The Rewards of Home Cooking
Few things are as difficult to categorize as cooking. What else can be called a skill, an art, a science, and even a survival tool at the same time? It's a human adaptation, a clever trick that evolution gradually baked into our brains to conjure up more calories out of raw food to power the large brains. It's so fundamental that everyone knows how to do it to some extent. As a life skill, home cooking helps save energy, improve health, and raise self-esteem all at once.
Cooking at home contributes to energy conservation. "Unquestionably, it consumes energy and resources sparingly to cook at home," a recent study claims. The research says it takes seven kilocalories of energy to grow food, but processing it takes another ten. To put it simply, that means it needs much more energy to process food than to grow it. Also, processed food is often frozen and cooked with unnecessary energy consumption. After purchasing a frozen dinner, we are using about twice as many resources to feed ourselves as it takes our neighbor to cook at home. Apart from the health bonuses, cooking at home boosts self-esteem as well. Cooking is both a biological necessity and a behavioral script hardwired into our brains in the evolution. A report regarding the impact of cooking interventions on mental health found a number of positive outcomes. According to the report, cooking learners developed better self-esteem as a result of their improved concentration coordination, and confidence—3Cs, if you will. It was also reported that one of the most satisfying aspects in cooking was being able to prepare dishes to be enjoyed by others. Other related studies showed the similar result: cooking raised self-esteem.
Cooking food at home is rewarding in many ways. With the most economical use of energy, it serves as a reticent safeguard of the environment. In addition, home cooking improves overall well-being and health-related life quality, primarily due to the ensuing nutritional benefits. Good nutrition is the prerequisite to mental health. With the 3Cs enhanced in cooking and contentment found in sharing, self-esteem is raised likewise. While it is nice to go to an elegant restaurant occasionally, nothing beats homemade food.【正确答案】：
IT'S NO SECRET THAT COOKING AT HOME IS HEALTHIER THAN EATING OUT. THOSE PROFESSIONALLY PREPARED MEALS REALLY TASTE SO DELICIOUS ONLY BECAUSE THEY'RE LOADED WITH BUTTER AND SALT. ONE STUDY EXAMINING TEN TYPICAL CHAIN RESTAURANTS FOUND THAT THE AVERAGE MEAL CONTAINED NEARLY 1,500CALORIES, MUCH MORE THAN NEEDED. NOT ONLY DOES EATING OUT INVOLVE RISKS OF IMBALANCED NUTRITION, BUT IT ALSO DOUBLES THE CHANCES OF CATCHING A FOOD-BORNE ILLNESS. IN CONTRAST,RECENT RESEARCH REPORTS CLAIMED THAT ADULTS WHO COOKED AT HOME CONSUMED LESS SODIUM, ATE MORE VEGETABLES, TOOK IN MORE FIBER, AND SHOWED MORE VITALITY. AS WE EXPECT, IMPROVING OUR DIET IN THIS WAY BUILDS A STRONGER BODY.
【题目解析】：由文章的第一段可列出全文的提纲： Ⅰ. As a life skill, home cooking helps save energy, improve health, and raise self-esteem all at once.Ⅱ. Cooking at home contributes to energy conservation.Ⅲ.Ⅳ. Cooking at home boosts self-esteem as well.Ⅴ. Conclusion 由提纲可知，缺失的段落是关于在家里做饭对于健康的作用。因此段落可以围绕这个点展开。It's no secret that cooking at home is healthier than eating out. Those professionally prepared meals really taste so delicious only because they're loaded with butter and salt. One study examining ten typical chain restaurants found that the average meal contained nearly 1,50 00 calories, much more than needed. Not only does eating out involve risks of imbalanced nutrition, but it also doubles the chances of catching a food-borne illness. In contrast,recent research reports claimed that adults who cooked at home consumed less sodium, ate more vegetables, took in more fiber, and showed more vitality. As we expect, improving our diet in this way builds a stronger body.在家做饭比在外面吃饭更健康，这已不是秘密。那些专业准备的饭菜真的很好吃，只是因为它们富含黄油和盐。一项针对十家典型连锁餐厅的研究发现，平均一顿饭含有近1500卡路里，远远超过所需热量。外出就餐不仅会带来营养不平衡的风险，而且会使患食源性疾病的几率增加一倍。相比之下，最近的研究报告称，在家做饭的成年人摄入的钠更少，吃的蔬菜更多，摄入的纤维更多，表现出更强的活力。正如我们所期望的那样，通过这种方式改善我们的饮食可以使身体更强壮。