We've reached a strange-some would say unusual-point. While fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO), more people now die from being overweight, or say, from being extremely fat, than from being underweight. It's the good life that's more likely to kill us these days.
Worse, nearly l8 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight. What's going on?
We really don't have many excuses for our weight problems. The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by public-health campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through-up to a point.
In the 1970s, Finland, for example, had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause. Not any more. A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.
Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005, and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body. That has become a sort of fashion. No wonder it ranks as the world's most body-conscious country.
We know what we should be doing to lose weight-but actually doing it is another matter. By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise. More than half of us admit we lack willpower.
Others blame good food. They say: it's just too inviting and it makes them overeat. Still others lay the blame on the Americans, complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American-style fast food.
Some also blame their parents-their genes. But unfortunately, the parents are wronged because they're normal in shape, or rather slim.
It's a similar story around the world, although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight. Parents are eager to see their kids shape up. Do as I say-not as I do.
| 1． |
What is the "strange" point mentioned in the first sentence?
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| 2． |
Why does the author think that people have no excuse for being overweight?
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| 3． |
The example of Finland is used to illustrate.
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| 4． |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
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POETRY CHALLENGE
Write a poem about how courage，determination，and strength have helped you face challenges in your life．
Prizes
3 Grand Prizes：Trip to Washington，D．C．for each of three winners，a parent and one other person of the winner's choice．Trip includes round﹣trip air tickets，hotel stay for two nights，and tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the office of National Geographic World．
6 First Prizes：The book Sky Pioneer：A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart signed by author Corinne Szabo and pilot Linda Finch．
50 Honorable Mentions：Judges will choose up to 50 honorable mention winners，who will each receive a T﹣shirt in memory of Earhart's final flight．
Rules
Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification．
■ Write a poem using 100 words or fewer．Your poem can be any format，any number of lines．
■ Write by hand or type on a single sheet of paper．You may use both the front and back of the paper．
■ On the same sheet of paper，write or type your name，address，telephone number，and birth date．
■ Mail your entry to us by October 31 this year．
（1）How many people can each grand prize winner take on the free trip？
| A． |
Two． |
| B． |
Three． |
| C． |
Four． |
| D． |
Six． |
（2）What will each of the honorable mention winners get？
| A． |
A plane ticket． |
| B． |
A book by Corinne Szabo． |
| C． |
A special T﹣shirt． |
| D． |
A photo of Amelia Earhart． |
（3）Which of the following will result in disqualification？
| A． |
Typing your poem out． |
| B． |
Writing a poem of 120 words． |
| C． |
Using both sides of the paper． |
| D． |
Mailing your entry on October 30． |
We are the products of evolution，and not just evolution that occurred billions of years ago．As scientists look deeper into our genes（基因），they are finding examples of human evolution in just the past few thousand years． People in Ethiopian highlands have adapted to living at high altitudes． Cattle﹣raising people in East Africa and northern Europe have gained a mutation （突变）that helps them digest milk as adults．
On Thursday in an article published in Cell，a team of researchers reported a new kind of adaptation ﹣ not to air or to food，but to the ocean．A group of sea﹣dwelling people in Southeast Asia have evolved into better divers．The Bajau，as these people are known，number in the hundreds of thousands in Indonesia，Malaysia and the Philippines．They have traditionally lived on houseboats；in recent times，they've also built houses on stilts（支柱）in coastal waters．"They are simply a stranger to the land，" said Rodney C．Jubilado，a University of Hawaii researcher who studies the Bajau．
Dr．Jubilado first met the Bajau while growing up on Samal Island in the Philippines．They made a living as divers，spearfishing or harvesting shellfish． "We were so amazed that they could stay underwater much longer than us local islanders，" Dr．Jubilado said．"I could see them actually walking under the sea．"
In 2015，Melissa Ilardo，then a graduate student in genetics at the University of Copenhagen，heard about the Bajau．She wondered if centuries of diving could have led to the evolution of physical characteristics that made the task easier for them．"It seemed like the perfect chance for natural selection to act on a population，" said Dr．Ilardo．She also said there were likely a number of other genes that help the Bajau dive．
（1）What does the author want to tell us by the examples in paragraph 1？
| A． |
Environmental adaptation of cattle raisers． |
| B． |
New knowledge of human evolution． |
| C． |
Recent findings of human origin． |
| D． |
Significance of food selection． |
（2）Where do the Bajau build their houses？
| A． |
In valleys． |
| B． |
Near rivers． |
| C． |
On the beach． |
| D． |
Off the coast． |
（3）Why was the young Jubilado astonished at the Bajau？
| A． |
They could walk on stilts all day． |
| B． |
They had a superb way of fishing． |
| C． |
They could stay long underwater． |
| D． |
They lived on both land and water． |
（4）What can be a suitable title for the text？
| A． |
Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea |
| B． |
Highlanders' Survival Skills |
| C． |
Basic Methods of Genetic Research |
| D． |
The World's Best Divers |
With the young unable to afford to leave home and the old at risk of isolation（孤独），more families are choosing to live together．
The doorway to peace and quiet，for Nick Bright at least，leads straight to his mother﹣in﹣law：she lives on the ground floor，while he lives upstairs with his wife and their two daughters．
