Why have many countries started to consider taxing sugar?
A.They are under growing pressures to balance their national budgets.
B.They find it ever harder to cope with sugar-induced health problems.
C.They practice of taxing alcohol and tobacco has proved both popular and profitable
D.The sugar industry is overtaking alcohol and tobacco business in generating profits.
第1题
Passage One
"Sugar, alcohol and tobacco," economist Adam Smith once wrote, "are commodities which are nowhere necessaries of life, which have become objects of almost universal consumption, and which are, therefore, extremely popular subjects of taxation."
Two and a half centuries on, most countries impose some sort of tax on alcohol and tobacco. With surging obesity levels putting increasing strain on public health systems, governments around the world have begun to toy with the idea of taxing sugar as well.
Whether such taxes work is a matter of debate. A preliminary review of Mexico&39;s taxation found a fall in purchases of taxed drinks as well as a rise in sales if untaxed and healthier drinks. By contrast, a Danish tax on foods high in fats was abandoned a year after its introduction, amid claims that consumers were avoiding it by crossing the border to Germany to satisfy their desire for cheaper, fattier fare.
The food industry has, in general, been firmly opposed to such direct government action. Nonetheless, the renewed focus on waistlines means that industry groups are under pressure to demonstrate their products are healthy as well as tasty.
Over the past three decades, the industry has made some efforts to improve the quality of its offerings. For example, some drink manufactures have cut the amount of sugar in their beverages.
Many of the reductions over the past 30 years have been achieved either by reducing the amount of sugar, salt or fat in a product, or by finding an alternative ingredient. More recently, however.
Some companies have been investing money in a more ambitious undertaking: learning how to adjust the fundamental make-up of the food they sell. For example, having salt on the outside, but none on the inside, reduces the salt content without changing the taste.
While reformulating recipes(配方)is one way to improve public health, it should be part of a multi-sided approach. The key is to remember that
there is not just one solution. To deal with obesity, a mixture of approaches-including reformulation, taxation and adjusting portion sizes-will be needed. There is no silver bullet.
What did Adam Smith say about sugar, alcohol and tobacco.
A.They were profitable to manufacture.
B.They were in ever-increasing demand.
C.They were subject to taxation almost everywhere.
D.They were no longer considered necessities of life.
第2题
9;s oceans now (27)heat at twice the rate they did 18 years ago. Around half of ocean heat intake since 1865 has taken place since 1997, researchers report online in Nature Climate Change.
Warming waters are known to (28)to coral bleaching(珊瑚白化) and they take up more space than cooler waters, raising sea (29). While the top of the ocean is studied, its depths are more difficult to (30)The researchers gathered 150 years of ocean temperature data in order to get better (31)of heat absorption from surface to seabed. They gathered together temperature readings collected by everything from a 19th century (32)of British naval ships to modern automated ocean probes. The extensive data sources, (33)with computer simulations(计算机模拟), created a timeline of ocean temperature changes, including cooling from volcanic outbreaks and warming from fossil fuel (34).
About 35 percent of the heat taken in by the oceans during the industrial era now residents at a (35)of more than 700 meters, the researchers found. They say they&39;re unsure(36)whether the deep-sea warming canceled out warming at the sea&39;s surface.
A absorb
B combined
C contribute
D depth
E emission
F.explore
G explore
H.floor
I.heights
J.indifferent
K level
L.mixed
M picture
N unsure
O voyage
第3题
wo options upon graduation: one is to find a job somewhere and the other to start a business of your own. You are to make a decision. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your decision. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.
第4题
统治者的权力和权威。那时,黄色是专为皇帝使用的颜色,皇家宫殿全都漆成黄色,皇袍总是黄色的,而普通老百姓是禁止穿黄色衣服的。在中国,黄色也是收获的象征。秋天庄稼成熟时,田野变得一片金黄。人们兴高采烈,庆祝丰收。
第5题
为是纯洁的象征。然而,在中国传统文化中,白色经常是葬礼上使用的颜色。因此务必记住,白花一定不要用作祝人康复的礼物,尤其不要送给老年人或危重病人。同样,礼金也不能装在白色信封里,而要装在红色信封里。
第6题
为礼物送给家人或亲密朋友时,通常放在红信封里。红色在中国流行的另一个原因是人们把它与中国革命和共产党相联系。然而,红色并不总是代表好运与快乐。因为从前死者的名字常用红色书写,用红墨水写中国人名被看成是一种冒犯行为。
第7题
What happens in many oil-exporting countries when oil prices go down?
A.They suspend import of necessities from overseas.
B.They reduce production drastically to boost oil prices.
C.They use their money reserves to back up consumption.
D.They try to stop their economy from going into free-fall.
第8题
Why haven’t falling oil prices boosted the global economy as they did before?
A.People are not spending all the money they save on gas.
B.The global economy is likely to undergo another recession.
C.Oil importers account for a larger portion of the global economy.
D.People the world over are afraid of a further plunge in oil prices.
第9题
How does Carl Weinberg view the current oil price plunge?
A.It is one that has seen no parallel in economic history.
B.Its negative effects more than cancel out its positive effects.
C.It still has a chance to give rise to a boom in the global economy.
D.Its effects on the global economy go against existing economic laws.
第10题
Why do some experts believe cheap oil will stimulate the global economy?
A.Manufacturers can produce consumer goods at a much lower cost.
B.Lower oil prices have always given a big boost to the global economy.
C.Oil prices may rise or fall but economic laws are not subject to change.
D.Consumers will spend their saving from cheap oil on other commodities.
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