There have been rumors. There’s been gossip. All Hollywood is shocked to learn that Calista Flockhart, star of Fox’s hit TV show Ally McBeal, is so thin. And we in the media are falling all over ourselves trying to figure out whether Flockhart has an eating disorder, especially now that she has denied it. Well, I’m not playing the game. If the entertainment industry really cared about sending the wrong message on body image, it wouldn’t need so many slender celebrities in the first place.

  But the fact remains that 2 million Americans—most of them women and girls—do suffer from eating disorders. In the most extreme cases they literally starve themselves to death. And those who survive are at greater risk of developing brittle bones, life-threatening infections, kidney damage and heart problems. Fortunately, doctors have learned a lot over the past decade about what causes eating disorders and how to treat them.

  The numbers are shocking. Approximately 1 in 150 teenage girls in the U. S. falls victim to anorexia nervosa, broadly defined as the refusal to eat enough to maintain even a minimal body weight. Not so clear is how many more suffer from bulimia, in which they binge on food, eating perhaps two or three days’ worth of meals in 30 minutes, then remove the excess by taking medicine to move the bowels or inducing vomiting. Nor does age necessarily protect you. Anorexia has been diagnosed in girls as young as eight. Most deaths from the condition occur in women over 45.

 Doctors used to think eating disorders were purely psychological. Now they realize there’s some problematic biology as well. In a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry recently, researchers found abnormal levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain, in women who had been free of bulimia for at least a year. That may help explain why drugs have allowed a lot of people to stop swallowing in large doses of food. Unfortunately, the pills don’t work as well for denial of food. Nor do they offer a simple one-stop cure. Health-care workers must re-educate their patients in how to eat and think about food.

 How can you tell if someone you love has an eating disorder? “Bulimics will often leave evidence around as if they want to get caught.” Says Tamara Pryor, director of an eating-disorders clinic at the University of Kansas in Wichita. Anorexics, by contrast, are more likely to go through long periods of denial.

1. We can infer from the first paragraph that _____.

［A］ the media has mislead the public’s view of celebrities

［B］ there is much misunderstanding about eating disorders

［C］ body image concerns are an indication of eating disorders

［D］ the entertainment industry is combating eating disorders

2. The victims of eating disorders, more often than not, will _____.

［A］ starve themselves to death

［B］ suffer greatly from the complications

［C］ puzzle doctors in the years to come

［D］ recover completely with no aftereffects

3. The word “binge” (Line 3, Paragraph 3) most probably means _____.

［A］ eat excessively    ［B］ refuse to eat

［C］ fail to digest ［D］ enjoy a good appetite

4. Bulimia is found to be _____.

［A］ related to the level, of serotonin

［B］ psychological rather than biological

［C］ identical with anorexia nervosa in the cure

［D］ a leading cause of death among middle-aged women

5. The way to find a person with eating disorders _____.

［A］ focuses on hidden symptoms

［B］ varies with type of the condition

［C］ is oriented at the victim’s response

［D］ remains perplexing despite efforts made

答案

1.C   2.B   3.A   4.A   5.B

总体分析

本文主要介绍了两种饮食性疾患。

第一段：以一位明星的事例引出全文讨论的话题——饮食性疾患。

第二段至五段：介绍两种饮食性疾患（厌食症和暴食症）的危害、表现、治疗及判断方法。

试题精解

1.从第一段我们可以推知_______。

［A］ 媒体误导了公众对名人的看法

［B］ 有很多关于饮食性疾患的误解

［C］ 对身体形象的关注是饮食性疾患的标志

［D］ 娱乐业正在对抗饮食性疾患

［精解］ 本题考查推理引申。第一段举了一位明星的例子，指出由于她过分消瘦，引起公众怀疑她患有饮食性疾患。由此可推出公众的怀疑是因为该明星对身体形象的过分关注，［C］项正确。该段末句用虚拟语气指出，“如果娱乐业真地担心在身体形象上传达错误的信息……”。言外之意是娱乐业在一定程度上误导了人们有关身体形象的看法。排除 ［D］项，［A］项错在celebrity。［B］项无从推知，文章开始出现的rumors和gossip指的是公众对明星是否患病的猜测。

2.饮食性疾患的受害者经常会_____。

［A］ 把自己饿死  ［B］ 因并发症而备受痛苦

［C］ 在将来使医生感到迷惑  ［D］ 完全康复不留后遗症

［精解］ 本题考查事实细节。第二段主要论述了饮食性疾患的危害及治疗情况。由第三句可知，饮食性疾患的幸存者，患各种其他疾病的危险更大。［B］项正确，排除［D］项。由第二句中in the most extreme cases排除［A］项；由末句可知，医生已经掌握了大量关于饮食性疾患的信息，排除［C］项。

