20．Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines，say UK researchers．
Their study found that theobromine，found in cocoa，was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine，which was considered the best cough medicine at present．
The Imperial College London researchers who published their results online said the discovery could lead to more effective cough treatment．"While coughing is not necessarily harmful，it can have a major effect on the quality of life，and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem，"said Professor Peter Barnes．
Ten healthy volunteers were given theobromine，codeine or placebo，a pill that contains no medicine，during the experiment．Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill．The researchers then measured levels of capsaicin，which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign of how well the medicine is stopping coughs．
The team found that，when the volunteers were given theobromine，the capsaicin needed to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group．When they were given codeine they need only slightly higher levels of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo．
The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a nerve activity （神经活动），which causes coughing．They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments，theobromine caused no side effects such as sleepiness．
24．According to Professor Barnes，theobromineD．
A．cannot be as effective as codeine
B．can be harmful to people's health
C．cannot be separated from chocolate
D．can be a more effective cure for coughs
25．We learn from the text that volunteers in the experimentB．
A．were patients with bad coughs
B．were divided into three groups
C．received standard treatments
D．suffered little side effects
26．Which of the following would be the best title for the text？
A．Codeine：A New Medicine
B．Chocolate May Cure Coughs
C．Cough Treatment：A Hard Case
D．Theobromine Can Cause Coughs．
分析 本文主要是讲巧克力中发现的theobromine（可可碱）可以用来治愈咳嗽．
解答 24．D 细节理解题．根据文章第二段that theobromine（可可碱），found in cocoa，was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine，说明他们认为theobromine是一种有效的治疗咳嗽的方法．故D正确．
25．B 细节理解题．根据第四段1，2行Ten healthy volunteers were given theobromine，codeine or placebo，a pill that contains no medicine，during the experiment．说明他们被分成三队，每一队都服用不同的东西．故B正确．
26．B 主旨大意题．根据文章第一段说明本文主要是讲巧克力中发现的某种物质可以用来治愈咳嗽．故B正确．
点评 本文是一个科教类阅读，题目涉及多道细节理解题，做题时结合原文和题目有针对性的找出相关语句进行仔细分析，结合选项选出正确答案．推理判断题也是要在抓住关键句子的基础上合理的分析才能得出正确答案，切忌胡乱猜测，一定要做到有理有据．
