2017考研英语拓展阅读：美国姐妹花3年瘦成“白骨精”

　　考研英语阅读能力提升需要不断地积累练习，通过多阅读来积累词汇，提升阅读速度，强化把握主旨能力。2017考研复习之初，时间相对充裕，新东方在线建议大家每天多做一些阅读，可娱乐也可增长见闻，还能提升能力。下面一篇文章是关于美国姐妹花3年瘦成“白骨精”。

2017考研英语拓展阅读：美国姐妹花3年瘦成“白骨精”

　　Two sisters have revealed how teenage teasing led to them competing to lose weight, with the youngest sister almost losing her life to anorexia.

　　一对姐妹透露，二人因为童年的玩笑开始了长达多年的减肥比赛。妹妹更是节食暴瘦差点因神经性厌食而丧命。

　　Courtney Grimshaw, now 24, was just 12 when she started to restrict her eating to be thinner than her ’popular’ older sister, Rebecca - then 14.

　　24岁的妹妹康特尼格雷姆肖从12岁开始就严格控制自己的饮食，只为了想比大她两岁的、“更受欢迎”的姐姐瑞贝卡瘦一点。

　　Sibling teasing saw Rebecca often tease Courtney about her weight - calling her names including ’fat ass’ and a ’fat pig’ - but the consequences were devastating.

　　当时康特尼比较胖，因而常常被姐姐开玩笑地称为“肥猪”“大屁股”——然而后果却是毁灭性的。

　　Courtney lost 56lbs in the space of a year and by the age of 15 she was skeletal.

　　一年的功夫康特尼就瘦了56磅，15岁时她就变得很骨感。

　　The sisters initially competed to be the slimmest - eating just 350 calories each a day and exercising compulsively for hours.

　　姐妹们最初只是想比赛谁会最苗条——每天控制自己吃350卡路里的食物，同时做好几个小时的运动。

　　But it wasn’t long before Courtney was pushing her body to its limits.

　　但是很快康特尼就发现她的身体到了极限。

　　We were both competing to be the skinnier sister. Becky realised that what we were doing was dangerous but I was too far gone - all I could think about was losing more weight.’

　　“我们都想成为姐妹中更瘦的那个。姐姐意识到了我们在做很危险的事。但我依然做得很过头，我只想着减肥。”

　　Before dieting, 12-year-old Courtney weighed 9 stone 2lbs (128lbs) - a healthy weight for her 158cm.

　　在节食之前，12岁的康特尼体重为9英石2磅(128磅)——这对于一个158cm左右的女孩来说是个相对健康的体重。

　　But cruel remarks from her 14-year-old sister Becky led to a self-loathing that almost cost Courtney her life.

　　但是来自于14岁姐姐的残酷的玩笑导致了她的自卑，几乎赔上了她的一生作为代价。

　　Courtney, now 24, said: ’Becky would tease me for being chubby and call me a fat pig. She made me feel really horrible about myself.

　　现年24岁的康特尼说，“姐姐嘲笑我胖，并称呼我为肥猪，令我对自己感到可怕。”

　　I always wanted to be like her. She was really pretty, she always had boys all over her, all of my guy friends liked her - they thought she was cool.’

　　“我一直很想成为我姐姐。她很美丽，总有男生在追她。我的朋友们也都很喜欢她，都觉得她很酷。”

　　Courtney and Becky would play tennis for six hours solid, leaving them weak and exhausted.

　　姐妹二人会打上六小时网球，使得她们筋疲力尽。

　　Their diets consisted of dry cereal and bread, and the weight quickly began to drop off them both. In less than a year, Courtney had lost three and a half stone.

　　她们的减肥餐只有干麦片和面包。二人的体重开始迅速下降。不到一年的时间，康特尼就减掉了3.5英石。

　　By the time she was 15, Courtney’s hair had begun to fall out and her skin became sallow - but she was determined to keep losing weight.

　　15岁时，康特尼的头发开始脱落，皮肤也变黄了——但是她决心要减肥。

　　Courtney said: ’She saw me go into a downward spiral knowing it was her fault.

　　康特尼说，“姐姐看到我情况变得糟糕，知道一切都是她的错。”

　　She would lie in my bed at night making sure I was still breathing, I really was just skin and bone.

　　“姐姐会整夜睡在我的床上，确认我仍然在呼吸。我真的瘦的只有皮包骨了。”

　　It was hard for me to accept her help because I did blame her for what had happened to me.’

　　“我真的很难接受她的帮助，因为我现在所发生的一切确实都怪她。”

　　By the time she was 16 in 2007 Courtney was dangerously ill weighing just 70lbs.

　　2007年，16岁的康特尼只有70磅了，病的很严重。

　　School officials contacted her parents and child protection services threatened to take her into hospital if she refused to eat.

　　学校领导联系了她的父母，儿童保护服务威胁称要带她到医院，如果她拒绝进食。

　　Courtney was put under the care of a doctor and a dietician and with Becky’s support she gradually began to gain weight.

　　在一个医生和一个营养师的照料和姐姐的支持下，康特尼的体重开始逐渐上升。

　　But she still suffered from low self-esteem and turned to alcohol for a confidence boost.

　　但她仍然感到非常自卑，为了建立自信她学会了喝酒。

　　Courtney started drinking heavily, and after a heavy vodka binge, she crashed the family van.

　　康特尼开始酗酒，在一次伏特加酒狂欢之后，她将家庭货车撞了。

　　Her parents sent to her to rehab when she was 17, and after being given the professional help she required, she gradually began to get her life back on track.

　　17岁时，父母把她送到康复中心，在接受专业的治疗之后，她康复了，生活慢慢走上了正轨。

　　Now Courtney is a healthy weight - fluctuating between 110 and 120lbs.

　　现在康特尼的体重已恢复正常——在110到120磅之间浮动。

　　She hopes to go back to school and wants to help other teenagers struggling with body image by sharing her story.

　　她希望能重回学校，并分享她的故事以帮助其他对自己的体型自卑的青少年们。

　　And after all they have been through, Courtney and Becky are closer than ever.

　　在经历了这些事之后，姐妹俩的关系更加亲密了。

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