2022年安徽省安慶市公共英語五級(jí)(筆試)

2022年安徽省安慶市公共英語五級(jí)(筆試)學(xué)校:________班級(jí):________姓名:________考號(hào):________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15題)1.Whatistherelationshipbetweenthemanandthewomaninthedialogue?

A.Reporterandfashiondesigner.

B.Husbandandwife.

C.Shopassistantandcustomer.

D.Teacherandstudent.

2.WhatwasthereunderarockonceatthesoutherntripofAfrica?

3.聽力原文：Inthefieldofmarketing，consumergoodsareclassedaccordingtothewayinwhichtheyarepurchased．Thetwomaincategoriesareconveniencegoodsandshoppinggoods．Twolessertypesarespecialtygoodsandunsoughtgoods．

Peopledonotspendmuchtimeshoppingforconvenienceitemssuchasgroceries，newspapers，toothpaste，razorblades，aspirin，andcandy．Thebuyingofconveniencegoodsmaybedoneroutinely，assomefamiliesbuygroceriesonceaweek．Suchregularlypurchaseditemsarecalledstaples．Sometimesconvenienceproductsareboughtonimpulse，forexample，someonehasasuddendesireforanicecreamsundaeonahotday．Ortheymaybepurchasedasemergencyitems．

Shoppinggoodsareitemsforwhichcustomerssearch．Theycompareprices，quality，andstyles，andmayvisitanumberofstoresbeforemakingdecisions．Buyinganautomobileisoftendonethisway．

Shoppinggoodsfallintotwoclasses：thosethatareperceivedasbasicallythesameandthosethatareregardedasdifferent．Itemsthatarelookeduponasbasicallythesameincludesuchthingsashomeappliances，televisionsets，andautomobiles．Havingdecidedonthemodeldesired，thecustomerisprimarilyinterestedingettingtheitematthemostfavorableprice．Itemsregardedasinherentlydifferentincludeclothing，furniture，anddishes．Quality，style.andfashionwilleithertakeprecedenceoverprice，ortheywillnotmatteratall．

Specialtygoodshavecharacteristicsthatimpelcustomerstomakespecialeffortstofindthem．Pricemaybenoconsiderationatall.Specialtygoodscanincludealmostanykindofproduct．Normally，specialtygoodshaveabrandnameorotherdistinguishingcharacteristics．

Unsoughtgoodsareitemsaconsumerdoesnotnecessarilywantorneedormaynotevenknowabout．Promotionoradvertisingbringssuchgoodstotheconsumer'sattention．Theproductcouldbesomethingnewonthemarketoritmaybeafairlystandardservice．suchaslifeinsurance．forwhichmostpeoplewillusuallynotbothershopping．

Accordingtothespeaker，whatareconveniencegoods?

A.Commoditiesthatpeopleareinconstantneedof．

B.Goodsthatareconvenienttouseorpurchase．

C.Itemsthatpeopletendtobuyunderimpulse．

D.Itemsthathavetobeboughtonceaweek．

4.Goodbookscanprovideuswithawiderangeofexperiences.

A.RightB.Wrong

5.Ifamanlosestheabilitytorecognizehisleftsidehewilllosefeelingonhisbothsides.

