单选题
Statins are a class of drugs that work to decrease the level of cholesterol in the blood. They are able to perform this function by effectively blocking the cholesterol — producing enzyme in the liver. In recent years, statins have increased in utility and popularity. Although a certain amount of cholesterol is imperative for the human body to function, an elevated level can cause a precarious situation in the body. CL Cholesterol affixes itself to arteries, lining them and inhibiting blood flow. Since less blood can travel through those encumbered arteries, the blood flow to the heart is adversely affected. Scientists have found that the walls of arteries in the body can become inflamed from this plaque buildup. In many instances, the end result of this decreased blood supply and inflammation is a heart attack — sometimes a fatal one. In other cases the blood supply to the brain is compromised by the plaque buildup, often causing a stroke. Decreased blood flow to the legs can cause leg pains or cramps. In short, arterial plaque buildup is never a healthy situation. Statins diminish the amount of cholesterol generated by the body. Although the drugs are not always able to reduce the amount of plaque that may already be clogging arteries, they can slow the production of new plaque. The drugs are also able to stabilize the plaques that are already present and make them less likely to cause problems in the body. Lowered cholesterol does not guarantee that a heart attack won't occur, but statin use will lower the risk for most patients. Not everyone who has a heart attack has high cholesterol levels, but most do have plaque formations on their arteries. It should be noted that the plaque is not always formed by high levels of cholesterol in the blood. Statins are generally prescribed by doctors for people with elevated cholesterol levels. As the mean weight of the American population has risen, so has the number of individuals with high cholesterol. Millions of men and women in this country are prescribed statins in an effort to decrease the amount of cholesterol in their blood. Remarkably, these effects can be seen in as little as two weeks after beginning a statin regime.
单选题
Which of the following is suggested about the American population?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：推理题。A，B，D选项文中都没有提及；在第二段有一句话“As themean weight of the American population has risen，so has the number of individuals withhigh cholesterol”，即随着美国人口平均体重上升，高胆固醇人数也在不断上升，由此可知美国人体重的增加与它们的饮食有关，答案选C。
单选题
The author concedes that statins' job is primarily to______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：细节题。这种药物的作用和目的开篇就提到了，在文章的第一行“…work to decrease the level of cholesterolin me blood”，即为了减少胆固醇的含量，这是这种药物被发明出来的动机，也就是最根本的用途，所以答案选D(减缓体内胆固醇的生产)。