We’ve reached a strange—some would say unusual—point. While fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO), more people now die from being overweight, or say, from being extremely fat, than from being underweight. It’s the good life that’s more likely to kill us these days.

　　Worse, nearly l8 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight. What’s going on?

　　We really don’t have many excuses for our weight problems. The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by public-health campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through—up to a point.

　　In the 1970s, Finland, for example, had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause. Not any more. A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.

　　Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005, and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body. That has become a sort of fashion. No wonder it ranks as the world’s most body-conscious country.

　　We know what we should be doing to lose weight—but actually doing it is another matter. By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise. More than half of us admit we lack willpower.

　　Others blame good food. They say: it’s just too inviting and it makes them overeat. Still others lay the blame on the Americans, complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American-style fast food.

　　Some also blame their parents—their genes. But unfortunately, the parents are wronged because they’re normal in shape, or rather slim.

　　It’s a similar story around the world, although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight. Parents are eager to see their kids shape up. Do as I say—not as I do.

　　59. What is the “strange” point mentioned in the first sentence?  A

　　A. The good life is a greater risk than the bad life.

　　B. Starvation is taking more people’s lives in the world.

　　C. WHO report shows people’s unawareness of food safety.

　　D. Overweight issue remains unresolved despite WHO’s efforts.

　　60. Why does the author think that people have no excuse for being overweight?

　　A. A lot of effective diet pills are available.

　　B. Body image has nothing to do with good food.

　　C. They have been made fully aware of its dangers. C

　　D. There are too many overweight people in the world.

　　61. The example of Finland is used to illustrate ______. C

　　A. the cause of heart disease

　　B. the fashion of body shaping

　　C. the effectiveness of a campaign

　　D. the history of a body-conscious country

　　62. Which would be the best title for the passage? A

　　A. Actions or Excuses?

　　B. Overweight or Underweight?

　　C. WHO in a Dilemma

　　D. No Longer Dying of Hunger

请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格填入最恰当的单词。
注意：每空格一个单词。
Eat more, Play more—Weight Less
In the United States, 20 to 40 percent of the adult population have a “weight problem”. To many people, the cause seems obvious: we eat too much. But scientific evidence does little to support this idea.
Several modern studies have shown that fatter people do not eat more on average than thinner people and that slim people are more active than fat people.
I believe that this shows overweight people can become relatively slim gradually via a progressive program of regular exercise. The key is regular, enjoyable activity.
Use of energy(calories) by the body falls into two categories. The first is energy used for essential bodily functions—digestion, heart beat, breathing—and BMR(新陈代谢). In an average-sized adult, BMR requires about 1400 calories per day.
The second category is energy used for physical activity—standing, walking and all other movements. Together with the BMR, it makes up total calorie use, which should be balanced by food intake for weight to remain stable.
For years now, we have known that dieting—especially severe dieting(400 calories per day, for instance)—decreases BMR. This is the body's defense system to keep energy when food supply is reduced. Unfortunately, it tends to weaken the diet's effects by enabling the body to “get by” on fewer calories. For this reason, I believe that severe dieting is not a good way to lose weight, and all dieting should be seen as a temporary measure.
In addition to helping weight loss and continued weight control, regular exercise has many other features to recommend it. While weight loss by dieting alone results in some loss of muscle as well as fat, weight loss by exercise and moderate dieting leads to an increased proportion（均衡）of muscle mass. The regular exerciser has good heart function too.
Regular exercise helps to raise blood levels of high－density lipoprotein(HDL) and increased exercise leads to increased food intake and thus to increased intake of critical nutrients (营养).
The benefits of eating more because of an increase in physical activity are not widely appreciated. Many people in this country, by actual measurement, have remarkably low calorie intake. Often the amount is so low (1 200 to 1 800 calories a day) that nutritionists worry about the adequacy(足够的)of their vitamin and mineral intake. And too little food, with inadequate fiber content, leads in the old population to chronic constipation(长期便秘)．
To sum up, most Americans still get too little regular exercise, and it is within this group that almost all obesity is found. Severe dieting should not be used as it is unpleasant and tends to be self-defeating. Moderate dieting combined with regular exercise is much more effective and enjoyable. The choice is yours: life on the sofa, nibbling celery or the active, healthy-eating, healthful way.

