Question

“Clean your plate!” and “Be a member of the clean-plate club!” Just about every kid in the US heard this from a parent or grandparent. Often, it’s accompanied by an appeal(呼吁): “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 “cleaning the plate’, perhaps we should save some food for tomorrow.

According to news reports, US restaurants are partly to blame for the growing bellies(胃口,食欲). 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(一分,份额) sizes began (or grew) in the 1970s, the same time that the American waistline(腰围) 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 magazine QSR reported last month that 57 percent of more than 4,000 people surveyed believe 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. Seventy 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 healthily. 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, happy to save a little money for next year’s Christmas presents.”

1.Parents in the United States tend to ask their children _______.

A. not to save food

B. to wash the dishes

C. not to eat too much

D. not to waste food

2.Why do American restaurants serve large portions?

A. Because Americans associate quantity with value.

B. Because Americans have big bellies.

C. Because Americans are good eaters.

D. Because Americans are greedy.

3.Which of the following is NOT true of working-class Americans?

A. They work long hours.

B. They live from paycheck to paycheck.

C. They don’t want to be healthy eaters.

D. They want to save money for their children.

4.What happened in the 1970s?

A. The US government recommended the amount of food a restaurant gave to a customer.

B. Health experts persuaded restaurants to serve smaller portions.

C. The United Stated produced more grain than needed.

D. The American waistline started to expand.

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.A

3.C

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文是一篇议论文。美国人在传统 上把东西值不值是跟数量联系在一起, 20世纪70年代饭馆给的饭菜的量开始增加，与此同 时,美国人的腰围也开始增大。美国工人也想做 吃得健康的人。

1.1】D推理判断题。根据第一段“Clean your plate!” and “Be a member of the clean-plate club!” Just about every kid in the US heard this from a parent or grandparent. 句意是：“吃光你盘子里的东西，成为清盘子俱乐部的成员”大约每个美国的孩子都听到过父母或爷爷奶奶说这样的话。Sure, we should be grateful for every bite of food.句意是：当然，我们应该感激每一口食物。从而得知，美国的父母倾向孩子不要浪费食物。故选D

2.2】A细节理解题。本题问的是：美国饭馆为什么饭菜给得多?第二段相关的话是这么说的：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.美国人在传统上把东西值不值是跟数量联系在一起,因此大多数的饭馆给的量大。这些饭馆乐于让顾客 们抱怨饭菜给得太多而不乐于让他们抱怨饭菜给得太少。所以A是正确的答案。

3.3】C细节理解题。本题问的是:下面的哪一种说法不符合美国工人的实际情况?根据最后一段最后一句It’s not that working-class Americans don’t want to eat healthily.这不是工人阶级的美国人不想吃得健康。得知C 项错误They don’t want to be healthy eaters.他们不想成为健康的吃者。所以选C

4.4】D细节理解题。本题问的是:20世纪70年代发生了什么?文章第三段是这样说的：Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University, told USA Today that restaurant portion(一分,份额) sizes began (or grew) in the 1970s, the same time that the American waistline(腰围) began to expand.一位宾州大学营养 教授,Barbara Rolls，告诉《今日美国》20世纪70年代饭馆给的饭菜的量开始增加，与此同 时,美国人的腰围也开始增大。所以D是对的。

考点：考查日常生活类阅读。