Unseen Passage: Kiwi Fruit

Maybe you’re bored of bananas, apples and grapes and need a fresh produce pick? A nutrient-rich serving of kiwi fruit may be just what you need. A serving of kiwi fruit (2 kiwis) has twice the vitamin C of an orange, as much potassium as a banana and the fiber of a bowl of whole grain cereal—all for less than 100 calories!

The fuzzy fruit is sky-high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, both of which are essential for promoting heart health, regulating digestion, and lowering cholesterol levels—that’s a winning trifecta. Kiwi fruit has also been considered a “nutritional all-star,” as Rutgers University researchers found that kiwi fruit has the best nutrient density of 21 commonly consumed fruits.

Along with vitamin C, kiwi fruits are rich in many bioactive compounds that have antioxidant capacity to help to protect against free radicals, harmful by-products produced in the body. If you want clean energy, think of kiwi fruit because they’re rich in magnesium, a nutrient essential to convert food into energy.

A kiwi fruit also doubles as a peeper-keeper by supplying your eyes with protective lutein, a carotenoid that’s concentrated in eye tissues and helps protect against harmful free radicals. Kiwi fruit is also packed with blood pressure-lowering potassium. In fact, a 100-gram serving of kiwi fruit—that’s about one large kiwi—provides 15% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of potassium.

Kiwi fruit has been growing in New Zealand for over 100 years. Once the fruit gained in popularity, other countries started to grow them including Italy, France, Chile, Japan, South Korea and Spain. At first, kiwis were referred to as ‘Yang Tao’ or ‘Chinese Gooseberry,’ but the name was ultimately changed to kiwi fruit so that everyone would know where the fruit came from.

A ripe kiwi fruit will be plump and smoothskinned, and free of wrinkles, bruise, and punctures. If you find that your kiwi is a little too firm after buying it, simply let it ripen at room temperature for three to five days. The firmer the fruit, the more tart it will taste. To speed up the ripening process, you can also place kiwis in a paper bag with an apple or banana. If you want to store the fruit longer, you should keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Q. On the basis of your reading of the passage given above, answer the following questions.

1. What does a serving of kiwi offer?
   1. vitamin C
   2. vitamin E
   3. vitamin A
   4. vitamin K
2. Kiwi has been considered as a “nutritional allstar” because it:
   1. has the best antioxidant capacity
   2. has the best nutrient density
   3. provides 25% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of potassium
   4. is packed with blood pressure-lowering potassium.
3. Kiwi fruit is helpful for the eyes as:
   1. it is packed with potassium
   2. it has best antioxidant capacity
   3. it supplies eyes with protective lutein
   4. it is rich in magnesium
4. To make a kiwi fruit ripen:
   1. place it in a gunny bag
   2. place it in a paper bag
   3. place it in a paper bag with an apple or banana
   4. none of these
5. A kiwi has as much potassium as:
   1. a banana does
   2. two bananas do
   3. half a banana does
   4. none of these
6. A ripe kiwi fruit has:
   1. wrinkles
   2. bruise
   3. punctures
   4. smooth skin
7. At first, kiwis were referred to as ‘Yang Tao’ or ‘____________’.
8. Kiwi fruit is also packed with blood pressurelowering calcium. (True/False)

Answer

1. vitamin C
2. has the best nutrient density
3. it supplies eyes with protective lutein
4. place it in a paper bag with an apple or banana
5. half a banana does
6. smooth skin
7. Chinese Gooseberry
8. True