考研英语阅读:快餐无罪
快餐无辜
A study by academics from the University of California and Northwestern University claimed that "the causal link between the consumption of restaurant foods and obesity is minimal at best."
加利福尼亚大学和西北大学的一项研究发现"快餐食物和肥胖之间并没有必然联系"。
It argued that a tax on high-calorie food, as proposed by many health campaigners in the US and Britain, may therefore not be an effective way for governments to tackle the problem.
在英国和美国，众多的健康人士建议对高卡路里食物征税，但是这项研究却表明这样做也许并不是政府解决肥胖问题的有效途径。
The study analyzed data compiled by the US Department of Agriculture on calorie intake around the country. It found that people living closer to restaurants were not significantly more likely to be obese than people living further away, indicating that easy access to restaurants had little effect.
该研究分析了由美国农业局统计的关于美国各个地区人们卡路里摄入量的数据。结果发现住在餐馆附近的人并不比远地方的人更加肥胖，这就意味着离快餐店近并不是造成肥胖的直接原因。
It also showed that while restaurant meals typically held more calories than home-produced food, many customers often offset this by eating less throughout the rest of the day.
该研究同时还表明虽然快餐食物通常含有比家里自制的食物更高的卡路里，但是人们在吃完快餐食物之后往往会减少一天食物的摄入量，这样副作用就抵消了。
Obese people who ate at restaurants, the study indicated,"also eat more when they eat at home."
研究表明，在餐馆吃饭的肥胖人士在自己家里的时候往往也会吃得很多。
The US government estimates that about one in three Americans, or 100 million in total, are obese. Last month it was predicted that 75 percent of Americans would be overweight in 2020.
美国政府估计每一百个美国人中间就有一个肥胖者。上个月的一项调查预估到2020 年75%的美国人都会超重。
The problem is thought to cost Americans between $150 billion and $170 billion in annual medical costs.
肥胖问题每年都会花费美国政府1500 亿到1700 亿美元的医疗费用。
The study’s authors, Michael Anderson and David Matsa, wrote: "While taxing restaurant meals might cause bese consumers to change where they eat, our results suggest that a tax would be unlikely to affect their underlying tendency to overeat."
该研究的作者，迈克尔·安德逊和大卫·麦莎写到，"尽管向高卡路里食物征税可能改变人们的就餐地点，但是却不能改变他们潜在的过度饮食的习惯。"
