Fit at Any Size
Nikki Blonsky is exactly the role model most parents dream of for their kids. She’s happy, she’s successful, she’s overcome obstacles—no wonder her young fans adore her. She’s also overweight— by some measures very overweight—in a culture that fetishizes thin.
(41)Blonsky is such a lucky dog, because she wouldn’t have been a popular figure she had been born a decade earlier.
(42)Happiness might be the most difficult word to define, but at least people are increasingly aware of the fact that the body shape does not determine happiness.
(43)Nobody likes to be over-weighted, yet it’s not our right to make the decision.
(44)Before you let your kids to lose weight, you should make sure what they are losing, weight or health.
(45)I you only feel hungry, then you can freely enjoy the joy of eating and drinking; however, if you bear the word "weight" in your mind, you can’t do that.
Amid all this back-and-forth, however, there is one point that everyone agrees on: exercise definitely improves a child’s overall sense of well-being. Cooper, who invented aerobics a generation ago, has been testing the physical fitness of schoolchildren over the past decade and has consistently found that active kids do better academically, have fewer disciplinary issues and maintain better medical histories. "A child doesn’t need to be a star athlete or a tong-distance runner," Cooper says. "Even taking the stairs instead of an elevator has positive effects. "
[A] There’s little doubt that being obese puts inactive youngsters at a higher risk for several health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. But almost no studies have been done evaluating the pros and cons of kids being fat yet active. Plus, reports on adults in similar situations have conflicted. Since the 1970s, doctors at the nonprofit Cooper Institute in Dallas have gathered data from more than 100,000 patients who have been weighed, measured and made to run on treadmills while their vital signs are monitored. "We’ve long concluded that people who are overweight and active can be healthier than those who are thin but sedentary", says Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the institute’s director. "There’s no reason to believe that conclusion doesn’t apply to our children too. "
[B] Behind the push to get kids fit is the growing recognition that, in many cases, there’s just no fighting the natural rhythms or shape of a child’s body. Throughout childhood and adolescence, hormones may cause weight to fluctuate dramatically. Plus, nature determines whether we’re all going to be stocky, a beanpole or something in between before we’re even born. "Most body weights and types for children and adults are genetically determined", says Glenn Gaesser, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Virginia. "There are a lot of kids who are just naturally heavier than their peers but may be even healthier. "
[C] Difficult as it is to hear that your child is overweight, placing a child on an enforced diet may do more long-term harm than good. Doctors have yet to find a weight-loss program that has proved universally effective and safe, especially for children. More often, dieters will lose weight in the short run only to regain it. Research suggests that the repeated losing-regaining cycle can lead to loss in bone density and lean muscle mass, organs and bones, jeopardizing overall health. In fact, at least 15 major studies have shown higher death rates for adults after repeated losing regaining weight cycling.
[D] Plus-size celebrities like Blonsky—or, for that matter, her Hairspray co-stars John Travolta (albeit in a latex fat suit) and Queen Latifah—are increasingly spreading the message that slim is not the last word in happy. Fit means happy too; so does staying active; so does loving your body no matter its shape. The key is to get that body healthy and keep it that way. The numbers on the scale—pediatricians, nutritionists and psychologists now argue—should start to come second to physical fitness as a gauge for health.
[E] As many as 10 million women and 1 million men in the U. S. suffer from an eating disorder, according to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). Nearly 90% of those afflicted are under the age of 20, and females between the ages of 15 and 24 are 12 times as likely to die from anorexia as any one other cause of, death. A 2005 study published in the journal Pediatrics determined that of 10,000 teens surveyed, less than half of the males and about a third of the females were happy with their bodies. "Parents face a complicated situation", Tim Brownell, an expert from NEDA, says. "They have to promote healthy weight, but they also don’t want to change children into diet-crazed fanatics. "
[F] There was a time when that alone would have been enough to keep Blonsky, the 19-year-old star of the movie Hairspray, out of the fan magazines and off the posters decorating grade-schoolers’ bedroom walls. But that time may at last be ending. The national obesity epidemic did not happen in a vacuum. It occurred in an era in which fashion models have got thinner and thinner, the tolerance for even a little flab has grown lower and lower, and the rates of eating disorders like anorexia have climbed higher and higher. In that environment, children and adolescents trying to develop a healthy body image have almost no chance at all.
