英语听力精选进阶版 6404

Obesity¹ is back in the headlines in the UK, with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges calling for fizzy drinks to be heavily taxed and junk food adverts² banned until after the watershed³.

The body, which represents doctors in the country, has called for unhealthy foods to be treated more like cigarettes, which were the target of a successful campaign.

Prof Terence Stephenson, the chair of the Academy, said: "That required things like a ban on advertising⁴ and a reduction in marketing⁵ and the association of smoking with sporting activities – that helped people move away from smoking."

A quarter of adults in the UK are considered obese⁶, which makes it one of the nations where the problem is most prevalent.

Stephenson believes there is no "silver bullet" for tackling the problem of expanding waistlines; instead, the entire culture around eating needs to change to make it easier to make healthy decisions.

The Academy's recommendations include: a ￡100m budget for treatments like weight-loss surgery; the banning of junk food and vending⁷ machines in hospitals, where all food must meet the same nutritional⁸ standards as in schools; and information about calories for children on food labels.

The British Soft Drinks Association rejected the idea that a tax on fizzy drinks, which it said contributed to "just 2%" of the total calories in an average diet, would address a problem "which is about overall diet and levels of activity".

Health minister Lord Howe welcomed the report and said he wanted to see "businesses intensifying⁹ their efforts as well".

Some teenagers seem to be getting the healthy food message. George from Peterborough, interviewed by the BBC, believes that the key is moderation. He said: "Just don't have fizzy drinks every day. It's the same with things like crisps."

Quiz 测验

1. Doctors are comparing foods which make people fat to what kind of harmful product?

Cigarettes.

2. According to the article, how many people in the UK are considered too fat?

A quarter of the population.

3. Which measures does the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges want hospitals to adopt with regard to food?

A ban on junk food and vending machines.

4. Is this statement true or false? The British Soft Drink Association rejected the idea that people are fat because they consume fizzy drinks.

True. The British Soft Drink Association says soft drinks contribute to just 2% of the total calories in an average diet.

5. Which expression in the article means "a simple and very effective solution for a difficult problem"?

A silver bullet.

Glossary 词汇表

obesity 肥胖症

a fizzy drink 汽水

to tax 征税

junk food 垃圾食品

the watershed 分水岭时间 （在晚9点后才能播出）

unhealthy 不健康的

to move away from 停止（做某事）

obese 肥胖的

the silver bullet （喻）捷径，高招儿

to tackle 应对，解决

the waistline 腰围

healthy 健康的

the weight-loss surgery 瘦身手术

a vending machine 自动售货机

the nutritional standards 营养标准

the calories 卡路里

the food label 食品标签

a soft drink 软饮

the health minister （英国）卫生大臣

crisps 薯片

1 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

2 adverts   

advertisements 广告，做广告

参考例句：

• the adverts on television 电视广告
• The adverts are not very informative. 这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。

3 watershed   

n.转折点，分水岭，分界线

参考例句：

• Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
• It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。

4 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

7 vending   

v.出售（尤指土地等财产）( vend的现在分词 )；（尤指在公共场所）贩卖；发表（意见，言论）；声明

参考例句：

• Why Are You Banging on the Vending Machine? 你为什么敲打这台自动售货机？ 来自朗文快捷英语教程 2
• Coca-Cola had to adapt almost 300,000 vending machines to accept the new coins. 可口可乐公司必须使将近三十万台自动贩卖机接受新货币。 来自超越目标英语 第5册

8 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

9 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史