肥胖是現代化的產物，藥物能否解決根源？

蔣子慧

Paul Ford， a technology journalist， wrote last year about how a drug that regulated satiety （滿足）had changed him. “I have been the living embodiment（具象化） of the deadly sin of gluttony（暴食）， judged as greedy and weak since I was 10 years old – and now the sin is washed away.” The drug， Mounjaro， offered a rebirth without a new ethical outlook.

This might be attractive to those making new year resolutions that promise improvements in their lives. Weight-loss drugs reveal that obesity is not a deep-seated aspect of character but something more contingent. Obesity is made by modernity， that is lack of exercise and faster life style， not just poor choices. Some are due to genetic factors， but this is not the main reason.

Carrying too much weight causes a host of health problems. The novel treatments raise questions about the type of society we want.

The drugs are also not cheap. Healthcare analyst Airfinity says it would cost $1.1m to prevent “one heart attack， stroke， or cardiovascular death” using the weight-loss treatment Wegovy.

More than 70 other obesity treatments are in development， suggesting that costs may drop. Perhaps thats why the UK governments anti-obesity measures keep being put off. The trouble is the limited supply.

Society privileges unreasonable definitions of attractiveness. Celebrities， billionaires and even world leaders prize thinness. Its a recipe for anxiety. Losing weight is healthy， but not if the message reinforces body-image insecurities. Better relationships with our bodies are desperately needed.

The new treatments work by mimicking（模仿） naturally occurring hormones to lower blood sugar， reduce cravings， and produce a faster sense of fullness. They might also be transformative in treating many other conditions. But the path from opportunity to cure is a long one. The drugs side-effects include nausea（惡心，反胃）and vomiting（嘔吐）. Then theres the risk of regaining weight once off the treatments. Some patients compare the drugs to an opiate（麻醉劑） addiction.

About 10% of the world starves， while a similar fraction of humanity is obese. New advances in science mean things will shift. Humanity should ensure that the changes wrought by technology produce gains for a far greater number than is the case today.

（材料來自The Guardian，有刪改）

1. What causes people to become excessively obese in modern society， according to the article？

A. Poor choices of food and lifestyle.

B. The increasingly fast pace of life and peoples lack of exercise.

C. The greedy for food and binge eating.

D. Most cases of obesity are caused by genetic factors.

2. Why has the UK governments anti- obesity measures been delayed？

A. Because the UK government deliberately delayed anti-obesity measures.

B. Because the cost of making weight loss drugs is getting lower and lower.

C. Because there are over 70 weight loss drugs under development.

D. Because the governments supply and funding chain is sufficient.

3.? How does the new treatment affect peoples body？

A. Make people drowsy by using anesthetics.

B. Reduce appetite by lowering blood sugar.

C. Weight loss through the use of emetic therapy.

D. Stimulation by increasing or decreasing hormones.

4.Which column of a newspaper is the text probably taken from？

A. Health. B. Culture. C. Economy. D. Education.

1. B。解析：細節理解題。材料第二段第三、第四句提到“肥胖是由現代性造成的，即缺乏鍛煉和更快的生活方式，而不僅僅是糟糕的選擇。有些是由于遺傳因素，但這不是主要原因”，由此可知，B選項“較快的生活節奏和缺乏鍛煉”是正確的，故選B。

2. C。解析：推理判斷題。材料第五段提到“70多種其他肥胖治療方法正在開發中，這表明成本可能會下降。也許這就是為什么英國政府的反肥胖措施一直被推遲的原因。問題是供應有限。”由此可知C選項與題干相符，故選C。

3. B。解析：細節理解題。材料倒數第二段第一、第二句提到“新的治療方法通過模仿天然存在的荷爾蒙可以降低血糖，減少食欲，并產生更快的飽腹感。它們在治療許多其他疾病方面也可能具有變革性”，由此可知B選項與題干相符，故選B。

4. A。解析：主旨大意題。文章大部分內容是講述藥物能否對肥胖進行根源上的解決，由此可知這篇文章的題材屬于健康生活類。故選A。