今天前程百利小编为大家分享的是托福听力的背景材料-开胃菜不开胃。大家都知道托福听力段子都来源于美国学生的大学校园生活，所以无处不透漏着美式思维。那么小编就为大家整理原汁原味的美式的背景材料为大家的听力备考助力。
原文：
Mediocre main dishes taste even worse when they follow delectable appetizers—an example of the so-called "hedonic effect." Erika Beras reports
Lots of things influence how your dinner may taste to you: how it’s presented on a plate, how hungry you are and of course, your taste buds. But researchers wanted to know if early courses—appetizers—influence the taste of a meal, and truly do whet your appetite.
Researchers had 64 volunteers eat one of two meals. The meals were the same—bruschetta as an appetizer and an entrée of pasta with garlic and oil. The pasta that everyone got was prepared to be only so-so. But some of the volunteers first got a bruschetta that was made to be mediocre, while the others got one that was stellar.
Then the volunteers rated the meals. And people who ate the good appetizer thought their entrée was even worse than did people who had the middling appetizer. The study is in the journal Food Quality and Preference.
This work builds on previous studies that have focused on the perception of food and drink, and other sensory experience. In one investigation for example, researchers found that hearing a loud sound first then makes a soft sound seem to sound even softer.
Researchers call this effect hedonic contrast—the perception or pleasure gained from something is affected by how it compares to other similar stimuli. Maybe keep that fact in mind—or on the tip of your tongue—next time you plan your courses.
疑难词汇：
Mediocre adj. 普通的;平凡的;中等的
Delectable adj. 美味的;令人愉快的
hedonic effect 享乐主义影响
appetite n. 食欲;嗜好
bruschetta n. 意式特色面包(沙拉放在烤意大利面包片上);蒜末烤面包
n. (Bruschetta)人名;(西、意)布鲁斯凯塔
garlic n. 大蒜;蒜头
pasta n. 意大利面食;面团n. (Pasta)人名;(英、意)帕斯塔
stellar adj. 星的;星球的;主要的;一流的
middling n. 中级品adj. 中等的;第二流的adv. 中等v. 把…放在中间(middle的ing形式)
sensory adj. 感觉的;知觉的;传递感觉的
whet vt. 刺激;磨快;促进n. 磨;开胃物;刺激物
长难句解析：
1. Mediocre main dishes taste even worse when they follow delectable appetizers—an example of the so-called "hedonic effect."
难句类型：
when引导的时间状语从句
句子主干：
Mediocre main dishes taste even worse
难句拆分：
when they follow delectable appetizers—an example of the so-called "hedonic effect，when引导的时间状语从句。
2. But researchers wanted to know if early courses—appetizers—influence the taste of a meal, and truly do whet your appetite.
难句类型：
If引导的宾语从句
句子主干：
researchers wanted to know
难句拆分：
if early courses—appetizers—influence the taste of a meal, and truly do whet your appetite，If引导的宾语从句表示“是否”。
文本结构特点：
本篇文章主要讲的是经研究发现开胃菜并不能帮助我们开胃。如果在餐前吃到好的开胃菜，接下来的食物就会在心理上感觉不好吃，这就是享乐主义效应。所以在吃饭的时候一定要安排好自己的饮食。
好了，以上就是前程百利小编为大家整理的备考托福听力背景材料以及专业词汇的学习。希望能在备考托福的路上助大家一臂之力。最后，小编预祝大家在托福考试中取得好成绩。
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