五百基础词汇的使用和练习（40）

"He hath heard that men of few words are the best men."
Shakespeare. Henry V

Words to Learn This Week

epidemic
obesity
magnify
chiropractor
obstacle
ventilate
jeopardize
negative
pension
vital
municipal
oral

Read the following story to see how the new words are used in it.

Weight-watchers

Judging from the popularity of books on dieting, one would think an epidemic of obesity is sweeping the nation. Although being fat is not contagious, it is a condition not to be sneered at since it affects one-fourth of all Americans. Without magnifying the problem, professionals concerned with the nation's health, from chiropractors to medical specialists, agree that being overweight is a major obstacle to good health. They point out that people will readily see the need to ventilate their homes for fresh air to get rid of vermin that may cause disease, but they jeopardize their health by eating the wrong foods or the wrong amount of foods.

Coincidentally, a recent survey of employment agencies showed that obesity has a negative effect on a person's chances of landing a job. While the job-seeker is asking about salary and pensions, the employer is thinking about the worker's health-and weight is a vital consideration when it comes to injuries, disease, and absenteeism. Some municipal jobs, in fact, do require an applicant to be within normal weight range, and one New York bank insists on an oral understanding that applicants will take off excess weight. As the Wall Street Journal put it, "Fat, people often find slim pickings in the job market."


Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below.

1.Intemperate eating habits can lead to _________ .

2.To avoid an _________ , the Surgeon-General ordered a thorough study of the situation.

3.At a recent meeting of _________ , a new treatment for arthritis was discussed.

4. The humid air in this room must be -------- 5.One thousand angry voters loudly signified an __________ objection to the motion.

6.The frightened man tormented himself by __________ every unpleasant experience into a calamity.

7.If used as a precedent, this verdict will prove to be an __________ to justice.

8.Without the __________ he had confidently expected, Mr. Halcroft faced hardships in his retirement.

9.The sale of the vacant lot for construction of an office building will __________ the residential character of the neighborhood.

10.Preserve the _________ in case we need more prints.

11.We should all attend the meeting at the __________ center, for the issues are of vital concern to every citizen.

12.The heart and the brain are considered the most _________ organs in the human body.