Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
An escalating epidemic of overweightedness and obesity is affecting many countries in the
world; more than 300 million people are overweight or obese. Obesity could be reason specific.In India, some people tend to be overweight because of their high calories diet and lack of physical activities. In the United States, obesity is more prevalent in lower economic groups. Obesity is now well recognized as a disease in its own right. Though, obesity commonly means extremely overweight, it is defined as an excess amount of body weight that includes muscles, bone, fat and water. ’Obesity’ specifically refers to an excess amount of body fat. Some people such as body builders or other athletes with a lot of muscle, can be overweight without being obese.
A certain amount of body fat is needed to store energy, and for heat insulation, shock absorption and other functions. Generally, women have more body fat than men. Usually, men with more than 25% body fat and women more than 30% body fat are regarded as obese. Obesity tends to run in families suggesting a genetic cause. Environmental factors mean lifestyle behaviour such as what a person eats and his or her level of physical activity. Although, you cannot change your genetic makeup, you can change your eating habits and the levels of activity. You can learn how to choose more nutritional means which are low in fat and can become more active.
Then, there are psychological factors. Negative emotions such as boredom, sadness or anger
make people overeat. There is also ’binge eating’ when people eat large amounts of food
thinking that they cannot control how much they are eating. Those with the most severe ’bing eating' problems, are also likely to have symptoms of depression and low self-esteem. These people may have more difficulty in losing weight and keep it off, than people without binge eating problems.
Obesity is more than a cosmetic problem; it is a health hazard. Several serious medical
conditions have been linked to obesity, including type-2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood
pressure and stroke. Obesity is also linked to higher rates of certain types of cancer. Other
diseases and health problems linked to obesity include gall bladder diseases and gallstones,
liver diseases, osteoarthritis which leads to deterioration of joints, gout which also effect the joint and reproductive problems in women.
As the trend is to equate attractiveness with slimness, especially for women, obesity makes
people feel unattractive. There are many methods of treatment but the benefits of exercise are much more than any other way of losing weight. Not only does exercise help you to lose weight but it also improves your fitness and flexibility and improves skin texture. Exercises are also free from the side effects of crash dieting, slimming capsules and the heat treatment used by slimming centres.
Answer the following questions briefly :
(a) What is obesity ?
(b) When can men and women be described as being obese ?
(c) How can one become more attractive ?
(d) What are the two psychological factors that cause obesity ?
(e) Find words in the passage which convey similar meanings as the following :
(i) increasing
(ii) improving outward looks/appearance
(iii) enlargement
(iv) to make work decline
Answers
(a) Obesity commonly means severely over weight, it is defined as an excess amount of body weight that includes muscles, bone, fat and water. It especially refers to an excess amount of body fat.
(b) A certain amount of body fat is needed to store energy, and for heat insulation, shock absorption and other functions. Generally, women have more body fat than men. Usually, men with more than 25% body fat and women more than 30% body fat are regarded as obese.
(c) The best method to become more attractive is to do exercise which helps one to lose weight and hence improves one's fitness, flexibility and skin texture.
(d) Psychological factors such as boredom, sadness or anger
make people overeat. There is also ’binge eating’ when people eat large amount of food
thinking that they cannot control how much they are eating.
(e) (i) Escalating
(ii) Make up
(iii) Large
(iv) Deterioration
Answer:
Explanation:
(a) Obesity commonly means severely over weight, it is defined as an excess amount of body weight that includes muscles, bone, fat and water.
(b)women have more body fat than men. Usually, men with more than 25% body fat and women more than 30% body fat are regarded as obese
c) The best method to become more attractive is to do exercise which helps one to lose weight and hence improves one's fitness, flexibility and skin texture.
(d)here is also ’binge eating’ when people eat large amount of food thinking that they cannot control how much they are eating.
(e) (i) Escalating
(ii) Make up
(iii) Large
(iv) Deterioration