A.RightB.Wrong

6.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

聽力原文：ForthoseofyouwhoareeitheralreadystudyingintheUnitedStatesorplanningtooneday,itmightbeinterestingtoknowsomethingabouttheforeignstudentpopulationintheUnitedStates.Fortheacademicyear1995/96therewasasumofapproximately344,000foreignstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStates.Thisfigureof344000mayseemlikeaverylargenumberuntilyoucompareitwiththetotalpopulationof241,000,000.Theforeignstudentpopulationhasbeengrowingforanumberofyearsandisstillgrowing,buttherateofincreasehasdroppedsharplyduringthe1990s.Duringthe1980s,thepopulationgrewquiterapidly.Forexample,between1985and1990,theaverageyearlyincreasewas12.5%.However,thepictureinthe1990sisquitedifferent.Therateofincreasehasdeclinedquitenoticeably.Infact,therateofincreasebetween1994/95and1995/96wasonly0.5%,orone-halfofonepercent.Althoughtheoverallrateofincreasehasdroppedtoonly0.5%,thenumberofstudentsfromsomepartsoftheworldisincreasingwhilethenumberofstudentsfromotherareasisdecreasing.Forexample,duringthissameperiod,thatisbetweentheacademicyears1994/95and1995/96,therewasadecreaseinthenumberofstudentsfromtheMiddleEast,whilethenumberofstudentsfromSouthandEastAsiaincreased.Thesechangesinthenumberofstudentscomingfromdifferentpartsoftheworldnodoubtreflectedchangingeconomicandpoliticalsituations.I'msureyouareawareofmanyofthesechanges,andperhapsyoucandiscussthematournextmeeting.Fortodaylet'sconfineourtalktofirst,adiscussionoftheoriginofthesestudents,or,inotherwords,wheretheycamefromsecond,thekindsofstudiestheypursue;and,finally,theacademiclevelstheyarefoundin.Ifwehavealittletimeleft,wemightquicklytalkaboutinwhichgeographicareasmostofthemgotoschool.

Let'sdiscusstheoriginsoftheforeignstudentpopulationintheUnitedStatesfortheacademicyear1995/96.Let'sdiscussitinorderfromthoseareassendingthemoststudentstothoseareassendingthefeweststudents.IfwelookatthefiguresprovidedbytheannualcensusofforeignstudentsintheUnitedStatesfortheyear1995/96,weseethatmostoftheforeignstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStatesduringthisyearwerefromSouthandEastAsia.Thisisaratherlargegeographicalareawhichincludessuchconu-triesasChina,Korea,Pakistan,India,Malaysia,andIndonesia.Thetotalnumberofstudentsfromthisarea,SouthandEastAsiawas156,830.Inotherwords,roughly2outofevery5foreignstudentscomefromSouthandEastAsia.Almost24000ofthistotalwerefromChina.Malaysiawasclosebehindwithjustalittleover23000students.ThenextlargestnumberofstudentscamefromtheMiddleEast.ThenumberofstudentsfromtheMiddleEastcametoaboutone-thirdthenumberfromSouthandEastAsia.ThefourthlargestnumbercamefromSouthAmerica.NextcameEurope,Africa,NorthAmerica,andOceania.Let'srecapitulatewhatwe'vesaid.ThelargestnumberofstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStatesduringtheacademicyear1995/96werefromSouthandEastAsia,followedbytheMiddleEast,SouthAmerica,Europe,Africa,NorthAmerica,andOceania.

Whatfieldsaretheselargenumbersofforeignstudentsstudyingin?Itprobablywon'tsurpriseyouthatthelargestnumberareinthefieldofengineering.Infact,21.7%ofthetotalnumberarestudyingengineering.Businessandmanagementisclosebehind,however,withatotalof18.9%.Thethirdmostpopularfieldw

7.HowmanypsychologicaltypesofpeoplearethereaccordingtoJung'sideas?

8.MDhassixdepartmentalmanagersatthemoment.

A.TrueB.Fasle

9.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

聽力原文：W:Dr.Huber,whendidyoufirstbecomeinterestedinphysicsandmusic?

M:Ican'trememberatimewhenIwasn'tinterestedinphysics.WhenIwasachild,Iwasverycuriousabouttheworldaroundme.Forexample,Ialwayswonderedwhylightbehavesthewayitdoes.Ifounditmorefuntoplaywithaprismthantoplaywiththekidsintheneighborhood.Iwasn'tverysocial,butIwasreallyintofiguringouthowthingsworked.IgotmyowntelescopewhenIwaseightyearsold,andIlovedtotakeitoutatnightandgostargazing.Iwouldlookattheplanetsandstarsandwonderwhatwasoutthere.WhenIwasten,myfatherboughtmeabookontheuniverse,andIjustateitup.Infact,Istillhavethatbookrighthereinmyoffice.Itwasthesamewithmusic.I'vealwayshadanaturalearformusic,perfectpitch.Evenasayoungchild,ifIheardasongontheradio,Icouldgorighttothepianoandplayit.WhenIheardasoundliketheringofatelephone,Icouldidentifyitspitchandplaythenoteonthepiano.However,Ididn'tdevelopaseriousinterestinbecomingapianistuntilIwasincollege.Ialsoseemedtodowellinschoolinthevisualartslikepaintinganddrawing.