参考答案:E
解析:第一步,通看全文,了解大意。通过阅读各个论点,考生可以大致知道这篇文章是关于肥胖与幸福的关系,而且通过论点42,我们可以得出这篇文章的大概思想是想表达体形并不决定幸福与否。
第二步,根据论点逐一找论据。我们很容易看出文章的首段和论点41都提到了一个人名Blonsky,这正是英美文法,先举事例,后提问题,再是观点或者分析。本文前两段都提到了同一个人,证明Blonsky就是本文引入主题所举的事例。因此我们可以确定第一个线索,论点41的论据中有可能再次提到Blonsky,当然提到一个人有两种方式,要么出现名字,要么用人称代词。论点41提到了十多年前,Blonsky不可能成为明星,那么我们自然就会想到为什么在过去不行呢从而得出第二个线索,论据可能是描述过去的情况。初步确定线索之后,我们再去逐一寻找论据。
第三步。带着从论点41得出的两个线索,我们逐一考查后面提供的论据。切记,每看完一个论据,一定要用最简洁的中文在旁边写下其大概意思。这样可以为其他论点找论据节省不少时间。
第四步,针对论点41的线索一:Blonsky,后面的六个选项中,选项D、F都出现了这个名字。线索二:描述过去的情况,选项D用的是一般现在时,选项F用的是过去时。因此初步判定F有可能是正确选项。但从时态来说,除了选项F是过去时态,选项A中出现了过去时间1970s,但我们发现选项A中只有中间那句涉及时间的句子是完成时,其余的句子都是一般现在时。综合以上两点线索,我们可以初步选择选项F。细读该选项后,我们会发现选项F主要是论述要在过去Blonsky的肥胖会让她当不成明星,而且现在人们之所以肥胖,是因为过去人们过分强调身材,才导致现在的态度反弹。该选项中有不少关键词都清楚表明了对过去情况的描述:There was a time when,Butthat time may at last be ending,In that environment等。至此我们可以认为选项F是论点41的论据,初步选定之后,我们在选项上作一个记号,表示该选项已选,以免为其他论点找论据时,再重复看该选项。
第五步,细读论点42。既然论点提到happiness是最难定义的字眼,那么它的论据中有可能会出现happniess或其同源词happy,happily等。另外,论点提到body shape不能决定幸福与否,那么论据之中有可能会出现body shape或其他表示身材的表达如iamge,figure等。而且,既然体形不能决定,那么由什么来决定呢所以论据之中有可能会提出决定幸福的因素。所以通过阅读论点后,我们梳理出了三个可能的线索:表示幸福的词汇(happy,happily,happiness等);表示体形的词汇(shape,figure,image等);可能给出幸福的决定因素。
通过浏览后面提供的选项,我们会发现表示幸福的表达只有选项D、E出现了happy一词。表示体形的词汇,选项B、D出现了shape;虽然选项F出现了iamge一词,但该选项已被初步判定为论点41的答案,所以考生一般不用去看该选项;通过41解题过程中对该选项的细读,我们发现该项与42的论点并没有太大联系。所以单从词汇层面来看,选项B、D、E都有可能。但通过细读,我们不难看出选项B讲体形是由自然决定的,选项E的首句就表明了该选项的主要内容是论述节食对饮食习惯的影响,所以这两个选项都与论点42如何定义幸福的意思无关。选项D则是讨论究竟是身材还是健康决定幸福,并得论健康比身材更重要的结论。同时选项中出现了一些关于定义幸福的关键词:slim is not the last word in happy(身材苗条并非决定健康的唯一条件)、fit means happy too(健康也意味着幸福)、the key is to get that body healthy and keep it that way(关键是保持身体健康并坚持)。所以我们可以初步判定选项D是论点42的论据,并作相应符号。
第六步,细读论点43。论点提出没人想肥胖,但又不是我们自己能决定的。那么既然不是我们自己决定,那应当谁决定呢我们不难想到,自己都决定不了,那就只有老天能决定了,也就是我们平常生活中常说的是天生的。所以它的论据有可能要表明肥胖是天生的观点。至于词汇层面,overweighted不能作为线索,因为整个文章都在谈论肥胖,那文章每个论据中都有可能出现有关肥胖的表达。既然肥胖是天生的,是老天决定的,且论点中出现了make the decision,那么我们有理由相信论据中可能会出现表达“决定”的词汇,而我们平时积累的相关词汇并不多:decide、make a decision.determine、choose、make a choice等。浏览后面的选项后,我们不难发现唯有选项B、E含有表达决定的词汇determine,那么就只能通过论据的内容来从中挑选一个了。选项B提到了我们的体形自己不能决定,我们不能对抗自然规律。该论据有一句中心句“Most body weights and types for children and adults are genetically determined”(儿童和成年人的体重体形都是由基因决定)。该选项还列举了很多数据来说明减肥带来的饮食问题。那么显然选项B与论点正好吻合,是正确选项。
第七步,细读论点44。该论点是说“你让孩子减肥之前,应该搞清楚他们失去的是什么,体重还是健康”,言下之意就是减肥会损害健康。这个论点的关键词应当是weight,health,lose,但由于通篇文章都是讲这几个问题,因此这几个词肯定会多次重复,那也就失去了作为线索的意义。但我们推导出论据应当包含减肥或节食损害健康。事实上通过前面的选择,现在只剩下三个选项A、C、E,所以即使考生推导不出关键词,单靠意义来选择也并不难。选项A主要是讲好动的人比好静的人更健康,选项C主要是讲减肥特别是反复减肥会严重损害健康,而且段落中还出出现了jeopardize一词。选项E主要论述了节食引发的饮食问题。如果单从意思上看选项A显然无关,而选项C、E似乎都表达了减肥带来的坏处,选项C总体论述减肥损害健康,而选项E具体论述减肥带来饮食问题。至此,我们无法立刻做出选择。我们可以考虑先完成最后一个题目后再来做这道题,到时只有两个选项供选择,那就相对容易多了。
第八步,细读论点45。该论点说“如果你只感到饥饿,那么你可以尽情享受饮食的乐趣,但如果你脑子里总想着体重,你就享受不到这些乐趣”。言下之意,节食减肥的想法会影响我们的饮食。读到此处,考生应当非常欣喜,这不正是刚才读的选项E的内容吗刚才还在为论点44应当选C还是E烦恼,此时论点45的论据选定,就意味着刚才犹豫不决的论点44的论据也能确定了。所以做这种根据论点选论据的题型时,如果遇到某一个题特别拿不准,完全可以先做后面的题,这样通过后面的题减少了选择项,再回过头来做前面的题时就相对容易了。
最后,快速检查一遍答案。读一个论点,再读自己选定的论据,依次进行,看语篇是否连贯。