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第八篇 Eat HealthyClean your plate! and Be a member of the clean-plate -club! Just about every kid in the US has heard this from a parent or grandparent. Often，its accompanied by an appeal: Just think about those starving orphans in Africa! Sure, we should be grateful for every bite of food. Unfortunately, many people in the US take too many bites. Instead of staying clean the plate, perhaps we should save some food for tomorrow.According to news reports, US restaurants are partly to blame for the growing bellies. A waiter puts a plate of food in front of each customer, with two to four times the amount recommended by the government, according to a USA Today story. Americans traditionally associate quantity with value and most restaurants try to give them that. They prefer to have customers complain about too much food rather than too little.Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University, told USA Today that restaurant portion sizes began to grow in the 1970s, the same time that the American waistline began to expand.Health experts have tried to get many restaurants to serve smaller portions. Now, apparently，some customers are calling for this too. The restaurant industry trade magazine QSR reported last month that 57 percent of more than 4,000 people surveyed believe restaurants serve portions that are too large; 23 percent had no opinion; 20 percent disagreed. But a closer look at the survey indicates that many Americans who cant afford fine dining still prefer large portions. Seventy percent of those earning at least $150,000 per year prefer smaller portions; but only 45 percent of those earning less than $25,000 want smaller.Its not that working class Americans dont want to eat healthy. Its just that，after long hours at low-paying jobs，getting less on their plate hardly seems like a good deal. They live from paycheck to paycheck ，happy to save a little money for next years Christmas presents.词汇:orphan /?:f?n / n.孤儿belly /beli/ n.肚子nutrition / nju:tri?n / n.营养waistline / weistlain / n.腰围paycheck / peit?ek / n.薪金支票注释:1. Be a member of the clean - plate club! 做清盘俱乐部的成员2. Just think about those starving orphans in Africa! 只要想想在非洲挨饿的孤儿们!3. take too many bites 吃得太多4. A Waiter puts a plate of food in front of each customer，with two to four times the amount recommended by the government, according to a USA Today story. 根据今日美国刊登的一个故事，服务员给每个顾客一盘饭菜，其量是政府推荐的2至4倍。5. Its just that, after long hours at low-paying jobs, getting less on their plate hardly seems like agood deal. 事情是这样的，美国工人觉得做许多个小时低收入的工作下来，盘子里的饭菜量小有点不合算。练习：1. Parents in the United States tend to ask their childrenAto save food.Bto wash the dishes.C not to waste food.Dnot to eat too much2. Why do American restaurants serve large portions?A Because Americans associate quantity with value.B Because Americans have big bellies.C Because Americans are good eaters.D Because Americans are greedy.3. What happened in the 1970s?A The US government recommended the amount of food a restaurant gave to a customer.B Health experts persuaded restaurants to serve smaller portions.C The United States produced more grain than needed.D The American waistline started to expand.4. What does the survey indicate?AMany poor Americans want large portions.B Twenty percent Americans want smaller portions.C Fifty seven percent Americans earn $150 ,000 per year.D Twenty three percent Americans earn less than $25,000 per year.5. Which of the following is Not true of working class Americans?A They work long hours.BThey live from paycheck to paycheck.C They dont want to be healthy eaters.DThey want to save money for their children答案与题解:1. C 本题问的是:美国父母总是叫他们的孩子干什么?文章开头说到，每个美国孩子都能从父母或爷爷奶奶那里听到这样的话，吃光你盘子里的东西，做清盘俱乐部的成员。这些话表达的意思就是不要浪费粮食。因此 C 是正确的答案。2. A 本题问的是:美国饭馆为什么饭菜给得多？第二段相关的话是这么说的：美国人在传统上把东西值不值是跟数量联系在一起，因此大多数的饭馆给的量大。这些饭馆乐于让顾客们抱怨饭菜给得太多而不乐于让他们抱怨饭菜给得太少。所以 A 是正确的答案。3. D 本题问的是：20 世纪 70 年代发生了什么？文章第三段是这样说的：一位宾州大学营养教授，Barbara Rolls ，告诉今日美国20 世纪 70 年代饭馆给的饭菜的量开始增加，与此同时，美国人的腰围也开始增大。