W:Whatcommonalitydoyouseebetweenmusicandphysics?

M:Thereisacommonmisconceptionthatartandsciencearecompletelyseparatedfromeachother.Ithinkthedistinctionisartificial.Inreality,artandsciencearenotasmutuallyexclusiveasonemightassume.Solvingacomplicatedmathematicalproblem,forexample,canrequirethesamedegreeofcreativethinkingaspaintingalandscapeorwritingapoem.IfeelanindefinabletinglewhenIplaytheSchumannConcertoordancethepasdedeuxfromRomeoandJuliet.Igetthatthesametinglefromtheoreticalphysics.Thebeautyofartisreadilyapparenttomostpeople.However,inthecaseoftheoreticalphysics,thebeautyisnotnearlyasaccessibletothegeneralpublic,butitiseverybitasexciting.Natureseemstofollowcertainprinciples,verymuchthesameasartdoes.It'snotuncommonforphysiciststobecomeaccomplishedmusicians.Musictheoryisaverymathematicaldiscipline.Relationshipsamongvariousnotesinclassicalharmonyarebasedonsimplemathematicalrelationships.

W:Youhavesaidthatphysicsisbeautiful.Whatmakesitbeautifultoyou?

M:Tome,it'sincrediblethewaynatureseemstoworksoperfectly.Ithinkitisbeautiful.Ialwaystellmystudentsonthefirstdayofclass."IfyoulikereadingSherlockHolmesdetectivestories,you'11likedoingphysicsproblems."Physicsisaboutfiguringthingsout—discoveringhowtheywork,justlikeadetective.Alotofpeoplefearphysicsbecausetheyviewitasabigcomplicatedjumbleoffactsthathavetobememorized.Butthat'snottrue.It'sanunderstandingofhownatureworks,howthevariouspartsinteract.Onecanviewartandliteratureastherelationshipsandinteractionsofideas.Inthesameway,physicsstudiestherelationshipsandinteractionsofconcepts.Inotherwords,tomeartandsciencefundamentallyattempttoachievethesameobjective—understandingoftheworldaroundus.Thewholeuniverseseemstofollowsomeverybasicprinciplesasitevolvesinwithtime,someoftheseprinciplesincludingtheConservationofEnergyandtheConservationofAngularMomentum.Theconservationlawsofphysicsarelikenon-interestbearingcheckingaccounts.Inthecaseofenergyconservation,youcanmakeenergydepositsandenergywithdrawals,butalltheenergyisaccountedfor.TherotationofobjectsisgovernedbyalawcalledtheConservationofAngularM

10.Dr．MannisnowinCambridge，writingabookonthe______．

11.StudyinginanEnglish-speakingcountryisaveryeffectivewaytolearnEnglish.

A.TrueB.Fasle

12.PeopleintheCaucasusMountainsnotonlylivelongbutalsohaveagoodphysicalcondition.

A.TrueB.Fasle

13.Ifyoupokeyourtongueintoaholeofyourteeth,itfeelsverytinyandslim.

A.TrueB.Fasle

14.WhatdoesDr.Hubercomparetheuniverseto?

15.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

聽力原文：Todaywetakeitforgrantedthatthemailwillbedelivereddailyatourdoor.Butmanyyearsagoitmighthavebeenplacedinatreetrunkorunderneatharock.Intheearlydaysofthemailnoonecouldbesureaboutwhereorwhenitwouldarrive.

