Intermediate passages 1 The best recruiting agents

13 Just for pleasure

In all civilizations, articles are consumed that have no nutrient value but make the food more attractive, or give pleasure. Spices, condiments, herbs, vinegar and pickles are used for this purpose. There is no objection to them for the normal stomach, and there is no evidence that they can cause damage to the normal stomach lining.

Tea, coffee, manufactured drinks, and alcohol also form part of the diet. They have no nutritive value but add to the pleasure of a meal, in moderation. Tea and coffee both contain caffeine, which is a mild stimulant and also causes the kidneys to excrete more water. They may cause sleeplessness, but not all people are affected. Alcohol, if not consumed excessively by adults, cannot be strongly objected to on medical grounds.

1. The feature which such items as spices, condiments, herbs, vinegar, and pickles have in common is

A) they are all manufactured rather than natural B) they can all do harm to the stomach lining

C) each can be classified as a mild stimulant D) they are not nutritious but give flavouring to food

2. From a medical point of view,

1. 
   there is a close link between the person's age and the amount of alcohol he drinks
   
2. 
   eating foods that have no nutritive value does nothing but tire out the stomach
   
3. 
   alcohol isn't considered very harmful when drunk in moderate amounts by adults
   
4. 
   it is important from a psychological point of view to eat meals that are palatable as well as nutritious
   

3. The writer states that

1. 
   the effect of coffee and tea on sleep can vary from person to person
   
2. 
   manufactured drinks are more harmful than tea and coffee
   
3. 
   tea, coffee and manufactured drinks are usually consumed more when the person is dieting
   
4. 
   kidneys are the organs which are affected most when tea and coffee are drunk excessively