In recent years we’ve been told to aim to walk 10,000 steps a day to remain healthy, although other advice to do three brisk (轻快的) 10-minute walks a day is thought to be even more effective. But the latest piece of research might put a spring in your step if you’re someone who walks at a fast pace. That’s because, according to scientists, the speed at which people walk in their 40s is a sign of how much their brains, as well as their bodies, are ageing.
The BBC’s Philippa Roxby writes that tests on 1,000 people from New Zealand born in the 1970s found that slower walkers tended to show signs of “accelerated (加速) ageing”. Their lungs, teeth and immune systems were in worse shape than those who walked faster. And to add insult to injury (往伤口撒盐), the study found not only did slower walkers' bodies age more quickly, their faces looked older and they had smaller brains.
This might be seen as a wake-up call for people with a slower pace who might feel it’s time to work out and get fitter. But it might be too late; researchers writing in JAMA Network Open say they were able to predict the walking speed of 45-year-olds using the results of intelligence, language and motor skills tests from when they were aged three. They also suggest that even in early life, there are signs showing which people will go on to have a healthier life.
So, what’s the point of knowing that a slower walking pace might mean a smaller brain? Well, researchers say measuring walking speed at a younger age, and understanding what this might mean, could be a way of testing treatments to slow human ageing. This might help us make lifestyle changes while we’re still young and healthy. Any steps we can take to prolong (延长) a good mental and physical state is a no-brainer!
1. Where is the text probably taken from?| A．A guide book. | B．A book review. |
| C．A science report. | D．An advertisement. |
| A．Those walking fast tend to have worse teeth. |
| B．Slow walker may have smaller brains and older faces. |
| C．Intelligence can be used to predict a person’s life style. |
| D．It is never too late to start walking fast to become healthier. |
| A．Study on Slow Walkers | B．Healthy Life or Nothing |
| C．Walking Speed and Ageing | D．Benefits of Walking Slowly |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】When talking about colds, maybe some people say it is very common. During the cold winter days, many people will complain the cold winter makes them catch a cold, and what they feel upset are not only the headache, cough but also the runny nose. It is so embarrassing when they forget to take a handkerchief or tissue along with them.
Want to stay away from colds? Put on a happy face.
Compared to unhappy people, those who are cheerful and relaxed are less likely to suffer from colds, according to a new study. It's possible that being happy helps the body fight illnesses, say the researchers from New York University.
“It seems that positive feelings may reduce (减少) the danger of illness,” said the study’s chief researcher Sheldon Cohen.
In an earlier study, Cohen found that people who were cheerful and lively caught coughs and colds less often. People who showed feelings were also less likely to tell their doctors that they felt ill.
In this study, Cohen has interviewed 193 adults every day for two weeks. During the interviews, the people told researchers that they were given colds by doctors and had to stay alone in a room for six days.
The results showed that everyone in the study was equally (相等地) likely to get ill. But for people who said they felt happy during the research period, their illness are less serious and lasted for a shorter time.
Cohen believes that when people experience positive feelings, their body may produce a chemical that helps fight illness and disease. So if you are worried about your health, look on the brighter side more often.
1. The underline part in Paragraph 5 is probably means ________ .| A．were sad | B．were bad-tempered | C．were thoughtful | D．were outgoing |
| A．People who felt happy never got ill. |
| B．People with positive feelings had less serious illnesses. |
| C．People with good feelings became ill more easily. |
| D．People’s feelings didn’t influence their health. |
| A．Eating | B．Crying | C．Laughing | D．Sleeping |
| A．Smiles can fight colds | B．The reasons of colds |
| C．The danger of colds | D．How people get sick |
【推荐2】The number of devices you can talk to is multiplying—first it was your phone, then your car, and now you can boss around your appliances. Children are likely to grow up thinking everything is alive, or at least interactive. One app developer told The Washington that his son started talking to cup mats. But even without chatty devices, research suggests that under certain circumstances, people personify everyday products.
Sometimes we see things as human because we’re lonely. In one experiment, people who reported feeling isolated were more likely than others to attribute free will and consciousness to various devices. In turn, feeling being related to objects can reduce loneliness. When college students were reminded of a time they’d been excluded socially, they made it up by exaggerating their number of friends on social media - unless they were first given tasks that caused them to interact with their phone as if it had human qualities. The phone apparently stood in for real friends.
