随着经济的发展，各种养生学说大行其道，都有忠实的追随者。其中酸碱食物学说就很有代表性，很多人都看过弱碱性水的广告。那么，弱碱性水到底有没有用呢？
The weird world of alkaline water
by Rebecca Bellan
"From the moment I drank the pHountain water – this sounds a little silly – but I felt like there was life in that water," Semajh Bludson, 23, said. "I was like, this is water. This is what water's supposed to taste like. And every time I drink it I feel alive, I feel focused."
silly /ˈsɪli/ adj. 愚蠢的、荒唐的
be supposed /səˈpəʊzd/ to 应该
alive /əˈlaɪv/ adj. 充满活力的
focused /ˈfəʊkəst/ adj. 精神集中的
Bludson was speaking about water whose pH level had been increased, or alkaline water. It's become a hot new way to prevent diseases ranging from joint pain to cancer.
level /ˈlev(ə)l/ n. 数值（pH值用来衡量酸碱度，低于7为酸性，高于7为碱性）
or /ɔː(r)/ conj. 也就是
alkaline /ˈælk(ə)laɪn/ adj. 碱性的
hot /hɒt/ adj. 热门的
range /reɪndʒ/ v. （在某个范围内）变动
joint /dʒɔɪnt/ n. 关节
cancer /ˈkænsə(r)/ n. 癌症
According to science, though, alkaline water is useless. The "acid-ash" hypothesis that forms the basis of alkaline water was originally introduced in the 1960s by doctors studying osteoporosis（骨质疏松）, and found that foods higher in acidity may affect joint health. Those foods are often part of a typical Western diet: meat, cheese, sodas, and processed foods.
acid /ˈæsɪd/ n. 酸
ash /æʃ/ n. 灰烬（acid-ash是这个理论的名称）
hypothesis /haɪˈpɒθəsɪs/ n. 假说、未被证明的理论
form /fɔːm/ v. 形成
basis /ˈbeɪsɪs/ n. 理论基础
originally /əˈrɪdʒ(ə)n(ə)li/ adv. 最初、一开始（由original加后缀-ly变成副词）
introduce /ˌɪntrəˈdjuːs/ v. 引入、开创
acidity /əˈsɪdəti/ n. 酸度（由acid加后缀-ity变成名词）
affect /əˈfekt/ v. 影响
soda /ˈsəʊdə/ n. 苏打汽水、碳酸饮料
process /ˈprəʊses/ v. 加工、处理
The alkaline diet is largely plant-based, encouraging the intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and beans, as well as small amounts of lean meats and fish – an otherwise healthy and balanced diet.
largely /ˈlɑːdʒli/ adv. 基本上、在很大程度上（由large加后缀-ly变成副词）
-based /beɪst/ 后缀，意思是“基于”
intake /ˈɪnteɪk/ n. 摄入
nut /nʌt/ n. 坚果
grain /ɡreɪn/ n. 谷物
as well as = and also
lean /liːn/ adj. 瘦的
otherwise /ˈʌðəwaɪz/ adv. 要不然（指不考虑酸碱度的话）
balanced /ˈbæl(ə)nst/ adj. 平衡的、均衡的
"There are a lot of reasons people feel better on these types of plans, but it's not always the reason that they think," said Samantha Cassetty, a registered dietitian. "I think that when people go on this diet and replace less healthy habits with the foods that are available to them, that's the reason they feel great."
register /ˈredʒɪstə(r)/ v. 注册、登记（registered意思是有资质的）
dietitian /ˌdaɪəˈtɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 营养学家
But adding more alkaline water doesn't make sense – especially because your body does such a good job naturally regulating pH levels. "In terms of eating to balance out your alkalinity, in general, your body regulates its alkalinity at base levels," Cassetty said. "Different parts of your body keep that tightly controlled in different ways. The acidity of the stomach is different from the acidity of urine, for example."
make sense /sens/ 有意义、合理
naturally /ˈnætʃ(ə)r(ə)li/ adv. 自然地、天然地（由natural加后缀-ly变成副词）
regulate /ˈreɡjuleɪt/ v. 调节、控制
in terms of 就…而言
balance out 使平衡
alkalinity /ˌælkəˈlɪnəti/ n. 碱度
base /beɪs/ n. 基础
tightly /ˈtaɪtli/ adv. 紧紧地（由tight加后缀-ly变成副词）
control /kənˈtrəʊl/ v. 控制
urine /ˈjʊərɪn/ n. 尿液
Nonetheless, alkalinity is a big business, fueled by celebrities like Beyonce and Tom Brady, who swear alkaline water is an elixir（灵丹妙药）. In 2014, it was a 427 million, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation.
nonetheless /ˌnʌnðəˈles/ adv. 尽管如此
fuel /ˈfjuːəl/ v. 加强
celebrity /səˈlebrəti/ n. 明星
swear /sweə(r)/ v. 发誓
explode /ɪkˈspləʊd/ v. 猛增、激增
Cindy Schwartz, 60, of Woodbury, New York has been drinking alkaline water for nearly three years after developing acid reflux. "My own research showed I can ease my pain without medication if I were on the alkaline diet," she said. "So I changed how I ate, I drink the water of pH 9 or above, and I lost 4.5 kilograms."
acid reflux /ˈriːflʌks/ 反酸（指胃液经食管反流到嘴里）
ease /iːz/ v. 减轻、缓解
medication /ˌmedɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 药物
But even Schwartz is wondering if the water had anything to do with her health transformation. "I truly believe in my soul it healed me," she said. "But, you wonder, is it just a placebo? In the end, it can just be a capitalist ploy to make money."
have something to do with 跟…有关
transformation /ˌtrænsfəˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 转变、彻底改变（由transform加后缀-ation变成名词）
truly /ˈtruːli/ adv. 真地（表示强调；由true加后缀-ly变成副词）
soul /səʊl/ n. 灵魂（believe in my soul表示极为相信）
heal /hiːl/ v. 治愈
placebo /pləˈsiːbəʊ/ n. 安慰剂
capitalist /ˈkæpɪt(ə)lɪst/ n. 资本家
ploy /plɔɪ/ n. 诡计、花招
（如果您发现某些行的最后一个单词被分成两半了，请把您使用的浏览器升级到最新版本就能正常显示了。）
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