环球英语 — 177：Health in Tonga

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Mike Procter. Welcome to Spotlight¹. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
It is a beautiful day. The ocean is a clear blue. The sand is white. The air is warm. This is the Pacific island country of Tonga. Young men stand near huge fires. They are cooking suckling pigs over the fire. Suckling pigs are young pigs with very tasty meat. And these men are cooking many of them. The men are preparing food for a week of local celebrations². This week, many people will eat much food.
Tonga is a beautiful country, but it has a health problem. Many of the people weigh too much. And it is all to do with what they eat. In today’s Spotlight we tell about the problems of being overweight and obese³.
Voice 2
Stephen Gates is a food writer. He went to Tonga to report on the health situation for the BBC⁴. He investigated⁵ the weight of people over the age of thirty [30]. He discovered that over ninety [90] percent of them are obese. Obesity⁶ means⁷ that someone weighs so much that their health is in danger. They are at risk from heart disease⁸, high blood pressure and diabetes⁹.
Voice 1
In Tonga, celebrations like the one with the cooked pigs may cause people to gain a lot of weight. But Tongans eat such food only at special times. However, the food that they eat the rest of the time is also a big problem. They usually eat imported foods. And much of the imported food they eat is not healthy. It is fatty and sugary. These foods have caused people to gain an unhealthy amount of weight - and become obese.
Voice 2
But why are the people eating imported foods? Tonga is in the southwest Pacific Ocean. All around is sea, sea, and more sea. This is home to millions of fish! But the Tongans have over-fished in their own coastal¹⁰ waters. In the past, Tongans depended on fish as the main part of their diet. Now the number of fish in the waters close to Tonga is decreasing. There are still plenty of fish further out to sea, in deeper waters. But foreign fishermen take most of these. The Tongans receive very little money from this fishing industry.
Voice 1
As Tongans catch less fish, the price of fish increases in Tonga. This is why Tongans have come to depend on imported food. But the foods they eat most are high in fat and sugar. These foods usually cost less than higher quality foods. So, fatty foods have become a part of the Tongan diet. For example many Tongans eat corned beef almost every day. They also buy large amounts of sweet, sugary foods and drinks. This new diet is causing health problems. Experts say that almost twenty [20] percent of adults in Tonga suffer from diabetes. Diabetes is a condition where the body cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood. Diabetes can lead to serious health problems such as blindness and kidney¹¹ failure.
Voice 2
Tongans are not getting enough exercise either. Modern living is not so demanding physically¹². People are not burning the fuel they eat. And scientists say that Pacific Island people have “the thrift¹³ gene¹⁴”. A person with the thrift gene stores more fat than other people. The scientists say that long ago, the ability to store fat would have helped people survive the times when food was in short supply. They say that this ability has been passed down to some people today. They say that Tongans are among the people who have it. Something in their genes¹⁵ makes it easy for them to gain weight.
Voice 1
The Royal family in Tonga is concerned about obesity in their country. King Taufa’ahau Toupou the fourth ruled Tonga for forty-one [41] years. He had a problem with his weight too. At one time he weighed over two hundred [200] kilograms¹⁶. He was so large that he had difficulty¹⁷ walking up steps. And he slept badly at night. He decided¹⁸ he needed to do something about this situation. So, he changed his diet completely¹⁹. He ate healthy foods. And he started exercising. Over time he lost more than one third of his body weight. He felt better. He could climb steps. He could sleep.
Voice 2
King Toupou also wanted his people to learn about health problems. So an official from each village in Tonga went to the capital city. Here, they learned²⁰ more about healthy living. The officials then returned to their villages to teach people the new information. There were national competitions on radio and television. People could win prizes for losing weight. The winners lost over twenty-five [25] kilogrammes each.
Voice 1
King Toupou died in 2006. But he left a good example for his people. He showed them how to improve their health through the success of his fitness²¹ programme. Today, other famous Tongans are getting involved in helping²² their countrymen too. Princess Fane has started an exercise class called Boxercise. And the Tonga Australian Football Association²³ is involved with the Ma Alahi Project. This project targets high school students. Its goal is to show them how to lead healthier lives.
Voice 2
Tonga also works²⁴ with other countries in an effort to fight this international health problem. It joined a project called OPIC - “Obesity Prevention²⁵ in Communities”. OPIC is a research agreement between four countries - Tonga, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand. One OPIC project looked at school children. It encouraged them to eat a healthy breakfast before school instead of sweet foods later in the morning. It suggested that children drink water instead of sugary drinks. And it encouraged schools to provide better food and more exercise for the children.
Voice 1
Tongans still have a long way to go to improve their health. But reports show that they have a good understanding of the changes they need to make. Projects like O P I C, OPIC, and Ma Alahi can help young people to make good decisions about the food they eat. And more and more Tongans are getting involved in fighting this problem.
Voice 2
Obesity is a problem in many countries - both rich and poor. In Britain, the BBC made a television series²⁶ “Fat Nation - the Big Challenge”. The answers to the problems are the same in Britain as in Tonga. Vegetables and fish are better than fatty foods. Fruit is better than sweets and candy. And everyone needs exercise. But education is the key. Knowing how to stay healthy is half the battle.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 celebrations   

n.庆祝( celebration的名词复数 )；庆祝会（仪式）

参考例句：

• The mayor was there to dignify the celebrations. 市长的光临为庆祝活动增辉。
• Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee celebrations 维多利亚女王登基50周年庆典

3 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

4 BBC   

abbr.（=British Broadcasting Corporation）英国广播公司

参考例句：

• She works for the BBC.她为英国广播公司工作。
• The BBC was founded in 1922.英国广播公司建于1922年。

5 investigated   

v.调查( investigate的过去式和过去分词 )；审查；侦查；研究

参考例句：

• The crime is presently being investigated by the police. 警方目前正在调查这起案件。
• He has carefully investigated the allegations. 他对这些指控作了详细调查。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

7 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

8 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

9 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

10 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

11 kidney   

n.肾，腰子，类型

参考例句：

• Several of the patients had received kidney transplant.病人中有几位已接受了肾移植手术。
• The operation to transplant a kidney is now fairly routine.肾脏移植手术如今已相当常见。

12 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

13 thrift   

adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约

参考例句：

• He has the virtues of thrift and hard work.他具备节俭和勤奋的美德。
• His thrift and industry speak well for his future.他的节俭和勤勉预示着他美好的未来。

14 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

15 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

16 kilograms   

n.千克( kilogram的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 2 kilograms of rice 2公斤大米
• Every tonne of coal contains,on average,30 kilograms of nitrogen. 每吨煤平均含30公斤氮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 difficulty   

n.困难，费劲；难事，难题；麻烦，困境

参考例句：

• If there is any difficulty,please let us know promptly.倘有困难，请迅速通知我们。
• A little difficulty like this is nothing to us.这点困难算不了什么。

18 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

19 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

20 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

21 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

22 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

23 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

24 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

25 prevention   

n.阻止，妨碍，预防

参考例句：

• They have begun to do the prevention of crime.他们已经开始防止犯罪行为。
• Prevention of forest fires is up to you.森林防火是你们的责任。

26 series   

n.连续；系列

参考例句：

• The students have put forward a series of questions.学生们提出了一系列问题。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。