, added Beth Olson, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Antioxidants help reduce disease risk by binding to free radicals, molecules that can cause damage to our tissues and trigger inflammation.

威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校营养学副教授贝丝·奥尔森说，让桃子呈现橙色调的类胡萝卜素是强效的抗氧化剂。抗氧化剂与自由基（可能对人体组织造成损伤并引发炎症的分子）结合，能够降低患病风险。

antioxidant /ˌæn.tiˈɒk.sɪ.dənt/ 表示“抗氧化剂，阻氧化剂，防老（化）剂”，英文解释为“a substance that slows down the rate at which something decays because of oxidization”

They provide a modest amount of vitamin A. 桃子提供适量的维生素A

Carotenoids have a second benefit: The body can convert them into vitamin A. A small peach contains the equivalent of 35 micrograms of vitamin A, around four percent of the recommended daily amount.

类胡萝卜素还有第二个好处：人体可以将它们转化为维生素A。一个小桃子含有相当于35微克的维生素 A，大约是每日推荐摄入量的4%。

equivalent /ɪˈkwɪv.əl.ənt/ 1）作形容词，表示“（价值、数量、意义、重要性等）相等的，相同的”，英文解释为“equal in value, amount, meaning, importance, etc.”举个🌰：Eight kilometres is roughly equivalent to five miles. 八公里约等于五英里。

2）作名词，表示“相等的东西；等量；对应词”，英文解释为“a thing, amount, word, etc. that is equivalent to sth else”

Vitamin A is best known for its role in eye health and vision. That's because it's a key building block in the retina, the part of the eye that converts light into information that it sends to the brain, Dr. Lila said.

维生素A最广为人知的作用是维护眼部健康和视力。莱拉指出，这是因为维生素A是视网膜（将光线转化为信息并发送到大脑的眼部结构）的关键组成部分。

It's also crucial for cell division, Dr. Olson said, including those cells that need to replace themselves frequently, like immune and skin cells.

奥尔森表示，维生素A对细胞分裂也至关重要，包括那些需要频繁自我更新的细胞，比如免疫细胞和皮肤细胞。

cell division /ˈsel dɪˌvɪʒ.ən/ 表示“细胞分裂”，英文解释为“the way in which a cell divides into two new cells when an organism is growing or developing”举个🌰：Stem cells can replicate themselves for a long time through cell division. 干细胞可以通过细胞分裂长期自我复制。

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