AtthesoutherntipofAfricatherewasonceapostofficeunderarock.IntheolddaystheroutefromEnglandtoIndiawasaroundtheCapeofGoodHope.Thejourneywasstormyanddangerous.Ittooksixlongmonths.Sailorsoftenwishedtosendmailhome,buttheyseldommetshipsboundbacktoEngland.Soatthecapethesailorswouldgoashore.Theyheadedforacertainlargestone.Onthestonewerescratchedthewords"Lookhereunderforletters."Theywouldleavetheirlettersthere,knowingthatthenexthomeward-boundshipwouldstopandpickthemup.

TherewasanotherpostofficelikethisatthesoutherntipofSouthAmerica.Duringthegoldrushdays,boatssailedaroundCapeHorntoCalifornia.AtCapeHornwasakegnailedtoapost.Boatscomingfromtheeastcoastwouldsendasmallboatashoretothispostoffice.Theypickedupanylettersinthekeg.Atthesametimetheymailedlettershomethatboatssailingeastcouldpickup.

InthestateofWashingtonstandsthestumpofahugecedar.It,too,wasonceapostoffice.Settlersneededaplaceforthemailcarrierstoleavetheirletters.Theirhousesweresowidelyscatteredthatthemailcarriercouldnotreachallofthem,andthepostofficewasfarawayoverroughroads.Sothesettlersfoundatreethatstoodwhereseveraltrailscrossed.Theycutthetreedowntenfeetfromtheground,holloweditout,andcovereditwitharoof.Inside,theynailedarowofwoodenboxes.Eachboxwasmarkedwithafamily'sname.Themailcarriercouldleavelettersthereforeveryoneformilesaround.

ForthefirstfewyearsaftertheEnglishcolonistscametoAmerica,therewasnoregularpostalservice.Peoplegavetheirletterstoanytravelerwhohappenedtobegoingintherightdirection.Oftentheygavethemtoapeddleroratravelingshoemaker.Whenthetravelerreachedthetownwheretheletterwasgoing,hemightstopataninn.Hewouldleavethelettersthere.Buttheretheystayeduntilthepersontheywereaddressedtohappenedtocomebyandstoppedattheinn.

WhataboutplaceslikeVirginiawheretherewereveryfewinns?Peoplewhowishedtosendletterswouldleavethematoneofthelargeplantations.Theownersoftheplantationwouldthensendthelettersontoaneighbor.Theneighborwoulddothesame.Itwasaslowmailsystem.

Aftermanyyears,regularmailcarriersonhorsebackwerehired.Theywentfromonebigtowntoanother.BetweenNewYorkandBoston,forexample,therewasone"postrider"amonth.Hetraveledonlybydayandtooktwoweeksforthetrip.Oftenthepostriderleftallthemailforawholetownatacrossroadsstore.Itstilltookmanyweeksforalettertoreachthepersonitwasaddressedto.

Finally,abouttwohundredyearsago,BenjaminFranklinwasmadepostmasterforallthecolonies.Hisfirstactwastomakealongjourneytofindoutthebestroutesforcarryingthemail.Thenhesetupalineofpoststationbetweenthenorthernandsoutherncolonies.Heorderedhispostriderstotravelbynightaswellasbyday.

Franklin'spostriderscouldcarrymorelettersinashortertimefromonecolonytoanother.TheletterservicehelpedtheyoungAmericancolonieslearnmoreabouteachother.Theylearnedthattheywereallinterestedin

二、2.UseofEnglish(10題)16.(50)

17.Pollutionisa"dirty"word.Topollutemeanstocontaminate--topsoilorsomethingbyintroducingimpuritieswhichmake【C1】______unfitoruncleantouse.Pollutioncomesinmanyforms.Weseeit,smellit,【C2】______it,drinkit,andstumblethroughit.Weliterallylivedinandbreathepollution,and【C3】______surprisingly,itisbeginningto【C4】______ourhealth,ourhappiness,andourcivilization.

Oncewethoughtofpollution【C5】______meaningsimplythesmog—thechoking,stinging,dirty【C6】______thathoversovercities.Butairpollution,whileitis【C7】______themostdangerous,isonlyonetypeofcontaminationamongseveral【C8】______attackthemostbasiclifefunctions.

