单选题 No woman can be too rich or too thin. This saying often attributed to the late Duchess of Windsor embodies much of the odd spirit of our times. Being thin is deemed as such 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 clothes. 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 to thinness as our new mark of virtue. The result is that being fat—or even only somewhat overweight—is bad because it implies a tack of moral strength.
Our obsession 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 diseases. 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 lifestyle. Thinness can be pure vainglory.
单选题 Swept by the prevailing trend, the author ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 细节事实题。根据文章首段第六句中的have been on a diet与选项A对应,在潮流的影响下,作者也是在生活的大部分时间里减肥。故答案为A。
单选题 In the eyes of the author, an odd phenomenon nowadays is that ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节推断题。根据题干关键词odd phenomenon nowadays与原文首段第二句中的odd spirit of our times对应,据此定位答案。odd spirit指的是原文首段第三句Being thin is deemed as such a virtue。原文第三句中的deemed和virtue分别与选项C中的viewed和desired quality是同义替换。故答案为C。
单选题 In human history people"s views on body weight ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 细节推断题。原文第二段第五句提到until quite recently,大多数人仍然面临没有足够的食物吃的问题。原文第三段首句提到Today the opposite is true(然而今天却反了过来),瘦成为高尚品德的新标志。由这些可以看出在人类历史上,人们对于肥胖的看法是随着时代的转变而不断转变的。故答案为B。
单选题 What"s the author"s advice to women who are absorbed in the idea of thinness?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 细节事实题。原文尾段主要对想瘦的女性提供建议。尾段倒数第三句中的paying attention to和their overall lifestyle分别与选项A中的be more concerned with和their overall lifestyle对应。故答案为A。
单选题 The author criticizes women"s obsession with thinness ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 逻辑归纳题。根据原文第三段尾句中的a tack of moral strength与选项B中的sociological对应,作者认为肥胖现在已经暗示好的行为准则的缺失。根据原文第四段首句中的health concerns与选项B中的medical对应,作者是从身体健康方面来批判妇女对瘦的痴迷。故答案为B。