We all know that drinking too much is bad for us, but what about moderate (适度的) drinking?

We’ve known about the association between moderate drinking and good health for quite some time. Researchers have identified that people who drink a moderate amount are at a lower risk of things like heart disease and obesity than both people who drink a lot and people who never drink. It’s fairly well-established that,if you look at society at large,people who drink a moderate amount are the healthiest in a number of ways.

The problem is that moderate drinking isn’t an isolated (孤立的) behaviour .You can’t easily separate moderate drinking from the people who drink moderately, which means that you can’t easily identify whether it’s actually the alcohol that’s improving people’s health or something more complex.

The issue is pretty obvious when you look at the people who drink moderately in all of these studies.They tend to be wealthier,more educated,smoke less and in general are better off than both people who drink a lot and those who never drink. People who don’t drink alcohol are also different in a lot of ways, mostly bad — for example, illness, poverty, and previous alcoholism.

Recent studies in Israel and New Zealand show that there probably aren’t any significant health benefits to moderate drinking. Once you get rid of the effects of society, even a small amount of drink is associated with worse health.

It seems that moderate drinking probably isn’t good for our health after all. While there may be some minor heart health benefits, alcohol is addictive and causes damage to many other organs.

I’m going to keep drinking, but not for my health. Wine is delicious and beer is just wonderful. Drink for the taste,drink to socialise, but don’t drink because you think it’s going to cure your depression or heal your heart. But if possible, try to drink less.

【小题1】What is the common belief about drinking alcohol?

A．Drinking has little to do with health.

B．Moderate drinking benefits our health.

C．Drinking reduces the risk of heart disease.

D．The healthier you are, the more you can drink.

【小题2】Who is more likely to drink moderately?

A．A rich man.	B．A sick man.
C．A former alcoholic.	D．A poorly-educated man.

【小题3】What do we know about drinking from the fifth paragraph?

A．It’s an isolated behaviour.

B．It’s a good way to keep fit.

C．It’s more of a social activity.

D．It should be banned for health reasons.

【小题4】What can be the best title for this text?

A．Is Alcohol Suitable for You?	B．What Is Moderate Drinking?
C．Do You Know How to Drink?	D．Is Moderate Drinking Healthy?