VOA标准英语2010年-Study Says High Calorie Snacks Are to

Childhood obesity¹ continues to spread in the U.S. and elsewhere. A new study finds excessive snacking is the main culprit. 

One in three children in the United States is overweight or obese². A new study shows that some obese children as young as three have early warning signs for heart disease. Other studies show that obese children are more likely to stay obese as adults.

The study also says American children eat an average of three snacks a day on top of three regular meals, and the snacks account for almost one third of their daily calories. 

Researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill studied the eating habits of American children over a 30-year period. They looked at data on 31,000 children between the ages of two and 18. They found that desserts and sweetened drinks remain the major source of calories from snacks. Not far behind are salty snacks and candy.

In a recent hearing on childhood obesity, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin told lawmakers that the Obama administration is working on making healthy meals more accessible and affordable³. "There is a growing consensus⁴ that we as a nation need to recreate our communities and environments where healthy choices are easy choices and affordable choices," she said.

Data shows the rate of childhood obesity has tripled over the last 30 years. To reverse the trend, experts agree that vending⁵ machines in schools should offer healthy alternatives.

"We need to do a much better job of making sure that what's in those vending machines is very consistent. We think that the time has come for standards," said US Agricuture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The first lady has launched a program to motivate school children to eat healthy and to exercise. 

The administration has also announced $400 million in federal assistance to help bring more grocery stores - with fresh produce - to underserved communities.  

Many state education boards have cut recess⁶ and physical education. The federal government is encouraging schools to make more time so children can participate in physical activity.

"It's recommended that children get 150 minutes of exercise a week at elementary school and 225 minutes in secondary schools and yet they are not. For many schools PE (physical education) is an afterthought," Benjamin said.

The Centers for Disease Control is calling for taxes on sugary drinks and junk food, zoning restrictions⁷ on fast-food restaurants around schools and a ban on advertisements for junk food aimed at children.

The president's task force on childhood obesity plans to meet with Mr. Obama to deliver its recommendations on the issue.
 

1 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。

2 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。

3 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

4 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

5 vending   

v.出售（尤指土地等财产）( vend的现在分词 )；（尤指在公共场所）贩卖；发表（意见，言论）；声明

参考例句：

• Why Are You Banging on the Vending Machine? 你为什么敲打这台自动售货机？ 来自朗文快捷英语教程 2
• Coca-Cola had to adapt almost 300,000 vending machines to accept the new coins. 可口可乐公司必须使将近三十万台自动贩卖机接受新货币。 来自超越目标英语 第5册

6 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制