3.第三段第三行的单词“binge”可能的含义是_____。

［A］ 过量地吃  ［B］ 拒绝吃 ［C］ 消化不良  ［D］ 胃口很好

［精解］ 本题考查词义。该词语上文suffer from bulimia暗示它是一种疾病，下文对该词作出了进一步解释：三十分钟内吃掉两三天的饭量。因此［A］项正确。

4.暴食症被发现_____。

［A］ 和复合胺水平有关   ［B］ 是心理而非生理问题

［C］ 在治疗方法上和厌食症一样 ［D］ 是中年妇女死亡的主要原因

［精解］ 本题考查事实细节。由第四段第三句和第四句可知，研究发现复合胺有助于让许多人停止吞食大量的食物，即摆脱暴食症。因此［A］项正确。第三段首句指出，饮食性疾患（包括暴食症）也是生理问题，排除［B］项。第四段第五句指出，（治疗暴食症的）药物对于治疗厌食不起作用。排除［C］项。 ［D］项文中未涉及，第三段末句提到，厌食症造成的死亡大多发生在45岁以上的妇女身上。

5.发现饮食性疾病患者的方式_____。

［A］ 集中在不明显的症状上 ［B］ 因患病类型而不同

［C］ 是针对病人的反应的  ［D］ 尽管作出了努力还是令人困惑

［精解］ 本题考查事实细节。第五段指出，暴食症常常会留下证据，而厌食症则更可能会长期地否认。因此［B］项正确。

核心词汇与超纲词汇

(1)fall all over oneself 特别卖力，不遗余力

(2)literally（ad.）照字面意义地；真正，完全；差不多，简直

(3)fall victim（to sth.）受伤，受损，被害，如Many plants have fallen victim to the sudden frost（许多植物因突如其来的霜降冻伤了）。

(4)binge（n./v.）狂欢作乐，大吃大喝；~ on sth.，如She binges on chocalate when she’s depressed（心情不好时她就使劲吃巧克力）。

(5)bowel（n.）肠，empty/move/open the ~s（排便）；内部，the ~s of sth.内部最深处

(6)induce（v.）劝诱，促使，导致，引起

(7)vomit（n./v.）呕吐（物）

(8)problematic（a.）问题的，有疑问的

(9)denial（n.）否认，否定；拒绝

全文翻译

一直有谣言。一直有闲言碎语。得知福克斯热门电视剧《甜心俏佳人》中的明星卡莉斯塔·弗洛克哈特如此瘦弱，整个好莱坞都很震惊。而我们在媒体中尽力弄清楚弗洛克哈特是否有饮食性疾患，特别是现在她自己对此予以否认。好吧，我不是在兜圈子。如果娱乐业真地担心在身体形象上传达错误的信息，那么首先就不需要这么多身材纤细的名人。

但是事实仍然是，两百万美国人，尤其是妇女和女孩确实有饮食性疾患。在最极端的情形下，她们真地把自己饿死。而那些幸存者出现骨质疏松、威胁生命的传染病、肾损伤和心脏问题的危险更大。幸运的是，过去十年中医生就造成饮食性疾患的原因和治疗方法已经获悉了大量信息。

数字是惊人的。几乎150个青春期的女孩中就有一个成为厌食症的受害者。厌食症广义上被定义为有意节食以维持最小的体重。不清楚还有多少人患有暴食症，这些人狂吃，三十分钟内可能要吃掉两三天的饭量，然后通过吃药帮助大便通畅或者催吐的方式来去处多余的食物。年龄也不一定可以保护你。连八岁的小女孩也被诊断患有厌食症。这种疾病造成的死亡大多发生在45岁以上的妇女身上。

医生过去认为饮食性疾患只是心理上的问题，但现在他们意识到也有一些生理上的问题。最近在《普通精神病学纪要》发表的研究中，研究者在摆脱暴食症至少一年的妇女中发现非正常水平的复合胺（一种大脑中的神经传递素）。这也许有助于解释为什么药物让许多人停止吞食大量的食物。不幸的是，这些药物对于治疗厌食不起作用。而且它们也不提供简单的一次性治疗。医护工作者必须在如何饮食及如何看待食物方面重新教育他们的病人。

怎样判断你所爱的人患有饮食性疾患呢？威奇塔州堪萨斯大学饮食性疾患门诊部主任塔玛拉·派亚说，“暴食症常常会留下证据就好像他们想被抓获一样”。相反，厌食症则更可能会长期地予以否认。