水果可以抗抑郁

Populations are rapidly ageing worldwide， and there is an increased prevalence of late-life depressive symptoms among older adults such as depressed feelings， lack of pleasure. This has been related to underlying neurodegenerative changes in the brain associated with ageing. The growing imperative to keep older adults in good health has spurred extensive research into approaches that could prevent late-life depression. Could specific diet or food items consumed earlier in life have an impact on mental well-being in later years？

In a longitudinal study conducted by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine， National University of Singapore， involving 13，738 participants from the large population-based Singapore Chinese Health Study that tracked participants through their mid-life to later life spanning about 20 years， researchers found that participants who consumed higher quantities of fruitsb936ab13c42d3d7ca4cd39636ba933577303d9add052f19bc2bb537311be625c earlier in life exhibited a reduced likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms later in life.

At the initial stage of the study from 1993 to 1998， when participants were of average age of 51 years， they were asked to answer a structured questionnaire on how often they consumed a standard serving size of each food item daily， for 14 fruits and 25 vegetables. In 2014 to 2016， when participants were of average age of 73 years， depressive symptoms were examined using a standard test （Geriatric Depression Scale） and 3，180 （23.1%） participants who reported having five or more symptoms were considered to have depression in our study. After adjusting for factors that could potentially confound the relationship， including medical history， smoking status， level of physical activity， sleep duration， and ageing-related factors， the team found that higher consumption of fruits， but not vegetables， was associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms in a stepwise manner.

These findings suggest that promoting fruit consumption for individuals in mid adulthood， typically defined as ages 40 to 65 years， could yield long-term benefits for their mental well-being at late adulthood beyond 65 years. Hence， the study’s results hold significant implications for public health education and initiatives to make fruits more accessible for the general population.

（材料選自Science Daily網站，有刪改）

1. What will older people easily feel？

A. Mean. B. Useless.

C. Annoyed. D. Displeased.

2. Why are the numbers mentioned in paragraph 2？

A. To confirm the point.

B. To clarify the concept.

C. To arouse the interest.

D. To show the credibility.

3. What is paragraph 3 of the text mainly about？

A. The causes of study.

B. The logics of the study.

C. The process of study.

D. The importance of study.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph？

A. People should eat more and more fruits.

B. Many people now have little access to fruits.

C. Older people will promote fruit consumption.

D. The findings make people yield mental benefits.

1. D。解析：細節理解題。材料第一段的第一句提到“全世界人口正在迅速老齡化，晚年抑郁癥狀如抑郁情緒、缺乏快樂的患病率在老年人中上升”。D選項“不快樂的”與材料內容相符，故選D。

2. D。解析：推理判斷題。根據材料第二段的“13，738 participants”和“their mid-life to later life spanning about 20 years”，我們可知有13738人參加了這個研究，并且這個研究跨越了20年。這說明了這個研究的可信度。D選項“證明可信度”與材料內容相符，故選D。

3.C。解析：細節理解題。根據材料第三段的“At the initial stage of the study from 1993 to 1998”“In 2014 to 2016”“the team found that...”，我們可知第三段主要是聚焦研究的過程。C選項“研究的過程”與材料內容相符，故選C。

4. B。解析：推理判斷題。材料最后一段的最后一句提到“研究結果對公共衛生教育和倡議有著重大意義，能讓更多的人吃上水果”，由此可知現在還有很多人是吃不上水果的。B選項“現在很多人幾乎無法獲得水果”與材料內容相符，故選B。