① Pickles have recently gained popularity in many parts of the world not only because of their delicious taste, but because of their potential to positively influence the many thousands of important microbes living in our gut as well as our overall health. A recent study suggests that pickles may also help support the immune system. This study involved overweight adults who consumed around 30 grams of pickles daily for 12 weeks. Blood samples were taken before and after the study and analysed using a technique that shows what each immune cell is doing instead of giving an overall average. This gives a detailed view of how the immune system responded.
② The study found that pickles affected the immune system in a targeted way. It increased the activity of antigen-presenting cells (APCs). These are immune cells that ingest pathogens (病原体), process them and show pieces of those pathogens on their surface so the body’s helper T cells (which coordinate overall immune response) know to mount a response against those specific pathogens. Pickles also increased the activity of certain genes that act like switches, helping these immune cells send clearer signals to T cells. There were also genetic changes in helper T cells that made them react more quickly to anything that triggers an immune response. Since helper T cells coordinate immune responses, these changes mean they’re better equipped to help other immune cells fight infections effectively.
③ Most other immune cells stayed the same, meaning pickles targeted helper T cells rather than activating the entire immune system. Maintaining this balance is important because the immune system must be able to respond to infections effectively while avoiding excessive inflammation that can damage tissues.
④ It’s worth mentioning that this study was small and focused on changes in immune cells, not actual health outcomes. So we don’t yet know if eating pickles in this way would reduce infections or inflammation in daily life. However, the study does provide a plausible molecular explanation for how fermented foods can influence immune function. This tells us more than we can learn from studies that only observe people’s habits. It links a common fermented food to measurable effects on immune cells – supporting the idea that fermented foods may be used strategically to enhance immune regulation and overall immune balance.
⑤ Pickles are not the only fermented food that may have immune benefits. Other foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut and tea contain live microbes and metabolites that have a positive effect on the microbiome and may influence immune function.
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1.1.According to the study, how were blood samples analyzed?
A By measuring overall immune averages.
B By observing daily infection rates.
C By tracking individual immune cell actions.
D By comparing before-and-after inflammation levels.
解析：选C。
C细节理解题。第一段明确指出，血液样本使用一种技术进行分析，该技术能展示“what each immune cell is doing instead of giving an overall average”，即追踪每个免疫细胞的活动而非整体平均值。选项C中“tracking individual immune cell actions”与此相符。A项“测量整体免疫平均值”与原文相反；B项“观察每日感染率”和D项“比较前后炎症水平”在文中未提及。故选C。
2.2.The word “ingest” in Paragraph 2 most probably means ________.
A to avoid
B to identify
C to take in
D to attack
解析：选C。
C词义猜测题。“ingest”出现在描述抗原呈递细胞(APCs)功能的句子中：“These are immune cells that ingest pathogens, process them and show pieces...”(这些免疫细胞会____病原体，处理它们，并展示片段……)。这个句子描述了APCs对抗病原体的一系列连续动作。首先是对病原体的某个初始动作(即“ingest”)，然后是“处理”(process)，最后是“展示”(show)。这个逻辑链条表明，“ingest”应该是“处理”之前的一个步骤，即将病原体纳入细胞内部的动作，这样才能进行后续的处理和展示。结合词根词缀知识，“ingest”的词根“gest”表示“携带、运输”，前缀“in-”表示“进入”，因此“ingest”字面含义为“带入内部”，与“take in(摄取)”完全匹配，进一步验证答案。C项to take in(摄取，吞入)完美符合上述动作逻辑，即细胞将病原体“纳入体内”，这是后续处理的前提。故选 C。
3.3.What can be inferred about the immune system’s balance?
A Targeted activation is superior to full activation.
B Excessive inflammation always follows infections.
C Helper T cells should remain inactive normally.
D All immune cells must respond simultaneously.
解析：选A。
A推理判断题。第三段指出，泡菜针对辅助T细胞而非激活整个免疫系统，并强调维持这种平衡很重要，因为免疫系统需有效应对感染同时避免过度炎症。原文明确强调“维持这种平衡很重要”，而“这种平衡”即“仅激活辅助T细胞，不激活整个免疫系统”，因此可推断“靶向激活”能实现免疫应答与避免炎症的平衡，优于可能导致过度炎症的“全面激活”，由此可推断，这种有针对性的激活比全面激活更具优势。选项A “靶向激活优于全面激活”合理。B 项“过度炎症总是伴随感染”过于绝对，文中未提；C项“辅助T细胞通常应保持不活跃”与它们协调免疫反应的核心功能矛盾；D项“所有免疫细胞必须同时反应”恰与文中“大多数保持不变”的事实相反。故选 A。
4.4.What is the author’s attitude toward the study’s findings?
A Fully skeptical of its practical value.
B Cautiously optimistic about its implications.
C Indifferent to its molecular explanations.
D Critical of its research methodology.
解析：选B。
B观点态度题。作者在第四段指出研究虽小且未验证健康结果，但提供了“plausible molecular explanation”，并强调该研究比单纯观察性研究更能说明问题，由此可看出作者态度是谨慎乐观的。B项符合。A项“完全怀疑其实用价值”过于否定；C项“对其分子解释漠不关心”与作者积极评价不符；D项“批评其研究方法”在文中未体现。故选B。
5.5.What is the main focus of the passage?
A The nutritional benefits of fermented foods.
B Comparing different fermented foods’ effects.
C The role of T cells in fighting infections.
D How pickles may influence immune cell activity.
解析：选D。
D主旨大意题。全文围绕泡菜对免疫系统(尤其是APCs和辅助T细胞)的影响展开，详细描述了相关研究及其机制，因此D项“泡菜如何影响免疫细胞活动”是核心主题。A项“发酵食品的营养益处”过于宽泛；C项“T细胞在抗感染中的作用”只是部分细节；B项“比较不同发酵食品的效果”仅在最后一段简要提及，非主线。故选D。
