六級(jí)閱讀訓(xùn)練03

　　No woman can be too rich or too thin. This saying often attributed to the late Duchess (公爵夫人) of Windsor embodies much of the odd spirit of our times. Being thin is deemed as such a virtue.

　　The problem with such a view is that some people actually attempt to live by it. I myself have fantasies of slipping into narrow designer cloches. Consequently. I have been on a diet for the better-or worse-part of my life. Being rich wouldn't be bad either. but that won’t happen unless an unknown relative dies suddenly in some distant land. leaving me millions of dollars.

　　Where did we go off the track? When did eating butter become a sin, and a little bit of extra flesh unappealing, if not repellent? All religions have certain days when people refrain from eating and excessive eating is one of Christianity's seven deadly sins. However, until quite recently, most people had a problem getting enough to eat. In some religious groups, wealth was a symbol of probable salvation and high morals. and fatness a sign of wealth and well-being.

　　Today the opposite is true. We have shifted lo thinness as our new mark of virtue. The result is that being fat-or even only somewhat overweight-is bad because it implies a lack of moral strength.

　　Our obsession (迷戀) with thinness is also fueled by health concerns. It is true that in this country we have more overweight people than ever before. and that in many cases, being overweight correlates with an increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease. These diseases. however, may have as much to do with our way of life and our high-fat diets as with excess weight. And the associated risk of cancer in the digestive system may be more of a dietary problem-too much fat and a lack of fiber-than a weight problem.

　　The real concern. then. is not that we weigh too much. but that we neither exercise enough nor eat well. Exercise is necessary for strong bones and both heart and lung health. A balanced diet without a lot of fat can also help the body avoid many diseases. We should surely stop paying so much attention to weight. Simply being thin is not enough. It is actually hazardous if those who get (or already are) thin think they are automatically healthy and thus free from paying attention to their overall life-style. Thinness can be pure vainglory (虛榮).

　　【譯文】

　　女人無(wú)論多富都不算太富，無(wú)論多瘦都不算太瘦。這句常常被認(rèn)為是已故溫莎公爵夫人說(shuō)的話在很大程度上體現(xiàn)了我們這個(gè)時(shí)代的一種奇特的精神：[1]瘦被看做本身就是一種美德。

　　這種看法的問(wèn)題在于，有的人還真的試圖照這種方式生活。[2]我自己也常常有種種不切實(shí)際的想法，希望能穿上窄小的名牌服裝，因此，為了我的生命中的美好時(shí)光——或許也是悲慘時(shí)光——我也節(jié)食減肥。要是能有錢，當(dāng)然也不壞，不過(guò)，除非在遠(yuǎn)方有個(gè)從沒(méi)有聽說(shuō)過(guò)的親戚突然去世給我留下幾百萬(wàn)美元的話，我是富不了的啦。

　　我們是什么時(shí)候誤入歧途的?[3]從什么時(shí)候開始。吃黃油成了罪過(guò)，稍微多長(zhǎng)了一點(diǎn)肉就會(huì)讓人失去魅力，甚至令人生厭?所有宗教都會(huì)規(guī)定某幾個(gè)日子讓人們禁食，過(guò)量飲食還是基督教的七宗彌天大罪之一。然而，直到最近，大多數(shù)人還在為怎樣填飽肚子而而發(fā)愁。[3]在一些宗教團(tuán)體里，財(cái)富是有望得到救贖、擁有高尚德操的標(biāo)志，而身體發(fā)福則是富有和健康的標(biāo)志。

　　[1]而今，事情倒過(guò)來(lái)了。我們轉(zhuǎn)而把瘦作為美德的新的標(biāo)志。[4]結(jié)果，肥胖——有時(shí)不過(guò)是稍微有點(diǎn)超重——就是不好，因?yàn)樗凳具@個(gè)人缺少道德力量。

　　[4]我們迷戀于瘦身，還出于對(duì)健康的考慮。誠(chéng)然，在這個(gè)國(guó)度里，肥胖人數(shù)比以往任何時(shí)候都多，而且，肥胖還增加了罹患心血管疾病的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。但是，這些疾病與肥胖有關(guān)，也與我們的生活方式以及高脂肪含量的食物有關(guān)。而消化系統(tǒng)發(fā)生癌變、也許更多是飲食問(wèn)題——太多脂肪、缺少纖維——而不是體重問(wèn)題。

　　因而，真正的問(wèn)題不在于我們太重了，而在于我們運(yùn)動(dòng)不足而且飲食不良。要想筋骨強(qiáng)壯、心肺健康，鍛煉必不可少。脂肪不多的均衡飲食也可以使我們避免許多癌病。我們實(shí)在不必如此關(guān)注我們的體重問(wèn)題。僅僅瘦是不夠的。[5]瘦身之后或者本來(lái)就不胖的人，如果以為可以自然而然健康起來(lái)而不必關(guān)注自己的整個(gè)生活方式，那才實(shí)在是危險(xiǎn)的。瘦可能純粹是一種虛榮。

