【挑战TIME】17期：Steroids:NotJustforAthletes

【 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。
               Steroids: Not Just for Athletes




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 once a year, probably to make sure the drugs aren't throwing hormone levels too far out of balance.
The authors make it clear that they don't approve of the non-medical use of steroids — but do believe that reducing the potential harm they can cause is never going to be possible if nobody understand who the users really are.
 
【Vocabulary】
1. elite：a group of people in a society, etc. who are powerful and have a lot of influence, because they are rich, intelligent
2. get an edge on：[俚]胜过某人
3. pro：A pro player is a professional sportsman or woman
4. stereotype：a fixed idea or image that many people have of a particular type of person or thing, but which is often not true in reality
5. shortcut: 捷径
6. regimen (medical or formal) a set of rules about food and exercise or medical treatment that you follow in order to stay healthy or to improve your health
7. internist :(AmE) a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of diseases of the organs inside the body and who does not usually do medical operations
 
【Homework】
1. Why the author says: (and it's pretty much always "he") in the sentence 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.
 
2. Why most didn't actually reveal their habit to their physicians ?
 
3. How do the steroid users usually deal with(or reduce) the side effect of steroids.

4. Which statement is ture?
A. This article is based on the statistics of study “Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition” in which nearly 2,000 self-prescribed men were involved.
B. In order to better control blood levels and lessen the risk of liver toxicity, most users take them by mouth instead of injecting the steroids.
C. . According to the study, a highly educated professional uses steroids as a supplement to diet and exercise.
D. A majority of habitual users also get blood work at least twice a year, probably to make sure the drugs aren't throwing hormone levels too far out of balance.

参考答案及解析:
1.He equals to man, and man is supposed to be strong. As the highly educated professional uses steroids to build muscle, increase strength and look good, he looks strong. So the author says that it's pretty much always "he".

2.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.

3.A. inject the steroids instead of taking them by mouth, in order to better control blood levels and lessen the risk of liver toxicity.
(or/and)
B. A majority of habitual users also get blood work at least once a year, probably to make sure the drugs aren't throwing hormone levels too far out of balance.

4.C
(A.“2,000 self-prescribed men” is wrong)
(B.“take them by mouth instead of injecting the steroids” should be “inject the steroids instead of taking them by mouth”)
(D. twice a year---> once a year)