You are what you eat and fats are a main food for Asia’s fast-food generation．Dr Chwang, director of the Department of Food Nutrition, says children are consuming more meat and soft drinks．This is a thorough departure from the traditional diet of vegetables and rice and little meat．“They like big pieces of fried meat with a soft drink．So also they may eat the same volume of food, their calorie intake(卡路里摄入量)has increased．Now about 40 to 45 percent of their calories come from fat,”says Chwang．

　　Although the whole Asians tend towards thinness, culture－namely Asians’ hospitality(好客)－is the reason for the fatness of today’s generation, according to Chwang．“Asian people love food,”She says．“Eating and drinking are important social and family functions．”In the past, however, big meals were only hosted on special occasions as people were more careful with money．In today’s climate of wealth and remarkable consumption, 10 course meals are no longer reserved for significant occasions．

　　More than anyone else, children are on the receiving end of their parents’ improved circumstances．“In the past, people had four or more children－now, they have one or two, so they tend to spoil them,”says Chwang．“The easiest way is to give them quality food．”Parents think feeding them well is showing their love．They feel bad when their children look thin．

　　When describing the physical condition of most overweight Asian children, Chwang says,“There is a clear relationship between fatness and indoor play．Children get fat because they don’t move, and eventually, they don’t want to move because they are fat．”

　　Thanks to technology, a growing army of children prefer video games to old outdoor sports．“What do children do when watching TV or sitting in front of the computer playing video games?They eat chocolate and drink Coke, ” says Chwang．

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阅读理解

　　Albert Einstein was a genius in science, but he did not care about everyday things．For instance, he often wore a suit without a tie, and he even went to class in slippers．So there are a lot of anecdotes about him．The following story is one of them．

　　One day, Einstein went to the kitchen to help his wife with cooking．He was irritated to tears when peeling onions．His wife told him that it would be far more comfortable to peel onions in water．

　　A moment later, his wife notice that Einstein disappeared．After failing to find him in sitting room, study or bedroom, she was so anxious that she rushed out to the yard and shouted, “Albert, Albert!”

　　Just then, Einstein emerged from the swimming pool and said, “You told me, it’s more comfortable to peel onions in water; I carried out the experiment, only to find I couldn’t even open my eyes, or even breathe．You fooled me…”

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阅读理解

　　Mr．Schwartz was the oldest of 7 children, so he had to quit school and work to help support his younger brothers and sisters．He never learned to read, so when he married and started a checking account(活期存款账户)，he signed his checks simply “XX”．

　　Eventually he started his own business, which immediately prospered(兴隆)．

　　He soon was a very rich man．One day, he got a call from his bank．“Mr．Schwartz, ” said the banker, “I need to ask you about this check．We weren’t sure you had really signed it．All these years you’ve been signing your checks‘XX’, but we just got one that was signed with three ‘XXX’s…”Mr．Schwartz answered, “No problem, my friend．It’s just that since I’ve become so wealthy, my wife thought I ought to have a middle name．”

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　　A farm is always a very busy place．One of the busiest things is when the farmer is getting the land ready to grow plants．

　　If the farmer is going to grow wheat, he has to turn the ground over first．The farmer drives up and down the paddock on a tractor．

　　When the ground is ready, the farmer sows the seeds．He does this with a machine that the tractor pulls along．Now, one man and a machine can do as much a day as twenty men used to do without a machine．

　　After the wheat has been sown, the farmer keeps a lookout for rain．Wheat needs a rain and warm sunny days to make it grow．When the wheat has grown, it turns to a lovely golden colour．

　　When the wheat is fully grown, you can see the seeds on the wheat plants．These have to be cut off and put in bags or big trucks to be taken to a factory where they are made into flour．

　　It’s a very busy time on farm when the wheat is being cut．Everyone helps so that all the wheat can be taken from the paddocks before the rain comes．

　　If heavy rain falls, the farmer must wait for the ground to dry out before the machine can cut the wheat．

　　Farmers always have a lot to do through the year．

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阅读理解

　　For Zhang Guokun, the decision to spend one year of his life teaching secondary school children in one of China’s least developed areas was an easy choice．

　　He is one of the four students at the University of International Business and Economics(UIBE)who have been chosen to take part in a national educational aid programme．Only one in 10 UIBE applicants(申请人)can have the chance．

　　Started by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League in 1999, the programme sends more than 100 college graduates each summer to poor counties in western provinces such as Qinghai, Gansu and Ningxia．There they teach in secondary schools for one year．

　　Zhang said he is curious to know what people’s lives are like in underdeveloped places．“I love teaching and I would be glad to do something for the children there, ” Zhang Yuan, a Beijing University graduate who returned in August from a year’s teaching in Datong County, Qinghai Province, said the experience has been precious to her．An English major, Zhang, taught English to two senior high school classes．By the end of the school year, the average grades of their students had increased from less than 25 to 46．5, and they ranked No．2 in the whole county．Some of her students who are now in college write to her regularly．

　　To encourage volunteers, college graduates who spend a year in the educational aid programme are allowed entrance to graduate studies free from the entrance exam．

　　Another benefit is working experience in the underdeveloped west, a meaning consideration when government offices encourage their employees．

　　“I took the benefits into account, but helping poor children is a reward enough for me, ” said Zhang Yuan．About 30 percent of the 130 students accepted this year already had gained entrance to graduate schools before they applied for the programme．

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Read Culture Corner and choose the best answers．

(阅读Culture Corner并选择最佳答案。)

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