A new study adds to evidence that obesity(肥胖) is becoming more common in young children in America. The study appeared in the medical publication Pediatrics. The findings are similar to other national data, which suggests around 2.5 percent of all preschool-aged children were severely obese during the same period. One of the study’s writers, Heidi Blanck of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said “We were doing well but now we see this upward trend... We are dismayed at seeing these findings.”

The study looked at children ages 2 to 4 who took part in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. The children were weighed and measured. The researchers found that 2.1 percent of kids in the program were severely obese in 2010. Six years later, the rate had dropped to 1.8 percent. But by 2020, it was 2 percent. That amounts to about 33,000 of more than 1.6 million kids in the WIC program.

It is not clear why the increase occurred, Blanck said. When WIC obesity rates dropped, some experts suggested 2009 policy changes might be responsible. Those changes took out juice from infant food packages, provided less saturated (饱和的) fat, and tried to make it easier for people to buy fruits and vegetables. 

The researchers faced difficulties. The number of kids in WIC declined in the past ten years. And the study included 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic hit. At the time, fewer parents brought their children in to see doctors. That reduced the amount of complete information available. Despite its limitations, it was a “very well done study,” said Deanna Hoelscher, a childhood obesity researcher at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. She added, “It gives you a hint of what’s going on.” What has happened since 2020 is not yet known. Some small studies have suggested an increase in childhood obesity — especially during the pandemic. During the pandemic, kids were kept home from schools. Their eating and bedtime schedules were changed and physical activity decreased.

  “We are thinking it’s going to get worse,” Hoelscher said.

1.Which has the closest meaning to the underlined word “dismayed”?

A Very harmonious.

B Very sympathetic.

C Very ridiculous.

D Very disappointed.

解析：选D。D词义猜测题。根据划线部分前面的“We were doing well but now we see this upward trend”可知，该研究的作者之一、联邦疾控中心（CDC）的海蒂·布兰克（Heidi Blanck）表示：“我们以前做得很好，但现在我们看到了上升的趋势（肥胖在美国幼儿中越来越普遍）。”因此可推测，他们对这些发现感到沮丧。故选D。

2.What can we know about the study from Paragraph 2?

A Its participants.

B Its purpose.

C Its impact.

D Its sponsor.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第二段第一句的“The study looked at children ages 2 to 4 who took part in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.”可知，这项研究调查了参加妇女、婴儿和儿童计划的2至4岁儿童，我们可以知道它的参与者。选A。

3.What can be inferred from the text?

A About 2.5 percent of young children were severely obese.

B Childhood obesity rate has been increasing since ten years ago.

C 2009 policy changes prevented people from buying fruits and vegetables.

D The COVID-19 pandemic is partially to blame for childhood obesity.

解析：选D。D推理判断题。根据倒数第二段内容可知，新冠疫情暴发的2020年，带孩子去看医生的父母减少了，这也减少了可用的完整信息的数量。并且在疫情期间，孩子们被留在家学习，饮食和就寝习惯被打乱，健身活动减少，因此这也加速了他们的肥胖。故选D。

4.What’s the purpose of the text?

A To educate the young children.

B To advertise the WIC program.

C To inform readers the findings of a new study.

D To warn parents of the risk of childhood obesity.

解析：选C。C写作意图题。结合全文内容可知，本文主要介绍了一项最新调查研究的结果：美国儿童肥胖率增长。故选C。