Throughtheuncontrolleduseofinsecticides,manhaspollutedtheland,【C9】______thewildlife.By【C10】______sewageandchemicalsintoriversandlakes,wehavecontaminatedour【C11】______water.Wearepollutingtheoceans,too,kiltingthefishand【C12】______deprivingourselves【C13】______aninvaluablefoodsupply.

Partoftheproblemisourexploding【C14】______.Moreandmorepeopleareproducingmorewastes.Butthisproblemisintensifiedbyour"throw-away"technology.EachyearAmericans【C15】______of7millionautos,20milliontonsofwastepaper,25millionpoundsoftoothpastetubesand48millioncans.Wethrowawaygumwrappers,newspapers,andpaperplates.Itisnolongerwiseto【C16】______anything.Todayalmosteverythingisdisposable.【C17】______ofrepairingatoasteroraradio,itiseasierandcheapertobuyanotheroneanddiscardtheold,even【C18】______95percentofitspartsmaystillbefunctioning.Babydiapers,whichusedtobemadeofreusablecloth,arenowpaperthrow-aways.Soonwewillwearclothingmadeof【C19】______:"Wearitonceandthrowitaway"willbethesloganofthefashionableconsciousness.

Whereisthisalltoend?Areweturningtheworldintoagiganticdump,oristherehopethatwecansolvethepollutionproblem?【C20】______,solutionsareinsight.Afewofthemarepositivelyingenious.

【C1】

18.(40)

19.RecentsurveysshowthatJapaneseyouthhavebecomea"MeGeneration"thatrejectstraditionalvalues.

"Around1980manyJapanese,【C1】______youngpeopleabandonedthevaluesofeconomicsuccessandbegan【C2】______fornewsetsofvaluesto【C3】______themhappiness,"writessociologistYasuhiroinComparativeCivilizationsReview.Japaneseyouthareplacingmoreimportanceontheindividual'spursuitof【C4】______andlessonthevaluesofwork,family,andsociety.

Japanesestudentsseemtobelosingpatiencewithwork,【C5】______theircounterpartsintheUnitedStatesandKorea.Ina1993【C6】______ofcollegestudentsinthethreecountries,only10%oftheJapaneseregarded【C7】______asaprimaryvaluecomparedwith47%ofKoreanstudentsand27%ofAmericanstudents.Agreater【C8】______ofJapaneseaged18—24alsopreferredeasyjobs【C9】______heavyresponsibility.

TheyoungerJapaneseareshowinglessconcernforfamilyvaluesastheypursueaninnerworldofprivatesatisfaction.Datacollected【C10】______theJapanesegovernmentin1993showsthatonly23%ofJapaneseyoutharethinkingaboutsupportingtheiragedparents,incontrast【C11】______63%ofyoungAmericans.Itappearsthatmanyyounger-generationJapaneseare【C12】______bothrespectfortheirparents【C13】______asenseofresponsibilitytothefamily.AuthorYoshizakiattributesthechange【C14】______Japaneseparents!over-indulgenceoftheirchildren,materialaffluence,andgrowing【C15】______forprivatematters.

Theshift【C16】______individualismamongJapaneseismostpronouncedamong【C17】______veryyoung.Accordingto1991data【C18】______theBunkaCenterofJapan,50%ofJapaneseyouthaged16—19canbelabeled"self-centered"comparedwith33%among【C19】______aged25-29.Toearntheself-centeredlabel,theyoungpeoplerespondedpositivelyto【C20】______ideasas"Iwouldliketomakedecisionswithoutconsideringtraditionalvalues"and"Idon'twanttodoanythingIcan'tenjoydoing."

【C1】

20.

【C3】

21.(34)

22.(43)

23.

【C2】

24.(36)

25.

【C18】

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15題)26.

