话题14 饮食、卫生与健康
主题语篇阅读
Ⅰ.阅读理解
A [2018·东城一模]
Arkansas may give up the BMI program or weaken it with the help of the new governor, who said it had “a lot of negative, unexpected results”.
The number of overweight children in the United States has more than doubled in the past 20 years. Being seriously overweight can lead to health problems later in life. As a result, Arkansas first started the BMI program in 2004—public schools were required to provide parents with a yearly report of their children’s body-mass index (BMI), a number to show whether their weight is appropriate(合适的). Along with students’ BMIs, parents also received information on health risks of being overweight.
A study shows that obesity(肥胖) rates in Arkansas have stopped increasing since 2004. But not everyone supports schools in reporting students’ BMIs. Some parents have complained their kids worry that they are being “graded” on their weight, although Dr. Joe Thompson, who helped plan the BMI program, gave the explanation at the start of the program, “Just like a school check for vision or hearing, this is a way to raise awareness(意识) about a health risk.”
Critics argue that telling parents their children weigh too much could hurt children’s self-esteem(自尊). Some also question whether it’s the role of schools to monitor students’ weight. Dr. Nancy Krebs, a nutrition expert, also thinks obesity report cards aren’t good enough. “They’re making kids feel bad about how they are,” she says. “Instead of focusing on kids’ BMIs, schools should provide better health and physical education classes and serve healthier food.”
However, supporters of the program say overweight children have had self-esteem problems before their parents get obesity report cards. Dr. Karen Young at Arkansas Children’s Hospital says, “The overweight kids are being teased(被嘲弄). It doesn’t take the letter for them to feel bad.”
Health experts from the University of Arkansas think it would be a pity to stop the BMI program. They see the program as a wake-up call for families and the letter is spurring some major action on some parents. Danita Thomas said she knew her son Irie was too heavy. But since getting that first BMI report, Irie has lost nearly 100 pounds and given up junk food. “It was helpful,” she said. “It made me realize that we needed to do something different.”
The BMI reports and other steps, such as limits on vending machine(自动售货机) use at school, are leading to healthier students. If there was no BMI program, there should be other effective tools to get schools and parents involved with preventing children from becoming overweight adults.
1.What might be the purpose of the BMI program in Arkansas? ( )
A.To make the schools realize the importance of health education.
B.To warn parents of health risks of overweight children.
C.To drive parents to learn more knowledge on health.
D.To explain why some students gain weight quickly.
2.Dr. Nancy Krebs believes that . ( )
A.overweight students are usually laughed at by classmates
B.schools should teach students how to lead a healthy life
C.overweight students usually get low grades at school
D.schools should do the job to record students’ weight
3.The words “spurring some major action on some parents” in Paragraph 6 probably mean “ ”. ( )
A.keeping some parents from worries
B.encouraging some parents to make changes
C.helping some parents learn from other families
D.supporting some parents in expressing their opinions
