单选题 At some time in your life you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. However, chances are that you don't act on your impulse, but let it pass instead. You know that to commit the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of the behavior is how it can change over the years within the same society, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting and unpleasant that it was a taboo to even tall about them. Now with the publication of important books such as "On Death and Dying" and "Learning to Say Goodbye", people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject.
One of the newest taboos in American society is the topic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that Americans tall about constantly. It's not taboo to tall about fat; it's taboo to be fat. The "thin" look is thin, not fat.
In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, trim executives to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self- respect. After all, people think, how can people who care about themselves, and therefore the way they look, permit themselves to become fat? In an image-conscious society like the U.S., thin is "in", fat is "out".

单选题 According to the passage, we can infer that taboo is ______.
A. a crime committed on impulse
B. an unfavorable impression left on other people
C. a behavior considered unacceptable by the public
D. a strong desire to do something strange or terrible
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】本题是推理题。文中第一段讲到，有时人们可能会产生一些奇怪甚至是可怕的念头，然而人们会把这种强烈的冲动压制下去，因为人们知道那样做是错误的，而且其他人会对那样的行为持反对意见；再结合下文，可以看出，这里所说的其他人持反对意见的那种行为就是作者所指的禁忌。因此，说禁忌是一种公众无法接受的行为最为恰当。所以C选项是正确答案。
单选题 Based on the ideas presented in the passage we can conclude that, in American society, "being fat" ______.
A. has long been a taboo
B. will always remain a taboo
C. may no longer be a taboo someday
D. is not considered a taboo by most people
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】本题是推理题。作者在文中第二段指出，禁忌的内容会随着时间的变化而变化，并且还举例进行了说明。据此推理，肥胖现在是禁忌，有朝一日很可能不再是禁忌，选项C最为适合。作者说肥胖是美国最新的禁忌之一，因此不会是一个由来已久的禁忌，可以排除A选项“肥胖一直以来都是禁忌”。另外B选项“肥胖将永远会是禁忌”和D选项“大多数人都认为肥胖不是禁忌”，根据文中大意，可知这两项都不正确。
单选题 Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Death is a taboo topic today.
B. It is taboo to talk about fat.
C. The topic of fat is different from many other taboo subjects.
D. Fat is a topic that Americans talk about very little.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】本题是细节题。根据原文说的Unlike many other taboos，我们知道肥胖和其他禁忌话题不同，人们对此谈论得很多，所以C选项是正确答案。在文中第二段，作者用了“死亡”的例子来说明禁忌是会变化的，死亡是以前人们连提都不能提的禁忌，而现在的情况不同了，人们出版这方面的书籍，也乐于谈论这个话题，所以A选项不对。作者说It's not taboo to talk about fat; it's taboo to be fat.，即“谈论肥胖并不是禁忌，长得胖才是真正的禁忌”，故可将B选项排除。作者还提到fat is a topic that Americans talk about constantly，可见人们谈论肥胖谈论得很多，D选项不对。
单选题 In the U.S., the expression that thin is "in" and fat is "out" probably means ______.
A. thin is "diligent" and fat is "lazy"
B. thin is "fashionable" and fat is "unfashionable"
C. thin is "inside" and fat is "outside"
D. thin is "spiritless" and fat is "vigorous/
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】本题是语意理解题。根据原文，我们可以把in理解成in fashion，把out理解成out fashion，与此最为接近的就是B选项。A选项意为“勤劳和懒惰”、C选项意为“里面和外面”和D选项意为“死气沉沉和生气勃勃”，都相差太远，显然不对。
单选题 In the last sentence of the passage, the phrase "image-conscious society" can be replaced by ______.
A. very imaginative society with nice appearance
B. fast-developing society which is built on a clear image
C. the society whose image has been mined because of money
D. the society in which image has been attached importance to
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】本题是语意理解题。文中第四段具体解释了胖与瘦的外表在人们心中的形象，可以就此判断image在此处就是指的这种形象。结合上下文，我们可以知道image conscious society就是形象意识强的社会，人们都很注重自己的外表形象。A选项意为“外表美好、富有想象力的社会”、B选项意为“形象清晰而且发展迅速的社会”和C选项意为“被金钱毁坏了形象的社会”，都不合题意。