所以 D 是对的。4. A 本题问的是：调查报告说明了什么？选项 B、C和 D 所说的数字不对。因此唯有 A 是正确的。A说的是：许多美国穷人希望量大。这个信息可以在第四段中找到。相关的句子是这么说的：许多吃不起精美正餐的美国人仍然要量大。5. C 本题问的是:下面的哪种说法不带合美国工人的实际情况？ C 说的是：他们不想做吃得健康的人。这个说法是不对的。最后一段的第一句话是这么说的：美国工人不是不想做吃得健康的人。因此 C 正确。第十九篇 Prolonging Human LifeProlonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, whereas if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illness than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often go on welfare if they have a serious illness.When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built. These are often profit-making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions arc good, most of them are simply dumping grounds for the dying in which care is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under-skilled personnel.词汇：dependency / dipend?nsi/ n.依赖性contemporary / k?ntemp?r?ri / .现代的obligation / ,?bliei?n / n. 义务insurance / in?u?r?ns / n. 保险welfare / welf? / n.福利senile / si:nail / dj. 衰老的grave /reiv / dj. 严肃的convalescent /,k?nv?les?nt/ dj.康复的sponsor / sp?ns?/ v. 发起，资助institution /,institju:?n / n. 机构注释:1. Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population:延长人类生命的结果使得人口的数量有了增加。句中的 prolonging human life是动名词短语。由动名词短语作句子的主语时，句中动词必须用单数形式。如 : Collecting stamps is his hobby.2. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago:如果今天活着的很多人生于一百年以前，他们会死于各种儿童疾病。3. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time:因为有更多的人寿命更长，所以在任何一个特定的时间里的人也就更多。4. the dependency load: 抚养人口数量。5. In times of famine: 在饥荒年代6. go on welfare : 靠福利救济go on 有许多意思，其中的一个意思是依靠过活。例:Many people go on welfare when jobs become scarce.(工作难找时，许多人靠政府救济金过日子。)7. grave problems: 严重的问题8. convalescent hospitals: 康复医院;疗养院9. profit-making organizations: 赢利机构10. dumping grounds: 垃圾场练习:1. The writer believes that the population explosion results fromA an increase in birthrates.B the industrial development.C a decrease in death rates.D cultural advances.2. It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures A it was a moral responsibility to keep old-aged people alive.B infants could be left dead in times of starvation. C parents had to impart the cultural wisdom of the tribe to their children. D death was considered to be freedom from hardships.3. According to the passage, which of the following statements about retired people in the United States is true?A Many of them have a very hard life.B They cannot live a decent life without enough bank savings.C They rely mainly on their children for financial support.D Most of them live with their children and therefore are well looked after.4. In Paragraph 3, the phrase this need refers toA the need to prolong the lives of old people.B the need to enrich the life of the retired people.C the need to build profit-making nursing homes.D the need to take care of a sick and weak person.5. Which of the following best describes the writers attitude toward most of the nursing homes, and convalescent hospitals?A Sympathetic.B Unfriendly.C Optimistic.D Critical.答案与题解 :1. C 第一段最后一句说： In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion. 事实上，是由于死亡率的下降，而不是出生率的上升，导数了人口爆炸。因此，选项 C是正确答案。2. B 第二段第四句说： In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, whereas if the parents survived they could have another child. 在灾年，可能会容忍婴儿死亡，因为，如果他们的父母饿死了，他们也无法生存，而如果父母生存下来可重新生儿育女。因此，选项 B是正确的答案。3. A 第二段倒数第二句是这么说的：In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. （在美国，许多退休人员依靠社会保障金生活，其数额之小差不多使人穷困潦倒。）可以看出，在美国许多退休人员的生活是很艰难的。这正是选项A表达的意思，因而选项A是正确的答案。4. D 第三段第三句：Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. （当今，由于家庭中大多数人都出去工作或上学，家里常常没有人来照顾有病或虚弱的人。）this need 出现在下面这个短语中：To meet this need（为了满足这种需要），它指句子前面的care for a sick or weak person。这正是选项D表达的意思。5. D文章昀后一句说 : most of them are simply dumping grounds for the dying in which care is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under-skilled personnel.大多数机构只不过是倾倒垂死的人的垃饭场，所谓的照顾都是由收入低、超量工作、技术水平低下的人员提供的。作者如此措辞显然是对大多数机构的强烈批评。因此，选项 D是正确答案。
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