四级真题2021年6月第三套 Passage Two
四级真题2021年6月第三套 Passage Two


①　Can you remember what you ate yesterday? If asked, most people will be able to give a vague description of their main meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. But can you be sure you’ve noted every snack bar in your car, or every handful of nuts at your desk? Most people will have a feeling that they’ve missed something out.

②　We originally had this suspicion back in 2016, puzzled by the fact that national statistics showed calorie consumption falling dramatically over past decades. We found reliable evidence that people were drastically under-reporting what they ate.
③　Now the Office for National Statistics has confirmed that we are consuming 50% more calories than our national statistics claim.
④　Why is this happening? We can point to at least three potential causes. One is the rise in obesity levels itself. Under-reporting rates are much higher for obese people, because they simply consume more food, and thus have more to remember.
⑤　Another cause is that the proportion of people who are trying to lose weight has been increasing over time. People who want to lose weight are more likely to under-report their eating—regardless of whether they are overweight or not. This may be driven partly by self-deception or “wishful thinking”.
⑥　The final potential cause is an increase in snacking and eating out over recent decades —both in terms of how often they happen and how much they contribute to our overall energy intake. Again, there is evidence that food consumed out of the home is one of the most poorly recorded categories in surveys.
⑦　So, what’s the message conveyed? For statistics, we should invest in more accurate measurement options. For policy, we need to focus on options that make it easy for people to eat fewer calories. If people do not know how much they are eating, it can be really hard for them to stick to a diet. Also, we should be looking for new ways to ensure what people eat wouldn’t have much impact on their waistlines. If this works, it won’t matter if they can’t remember what they ate yesterday.

1.1. What did the author suspect back in 2016?

A Calorie consumption had fallen drastically over the decades.

B Most people surveyed were reluctant to reveal what they ate.

C The national statistics did not reflect the actual calorie consumption.

D Most people did not include snacks when reporting their calorie intake.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。由题干中的 suspect和 back in 2016 定位到第二段。定位段指出,早在2016 年他们就有了这种怀疑,因为国家统计数据显示,在过去几十年,卡路里消耗量大幅下降,这让他们感到困惑。有可靠的证据证明人们严重地漏报了他们吃的东西。由此可见,有证据显示人们漏报了自已摄入的食物,因此作者怀疑国家统计局数据的真实性,故答案为 C。

2.2. What has the Office for National Statistics verified?

A People’s calorie intake was far from accurately reported.

B The missing out of main meals leads to the habit of snacking.

C The nation’s obesity level has much to do with calorie intake.

D Calorie consumption is linked to the amount of snacks one eats.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。由题干中的the Office for NationalStatistics 和 verified 定位到第三段。定位段提到,现在国家统计局已经证实,我们消耗的卡路里比国家统计数据声称的多50%。由此可知,国家统计局所报道的数据,与人们消耗卡路里的真实数据有很大的出人,故答案为 A。

3.3. What do we learn about obese people from the passage?

A They usually keep their eating habits a secret.

B They overlook the potential causes of obesity.

C They cannot help eating more than they should.

D They have difficulty recalling what they have eaten.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。由题干中的 obese people 定位到第四段最后一句。定位句指出,肥胖者的漏报率要高得多,因为他们的确吃了更多的食物,因此需要记住更多的信息。由此可见，肥胖者因为自己摄入的食物过多,因此无法事无巨细地将自己所吃的食物完全记住,故答案为 D。

4.4. What often goes unnoticed in surveys on food consumption?

A The growing trend of eating out.

B The potential causes of snacking.

C People’s home energy consumption.

D People’s changing diet over the years.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。由题干中的 unnoticed in surveys on food consumption 和题文同序原则定位到第六段。第六段提到,最后一个潜在的原因是,近几十年来,吃零食和外出吃饭的人越来越多,有证据表明,在调查中,外出吃掉的食物是记录最少的类别之一。由此可见,外出就餐通常被人们忽略,故答案为 A。

5.5. What does the author suggest policymakers do about obesity?

A Remind people to cut down on snacking.

B Make sure people eat non-fattening food.

C Ensure people don’t miss their main meals.

D See that people don’t stick to the same diet.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。由题干中的policymakers do about obesity 定位到最后一段第三至五句。定位句指出,在政策方面,我们需要关注那些让人们容易摄入更少卡路里的选择。如果人们不知道自己吃了多少,那他们就真的很难坚持节食了。此外,我们应该寻找新的方法来确保人们的饮食不会对他们的腰围产生太大影响。由此可见,作者认为,政策制定者应该引导人们多吃一些卡路里较少的食物,使之尽量减少对体重的影响,故答案为 B。