News Report 2（第一套）音频、真题、答案、听力原文、答案解析、参考译文
【音频】
【真题】
Questions 3 to 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.
3.
A) It plays a less important role in one’s health than nutrient intake.
B) It impacts people’s health to a lesser degree than sun exposure.
C) It is associated with people’s mental health conditions.
D) It is linked with older adults’symptoms of depression.
4.
A) It was indefinite.
B) It was systematic.
C) It was straightforward.
D) It was insignificant.
【答案】
3. C) It is associated with people’s mental health conditions.
4. D) It was insignificant.
【听力原文】
A new study has cast doubt on historic research suggesting that the season or month of someone’s birth is associated with an increased risk of certain mental health conditions. The study looks at symptoms of anxiety and depression among more than 70,000 older adults in Europe. [3] A number of past studies have found the link between season of birth and mental health diagnoses.
Researchers have suggested that such links could arise from various things. These include nutrient intake, sun exposure, climate, and disease exposure varying across the course of the year. However, evidence has been mixed. More recent studies have suggested that factors such as social class or economic background have more to do with these diagnoses than month of birth.
[4] Overall, the new study found no significant relationship between participants’month of birth and symptoms of depression or anxiety.There was some variability in some countries. In Poland, depressive symptoms fluctuated a little depending on birth month. In the Czech Republic, the same was true of anxiety symptoms. But on the whole, there was no systematic pattern.
【答案解析】
3. What have a number of past studies found about season of birth?
关于出生季节，过去的一些研究发现了什么？
答案：
C) It is associated with people’s mental health conditions.
它与人们的精神健康状况有关。
解析：
新闻中提到，“A number of past studies have found the link between season of birth and mental health diagnoses.”过去的一些研究发现了出生季节与精神健康诊断之间的联系，因此选C。
干扰项分析：
A) It plays a less important role in one’s health than nutrient intake.
它对人们健康所起的作用没有营养摄入起的作用重要。
新闻中提到了“nutrient intake”，说的是营养摄入作为可能的影响因素之一，但并未将出生季节与营养摄入的影响程度进行对比，故排除。
B) It impacts people’s health to a lesser degree than sun exposure.
它对人们健康的影响程度低于日晒。
新闻中提到了日晒（sun exposure）作为可能的影响因素之一，但同样未将出生季节与日晒的影响程度进行对比，故排除。
D) It is linked with older adults’symptoms of depression.
它与老年人的抑郁症状有关。
新闻中提到，这项新研究调查了70,000多名欧洲老年人的焦虑和抑郁症状，但这是新研究的内容，而非过去的研究发现。题干问的是past studies，故排除。
4. What did the new study find about the relationship between participants’month of birth and symptoms of depression?
关于参与者的出生月份与抑郁症症状之间的关系，这项新研究发现了什么？
答案：
D) It was insignificant.
它是微不足道的。
解析：
新闻中提到，“Overall, the new study found no significant relationship between participants’month of birth and symptoms of depression or anxiety.”总体而言，新研究发现参与者的出生月份与他们的抑郁或焦虑症状之间不存在显著的关系。“no significant relationship”意为关系微不足道、不足挂齿，选项D中的“insignificant”对应原文中的“no significant”，因此选D。
干扰项分析：
A) It was indefinite.
它是不明确的。
“indefinite”意为“不明确的，不清楚的”，原文指的是“no significant relationship”（没有显著关系），故排除。
B) It was systematic.
它是系统性的。
新闻最后提到，“there was no systematic pattern”，即没有发现系统性的模式，故排除。
C) It was straightforward.
它是直接的。
新闻中未提及关系是“直接的”，且该词与原文表达的“没有显著关系”含义不符，故排除。
【参考译文】
一项新研究对历史研究提出了质疑，那些研究认为一个人的出生季节或月份与某些精神健康状况的风险增加有关。该研究调查了欧洲70,000多名老年人的焦虑和抑郁症状。过去的一些研究发现了出生季节与精神健康诊断之间的联系。
研究人员认为，这种联系可能源于多种因素，包括一年中不同时期的营养摄入、日晒、气候和疾病暴露的差异。然而，证据并不一致。最近更多的研究表明，与出生月份相比，社会阶层或经济背景等因素与这些诊断有更大的关系。
总体而言，新研究发现，参与者的出生月份与他们的抑郁或焦虑症状之间不存在显著的关系。一些国家的情况有所不同。在波兰，抑郁症状随出生月份略有波动。在捷克共和国，焦虑症状也是如此。但总体来说，没有发现系统性的模式。
