2. 外语
  3. Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration received a major setback when a judge halted its plan to limit the size of sugary drink

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration received a major setback when a judge halted its plan to limit the size of sugary drink

admin2015-07-31  52
问题     Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration received a major setback when a judge halted its plan to limit the size of sugary drinks in New York City. The mayor had hoped the law would slow the pace of the obesity epidemic by limiting the number of empty calories citizens drink daily. Although the link between sugary drinks and obesity is only circumstantial, most public-health experts strongly supported the move. The average American takes in about 170 calories a day from sugary drinks, and our consumption has doubled in the past few decades, mirroring the rise in obesity.
    The verdict delighted fans of enormous sugary drinks everywhere. To them, this attempt to limit their freedom to drink nutrition-free colored sugar water deprived them of their inalienable right to be as unhealthy as they wish.
    I have just two words for celebrants: seat belts. Since 1968 federal law has required car manufacturers to place seat belts in all new cars. A majority of states have adopted a "primary enforcement" law that permits police to stop and ticket a driver or passenger solely for not wearing a seat belt. The results are indisputable: between 1975 and 2009, seat belts saved more than 260 000 lives, according to a study by the Department of Transportation.
    The argument for restricting big sugary drinks now is the same as for seat belts then: contrary to popular belief, government actually is in a position, by using laws and financial disincentives(抑制因素), to make people do something that, despite that it is good for them, they otherwise would not do.
    The simple truth is this: we are not perfect and need a little help now and again, especially in those tasks that are unpleasant—touching toes, buckling up, slimming down, flossing our teeth. The coercive power of government, by talking to us through legislation, pushes us in the right direction toward goals to which we all aspire. To pass a law limiting sugary drinks to 16 ounces is not an example of overreach, but rather promising evidence that decades of governmental underreach in the realm of public health may finally be coming to an end.
"The coercive power of government"(Line 3, Para. 5)refers to the government’s power to______.
选项 A、offer advice to the public
B、solve problems in society
C、satisfy whatever the public demands
D、force the public to follow its decision
答案D
解析 推理判断题。定位句指出，政府的强制性权利可以通过立法推着我们，朝着我们向往的目标走向正确的方向。结合上一句的举例可知，政府拥有强制性权利，可以让公众按照它的决定行事，选项D)为本题的正确答案。
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大学英语四级

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