Theword“connoisseurs”(Paragraph1)mostprobablymeans______．

A.representativesinthePre-RaphaeliteMovement

B.peoplewhoareinfavorofFlorentine

C.criticswhoarelikelytomakeassessments

D.conservativesclingingtoclassicalart

27.

Theword“deforestation”inParagraph3means______．

A.forestdamagecausedbypollution

B.movingpopulationfromforesttocities

C.thethreatofclimatechange

D.cuttinglargeareasoftrees

28.(69)

29.

Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrueaboutinsuranceproducts?

A.Peoplehavenochoicewhenbuyinginsuranceproducts.

B.Thereweresomanychoicesininsuranceproductsinthepastthatpeoplefounditdifficulttomakeadecision.

C.Therearenobetterandcheaperinsuranceproducts.

D.Itisbetterforpeopletohavesomanyinsuranceproductstochoose.

30.(73)

31.

Thephrase"talkingshop"(Line4,Para.6)probablymeans______.

A.talkingaboutshopping

B.discussingone'sworkwithcolleagues

C.exchangingpersonalnews

D.talkingwithfriendsinagroup

32.

Whyistransitiondifficult?

A.Becausetransitionrequiresmoneyandtime.

B.Becausemanymanufacturersareunwillingtochangetheirequipment.

C.Becauseresearchonnewmaterialsisverydifficult.

D.Becauseittakeslongtime.

33.

Whatisthemainmessageofthistext?

A.Thatthesaltscareisnotjustified.

B.Thattheorginofhypertensionisnowfound.

C.Thatthemoderateuseofsaltisrecommended.

D.Thatsaltconsumptionistobepromoted.

34.Beforeabigexam,asoundnight'ssleepwilldoyoubetterthanporingovertextbooks.That,atleast,isthefolkwisdom.Andscience,intheform.ofbehavioralpsychology,supportsthatwisdom.Butsuchbehavioralstudiescannotdistinguishbetweentwocompetingtheoriesofwhysleepisgoodforthememory.Onesaysthatsleepiswhenpermanentmemoriesform.Theothersaysthattheyareactuallyformedduringtheday,butthen"edited"atnight,toflushawaywhatissuperfluous.

Totellthedifference,itisnecessarytolookintothebrainofasleepingperson,andthatishard.Butafteradecadeofpainstakingwork,ateamledbyPierreMaquetatLiegeUniversityinBelgiumhasmanagedtodoit.TheparticularstageofsleepinwhichtheBelgiangroupisinterestedisrapideyemovement(REM)sleep,whenbrainandbodyareactive,heartrateandbloodpressureincrease,theeyesmovebackandforthbehindtheeyelidsasifwatchingamovie,andbrainwavetracesresemblethoseofwakefulness.Itisduringthisperiodofsleepthatpeoplearemostlikelytoreliveeventsofthepreviousdayindreams.

Dr.MaquetusedanelectronicdevicecalledPETtostudythebrainsofpeopleastheypracticedataskduringtheday,andastheysleptduringthefollowingnight.Thetaskrequiredthemtopressabuttonasfastaspossible,inresponsetoalightcomingoninoneofsixpositions.Astheylearnthowtodothis,theirresponsetimesgotfaster.Whattheydidnotknowwasthattheappearanceofthelightssometimesfollowedapattern—whatisreferredtoas"artificialgrammar".Yetthereductionsinresponsetimeshowedthattheylearntfasterwhenthepatternwaspresentthanwhentherewasnot.

Whatismore,thosewithmoretolearn(i.e.the"grammar",aswellasthemechanicaltaskofpushingthebutton)havemoreactivebrains.The"editing"theorywouldnotpredictthat,sincethenumberofirrelevantstimuliwouldbethesameineachcase.Andtoeliminateanydoubtsthattheexperimentalsubjectswerelearningasopposedtounlearning,theirresponsetimeswhentheywokeupwereevenquickerthanwhentheywenttosleep.