At other times, we personify products in an effort to understand them. One study found that three in four respondents shouted at their computer and the more their computer gave them problems, the more likely they were to report that it had “its own beliefs and desires”.
When we personify products, they become harder to cast off. After being asked to evaluate their car’s personality, people were less likely to say they intended to replace it soon. And personifying objects is associated with a tendency to hoard.
So how do people assign characteristics to an object? In part, we rely on looks. On humans, wide faces are associated with dominance. Similarly, people rated cars, clocks, and watches with wide faces as more dominant looking than narrow-faced ones and preferred them. An analysis of car sales in Germany found that cars with grilles that were upturned like smiles and headlights like narrowed eyes sold best. The purchasers saw these features as increasing a car’s friendliness and aggressiveness, respectively.
It’s little wonder so many companies use mascots to bring brands to life. A classification of 1,151 brand characters found symbols that were human or humanlike to be widespread: People were most popular, accounting for 21 percent of mascots, followed by birds, domesticated animals, wild animals, and various plants.
Personifying products and brands can backfire, however. When a coffee maker was personified in an ad (“I am Aroma” versus just “Aroma”), men, but not women, felt betrayed by increases in its price. Now that speech- enabled coffee makers are on the market, maybe the machines can sweet-talk their way back into men’s hearts.
1. Why would the son of an app developer in Paragraph 1 try to talk to cup mats?| A．Because he recognizes everything as being interactive. |
| B．Because he believes the cup mats have talked to him, |
| C．Because he wants to repeat the experience with Alexa. |
| D．Because he has strong interests in making conversation. |
| A．they lack real life friends and are not able to make any |
| B．they find it hard to understand other people around them |
| C．they feel lonely and are aware of a desire for interaction |
| D．they become extremely angry with a certain product |
| A．Dominant-looking cars sell best because we find them friendlier. |
| B．We find it harder to get rid of the things that we once personified. |
| C．Products with certain features are more likely to be personified. |
| D．We prefer good-looking products and are more likely to buy them. |
| A．A good-looking dog. |
| B．Sunflowers. |
| C．Hello Kitty, |
| D．Super Mario Brothers. |
【推荐3】Does the lemon, the famous fruit of Limone, contain a secret ingredient that fights heart disease? Limone a small lemon-growing town on the shores of Lake Garda in nor hem Italy, holds a mystery which has made it popular with tourists in search of heath. About 30 years ago scientists discovered that many people from the town had a unique protein (蛋白质) in their blood. Thanks to it, the town’s people remained unaffected by heart disease even if they smoked, drank alcohol or ate large quantities of animal fat.
The discovery was wonderful for the people who lived in Limon; nowadays a million tourists visit their town between March and November each year. That makes 4,000 tourists per day—four times the actual population of the town. It is popularly believed that the protein must come from the lemons, which the town has grown for centuries. Until the discovery of the protein, the fruit was the only real source of income for the townspeople.
Lemons, which were brought to Europe from the Middle East in the 12th century, have many well-documented power. Over the years they have been used to treat all sorts of illnesses. At its peak in the 19th century , the lemon industry in Limone produced as many as 15 million of the fruit annually. The crop was so successful because of the situation of Lake Garda: although it is relatively far north, it is protected from the winner cold by the mountains which surround it.
Nowadays, sadly, competition from southern lemon producers has meant that Limone concentrates more on its tourist industry than on lemon growing. The few remaining growers still produce the best quality lemon, however. Signor Ezio Ceruti, a lemon producer, says, “To grow these lemons you need to love the trees and learn from the old people who still remember how it was once done. The trees respond by being healthy and producing beautiful fruit.” Although scientists do not yet know for certain whether this fruit contains the magic ingredient that protect the people of Limone against heart disease, a local lemon producer’s recommendation for health is simple: each day slice a whole lemon into a cup, fill with boiling water, cover, leave overnight, then strain and drink.
