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 people now 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 bee a 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, plaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American-style fast food.
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.
【小题1】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.【小题2】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.【小题3】The example of Finland is used to illustrate .A．the cause of heart diseaseB．the fashion of body shapingC．the effectiveness of a campaignD．the history of a body-conscious country【小题4】Which would be the best title for the passage?A．Actions or Excuses?B．Overweight or Underweight?C．WHO in a DilemmaD．No Longer Dying of HungerA
网友回答
(答案→)A
解析：
文章大意：议论文，讨论了我们到一个了怪圈，不是饥饿，而是生活好，让我们死去的风险更大。
【小题1】根据文章第一段，特别是最后一句：It’s the good life that’s more likely to kill us these days.可理解得出，因为生活好，我们超重，发胖，这比因过瘦而死去的人还多。故选A。好的生活比坏的生活，具有更大的风险。
【小题2】根据文章第三段第二句：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.关键词：public-health campaigns
【小题3】根据文章第四段：A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.可理解得出。
【小题4】根据本文的意思，特别是第三段：We really don’t have many excuses for our weight problems.和最后一段： Do as I say—not as I do.等议论性语言可知。