2016托福阅读背景材料-肺部有味觉

摘要：如何在托福阅读考试中拿到高分？阅读技巧、阅读词汇积累、阅读题型训练等等都是影响最后的因素，而了解托福阅读的背景知识，无疑可以使考生更好的理解文章，达到阅读文章事半功倍的效果。下面小编为大家带来最新的关于托福阅读背景的材料——肺部有味觉。

阅读背景资料【汇总】

在以往的研究中，人们认为人体的味觉器官并不包括肺部，但是最新一项研究却发现肺部肌肉有“品尝”苦味的功能。

Take a deep breath. Taste anything? Actually, your lungs may. Becausescientists have discovered that the same receptors that exist on the tongue totaste bitter substances are also found on the smooth muscle of the lungs.

Researchers were studying the receptors on smooth lung muscles thatregulate contraction and relaxation of theairways. That’s when they made thediscovery—which was so unexpected that the researchers themselves wereskeptical.

Finally, they became convinced that the receptors were really there, thoughnot clustered in taste buds as they are on the tongue. The scientists thenexposed human and mouse airways to various bitter compounds to gauge theeffects.

Many toxic compounds are bitter, so the researchers expected the lungmuscle to tense up and contract—to compel the breather to move away fromwhatever was bitter and perhaps toxic. But, in a second surprise, bittercompounds relaxed and opened airways better than any existing asthma drug. Thestudy is in the journal Nature Medicine. "Bitter taste receptors on airwaysmooth muscle bronchodilate by localized calcium signaling and reverseobstruction".

Researchers will continue to search for the role of the receptors.Meanwhile, the work represents a surprising new lead in the search for drugs totreat asthma, emphysema or chronic bronchitis.—Cynthia Graber

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【汇总】2016托福考点介绍及报名时间 

上海新东方寒假班报名地址
托福	雅思	GRE	GMAT	SAT
基础班	IELTS 5.5分班	基础班	强化班	基础班
强化班	IELTS 6.5分班	强化班		强化班
精讲精练班	IELTS 7分班	精讲精练班	精讲精练班	精讲精练班
点题班	雅思词汇班	模考班	模考班	模考班
更多	更多	更多	更多	更多