1. What do scientists believe about the unique protein?| A．It comes from the lemon. | B．It can treat all sorts of illness. |
| C．It protects people against heart disease. | D．It keeps people away from smoking and drinking. |
| A．people in Limone a tea whole lemon each day. |
| B．more people in Limone started to grow lemons. |
| C．the tourist industry developed rapidly in Limone |
| D．Lemon became the main source of income for Limone. |
| A．It has a population of about 1,000. |
| B．It is located at the top of a high mountain. |
| C．It produced more than 15 million lemons every year. |
| D．Its lemon-growing history dates back to the 19th century |
| A．we’re within easy reach of health | B．a lemon a day keeps the doctor away. |
| C．Lemon trees in Limone bear beautiful fruit. | D．one must work heart and soul to plant superior |
| A．Tourist industry in Limone | B．History of lemon growing |
| C．Lemon producers in Italy | D．Magic fruit of Limone |
【推荐1】It’s not usual for your municipality (市政当局) to give you money — actually more like a voucher (代金券) — but Miami-Dade County in Florida is switching things up a bit and doing just that for residents who leave their cars home.
The county is troubled with big traffic jams and was looking for a way to reduce traffic and improve the quality of life for the residents. That’s why county leaders decided to team up with a new mobility app Veloci a that believes in rewarding people every time they commute (通勤) via public transportation.
Miami’s mayor Carlos Gimenez announced, “Veloci a is a revolutionary mobility app that offers rewards for smart decisions that help people break the habit of traveling alone in cars. The ultimate goal of the program is to reduce traffic and ear bone missions.”
The idea came from a Fastrack Institute — nonprofit foundation. It’s easy to use, just download the app on your iPhone and then leave your car at home and the mobility app tracks what transportation you use. Residents that use trains or buses, or even use bicycles, or their feet to get to work will earn points. The points, according to Veloci a will translate into a virtual currency in your iPhone.
The case of Miami Dade County is not alone. Municipalities worldwide are working on ways to reduce car use to cut back on greenhouse emissions and to make cities more livable. Places like Amsterdam, Netherlands and Hamburg, Germany are committed to making walking and biking the dominant form of transportation in their city-centers. Other cities are providing free public transportation to cut down on car use.
David Winterstein, Velocia CEO said, “If more US municipalities adopt programs like the Velocia app, it could go a long way to reduce smog, greenhouse gasses, and wasted time sitting in jammed streets. It really would be a win-win for city residents.”
1. What should participants in the program of Miami county do?| A．Travel alone in cars. |
| B．Pay the taxes or tickets. |
| C．Drive with a new mobility app. |
| D．Take public transportation to work. |
| A．The operation process of the app Velocia. |
| B．The advantages of the traffic program. |
| C．The introduction to a virtual currency. |
| D．The various ways of getting the reward. |
| A．To indicate the background of the program. |
| B．To show the effect of the new mobility app. |
| C．To present the popularity of low-carbon travel. |
| D．To raise awareness of protecting the environment. |
| A．A New Mobility App Makes Cities More Livable |
| B．Miami Rewards Residents for Leaving Their Cars Home |
| C．An App Reward Makes Miami People More Wealthy |
| D．Miami-Dade Is Longing to Improve People’s Quality of Life |
【推荐2】Seagrass meadows(海草床)are wonder plants growing beneath the sea. They feed and shelter sea life and are masterful at storing carbon.
Seagrass has usually been detected by Earth-orbiting satellites that identify darker patches in the blue water. In this study, tiger sharks were selected as research tools due to their highly consistent associations with seagrass ecosystems. They spend 70% of their time in seagrass meadows. The team equipped eight tiger sharks with satellite tags and used a 360-degree camera on them for the first time ever.
The data researchers collected was astonishing. The world’s largest seagrass ecosystem, measuring at least 66,900 square kilometers, has been discovered. This reflects a 41% increase from previous estimates of global seagrass. Seagrass can capture(捕获)huge quantities of carbon by photosynthesis and stores it on the seafloor. In terms of climate change, this is excellent news; seagrass is 35 times faster at removing carbon than tropical rainforests. When referred to global seagrass carbon stock estimates, the study indicates that seagrass in the Bahamas may contain 19.2% to 26.3% of all the carbon stored in seagrass meadows on Earth.
Yet seagrass meadows are rapidly disappearing, with over 92% of meadows in the UK gone, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Scientists are collecting seeds and trying to grow new seagrass meadows through restoration projects.
