六級閱讀訓練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】

　　女人無論多富都不算太富，無論多瘦都不算太瘦。這句常常被認為是已故溫莎公爵夫人說的話在很大程度上體現(xiàn)了我們這個時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光——或許也是悲慘時光——我也節(jié)食減肥。要是能有錢，當然也不壞，不過，除非在遠方有個從沒有聽說過的親戚突然去世給我留下幾百萬美元的話，我是富不了的啦。

　　我們是什么時候誤入歧途的?[3]從什么時候開始。吃黃油成了罪過，稍微多長了一點肉就會讓人失去魅力，甚至令人生厭?所有宗教都會規(guī)定某幾個日子讓人們禁食，過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]在一些宗教團體里，財富是有望得到救贖、擁有高尚德操的標志，而身體發(fā)福則是富有和健康的標志。

　　[1]而今，事情倒過來了。我們轉而把瘦作為美德的新的標志。[4]結果，肥胖——有時不過是稍微有點超重——就是不好，因為它暗示這個人缺少道德力量。

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

　　因而，真正的問題不在于我們太重了，而在于我們運動不足而且飲食不良。要想筋骨強壯、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。我們實在不必如此關注我們的體重問題。僅僅瘦是不夠的。[5]瘦身之后或者本來就不胖的人，如果以為可以自然而然健康起來而不必關注自己的整個生活方式，那才實在是危險的。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志

　　C) 纖瘦是令人向往的特質

　　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“瘦被認為是這樣的一種美德”;而在第4段，作者又提到“我們已經把瘦當成是一種新的美德標志”，故C正確。

　　2. 被普遍流行的潮流席卷，作者______________。

　　A) 在大部分時候都得節(jié)食 B) 仍可以避免自己偏離軌道

　　C) 不得不尋求富有的遠親的幫助 D) 不得不穿非常時髦的衣服

　　[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，人們對干體重的看法________________。

　　A) 與他們的宗教信仰息息相關 B) 經常發(fā)生變化

　　C) 在窮人和富人之間存在差異 D) 導致不同曲道德標準

　　[B]文章第3段“什么開始時候吃黃油成了罪過，多長點肉就會讓人失去魅力?”和“在一些宗教團體里，財富是有望得到……而身體發(fā)福是富有和健康的標志。”說明看法是變化的，所以B正確。

　　4. 作者批評女人對纖瘦的迷戀，______________。

　　A) 是從經濟和教育的角度出發(fā)的 B) 是從社會學和醫(yī)學的角度出發(fā)的

　　C) 是從歷史和宗教的立場為出發(fā)點的 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，作者是從社會學和醫(yī)學的角度批評了人們的觀點，所以B正確。

　　5. 對那些篤信纖瘦的女人，作者的建議是什么?

　　A) 他們應該更關心整個生活方式。

　　B) 他們應該小心一些致命的疾病。

　　C) 他們應該增加體重，那會看上去更加健康。

　　D) 他們應該拋棄對于出自設計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就不胖的人，如果以為可以自然而然健康起來而不必關注自己的整個生活方式，那才是危險的。由此可推斷她們應該多注意她們的生活方式.A符合題意。