An Israeli law banning too skinny models went into
effect with the start of 2013. The law, approved last March in Israel, requires
models to prove they have maintained a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 18.5
for three months before a fashion show. That means a woman who is 5'8''tall can
weigh no less than 119 pounds.
“This law is another step in the war against eating
disorders,” said physician Adatto. “Underweight models,” he explained, “can no
longer serve as role models for innocent young people who copy their false
image of being skinny.”
But some critics in this country say it is misguided,
focusing on weight instead of health. They also say the Israeli ban is bound to
fail because of the strong power of the fashion industry. “I think it’s an
approach that isn’t going to work.” Said eating disorder expert Susan Ice, who
worked with an organization which creates a healthy working environment for
models.
But Adatto told the reporter that he began to concern
the issue after meeting an ambitious model who looked like she needed to be
hospitalized. He said. “I realized that only legislation can change the
situation. There was no time to waste, so many girls were dieting to death.”
However, the efforts to regulate models’ weight in
Spain and Italy have not resulted in significant changes in part because of
difficulties in determining reliable methods of measuring weight and health.
Still, folks including Ice say there’s no denying that
images from Hollywood and the fashion industry can be difficult for young women
to deal with. “Certainly I don't believe the modeling industry has caused the
rise in eating disorders, but it makes it harder,” she says. “It’s a difficult
recovery environment, worshiping thinness as the beauty ideal.”
1.What does BMI in the first paragraph refer to?
A. A measure of body health based on height and
weight.
B. A worldwide prize for the healthiest model.
C. A new show held by those skinny models.
D. A kind of medicine to cure eating disorders.
2.One benefit the new Israeli law may bring is
________.
A. to change the working conditions of models
B. to lower the chance of skinny models’ death
C. to provide guidance for women worshiping thinness
D. to prevent models from suffering from eating
disorders
3.In the opinion of the critics, the law won’t succeed
because .
A. it misleads young women to form a bad eating habit.
B. it doesn’t provide a proper approach that can work
well.
C. it doesn’t create a healthy working environment for
models.
D. the fashion industry is much too influential.
4.What caused Adatto to think that a law was needed to
change the situation?
A. Meeting an ambitious but too skinny model.
B. Establishing his fashion model agent.
C. Being interviewed by a reporter.
D. Seeing a model die from eating disorders.
5.According to the passage, the new Israeli law
banning skinny models is .
A. practical
B. controversial C. acceptable
D. Reasonable