This is a dangerous world we live in．The number of murders goes up every year, people are dying of cancer, more people contract HIV, more teens are using drugs, etc．You know this because you have heard all the statistics on the news and in the paper． But do you really have an accurate idea what they mean? The numbers are growing up, but how do they compare to the growth in population? Are more cases of these diseases being reported because of better testing techniques, or are the diseases more common? The fact is that without knowing the background statistics mean very little．

   This growing trend of reporting only part of the information is becoming dangerous．For example, several years ago a high school student reported the dangers of the chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide．This chemical, found in most cancerous tumors（肿瘤）, is often found in the blood of people drunk on alcohol, and causes complete physical and mental dependence for those who take the chemical even once．After reading his report, more than 75% of his Advanced Placement Chemistry class voted to forbid this dangerous chemical! Every one of the above statements is true, yet this chemical is necessary to all life on earth．The students made the mistake because they voted knowing only a few statements and statistics, rather than the chemical’s full background．

   The point of this article is that one should be aware of what is and is not being said．When one finds a new fact or number, one should try to consider other important information before forming an opinion with only half-truths．Always remember that the author is trying to convince you of his or her own view, and will leave out information that is different to his view．For example, look again at the statistics that suggest skiing is safe．Only 32 people may die each year when skiing, while 897 die from lightning strikes, but which is really the most dangerous? If you think about it, you realize far fewer people go skiing each year than the number of people who are in danger of a lightning strike．When you think about it, skiing is more dangerous than you might at first think when looking at statistics．If we teenagers are to be left in this world, we had better be able to think critically, and form our own views, rather than be easily persuaded by another’s．To be warned is to be prepared．

In the first paragraph, what problem does the writer want to warn us?

       A．We are now living in a dangerous world．

       B．We get a lot of false statistics from the media．

       C．Statistics alone without full background doesn’t give us an accurate pictures of things．

       D．There are around us more and more murders, diseases, etc．

Why does the writer use the example in the second paragraph?

       A．To argue that high school students are easily persuaded．

       B．To show the danger of reporting only part of the information．

       C．To prove what is necessary to us might be dangerous．

       D．To warn us of the harmful substance around us．

Relative information is often left out because__________．

       A．Relative information is not that important．

       B．too much information will make readers feel confused．

       C．the author is trying to show what he or she says is true．

       D．readers are not able to analyze so much information at once．

What can we learn from the passage?

       A．We should learn to think critically and look at problems from all sides．

       B．Some measures must be taken to protect our dangerous world．

       C．The growing trend of reporting only half-truths is getting out of control．

D．Teenagers ought to improve their ability of telling right from wrong．

       The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.

       “So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name ? ”

       “Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.

       “Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”

       “Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.

       “Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in . In those days, the area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.

       “  ‘You are clearing too much land, ’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’

       “ ‘ Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’”

       “Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”

       “What happened ? ” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.

       “The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned, ” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”

       “What a stupid story, ” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted(晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.

56.  The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.

       A. courage                B. assistance                   C. instruction                    D. challenge

57.  Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story ?

       A. To frighten them.

       B. To satisfy their curiosity.

       C. To warn them of the danger of the place.

       D. To persuade them to camp in the swamp.

58.  Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man ?

       A. The old man envied him.                              B. The old man was foolish

       C. He was too busy to listen to others.                   D. He was greedy for more crops.

59.  Why did Tom scream and faint ?

       A. He saw Dennis’s shadow                             B. He was scared by a plant

       C. His friends played a joke on him.                D. The weather became extremely cold.

60.        What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis ?

       A. Grasp all, lose all.                                          B. No sweat, no sweet.

       C. It is no use crying over spilt milk.                 D. He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

________ to sunlight for too much time will do harm to one's skin.