Today the opposite is true. We have shifted lo thinness as our new mark of virtue. The resultis that being fat-or even only somewhat overweight-is bad because it implies a lack of moralstrength.

　　Our obsession (迷戀) with thinness is also fueled by health concerns. It is true that in thiscountry we have more overweight people than ever before. and that in many cases, beingoverweight correlates with an increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease. These diseases.however, may have as much to do with our way of life and our high-fat diets as with excessweight. And the associated risk of cancer in the digestive system may be more of a dietaryproblem-too much fat and a lack of fiber-than a weight problem.

　　The real concern. then. is not that we weigh too much. but that we neither exercise enough noreat well. Exercise is necessary for strong bones and both heart and lung health. A balanced dietwithout a lot of fatcan also help the body avoid many diseases. We should surely stop payingso much attention to weight. Simply being thin is not enough. It is actually hazardous if thosewho get (or already are) thin think they are automatically healthy and thus free from payingattention to their overall life-style. Thinness can be pure vainglory (虛榮).

　　女人無論多富都不算太富，無論多瘦都不算太瘦。這句常常被認為是已故溫莎公爵夫人說的話在很大程度上體現了我們這個時代的一種奇特的精神：[1]瘦被看做本身就是一種美德。

　　這種看法的問題在于，有的人還真的試圖照這種方式生活。[2]我自己也常常有種種不切實際的想法，希望能穿上窄小的名牌服裝，因此，為了我的生命中的美好時光——或許也是悲慘時光——我也節食減肥。要是能有錢，當然也不壞，不過，除非在遠方有個從沒有聽說過的親戚突然去世給我留下幾百萬美元的話，我是富不了的啦。

　　我們是什么時候誤入歧途的?[3]從什么時候開始。吃黃油成了罪過，稍微多長了一點肉就會讓人失去魅力，甚至令人生厭?所有宗教都會規定某幾個日子讓人們禁食，過量飲食還是____的七宗彌天大罪之一。然而，直到最近，大多數人還在為怎樣填飽肚子而而發愁。[3]在一些宗教團體里，財富是有望得到救贖、擁有高尚德操的標志，而身體發福則是富有和健康的標志。

　　[1]而今，事情倒過來了。我們轉而把瘦作為美德的新的標志。[4]結果，肥胖——有時不過是稍微有點超重——就是不好，因為它暗示這個人缺少道德力量。

　　[4]我們迷戀于瘦身，還出于對健康的考慮。誠然，在這個國度里，肥胖人數比以往任何時候都多，而且，肥胖還增加了罹患心血管疾病的風險。但是，這些疾病與肥胖有關，也與我們的生活方式以及高脂肪含量的食物有關。而消化系統發生癌變、也許更多是飲食問題——太多脂肪、缺少纖維——而不是體重問題。

　　因而，真正的問題不在于我們太重了，而在于我們運動不足而且飲食不良。要想筋骨強壯、心肺健康，鍛煉必不可少。脂肪不多的均衡飲食也可以使我們避免許多癌病。我們實在不必如此關注我們的體重問題。僅僅瘦是不夠的。[5]瘦身之后或者本來就不胖的人，如果以為可以自然而然健康起來而不必關注自己的整個生活方式，那才實在是危險的。瘦可能純粹是一種虛榮。

　　1. In the eyes of the author, an odd phenomenon nowadays is that____________.

　　A) the Duchess of Windsor is regarded as a woman of virtue

　　B) looking slim is a symbol of having a large fortune

　　C) being thin is viewed as a much desired quality

　　D) religious people are not necessarily virtuous

　　2. Swept by the prevailing trend. the author_____________.

　　A) had to go on a diet for the greater part of her life

　　B) could still prevent herself from going off the crack

　　C) had to seek help from rich distant relatives

　　D) had to wear highly fashionable clothes

　　3. In human history, people's views on body weight_____________.

　　A) were closely related to their religious beliefs

　　B) changed from time to time

　　C) varied between the poor and the rich

　　D) led to different moral standards

　　4. The author criticizes women’s obsession with thinness

　　A) from an economic and educational perspective

　　B) from sociological and medical points of view

　　C) from a historical and religious standpoint

　　D) in the light of moral principles

　　5. What's the author's advice to women who are absorbed in the idea of thinness?

　　A) They should be more concerned with their overall life style.

　　B) They should be more watchful for fatal diseases.

　　C) They should gain weight m Jook healthy.

　　D) They should rid themselves of fantasies about designer clothes.