Question

The concept of health holds different meanings for different people and groups. These meanings have also changed over time. This change is no more evident than in Western society today, when notions of health and health promotion are being challenged and expanded in new ways.

For much of recent Western history, health has been viewed in the physical sense only. That is, good health has been connected to the smooth mechanical operation of the body, while ill health has been attributed to a breakdown in this machine. Health in this sense has been defined as the absence of disease or illness and is seen in medical terms.

In the late 1940s the World Health Organization challenged this physically and medically oriented (導向的) view of health. They stated that health is a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and is not merely the absence of disease (WHO, 1946). Health and the person were seen more holistically (mind / body / spirit) and not just in physical terms.

The 1970s was a time of focusing on the prevention of disease and illness by emphasizing the importance of the lifestyle and behaviour of the individual. Specific behaviours which were seen to increase risk of disease, such as smoking, lack of fitness and unhealthy eating habits, were targeted. Creating health meant providing not only medical health care, but also health promotion programs and policies which would help people maintain healthy behaviours and lifestyles. While this individualistic healthy lifestyle approach to health worked for some (the wealthy members of society), it was of little benefit to people experiencing poverty, unemployment, underemployment or who had little control over the conditions of their daily life.

During the 1980s and 1990s there has been a growing swing away from seeing lifestyle risks as the root cause of poor health. While lifestyle factors still remain important, health is being viewed also in terms of the social, economic and environmental contexts in which people live. This broad approach to health is called the socio-ecological view of health.

At the Ottawa Conference in 1986, a charter was developed which outlined new directions for health promotion based on the socio-ecological view of health. This charter, known as the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, remains as the backbone of health action today. In exploring the scope of health promotion it states that:

Good health is a major resource for social, economic and personal development and an important dimension (尺度) of the quality of life. Political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, behavioural and biological factors can all favour health or be harmful to it. (WHO, 1986)

1.From the passage, we can infer that _________.

A．good health means not having any illness

B．health has different meanings for different people in different periods

C．health has always been viewed in terms of the social, economic and environmental contexts in which people live

D．health has always been considered a major resource for social, economic and personal development and an important dimension of quality of life

2.In the late 1940s, if you ___________, that meant you were healthy. 

A．were strong enough

B．were strong, optimistic and happy

C．had enough money

D．had a good lifestyle

3.        of society benefited most from the healthy lifestyle approach to health. 

A．Rich people	B．Poor people
C．Old people	D．Young people

4.The socio-ecological view of health includes the following broad areas EXCEPT ________.

A．the social contexts

B．the environmental contexts

C．the economic contexts

D．the area of personal development

5.This passage mainly tells us that                 .  

A．wealth is health

B．health means different things in different periods

C．it’s getting harder to be healthy

D．people should change their understanding of health over time

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.B

2.B

3.A

4.D

5.D

【解析】

1.B。從文章的第一段以及后面的段落陳述情況可得出答案。

2.B。根據第三段的第二、三句可知答案。

3.A。從第四段的最后一句話中可找出答案。

4.D。依據為第五段中的“While lifestyle factors still remain important, health is being viewed also in terms of the social, economic and environmental contexts in which people live.”

5.D。第一段點出了文章的中心：健康的意義隨著時間的變化而變化。接下來用六個自然段來闡述五個不同時期對健康的不同定義，從而可引出作者寫這篇文章的目的：希望人們能不斷地改變自己對健康的看法。