Question

A nerve-zapping（电击神经）headset caused people to get rid of fat in a small preliminary study. Six people who had received the stimulation（刺激）lost on average about 8 percent of the fat on their trunks in four months, scientists reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience,

The headset stimulated the vestibular nerve（前庭神经）, which runs just behind the ears. That nerve sends signals to the hypothalamus, a brain structure thought to control the body’s fat storage. By stimulating the nerve with an electrical current, the technique shifts the body away from storing fat toward burning it.

Six overweight and obese people received the treatment, consisting of up to four one-hour-long sessions of stimulation a week. Because it activated the vestibular system, the stimulation created the sensation of gently rocking on a boat or floating in a pool, said the study’s co-author Jason McKeown of the University of California, San Diego.

After four months, body scans measured the trunk fat for the six people receiving the treatment and three people who received unreal stimulation. All six in the treatment group lost some trunk fat, despite not having changed their activity or diet. In contrast, those in the unreal group gained some fat. Researchers suspect that changes in the set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within human cells are behind the difference. “The results were a lot better than we thought they’d be,” McKeown said.

Earlier studies found that vestibular nerve stimulation causes mice to drop fat and pack on muscle, resulting in what McKeown called Schwarzenegger mice. Though small, the current study suggests that the approach has promise in people. McKeown and his colleagues have started a company based on the technology and plan to test it further.

1.What is an electrical current used for?

A. Causing the body to bum its fat.

B. Controlling the body’s storage of fat.

C. Seeing if the headset will be affected.

D. Speeding the process of one’s digesting.

2.What’s the probable reason for the different results in participants?

A. The length of stimulation they received.

B. The type of stimulation they received.

C. The difference in their vestibular system.

D. The way chemicals process in their body.

3.Which is true about McKeown’s current findings?

A. They have a kind of practical value.

B. They go against those of earlier tests on mice.

C. They were widely recognized at the meeting.

D. They have been tested by MeKeown’s company.

4.What can be the best title of the text?

A. The science of zapping fat

B. A new trial of weight loss

C. Zapping certain nerves leads to fat loss

D. Exercise for weight loss and get fit

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】本文是说明文。研究发现电击前庭神经可以帮助人们减肥。

1.细节推断题。根据第二段中的“By stimulating the nerve with an electrical current, the technique shifts the body away from storing fat toward burning it” 可知，使用电流是为了让身体产生从储存脂肪到燃烧脂肪的转变，即电流是用来促使身体燃烧脂肪的。故选A项。

2.推理判断题。根据第四段中的“Researchers suspect that changes in the set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within human cells are behind the difference”可知，研究者认为，实验结果之所以会在参与实验的两组人身上有所不同是因为他们在新陈代谢上存在差异。故选D项。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“Though small, the current study suggests that the approach has promise in people. McKeown and his colleagues have started a company based on the technology and plan to test it further”可知，McKeown和她的同事们都开办公司了，所以他们的发现是有一定的实用价值的。

4.标题判断题。文章的第一句属于主题句A nerve-zapping（电击神经）headset caused people to get rid of fat in a small preliminary study.再纵观全文可知，本文主要介绍的是一项研究发现的相关内容，即电击前庭神经可以减肥。故C项作文章标题最佳。

【名师点睛】

每篇文章都会有一个主旨要义。主旨要义型题范围一般包括：短文标题、主题大意或段落大意等。此题型要求考生在理解文章后归纳文章要点，概括中心思想。考生需要分析文章的篇章结构，抓住文章的开头或结尾，从而找出能概括文章的主题句。主题句的特点：（1）语言特点：归纳性、概括性、抽象性；（2）位置特点：主题句常出现在“总结性”语言的“信号词”后，如：in summary, in a word, as a result, finally, in short, in conclusion和in brief等；主题句常出现在“转移话题式”语言的“信号词”后，如：but, however, nevertheless,Hence等。标题的语言特点：独特新颖 、概括性强、短小精炼。

主旨大意主要的解题策略之标题类。文章标题可以是单词，短语，也可以是句子，它的特点是：短小精悍，多为一短语；涵盖性强，一般要求能覆盖全文，其确定的范围要恰当，既不能太大，也不能太小；精确性强，不能随意改变语言表意的程度及色彩。

4.C【解题剖析】此题属于主旨大意中的（1）一一标题类。答案需要理解文章后归纳文章中心。

【答案定位】根据第一段中第一句，属于主题句A nerve-zapping（电击神经）headset caused people to get rid of fat in a small preliminary study.开门见山地直接说出了本文的主题——通过电击疗法燃烧脂肪达到减肥的目的。四个选项只有C项的意思涵盖性强，准确度高，为最佳选项。