Theteam,therefore,concludedthatthenerveconnectionsinvolvedinmemoryarereinforcedthroughreactivationduringREMsleep,particularlyifthebraindetectsaninherentstructureinthematerialbeinglearnt.Sonow,ontheeveofthatcrucialtest,mathsstudentscansleepsoundlyintheknowledgethatwhattheywillrememberthenextdayarethebasicrulesofalgebraandnottheincoherenttalkfromtheradionextdoor.

Researchersinbehavioralpsychologyaredividedwithregardto______.

A.howdreamsaremodifiedintheircourses

B.thedifferencebetweensleepandwakefulness

C.whysleepisofgreatbenefittomemory

D.thefunctionsofagoodnight'ssleep

35.PartA

Directions:ReadthefollowingtextsandanswerthequestionswhichaccompanythembychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Inathree-monthperiodlastyear,twoBrooklyniteshadtobecutoutoftheirapartmentsandcardedtohospitalonstretchersdesignedfortransportingsmallwhales.TheNationalAssociationtoAdvanceFatAcceptance(NAAFA)arguesthatitwasnottheircombined900kgbulkthatmadethemill.Obesity,accordingtoNAAFA,isnotbadforyou.And,evenifitwas,thereisnothingtobedoneaboutit,becausegenesdictateweight.Attemptingtoeatlessmerelyslowsmetabolism,havingpeopleaschubbyasever.

ThisisthefatlashmovementthatcausesAmerica'sslimmingindustrysomuchpain.InhisbookBinFatLies(Ballantine,1996),GlennGaessersaysthatnostudyyethasconvincinglyshownthatweightisanindependentcauseofhealthproblems.Fatnessdoesnotkillpeople;thingslikehypertension,coronaryheartdiseasesandcancerdo.MichaelFumento,authorofTheFatoftheLand(Viking,1997),ananti-fatlashdiatribe,comparesDrGaesser'slogicwithsayingthattheguillotinedidnotkillLouisXVI:Rather,itwastheseveringofhisvertebrae,thecuttingofallthebloodvesselsinhisneck,and...thetraumacausedbyhisheaddroppingseveralfeetintoawickerbasket.

Beingfatkillsinseveralways.Itmakespeoplefarmorelikelytosufferfromheartdiseaseorhighbloodpressure.Evenmoderateobesityincreasesthechanceofcontractingdiabetes.Being40%overweightmakespeople30%～50%morelikelytodieofcancer,accordingtotheAmericanCancerSociety.Extremefatnessmakespatientssomuchlesslikelytosurvivesurgerythatmanydoctorsrefusetooperateuntiltheyslim.

Theideathatbeingoverweightiscausedbyobesitygenesisnotwhollyfalse:researchershavefoundanumberofgenesthatappeartomakesomepeoplebumoffenergyataslowerrate.Butgenesarenotdestiny.Thedifferencebetweensomeonewithageneticpredispositiontogainweightandsomeonewithoutappearstoberoughly40calories-oraspoonfulofmayonnaise—aday.

Analternativefatlashargument,advancedinbookssuchasDeanOnrush'sEatMore,WeightLess(HarperCollies,1993)andDateAtrens'sDon'tDiet(WilliamMorrow,1978),isthatfatnessisnotamatterofeatingtoomuch.TheynotethatasAmericans'weighthasballoonedoverthelastfewdecades,theirreportedcaloricintakehasplunged.Thissimplyexplainspeople'sownrecollectionofhowmuchtheyeatisextremelyunreliable.Andastheygrowfatter,peoplefeelguiltyandaremorelikelytofibabouthowmuchtheyeat.Allreputablestudiesshowthateatinglessandexercisingreduceweight.

Certainly,thebody'smetabolismslowsalittlewhenyouloseweight,becauseittakeslessenergytocarrylessbulkaround,andbecausedietingcanmakethebodyfearitisabouttostarve.Butasensiblelow-fatdietmakesweightlosspossible.Thefatlashmovementisdangerous,becauseslimmerswilloftenfindanyexcusetogiveup.Totellpeoplethatitishealthytobeobeseistoencouragethemtolivesickanddieyoung.

ThetwoBrooklynitesinthe