Read the following text.
Choose the best word （s） for each
numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET1.
（10 points）
Obesity, or fatness, has become a global epidemic
affecting the lives and health of millions of people. Over half the adult
population are now overweight in major countries, and the obesity rate is rising
sharply for adults and children 1 during the 1990s. Of particular 2 is childhood obesity. The few studies 3 among
Australian children suggest that the obesity rate has doubled in recent years.
The 4 human and social cost is enormous. In
financial terms, the health costs of obesity and its many related diseases have
been estimated to be some $830 million a year in Australia. An 5 $500
million is spent on weight reduction programs. However, such statistics cannot 6 the
effects of obesity, be they moderate or serious, 7 the
quality of life and the impact of premature deaths 8 with obesity.
When it comes to explaining these trends, not
only media reports, but many scientific articles have simplified the causes,
often contributing them to a 9 of fast food, increasing car ownership and
a 10 lifestyle
in front of TV or computer monitors. In the media, 11 ,
obesity is typically characterized as an eating disorder or merely an
individual problem. Similarly, some scientific articles focus entirely on
over-eating and 12 of
exercise.
13 , such generalizations are often backed by
little proved data. Some studies have found that children obesity is 14 related
to the hours of television viewed, but other studies have failed to establish such
a 15
. Furthermore, these observations 16 the economic and social 17 forces 18 the
changes in diet and lifestyle, and the intense pressures caused by increasing
working hours and 19 living standards for the majority of
working people. In general, such simplistic approaches serve to 20 the
underlying social causes.
