Question

【題目】“Clean your plate!” Just about every kid in the US has heard this from a parent. Often, it is accompanied by an appeal: “Just think about those starving orphans in Africa!” Sure, we should be grateful for every bite of food. Unfortunately, many people in the US take too many bites. Instead of staying “clean the plate”, perhaps we should save some food for tomorrow.

According to news reports, US restaurants are partly to blame for the growing bellies. A waiter puts a plate of food in front of each customer, with two to four times the amount recommended by the government, according to a USA Today story. Americans traditionally associate quantity with value and most restaurants try to give them that. They prefer to have customers complain about too much food rather than too little.

Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University, told USA Today that restaurant portion sizes began to grow in the 1970s, the same time that the American waistline began to expand.

Health experts have tried to get many restaurants to serve smaller portions. Now, apparently, some customers are calling for this too. The restaurant industry trade believed restaurants serve portions that are too large; 23 percent had no opinion; 20 percent disagreed. But a closer look at the survey indicates that many Americans who can’t afford fine dining still prefer large portions. 70 percent of those earning at least ＄150,000 per year prefer smaller portions; but only 45 percent of those earning less than＄25,000 want smaller.

It’s not that working class Americans don’t want to eat healthy, It’s just that, after long hours at low-paying jobs, getting less on their plate hardly seems like a good deal. They live from paycheck to paycheck, happy to save a little money for next year’s Christmas presents.

【1】“Clean your plate!” in the first paragraph means ______ .

A. to wash the plate B. not to eat too much

C. not to waste the food D. to help the starving orphans

【2】American restaurants serve large portions because ______ .

A. Americans are good at eating B. Americans value the amount

C. the restaurants want people to keep healthy D. the government recommend s the amount

【3】What happened in the 1970s?

A. The government recommended serving small portion.

B. Americans began to realize the importance of health.

C. Health experts persuaded restaurants to serve large portion.

D. People in the United States began to gain weight.

【4】What does the survey indicate?

A. Many poor Americans want large portions.

B. 20 percent Americans want smaller portions.

C. 70 percent Americans earn at least ＄150,000 per year.

D. 45 percent Americans earn less than ＄25,000 per year.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】B

【3】D

【4】A

【解析】這是一篇社會生活類文章。很多美國人吃得太多。研究表明，這和美國餐館提供給顧客的大分量有關(guān)系。專家們呼吁餐館給顧客提供小分量，部分顧客也有此要求。但是，調(diào)查表明，比較貧窮的美國人還是喜歡大分量。文章揭示了這些現(xiàn)象背后的原因。

【1】推理判斷題。由第一段中的“Clean your plate!” 以及 “Just think about those starving orphans in Africa!” Sure, we should be grateful for every bite of food”可知，美國父母要求孩子將盤子內(nèi)的食物吃光。提醒孩子想想非洲那些挨餓的孤兒。由此可以推知，美國父母對孩子說這些話，目的在于讓孩子不要浪費食物。故C選項正確。

【2】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第二段中的“Americans traditionally associate quantity with value and most restaurants try to give them that. They prefer to have customers complain about too much food rather than too little”可知，美國人在傳統(tǒng)上把東西的價值跟數(shù)量聯(lián)系在一起，因此大多數(shù)的飯館給的量大。這些飯館寧愿讓顧客們抱怨飯菜給得太多而不愿意讓他們抱怨飯菜給得太少。故B選項正確。

【3】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第三段中的“restaurant portion sizes began to grow in the 1970s, the same time that the American waistline began to expand”可知，在20世紀(jì)70年代，餐館給的量開始增加，同時，美國人的腰圍也開始增加，即：美國人開始長胖。故D選項正確。

【4】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由倒數(shù)第二段中的“But a closer look at the survey indicates that many Americans who can’t afford fine dining still prefer large portions. 70 percent of those earning at least ＄150,000 per year prefer smaller portions; but only 45 percent of those earning less than＄25,000 want smaller”可知，調(diào)查表明，很多吃不起美食的美國人仍然喜歡大分量。每年至少掙15萬美元的人（較富有的人）中，70的人喜歡小分量，但那些年收入不足25,000的人（較貧窮的人）中，只有45想要小分量，這說明大部分窮人還是喜歡大分量的。故A選項切題。