【解题导语】　本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了 Mrs. Larkins是如何保持健康年轻的。

　　【长难句分析】　Mrs. Larkins says the secret to her beauty lies in her special diet, consisting of organic vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts grown in her own garden; she calls it the "fountain of youth"．

　　分析：本句包含两个分句。第一个分句中"the secret to her beauty lies in her special diet"为宾语从句，省略了连接词that；"consisting of... seeds and nuts"为现在分词短语作定语；"grown in her own garden"为过去分词短语作定语。

　　译文：Larkins夫人说她的美丽的秘诀在于她的由那些被种植在她自己的园子里的有机蔬菜、水果、种子和坚果组成的特殊饮食，她把这种特殊饮食称为"年轻的源泉"。

　　1．What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to?

　　A．The organic food. B．Her beauty.

　　C．Specially cooked food. D．Her raw diet.

　　答案与解析：D　考查词义猜测。根据第一段中的"she follows a special raw diet"及画线词所在句子的前半部分"Mrs.Larkins says the secret to her beauty lies in her special diet，consisting of organic vegetables，fruits，seeds and nuts grown in her own garden"可知，it是指上文提到的那种生吃食物的饮食。故选D项。

　　2．What kind of person does the author think Mrs. Larkins is?

　　A．Strong­willed. B．Honest.

　　C．Modest. D．Open­minded.

答案与解析：A　考查推理判断。根据第四段的倒数第二句"It was then that she decided to change her eating habits forever"及倒数第二段第二句中的"Over the 27 years，Mrs.Larkins has been eating raw