2008年职称英语考试

Losing Weight
　　Girls as young as 10 years old are dieting and in danger of developing unhealthy attitudes about weight, body image and food, a group of Toronto researchers reported Tuesday.
　　Their study of 2,279 girls aged 10 to 14 showed that while the vast majority had healthy weights, nearly a third felt they were overweight and were trying to lose pounds. Even at the tender age of 10,nearly 32 per cent of girls felt “too fat” and 31per cent said they were trying to diet.
　　McVey, a researcher at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and her colleagues analyzed data collected in a number of surveys of southern Ontario schoolgirls between 1993 and 2003, reporting their findings in Tuesday’s issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
　　Nearly 80 per cent of the girls had healthy body weight and only 7.2 per cent were considered overweight using standard weight-to-height ratios. Most researchers suggest the rate of overweight children in this country is several times higher than that figure.
　　Nearly 30 per cent of the girls reported they were currently trying to lose weight, though few admitted to dangerous behavior such as self-induced vomiting.
　　Still, a test that measured attitudes towards eating showed 10.5 per cent of survey participants were already at risk of developing an eating disorder.
　　“We’re not talking about kids who’ve been prescribed a diet because they’re above average weight or overweight, We’re talking about children who are within a healthy weight range. And they have taken it upon themselves to diet to lose weight,” McVey said, acknowledging she found the rates disturbing. She said striking a balance between healthy weights and healthy attitudes towards food and body image is a complex task, with no easy solutions.
1.The study showed that most of the girls
A. were overweight.
B. were on a diet.
C. had unhealthy attitudes about weight.
D. had a healthy body weight.

2.What percentage of the girls considered themselves overweight?
A. Nearly 80 percent.
B. 7.2 percent.
C. Nearly 30 percent.
D. 10.5 percent.

3.The survey participants were girls
A. who were 10.
B. who were 14.
C. who were 10 to 14.
D. who were 10 to 18.

4.What kind of institution does the lead researcher work with?
A. A school.
B. A hospital.
C. An association.
D. A charity.

5.Unhealthy attitudes about weight, body image and food may
A. lead to an eating disorder.
B. result from self-induced vomiting.
C. make it easier to gain weight.
D. bring about greater competition.

　TV Shows and Long Bus Trips
　　Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle and an end—with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. “But Super Clean Toothpaste.” “Drink Golden Wet Root Beer.” “Fill up with Pacific Gas.” Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of “You Need It! But It Now! ”
　　The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you’ve traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed—new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it’s fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left-handed lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you’ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
　　The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there’s a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat, of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you’ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the arm rests—even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at the right time. There are just no more ways to sit.
1. According to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?
A. Buses on the road.
B. Films on television.
C. Advertisements on the board.
D. Gas stations.

2. What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To talk about the similarities between long bus trips and TV shows.
B. To persuade you to take a long bus trip.
C. To display the difference between long bus trips and TV shows.
D. To describe the billboards along the road.

3. The writer of this passage would probably favor
A. bus drivers who weren't reckless.
B. driving alone.
C. a television set on the bus.
D. no billboards along the road.

4. The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because
A. the commercials both on TV shows and on billboards along the road are fun.
B. they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between.
C. the drivers are always reckless on TV shows just as they are on buses.
D. both traveling and watching TV are not exciting.

5. The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are
A. exciting.
B. comfortable.
C. tiring.
D. boring.