第2部分 专题1 第5讲 体裁破解——应用文(学案)-【衡中学案】2024年新高考英语二轮总复习

高考二轮总复习·英语 D (2023·湖南省部分名校联盟高三冲刺压轴大联考) There􀆳s no single known cause for autism (自闭症), but researchers now point the finger at higher lithium (锂) levels in drinking water. Their new study found that pregnant women in Denmark whose household tap water had higher levels of lithium were more likely to have kids with autism, compared to pregnant women living in areas where tap water had lower levels of this element. “Maternal prenatal (妊娠期) exposure to lithium from naturally occurring drinking water sources in Denmark was associated with an increased autism spectrum disorder risk in the offspring,” said study author Dr. Beate Ritz, a professor of neurology. “This suggests a potential fetal neurotoxicity ( 神 经 毒 性 ) of lithium exposure from drinking water that needs to be further investigated. ” For this latest study, researchers analyzed lithium levels from about half of the country􀆳s water supply. When the investigators compared children with autism to those without this developmental disorder, they found that when lithium levels increased, so did the risk of autism. Kids born to moms who lived in areas with the highest lithium levels in the water were 46% more likely to be diagnosed with autism than those born in areas with the lowest amount of lithium in drinking water, the study showed. Lithium levels increased the risk for all types of autism in this study. Lithium leaches into drinking water from soil and rocks, but these levels could rise in the future from waste in lithium batteries. While more research is needed to confirm this association, Ritz suggested using filtered water and testing it for lithium levels while pregnant. Bottled water isn􀆳t necessarily the answer. “A lot of bottled water is not tested either,” she said. “Some bottled water is just filled up from regular drinking water sources. ” Dr. Max Wiznitzer, director of the Rainbow Autism Center, urged caution before jumping to conclusions, though. “ It􀆳s an interesting association, but causation