Question

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 become 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, complaining 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.

　　59. What is the “strange” point mentioned in the first sentence?  A

　　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. C

　　D. There are too many overweight people in the world.

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

　　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

　　A. Actions or Excuses?

　　B. Overweight or Underweight?

　　C. WHO in a Dilemma

　　D. No Longer Dying of Hunger

　　

Answer 1

【语篇解读】本文是一篇议论文，题材是关于肥胖的科普文章。作者开篇通过和饥饿的对比点出肥胖的话题，继而用大篇幅批驳肥胖的不是理由的理由，指出社会宣传已到位，关键在个人意志力，父母基因更不是理由，最后作者强调“要去做”才是根本。

段落	关键词、句	大意推测
第一部分（Para. 1-2）	fighting world hunger；die from being overweight；good life；under the age of five; overweight	提出话题：尽管饥饿是个重要问题，一个奇怪的问题是许多人过于肥胖，甚至死于肥胖。
第二部分（Para. 3-8）	excuses; dangers; drilled; public-health campaigns; heart disease; diet pills; lack will power; good food; parents, genes	话题论证：肥胖无借口，不自知其危害，好食物，父母基因都不是；通过公共健康运动，加强意志力是可以减肥的。
第三部分（Para. 9）	similar story; world; shape up	解决问题：尽管世界范围内存在肥胖现象，但要去“做”，去减肥。

【解析】

59. A。细节理解题。难度：较难。阅读第一段不容易准确做出此题，须通读全文才知道being overweight带来的问题是文章的主题。从“more people now die from being overweight, or say, from being extremely fat, than from being underweight.”意即“死于超重或极度肥胖的人多于身体偏瘦的”，下文“It’s the good life that’s more likely to kill us these days.”是强调句，意即“近期以来，很可能是好生活置我们于死地”，这就解释了第一句“We’ve reached a strange—some would say unusual—point.”，

为什么我们到了一个strange“奇怪”的时刻，所以选A，即“好生活比糟糕生活有更大的风险”。

解题思路： 浏览全文更容易理解第一段，特别是第二句，作者强调的是“超重的比饥饿有更大的危险性”，第三句“It’s the good life that’s more likely to kill us these days”点题。

干扰项排除：B选项指“饥饿正在世界范围内夺取更多人的生命”，其实文中只提到“fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance”“和世界上的饥饿作战斗依然是极重要的事情”，而未提及“饥饿夺命”之事；C选项较易排除，关于“people’s unawareness of food safety”即人们对食品安全的无意识，文章中未涉及；D选项提到“尽管世界卫生组织努力了，超重问题依然未解决”，此选项错在世界卫生组织没有去努力解决超重问题，而是解决world hunger即世界温饱问题。

60. C。推理判断题。难度：中等。题目出自第三段第一句“We really don’t have many excuses for our weight problems.”，为什么？下文“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.”，“自2001年以来，公共健康活动已让大众深入理解肥胖带来的危险问题”，C选项“They have been made fully aware of its dangers.”他们已被宣传，深入意识到肥胖带来的危险，意义相近，故选C。

干扰项排除：A选项干扰较大，但“A lot of effective diet pills are available.”是意识到肥胖危险后带来的行为，答案排在C选项之后。B选项“体形和好食物无关”与“作者为什么认为肥胖毫无借口”没有关联；D选项“世界上有太多的肥胖者”是肥胖者的借口，文中为提及。

61. C。推理判断题。难度：较易。第四段第二句“A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.”，“在过去三十年中，公共卫生运动已大大降低了心脏病死亡率80%”，可知芬兰的例子来证明活动非常有效；不是心脏病的原因，排除A；不是追求体形的时尚，这是减肥有效带来的副产品，排除B；而文中“No wonder it ranks as the world’s most body-conscious country.”“难怪芬兰是世界上最有身体意识的国家”，也是公共卫生运动有效性带来的副产品。

62. C。主旨大意题。难度：中等。文章第一、二段提出有关overweight的话题，第三段到第八段主要是强调肥胖无借口，最后一段强调“Do as I say”，去行动，所以文章的题目选A选项，Actions or Excuses?

行动还是借口？既符合文章主题，又有吸引力；B选项概括不全面，只涉及超重；C选项讲到WHO只是引出论题，并未提及WHO所处境地；D选项文中未提及。

【难句学习】

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. 也许那（减肥宣传降低心脏病死亡率80%）就解释了问什么在2001到2005年间芬兰吃减肥药人的比率翻了一番并且医生们甚至提供外科手术移除体内的脂肪，改变身体的形状，到达减肥的目的。

分析： 本句由两个句子构成，前句的主句是that，谓语是explains，后面是why引导的宾语从句，宾语从句中taking diet pills作后置定语来修饰people，其逻辑主语是people；第二句主语是doctors，谓语有两个，offer和change.