Sample Answers (A) There is only one thing people need to know to lose weight: they have to burn more calories every day than they store. Usually, this means getting more exercise and eating less. But no matter how one accomplishes it, it is entirely a mathematical process.

(B) Most fad diets work, for a while, often with very dramatic res비ts over a short period of time. But most followers soon reveπ to their old habits, and their weight goes back to the old levels. Even in the case of sensible diets, the pattern is usually good progress at first, but then the curve begins to flatten as the body adjusts to the new foods it is consuming. In fact, even extreme solutions such as 1ψosuction often fail, because people do not change their lifestyles sufficiently.

Speak Your Mind 1. Are you worried about your weight? Why or why not?

2. Is it easy for you to stay fi간 Why or why not?

3. Do you know any good way to lose weight?

4. Ordinary people, especially men, gain weight after getting married. Do you have any ideas why?

5. Talk about problems caused by being overweight.

6. Do you know that many people still suffer from being abnormally underweight? What is a good way to gain weight?

7. Who do you think is more self-conscious about their weight, males or females? Why?

• store : keep (sth) in a particular place • fad : (sth) that is popular or lashionable lor only a short time • work : succeed • revert to : return to a previous state or way 01 behaving • liposuction : medical operation to remove lat from a paπ 01 (one’s) body • fit : be the right size and shape for (sb)

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1. Are you worried about your weight? Why or why not?

(A) I've never cared what I looked like, and I have never weighed myself in my life. The marketers have convinced us that beautiful people have to be thin, but that idea is nonsense! A lot of very fat people have exuberant personalities and are in great health; they are more beautiful by far than the desperate, skinny people who are held up as the ideal. The human body naturally comes in a wide variety of shapes, and none of them is superior to any of the others.

(B) No matter what anyone says, fat people tend to have more health problems and live shorter lives than thin people. They are also less photogenic and, whether it should be the case or not, are discriminated against. Fat people are regarded as lazy, complacent, and self니ndulgent， while thin people are thought of as being dedicated, ambitious, and focused . 50, naturally, I prefer being thin .

2. Is it easy for you to stay fit? Why or why not?

(A) Ever since I was a teenager, I've led an active physical life . The sport may have changed over time - from tennis to golf to swimming - but I've always spent many hours a week devoted to it. I walk a lot, and I take the steps instead of the escalator. 50, staying fit has never been a problem.

(B) I used to be a star athlete, but when I grew up to be a responsible adult I became a lot more sedentary. I spend most of my time these days in my car or on a bus or subway going to or from work or a meeting, and then I'm at a desk all day, and afterwards I'm in a coffee shop or bar with my friends before going home. By then, |’m too tired to do much more than watch television or read a magazine. I simply don't have enough time or energy any more to go to the gym regularly, though I miss the old days of physical action .

• exuberant: happy, excited, and full of energy • hold up : display; present as the example 、 • photogenic : always looking at!ractive in photographs • complacent : pleased or contented with oneself; self'satisfied

106} • self-indulgent : doing or tending to do exactly what one wants, esp. when this i nv미ves pleasure or idleness 、.‘’ • sedentary : inactive

3. Do you know any good way to lose weight?

(A) It’s just a matter of will power, actually. Instead of eating three meals a day, gradually cut down to only two. At first, just do this once or twice a week, and then make it every other day, and then limit your three-meal days to just twice a week, and eventually, over the course of two or three months, just eat two meals every day. If you want to lose even more weight, gradually drop down to one meal a day - but not every day! And, of course, you've got to quit that late-night snack - just before bedtime is absolutely the worst time to ea t.

(B) Most people think the key to weight loss is to eat fewer meals, but actually it is the reverse. Instead of consuming two or three large meals every day, people should eat four, five, six, or more small meals. Perhaps on a typical day, one might eat an apple for breakfast, a light snack in midmorning, some vegetables at noon, a sandwich in the afternoon, and a nice steak at nigh t. Variety is important, to make sure we get enough from every food group, but there is no reason not to continue eating the things we most enjoy.

4 . Ordinary people, especially men, gain weight after getting married. Do you have any ideas why?

