托福阅读：挑战TIME第17期

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托福阅读：挑战TIME 第17 期

托福阅读复习了很久，却不知道自己的水平如何？快来看看前程百利小编为您整理
的挑战TIME系列，大家可以通过这一系列的托福阅读训练，来了解自己目前的水平，快
来挑战吧。

Steroids: Not Just for Athletes

【Introduction】

大多数人都认为经常使用激素的是分掉健壮的运动员。其实不然，许多普通老百姓
也热衷于此。为什么会这样呢，也许这篇文章能给你一个满意的答案。

【Section One】Article

Anyone who follows the news probably has a picture of the typical steroid
user: an elite athlete — a home-run hitter, say — trying to get an edge on
the competition, or a high-school or college kid who wants desperately to get
into the pros.

But while those cases make headlines, the stereotype turns out to be largely
off base, according to a new study published online in the Journal of the
International Society of Sports Nutrition. In a web-based survey of nearly 2,000
self-prescribed steroid users (the stuff has legitimate medical uses as well,
such as correcting hormone imbalances), it turns out that the typical user isn't
a competitive athlete at all. He (and it's pretty much always "he") is a highly
educated professional, about 30 years old, who doesn't participate in organized
sports at all — and never has. He uses steroids to build muscle, increase
strength and look good. And he does it, not as an easy, stand-alone shortcut
to body modification, but as a supplement to a carefully planned regimen of diet
and exercise. In short, says one internist: "They're gym rats."

A majority of steroid users say they'd be willing to consult with doctors
about their steroid use — in principle. In practice most didn't actually reveal
their habit to their physicians. The reason: they don't believe doctors know
a lot about the drugs, and they suspect that physicians, like the general public,
have an exaggerated idea about how dangerous steroids really are. The users
themselves tend to be aware of side effects like liver damage, high blood pressure
and behavioral changes. That's why most users inject the steroids instead of
taking them by mouth, in order to better control blood levels and lessen the
risk of liver toxicity. A majority of habitual users also get blood work at least