阅读试题

We've reached a strange—some would say unusual—point. While fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO), more peoplenow die from being overweight, or say, from being extremely fat, than from being underweight. It's the good life that's more likely to kill us these days.

Worse, nearly l8 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight. What's going on?

We really don't have many excuses for our weight problems. The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by public-health campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through—up to a point.

In the 1970s, Finland, for example, had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause. Not any more. A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.

Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005, and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body. That has becomea sort of fashion. No wonder it ranks as the world's most body-conscious country.

We know what we should be doing to lose weight—but actually doing it is another matter. By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise. More than half of us admit we lack willpower.

Others blame good food. They say: it's just too inviting and it makes them overeat. Still others lay the blame on the Americans, complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American-style fastfood.

Some also blame their parents—their genes. But unfortunately, the parents are wronged because they're normal in shape, or rather slim.

It's a similar story around the world, although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight. Parents are eager to see their kids shape up. Do as I say—not as I do.

阅读试题

59. What is the "strange" point mentioned in the first sentence?

A. The good life is a greater risk than the bad life.
B. Starvation is taking more people's lives in the world.
C. WHO report shows people's unawareness of food safety.
D. Overweight issue remains unresolved despite WHO's efforts.

60. Why does the author think that people have no excuse for being overweight?

A. A lot of effective diet pills are available.
B. Body image has nothing to do with good food.
C. They have been made fully aware of its dangers.
D. There are too many overweight people in the world.

61. The example of Finland is used to illustrate ______.

A. the cause of heart disease
B. the fashion of body shaping
C. the effectiveness of a campaign
D. the history of a body-conscious country

62. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A. Actions or Excuses?
B. Overweight or Underweight?
C. WHO in a Dilemma
D. No Longer Dying of Hunger

参考译文

我们得出一个奇怪的结论，也有人说是不同寻常的结论。根据世界健康组织的报告显示，一方面我们与全球性饥饿的斗争仍然是至关重要的问题，另一方面，与体重不足相比，现在有越来越多的人死于超重，或者说是极度肥胖。当下，美好生活更有可能杀死我们。

更糟糕的是，全球近一千八百万5岁以下的儿童被检测出超重。这是怎么了？

对于我们的体重问题，我们真的没有太多借口可寻。2001年以来，该问题的危险已经通过公共卫生运动渗透到我们的生活中来，并且通过这些信息得出这一结论。

例如，1970年代，芬兰是世界上心脏病患病率最高的国家，而肥胖是其主要原因。在过去的三十年里，公共卫生运动极大地减少了心脏病的死亡人数，使其死亡率下降了80%。

这也许可以解释为什么芬兰人吃减肥药的百分比在2001年到2005年期间翻了一倍，甚至医生也提供抽除内部脂肪的手术，以改变身体的形状。这已经成为了一种时尚。难怪芬兰被列为世界上最关注身材的国家。

我们知道我们应该做什么才能减肥，而实际这样做却又是另一回事。目前最受欢迎的借口是没有足够的锻炼。超过一半的人承认我们缺乏意志力。

其他人还归因于美味的食物。他们说:它太诱人了，所以让他们吃得过量了。还有些人归咎于美国，他们抱怨他们增加的体重是因为吃了太多的美式快餐。

一些人还归因于他们父母的基因。但不幸的是，父母很委屈，因为他们的体型很正常，或者说很苗条。

虽然相对而言，不太可能人人都尝试减肥，但类似的故事却在全世界都有发生。因为父母都渴望看到孩子健康成长。所以照我说的做，而不是我做。

答案解析

59. A 考查细节理解。第一段指出一个奇怪的现象：一方面，WHO的报告表明应对世界性的饥饿问题至关重要，另一方面，因肥胖而死的人比因过瘦而死的人多，由此判断选A“生活太好带来的危害比生活太苦带来的危害更大”。B项“饥饿使世界上更多的人死去”，C项“WHO的报告表明人们没有意识到食品安全问题”，D项“尽管WHO在努力，肥胖问题依旧没有解决”，都不正确。

60. C 考查推理判断。根据第三段可知，2001年开始的公众健康运动已经使人们深刻意识到了肥胖的危害，因此在芬兰，人们通过吃减肥药，做抽脂手术来减肥；根据第六段可知，我们知道要减肥的话该做什么，但做不做又是另外一个问题了。从这些信息看，作者认为不能为肥胖找借口是因为人们知道肥胖的危害。

61. C 考查推理判断。根据第四段可知，在芬兰，70年代由肥胖引起的心脏病发病率世界最高，通过公共健康运动，心脏病的死亡率在过去30年下降了80%。因此作者介绍芬兰不是为了说明心脏病的起因、塑身的时尚、关注身材的国家的历史，而是说明这个国家掀起的健康运动的效果。

62. A 考查主旨大意。本文作者以嘲讽的口吻探讨肥胖问题，说人们都知道肥胖的危害，却不愿意采取措施减肥。把肥胖归咎于缺乏毅力、快餐、遗传基因等，因此本文的主题应该是A项：是行动起来，还是继续为自己找借口？