(A) 1 hope that the reason is because their wives are good cooks who overfeed their husbands because they love them. But the real reason is probably that, for both men and women, once they are married they don't need to work so hard to attract a mate and more, so they don't watch their appearance as much.

(B) As people get older, most of them experience a slower metabolism. They are less active physically than when they were younger, and the body stores more calories in the form of fat than it burns off. This may be more true for men, since so many of them are office workers who don't move around as much, while nonworking women tend to be on the move more, shopping, cooking, doing the housework, and so forth.

• reverse : opposite or contrary of (sth) • metabolism : burning of energy by a living being

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5.Talk about problems caused by being overweight.

(A) Health is the biggest problem. Muscle tone and flexibility decline. More stress is put on the heart. Arteries get clogged up, leading to strokes and heart attacks. Even sexual dysfu nction is related to obesity. AII of these problems are further aggravated by smoking and drinking .

(B) To be fat means being less desirable to others. The beautiful, thin people are always the most pop비ar. They get more dates - and the most desirable mates. At school, their grades are higher, and at work they make more money. It's not fair, and I wish I could be like tha t.

6. Do you know that many people still suffer from being abnormally underweight? What is a good way to gain weight?

(A) Eating a lot of carbohydrates and protein should add weight rather quickly. This doesn't mean the person will become fat, as long as the dieter takes care to do lots of muscle-building exercise every day.

(B) My recψe for weight gain is to go to lots of parties. The food and the alcohol will soon do the trick, and it's a very enjoyable way to spend one's time.

• flexible : adaptable • clog up : block (sth) or become blocked 、 → 。besity : being too fat • aggravate : make (sth) worse

108 • recipe : formula for accomplishing {st비 、..， • do the trick : solve a problem or provide what is needed to get a good result

7. Wh.o do you ~hLn.~.!s rnore self-conscious about their weight, males or females? Why?

F You men are lucky!

M : Why do you think so?

F The ads, the movies, TV, videos - all the media focus on beautiful women being as skinny as poles! Men are allowed to be their natural selves who don’t have to starve themselves or wear tight clothes that hide their weight.

M : Well, 1 agree that men are lucky if they have a beautiful wife. But women who look that way are lucky, too. They are healthy and popular, and they probably have a rich husband as a result. Men aren ’t so lucky, because they can’t get by on their looks alone.

F You ’re disgrac안ul! These are exactly the chauvinistic attitudes 1 was complaining about. 1 thought that you at least would be more sensitive to the plight of women.

M : Whoa, 5101ν down.I ’m not trying to insult anyone, 1’m just describing the world as 1 see it. Two hundred years ago, women were expected to have large, round bodies, because their motherhood roles were emphasized. Skinny women were undesirable then. But now the focus has shifted. Motherhood is less important now, so the main purpose of a woman is to look good so as to add status to her husband ’s social role.

F What! You ’re even worse than 1 thought! How can any sane person believe such drivel? Women and men are exactly the same and should have exactly the same rights and privileges.

M : Some rich women have boy-toys of their own, don’t they? Isn’t that the same thing?

F Of course it is. How much respect do the boy-toys get from other men? Or even from the women who “own" them? Not much! It should be the same with women - if their only goal in life is to be a trophy for some man, there ’s something wrong with them.

M : Okay, okay, 1’m sorry 1 got you so upset. 1’m just joking. 1 don ’t really believe any of this nonsense; 1 just wanted to see your reaction. So, why don ’t we get something to eat and make up? My treat!

F NO, I’m sorry. 1 can’tj이n you for lunch today. Can 1 take a rain check?

M : Why not?

F : 1’m watching my weight. There’s a big new position being created in my office, and 1’ve got to look the paπ ifI’m going to get it.

• disgraceful : extremely bad or shocking • plight : bad, serious, or sad situation • slow down : don ’t be so excited • shift : change • drivel : childish, silly, or meaningless thinking • boy-toy : young male companion to an older, wealthy 、

woman, esp. for sex • make up : become friendly again after an argument • my treat : I’ 11 pay for (sth) for (sb) else 109} • take a rain check : postpone accepting an offer • look the part : match the image 、，.，