預計到 2050 年，全世界超過一半的成年人以及三分之一的兒童、青少年及年輕成年人將超重或肥胖。這一結論出自一項對全球數據的新研究，這項發表在英國知名醫學雜志《柳葉刀》上的研究覆蓋瞭來自全球超過 200 個國傢的數據。
What’s described as one of the most comprehensive global studies of the rise in unhealthy weights, published in the journal The Lancet, makes for grim reading.
這項研究被稱為針對非健康體重人數上升趨勢的最全面的研究之一，這項被發表在《柳葉刀》雜志上的研究讀起來令人頗為悲觀。
The proportion of people who are overweight or obese has more than doubled in the past 30 years, but it’s predicted that by 2050, this will include well over half of all adults and a third of children and adolescents.
超重或肥胖的人口比例在過去的三十年中增加瞭一倍多，不過預測稱到 2050 年，超過一半的成年人和三分之一的兒童和青少年都將步入超重或肥胖的行列。
Obesity rates are surging right now. By the end of the decade, more people are forecast to be classed as obese than overweight. The picture is wildly uneven across the globe, with some of the biggest increases seen in lower- and middle-income countries.
肥胖率正在激增。到 2020 年代末，預計將有更多的人被劃分為肥胖而非超重。全球各地的肥胖率變化情況大不相同，最大的肥胖率增幅將出現在低收入和中等收入國傢。
But the study doesn’t take into account the impact that new weight loss medications might have. And experts say if governments take urgent action now, there’s still time to prevent what they describe as “a profound tragedy”.
不過，這一研究並未把新減肥藥可能產生的影響考慮在內。專傢表示，如果各國政府現在采取緊急措施，那麼依然來得及防止 “一場重大悲劇” 的發生。
詞匯表
comprehensive 全面的，綜合性的
grim 令人沮喪的，悲觀的
surging 激增
forecast 預測
wildly 極其地，非常地
take into account 考慮到，顧及
聽力練習
一、聽第一遍音頻，回答問題。
1. Which sentence best describes the report’s message?
a. The report is generally positive.
b. The report is entirely negative.
c. The report is mostly negative with a hopeful final message.
二、用一分鐘閱讀下列問題，然後聽第二遍音頻並回答問題。
1. The proportion of overweight and obese people has increased.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
2. A _______ of children and adolescents will be overweight or obese by 2050.
3. Obesity rates are similar across the globe.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
4. What has the study not considered regarding obesity trends?
a. the impact of people’s incomes
b. the impact of government action
c. the impact of new weight loss medications
三、聽第三遍音頻，將句子補充完整。（提示：可以反復聽，直到聽清楚每一個詞）
1. It’s predicted that by 2050, this will include ________________ half of all adults and a third of children and adolescents.
2. By the end of the decade, more people ________________ forecast to be classed as obese than overweight.
答案
一、聽第一遍音頻，回答問題。
1. c. The study’s findings are mostly negative, but the report ends by mentioning the potential impact of new weight loss drugs, and that there is still time to prevent “a profound tragedy”.
二、用一分鐘閱讀下列問題，然後聽第二遍音頻並回答問題。
1. a. True. The proportion of people who are overweight or obese has more than doubled in the past 30 years.
2. A third of children and adolescents will be overweight or obese by 2050.
3. b. False. The picture is wildly uneven across the globe.
4. c. The study doesn’t take into account the impact that new weight loss medications might have.
三、聽第三遍音頻，將句子補充完整。（提示：可以反復聽，直到聽清楚每一個詞）
1. It’s predicted that by 2050, this will include well over half of all adults and a third of children and adolescents.
2. By the end of the decade, more people are forecast to be classed as obese than overweight.
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