Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Can you remember what you ate yesterday? If asked, most people will be able to give a vague description of their main meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. But can you be sure you've noted every snack bar in your car, or every handful of nuts at your desk? Most people will have a feeling that they've missed something out.
We originally had this suspicion back in 2016, puzzled by the fact that national statistics showed calorie consumption falling dramatically over past decades. We found reliable evidence that people were drastically under-reporting what they ate.
Now the office for National Statistics has confirmed that we are consuming 50% more calories than our national statistics claim. Why is this happening? We can point to at least three potential causes. One is the rise_ in obesity levels itself. Under-reporting rates are much higher for obese people, because they simply consume more food, and thus have more to remember.
Another cause is that the proportion of people who are trying to lose weight has been increasing over time. People who want to lose weight are more 1ilcely to under-report their eating—regardless of whether they are overweight or not. This may be driven partly by self-deception or "wishful thinking".
The final potential cause is an increase in snacking and eating out over recent decades—both in terms of how often they happen and how much they contribute to our overall energy intake. Again, there is evidence that food consumed out of the home is one of the most poorly recorded categories in surveys.
So, what's the message conveyedd? For statistics, we should invest in more accurate measurement options. For policy, we need to focus on options that make it easy for people to eat fewer calories. If people do not know how much they are eating, it can be really hard for them to stick to a diet. Also, we should be looking for new ways to ensure what people eat wouldn't have much impact on their waistlines. If this works, it won't matter if they can't remember what they ate yesterday.
51. What did the author suspect back in 2016?
A) Calorie consumption had fallen drastically over the decades.
B) Most people surveyed were reluctant to reveal what they ate.
C) The national statistics did not reflect theactual calorie consumption.
D) Most people did not include snacks when reporting their calorie intake.
52. What has the Office for National Statistics verified?
A) People's calorie intake was far from accurately reported
B) The missing out of main meals leads to the habit of snacking.
C) The nation's obesity level has much to do with calorie intake.
D) Calorie consumption is linked to the amount of snacks one eats.
53. What do we learn about obese people from the passage?
A) They usually keep their eating habits a secret.
B) They overlook the potential causes of obesity.
C) They cannot help eating more than they should.
D) They have difficulty recalling what they have eaten.
54. What often goes unnoticed in surveys on food consumption?
A) The growing trend of eating out.
B) The potential causes of snacking.
C) People's home energy consumption.
D) People's changing diet over the years.
55. What does the author suggest policymakers do about obesity?
A) remind people to cut down on snacking
B) Make sure people eat non-fattening food.
C) Ensure people don't miss their main meals.
D) See that people don't stick to the same diet.
答案解析：
51. 根据“We originally had this suspicion back in 2016, puzzled by the fact that national statistics showed calorie consumption falling dramatically over past decades. We found reliable evidence that people were drastically under-reporting what they ate.”可知作者在2016年怀疑国家统计数据没有反映实际的卡路里消耗量，所以选C。
52. 根据“Now the Office for National Statistics has confirmed that we are consuming 50% more calories than our national statistics claim.”可知国家统计局已经证实人们的卡路里摄入量远未得到准确报告，所以选A。
3. 根据“Under-reporting rates are much higher for obese people, because they simply consume more food, and thus have more to remember.”可知肥胖的人很难回忆起自己吃了什么，所以选D。
54. 根据“Again, there is evidence that food consumed out of the home is one of the most poorly recorded categories in surveys.”可知在关于食物消费的调查中，外出就餐的增长趋势常常被忽视，所以选A。
55. 根据“Also, we should be looking for new ways to ensure what people eat wouldn't have much impact on their waistlines.”可知作者建议政策制定者确保人们吃的是不会使人发胖的食物，所以选B。