Four years ago they all moved into a three﹣storey Victorian house in Bristol ﹣ one of a growing number of multigenerational families in the UK living together under the same roof．They share a front door and a washing machine，but Rita Whitehead has her own kitchen，bathroom，bedroom and living room on the ground floor．
"We floated the idea to my mum of sharing a house，" says Kathryn Whitehead．Rita cuts in："We spoke more with Nick because I think it's a big thing for Nick to live with his mother﹣in﹣law．"
And what does Nick think？ "From my standpoint，it all seems to work very well．Would I recommend it？ Yes，I think I would．"
It's hard to tell exactly how many people agree with him，but research indicates that the numbers have been rising for some time．Official reports suggest that the number of households with three generations living together had risen from 325，000 in 2001 to 419，000 in 2013．
Other varieties of multigenerational family are more common．Some people live with their elderly parents；many more adult children are returning to the family home，if they ever left．It is said that about 20% of 25﹣34﹣year﹣olds live with their parents，compared with 16% in 1991．The total number of all multigenerational households in Britain is thought to be about 1.8 million．
Stories like that are more common in parts of the world，where multigenerational living is more firmly rooted．In India，particularly outside cities，young women are expected to move in with their husband's family when they get married．
（1）Who mainly uses the ground floor in the Victorian house in Bristol？
| A． |
Nick． |
| B． |
Rita． |
| C． |
Kathryn． |
| D． |
The daughters． |
（2）What is Nick's attitude towards sharing the house with his mother﹣in﹣law？
| A． |
Positive． |
| B． |
Carefree． |
| C． |
Tolerant． |
| D． |
Unwilling． |
（3）What is the author's statement about multigenerational family based on？
| A． |
Family traditions． |
| B． |
Financial reports． |
| C． |
Published statistics． |
| D． |
Public opinions． |
（4）What is the text mainly about？
| A． |
Lifestyles in different countries． |
| B． |
Conflicts between generations． |
| C． |
A housing problem in Britain． |
| D． |
A rising trend of living in the UK． |
When "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was first shown to the public last month，a group of excited animal activists gathered on Hollywood Boulevard．But they weren't there to throw red paint on fur﹣coat﹣wearing film stars．Instead，one activist，dressed in a full﹣body monkey suit，had arrived with a sign praising the filmmakers："Thanks for not using real apes（猿）!"
The creative team behind "Apes" used motion﹣capture（动作捕捉）technology to create digitalized animals，spending tens of millions of dollars on technology that records an actor's performance and later processes it with computer graphics to create a final image（图象）．In this case，one of a realistic﹣looking ape．
Yet "Apes" is more exception than the rule．In fact，Hollywood has been hot on live animals lately．One nonprofit organization，which monitors the treatment of animals in filmed entertainment， is keeping tabs onmore than 2，000 productions this year．Already，a number of films，including "Water for Elephants，" "The Hangover Part Ⅱ" and "Zookeeper，" have drawn the anger of activists who say the creatures acting in them haven't been treated properly．
In some cases，it's not so much the treatment of the animals on set in the studio that has activists worried；it's the off﹣set training and living conditions that are raising concerns．And there are questions about the films made outside the States，which sometimes are not monitored as closely as productions filmed in the States．
（1）Why did the animal activists gather on Hollywood Boulevard？
| A． |
To see famous film stars． |
| B． |
To oppose wearing fur coats． |
| C． |
To raise money for animal protection． |
| D． |
To express thanks to some filmmakers． |
（2）What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about？
| A． |
The cost of making "Apes．" |
| B． |
The creation of digitalized apes． |
| C． |
The publicity about "Apes．" |
| D． |
The performance of real apes． |
（3）What does the underlined phrase "keeping tabs on" in paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A． |
Listing completely． |
| B． |
Directing professionally． |
| C． |
Promoting successfully． |
| D． |
Watching carefully． |
（4）What can we infer from the last paragraph about animal actors？
| A． |
They may be badly treated． |
| B． |
They should take further training． |
| C． |
They could be traded illegally． |
| D． |
They would lose popularity． |
Journey Back in Time with Scholars
Classical Provence（13 days）
Journey through the beautiful countryside of Provence，France，with Prof．Ori Z．Soltes．We will visit some of the best﹣preserved Roman monuments in the world．Our tour also includes a chance to walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh and Gauguin．Fields of flowers，tile﹣roofed（瓦屋顶）villages and tasty meals enrich this wonderful experience．
Southern Spain（15 days）
Spain has lovely white towns and the scent（芳香）of oranges，but it is also a treasury of ancient remains including the cities left by the Greeks，Romans and Arabs．As we travel south from Madrid with Prof．Ronald Messier to historic Toledo，Roman Merida and into Andalucia，we explore historical monuments and architecture．
China's Sacred Landscapes（21 days）
Discover the China of "past ages，" its walled cities，temples and mountain scenery with Prof．Robert Thorp．Highlights（精彩之处）include China's most sacred peaks at Mount Tai and Hangzhou's rolling hills，waterways and peaceful temples．We will wander in traditional small towns and end our tour with an exceptional museum in Shanghai．
Tunisia（17 days）
Join Prof．Pedar Foss on our in﹣depth Tunisian tour．Tour highlights include the Roman city of Dougga，the underground Numidian capital at Bulla Regia，Roman Sbeitla and the remote areas around Tataouine and Matmata，unique for underground cities．Our journey takes us to picturesque Berber villages and lovely beaches．
（1）What can visitors see in both Classical Provence and Southern Spain？
| A． |
Historical monuments． |
| B． |
Fields of flowers． |
| C． |
Van Gogh's paintings． |
| D． |
Greek buildings． |
（2）Which country is Prof．Thorp most knowledgeable about？
| A． |
France． |
| B． |
Spain． |
| C． |
China． |
| D． |
Tunisia． |
（3）Which of the following highlights the Tunisian tour？
| A． |
White towns． |
| B． |
Underground cities． |
| C． |
Tile﹣roofed villages． |
| D． |
Rolling hills． |