随身英语

The dangers of sitting 久坐对健康的危害

有些成年人一天有超过九小时都处于坐着不动的状态，这样的生活方式对我们的身体有什么影响？本期 “随身英语” 探讨久坐对健康的危害。

词汇：lifestyle and health 生活方式与健康

Did you know many adults sit down for more than nine hours a day – maybe you're one of them! Whether it's working at a desk, sitting motionless in a car, bus or train or lounging on the sofa watching TV, we have a much more sedentary lifestyle than our parents and grandparents did. The question that this raises is just what is it doing to our bodies?

The news isn't good. A study carried out in the 1950s compared bus drivers with the conductors, who walked around the bus selling tickets. It showed that drivers, who spent many hours sat at the wheel, were twice as likely to have heart attacks than the more active conductors. In fact, prolonged sitting has been associated with a number of different conditions, even in people who otherwise take regular exercise. If you sit down all day, you burn far fewer calories than someone with a more active job. There are suggestions that it slows your metabolism and makes it harder for your body to regulate blood sugar levels, increasing the risk of diabetes.

One possible answer to this problem is for desk workers to use standing desks, to spend at least part of their day on their feet. One small study showed that office workers who stood for three hours after lunch had a much smaller increase in blood sugar levels, while another suggested that by standing for three or four hours a day over the period of a year, people would burn as many calories as if they had run ten marathons.

Other experts question this figure and point out that standing all day can also have negative impacts, such as leg or back pain, recommending that if people do want to use standing desks, they should gradually increase the amount of time that they spend on their feet. Crucially, they also point out that there are many alternatives to sitting, and that their impact is unlikely to be the same: walking, for example, burns far more calories than standing.

词汇表

sit down 坐下，坐着
motionless 静止不动的
lounge 休息，闲散地坐着
sedentary lifestyle 缺乏运动的生活方式
sit at the wheel 坐在方向盘前，驾车
heart attack 心脏病发作
prolonged sitting 久坐
burn calories 消耗热量
active 身体活动的，经常运动的
metabolism 新陈代谢
regulate blood sugar levels 调节血糖水平
diabetes 糖尿病
desk worker 伏案工作者
standing desk 站立式办公桌
on someone's feet 站着
stand 站立，站着
walking 走路，步行

测验与练习

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. True or False? According to the article, we are more active than previous generations.

2. Who were shown to have more heart attacks than their colleagues in a study carried out in the 1950s?

3. What can high blood sugar levels lead to?

4. How long should people stand, to burn the same number of calories as running ten marathons?

5. What could be a negative effect of standing all day?

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Stop _______ around staring at your phone. Let's go for a walk.

spending                        lounging                       stretching                    crouching

2. He spent long hours sat _______ as a truck driver.

at the wheel                   at wheel                       on the wheel              on wheel

3. _______ sitting can lead to health problems.

Desk                              Regulated                      Active                          Prolonged

4. Doing exercises can help you _______ more calories.

melt                               burn                              boil                               take

5. Staying motionless can slow your _______.

diabetes                        sugar levels                  metabolism                calories

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 

1. True or False? According to the article, we are more active than previous generations.

False. According to the article, we have more sedentary lifestyles than our parents and grandparents.

2. Who were shown to have more heart attacks than their colleagues in a study carried out in the 1950s?

Bus drivers were shown to be twice as likely as conductors to have heart attacks.

3. What can high blood sugar levels lead to?

Not being able to re gulate blood sugar levels can lead to diabetes.

4. How long should people stand, to burn the same number of calories as running ten marathons?

If people stand for three or four hours per day for a year, they burn the same number of calories as if they ran ten marathons.

5. What could be a negative effect of standing all day?

Leg or back pain could be a negative effect of standing all day.

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Stop lounging around staring at your phone. Let's go for a walk.

2. He spent long hours sat at the wheel as a truck driver.

3. Prolonged sitting can lead to health problems.

4. Doing exercises can help you burn more calories.

5. Staying motionless can slow your metabolism.