单选题 Caffeinated coffee may have an undeserved bad rap. A new study shows the decaffeinated variety may have harmful heart effects. The study showed that people who drank decaf had higher levels of a protein linked to heart disease risk compared with those who drank caffeinated coffee or no coffee. "But the differences were fairly small and there's probably no health threat from drinking a cup or two of any type of coffee a day," says researcher H. Robert Superko, MD. The research is the latest entry into a long line of scientific studies looking at whether coffee drinking can lead to heart disease.
The participants were given premeasured bags of coffee to make in their coffee machines provided by researchers, They agreed to drink it black--no cream or sugar al-lowed. And they agreed to periodic blood tests so the researchers could keep track of exactly how much caffeine they drank. The 187 volunteers were assigned to one of three groups: no coffee, three to six cups a day of caffeinated coffee, or three to six cups of decaf. After three months, levels of apolipoprotein B (ApoB) were up significantly in the decaffeinated group while staying relatively unchanged in the other two groups. The amount of ApoB has been suggested in other studies to be a better predictor of cardio-vascular disease risk.
There was one group for whom decaf appeared to be heart healthy: the overweight. For those who had body mass indexes (BMIs) of more than 25, drinking decaffeinated coffee boosted levels of HDL (high density lipoprotein) by about 50%. Among those with lower BMIs (who were not overweight), HDL dropped 30%. Elevated HDL is known to protect the heart.
Here's also good news for people who love coffee: Drinking it doesn't seem to cause long-term high blood pressure, a study suggests. Caffeine is a well-known ingredient in both beverages, and has been shown to cause short-term increases in blood pressure. Previous data on coffee and hypertension is mixed. There's a common perception that its temporary effects on blood pressure mean an increased long-term risk, said Dr. Wolfgang Winkelmayer, the study's lead author. "We found strong evidence to refute that belief," the researchers wrote. There was even some evidence that people who drank lots of coffee--four or more daily cups of regular or decal--faced a slightly lower risk for developing high blood pressure than those who drank little or none. Winkelmayer said that might be because coffee has lots of antioxidants, substances that are thought to be helpful.

单选题 In the opening paragraph, the author introduces his topic by ______ .
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】第1段中,作者先说明一个问题,那就是Caffeinated coffee may have an undeserved bad rap。接着在下面将Caffeinated coffee与decaffeinated coffee做了比较,文中第3行也用了compared with those who drank caffeinated coffee,因此我们可以直接判断出作者的写作方法是做比较。故C正确。
单选题 The author agrees "caffeinated coffee may have an undeserved bad rap" because ______ .
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】从文章的第3段我们得知:肥胖人群饮用脱咖啡因咖啡是有好处的。第2段最后两句话表明:饮用脱咖啡因咖啡的这一组人员易患心血管疾病。综合这些内容我们不能简单地判断哪种咖啡更加健康,故D的表述符合作者的意思:既然两者都对身体有害和有益,因此不应该再让含咖啡因咖啡受这种指责。
单选题 Who will benefit from drinking decaf coffee according to the passage?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】参照第2题的解析。另外,文中提到BMIs是body mass indexes(体重指数)。
单选题 "Previous data on coffee and hypertension is mixed" (Lines 3-4, Par
【正确答案】
【答案解析】文中说Wolfsang Winkelmayer发现了证据来反驳一个大家的共识:喝咖啡对血压造成的暂时性影响会逐渐演变成长期的伤害。可以推测作者想说咖啡和高血压并没有必然的联系。C“早期的数据给人们造成了错误的印象”符合文意。
单选题 What can we learn from the passage?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】文章对两种咖啡都进行了描述,各有各的益处。因此不能单纯地否定或肯定其中的一个甚至两个。整篇文章虽然在进行比较,但并不是对这个问题进行辩论,因此A中的“辩论将会继续的说法”是毫无根据的推测。正确答案是B。