Watercress is positively packed with healthy vitamins and minerals. The writings of both the Romans and the Ancient Greeks record the consumption of watercress by all classes. Hippocrates, “the father of medicine”, was so convinced that watercress was a great healer that he built his first hospital next to a stream so that he could grow a plentiful supply of the shiny green leaves for his patients. The Romans chewed watercress in large quantities, believing that it would cure baldness. They, too, looked with favor on watercress as a salad.
Watercress sandwiches were traditionally a breakfast item in nineteenth-century Europe. The most basic type of watercress sandwich has two pieces of white bread with a mixture of butter and watercress greens . A nickname(綽號)for the vegetable, in fact, was “poor man’s bread”, because watercress was often eaten on its own for breakfast by families that could not afford the bread to go with
it.
Watercress is a member of the mustard(芥菜) family. It contains vitamins C(66mg per 100g), K and A, and is also a valuable source of minerals such as iron, potassium, copper and calcium. The mustard oils in its silky leaves and stems(莖)contain an ingredient known as PEITC. Recent research has proved that PEITC can prevent the growth of cancer cells and, in some cases, actually destroy them.
The best watercress has silky green leaves without any marks and has undamaged stems, The older the plant, the darker are its leaves and the thicker its stems. This means a higher concentration of oils and vitamins. Young watercress, on the other hand, may be harvested after only twenty-eight days growth and has a milder taste. It is best to eat watercress fresh and raw , to keep more of its valuable nutrients, but it can be lightly cooked and used as an alternative to spinach—another dark green vegetable—in various recipes. From soups to salads, watercress is now considered around the world as a natural and healthy super food.
小題1:From paragraph 1, we can learn that________.
| A．watercress is usually grown in wet areas |
| B．the ancient Greeks only used watercress for medicine |
| C．watercress is the most ancient vegetable known to man |
| D．the Romans rubbed watercress on their heads to cure baldness |
小題2:The underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to “_________”.
| A．butter | B．watercress | C．breakfast | D．bread |
小題3:Which of the following is TRUE about watercress?
A.It belongs to the same family as spinach.
B.It contains mustard oils only in leaves.
C.It can help guard against cancer.
D.It is rich in vitamins C and B.
小題4:Compared with older watercress, young watercress
.| A．has lighter green leaves |
| B．contains more minerals |
| C．is better for medical use |
| D．is more suitable for eating raw |
小題5:What would be the best title for the text?
| A．The history of watercress | B．watrcress, a medicinal plant |
| C．Watercress, the amazing food | D．New findings about watercress |
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