Here's a familiar version of the boy-meets-girlsituation. A young man has at last plucked upcourage to invite a dazzling young lady out todinner. She has accepted his invitation and he isoverjoyed. He is determined to take her to the bestrestaurant in town, even if it means that he will haveto live on memories and hopes during the month tocome. When they get to the restaurant, he discovers that this ethereal creature is on a diet. She mustn’t eat this and she mustn't that. Oh, but of course, she doesn't want to spoil hisenjoyment. Let him by all means eat as much fattening food as he wants: it’s the surest way toan early grave. They spend a truly memorable evening together and never see each otheragain.
What a miserable lot dieters are! You can always recognize them from the sourexpression on their faces. They spend most of their time turning their noses up at food. Theyare forever consulting calorie charts; gazing at themselves in mirrors; and leaping on toweighing-machines in the bathroom. They spend a lifetime fighting a losing battle againstspreading hips, protruding tummies and double chins. Some wage all-out war on FAT. Meredieting is not enough. They exhaust themselves doing exercises, sweating in sauna baths, being pummeled and massaged by weird machines. The really wealthy diet-mongers pay vastsums for ‘health cures’. For two weeks they can enter a nature clinic and be starved to deathfor a hundred guineas a week. Don’t think it’s only the middle-aged who go in for these fadseither. Many of these bright young things you see are suffering from chronic malnutrition: they are living on nothing but air, water and the goodwill of God.
Dieters undertake to starve themselves of their own free will; so why are they somiserable? Well, for one thing, they’re always hungry. You can't be hungry and happy at thesame time. All the horrible concoctions they eat instead of food leave them permanentlydissatisfied. Wonderfood is a complete food, the advertisement says. ‘Just dissolve ateaspoonful in water…’. A complete food it may be, but not quite as complete as a juicy steak. And, of course, they’re always miserable because they feel so guilty. Hunger just proves toomuch for them and in the end they lash out and devour five huge guilt-inducing cream cakes ata sitting. And who can blame them? At least three times a day they are exposed totemptation. What utter torture it is always watching others tucking into piles of mouth-watering food while you munch a water biscuit and sip unsweetened lemon juice!
What’s all this self-inflicted torture for? Saintly people deprive themselves of food to attaina state of grace. Unsaintly people do so to attain a state of misery. It will be a great daywhen all the dieters in the world abandon their slimming courses; when they hold out theirplates and demand second helpings!
1. The best title for this passage is
[A] On Fat.
[B] We Should All Grow Fat and Be Happy.
[C] Many Diseases Are Connected with Fat.
[D] Diet Deprives People of Normal Life.
2. Why do they never see each other again?
[A] Because it is a memorable evening.
[B] Because she lets him eat as much fattening food as he wants.
[C] Because she does not eat this and drink that.
[D] Because eating fattening food is the surest way to an early grave.
3. Which of the following ways is NOT mentioned for diet?
[A] Doing exercises.
[B] Not eating sugar.
[C] Not eating fat.
[D] Taking sauna baths.
4. What is the author’s attitude toward diet?
[A] Persuasive.
[B] Critical.
[C] Indifferent.
[D] Adversative.
Vocabulary
1. ethereal 优雅的，飘渺的
2. sour 愁眉不展的
3. tummy 肚子
4. protrude 突出的，突起的
5. wage 作(战)，实行
6. all-out 全面的
7. sauna bath 桑拿浴
8. pummel = pommel 用拳头连打
9. massage 按摩
10. weird 不可思议的，离奇的
11. monger 商人，贩子
12. fad 一时流行的风尚
13. concoction 调制品，荤素混合菜，调和物
14. wonderfood 奇妙的食物
15. lash out 痛斥，鞭打
16. at a/one sitting 一口气
17. munch 用力嚼
18. inflict 予以打击，使遭受
19. slim 苗条的，不足取的，无价值的
写作方法与文章大意
文章论及“减肥及痛苦”。以先声夺人的男女约会入手，引入减肥的痛苦过程：首先是各种减肥的方法(全面战斗);其次是痛苦的难熬;最后点出减肥的目的。号召人放弃减肥。三段式文章：引言，正文和结论。以讽刺的笔调，步步深入的手法劝人放弃减肥，过愉快的生活。
答案见下一页》》
