A new computer treatment is being used to deal with obesity in children. Connected to a small dining set, consisting of (包括) scales and a plate, a mini computer teaches children how to eat and reminds them when to stop.
“In very fat people, hunger signals from the stomach to the brain stop functioning. But the new computer system teaches the children how to receive these messages again,” says Dr. Julian Hamilton-Shield, the Bristol University senior lecturer leading the treatment trials.(实验)。
The computer , called a Mandometer, records and stores the weight loss from the plate when children eat. As the food is leaving the plate , a curve( 曲线)is produced on the computer screen suggesting whether the child is eating too quickly.
“Children with weight problems often eat too quickly. We want them to eat steadily稳定地） and slowly and the system teaches them to slow down. It’s a bit like retraining, ” says Hamilton-Shield.
Obesity now represents (代表) one of the major threats to the future health of children. About one in five boys and one in four girls aged two to fifteen in England are overweight. But so far no treatments have proven effective in treating children.
The Mandometer was developed in Sweden, but at present is experiencing further development at the University of Bristol, with $ 224,400 in funds from BUPA-a global health and care organization. The system could be on the market in two years’ time. At first, it would be managed by medical clinics(诊所).
1. The text is mainly written to explain____________.
A. how a new computer treatment dealing with obesity works.
B. why child obesity becomes a topic of people
C. how to lose weight with the help of computers.
D. why a computer is effective(有效的) in dealing with child obesity.
2. The word” functioning” in paragraph 3 probably means________.
A. eating B. working C. lasting D. losing
3. Obesity threatens the health of children , which__________.
A. people have not cared about
B. is nothing compared with other diseases.
C. has led to many deaths
D. is very serious
4. What can we learn from the text?
A. The Mandometer will be put into market once it proves effective.
B. The Mandometer is cheap enough for every family to afford
C. The Mandometer is still not perfect
D. Slow eating is sure to make people lose weight.