　　【試題】

　　1. In the eyes of the author, an odd phenomenon nowadays is that____________.

　　A) the Duchess of Windsor is regarded as a woman of virtue

　　B) looking slim is a symbol of having a large fortune

　　C) being thin is viewed as a much desired quality

　　D) religious people are not necessarily virtuous

　　2. Swept by the prevailing trend. the author_____________.

　　A) had to go on a diet for the greater part of her life

　　B) could still prevent herself from going off the crack

　　C) had to seek help from rich distant relatives

　　D) had to wear highly fashionable clothes

　　3. In human history, people's views on body weight_____________.

　　A) were closely related to their religious beliefs

　　B) changed from time to time

　　C) varied between the poor and the rich

　　D) led to different moral standards

　　4. The author criticizes women’s obsession with thinness

　　A) from an economic and educational perspective

　　B) from sociological and medical points of view

　　C) from a historical and religious standpoint

　　D) in the light of moral principles

　　5. What's the author's advice to women who are absorbed in the idea of thinness?

　　A) They should be more concerned with their overall life style.

　　B) They should be more watchful for fatal diseases.

　　C) They should gain weight m Jook healthy.

　　D) They should rid themselves of fantasies about designer clothes.

　　【答案解析】

　　1. 在作者的眼中，現(xiàn)在有一種奇怪的現(xiàn)象，那就是_______________。

　　A) 溫莎公爵夫人被視作有德之人

　　B)看上去纖瘦是很有錢的標(biāo)志

　　C) 纖瘦是令人向往的特質(zhì)

　　D) 有宗教信仰的人不一定都是有美德的人。

　　[C]在文章第1段，作者指出“瘦被認(rèn)為是這樣的一種美德”;而在第4段，作者又提到“我們已經(jīng)把瘦當(dāng)成是一種新的美德標(biāo)志”，故C正確。

　　2. 被普遍流行的潮流席卷，作者_(dá)_____________。

　　A) 在大部分時(shí)候都得節(jié)食 B) 仍可以避免自己偏離軌道

　　C) 不得不尋求富有的遠(yuǎn)親的幫助 D) 不得不穿非常時(shí)髦的衣服

　　[A]文章第2段提到“我自己也幻想能穿上窄小的名牌衣服。因此，為了……我也節(jié)食減肥”。因此，A正確。

　　3. 在人類歷史上，人們對(duì)干體重的看法________________。

　　A) 與他們的宗教信仰息息相關(guān) B) 經(jīng)常發(fā)生變化

　　C) 在窮人和富人之間存在差異 D) 導(dǎo)致不同曲道德標(biāo)準(zhǔn)

　　[B]文章第3段“什么開始時(shí)候吃黃油成了罪過(guò)，多長(zhǎng)點(diǎn)肉就會(huì)讓人失去魅力?”和“在一些宗教團(tuán)體里，財(cái)富是有望得到……而身體發(fā)福是富有和健康的標(biāo)志。”說(shuō)明看法是變化的，所以B正確。

　　4. 作者批評(píng)女人對(duì)纖瘦的迷戀，______________。

　　A) 是從經(jīng)濟(jì)和教育的角度出發(fā)的 B) 是從社會(huì)學(xué)和醫(yī)學(xué)的角度出發(fā)的

　　C) 是從歷史和宗教的立場(chǎng)為出發(fā)點(diǎn)的 D) 是從道德原則的角度出發(fā)的

　　[B]文章的第4段和第5段提到了道德和健康，因此可看出，作者是從社會(huì)學(xué)和醫(yī)學(xué)的角度批評(píng)了人們的觀點(diǎn)，所以B正確。

　　5. 對(duì)那些篤信纖瘦的女人，作者的建議是什么?

　　A) 他們應(yīng)該更關(guān)心整個(gè)生活方式。

　　B) 他們應(yīng)該小心一些致命的疾病。

　　C) 他們應(yīng)該增加體重，那會(huì)看上去更加健康。

　　D) 他們應(yīng)該拋棄對(duì)于出自設(shè)計(jì)師之手的服裝的幻想。

　　[A]文章第6段提到瘦身之后或者本來(lái)就不胖的人，如果以為可以自然而然健康起來(lái)而不必關(guān)注自己的整個(gè)生活方式，那才是危險(xiǎn)的。由此可推斷她們應(yīng)該多注意她們的生活方式.A符合題意。