The sharks led us to the seagrass ecosystem in the Bahamas, which we now know is likely the most significant blue carbon sink on the planet. What this discovery shows us is that ocean exploration and research are essential for a healthy future. The untapped potential of the ocean is limitless, offering hope for climate change around the globe.
1. Why were tiger sharks chosen as research tools?| A．hey are more flexible than other sea animals. |
| B．They can quickly adjust themselves to the deep sea. |
| C．They can be easily equipped with experimental devices. |
| D．They have a strong connection with seagrass-ecosystems. |
| A．The decline of global seagrass meadows. |
| B．The impact of climate change on sea life. |
| C．The rapid increase in the amount of carbon on Earth. |
| D．The potential value of the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem. |
| A．Planting more seagrass meadows. |
| B．Developing new technology to collect seeds. |
| C．Mapping the distribution of seagrass meadows. |
| D．Encouraging people to join in restoration projects. |
| A．The New Way of Removing Carbon |
| B．The Significance of Ocean Exploration. |
| C．A New Discovery: World’s Largest Seagrass Meadow |
| D．Tiger Sharks: Scientists’ Essential Helper to Study Climate |
【推荐3】A wildfire in New Mexico, a state in the southwestern US, has burned for nearly two months, consuming more than 315,000 acres of land — an area about the size of the city of Los Angeles.
“With climate change, it seems like the monsters are beginning to fall,” NASA hydrologist JT Reager told the BBC. “We get warmer temperatures, we get less rain and snow. The reservoirs (水库) start drying up, then in a place like the West [of the US], we get wildfires.”
In recent years, wildfires have wreaked havoc across countries including the US and Australia. These fires destroy homes and businesses, claim lives and also negatively impact the environment.
As climate change worsens, global temperatures increase and so does the risk of wildfires. A recent report from the United Nations Environment Program and GRID-Arendal, a partner organization in Norway, reveals that wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe.
This is harmful to people around the globe. According to the joint UN report, it is estimated that the yearly “economic burden from wildfire for the United States is between $7.1 billion (about 48 billion yuan) and $347.8 billion”.
Another article published in Nature journal on April 19 found that wildfires have created seasonal pollution patterns in the northwestern US. Between 2002 and 2018, carbon monoxide (一氧化碳) levels increased every year for the month of August in the area.
Forest fires are common in China too. In the recent decade, the total number of forest fires in the country every year has increased to more than 2,000 cases, according to The Paper. Greater Hinggan Mountains (大兴安岭) is one of the important forestry bases in China. The National Forestry and Grassland Administration adopted mountain watchtowers, forest cameras and aerial drones (无人机) to prevent forest fires in the summer.
1. The author quotes Reager’s words in the second paragraph to ______.| A．show the seriousness of the recent wildfire in the US |
| B．list some environmental problems caused by wildfires |
| C．explain how climate change contributes to wildfires |
| D．provide possible solutions to wildfires around the globe |
| A．Created pollution. | B．Been out of control. |
| C．Caused great damage. | D．Drawn much attention. |
| A．Millions of people have been displaced. |
| B．It has caused seasonal patterns of pollution. |
| C．It has led to around $7.1 billion economic loss annually. |
| D．Carbon monoxide levels have increased year on year. |
| A．There has been over 2,000 cases in the last decade. |
| B．The Greater Hinggan Mountains experienced the largest one. |
| C．They were not very common several decades ago. |
| D．Measures have been taken to prevent them from happening. |
【推荐1】Even though one out of three American children live within a mile of their schools, almost not half of those students often bike or walk to class, scientists report. Children who live in the South, in country areas, or who have college-educated parents, are among those least likely to bike or walk to school, which is reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Sarah Martin and her workmates at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studied materials from more than 7,000 children between 9 and 15 years of age. They found that almost 35 percent of the children lived within one mile of their schools. Children between 11 and 13 years old were more likely to walk or bike than 9-year-olds. Children whose parents had a high school education were more likely to ride a bike or walk than children with college-educated parents.
“The majority of children are missing an opportunity to increase daily physical activity,” Martin said in a prepared statement. According to the CDC, nearly one in five (18.8 percent) children between 6 and 11 years old are overweight. Increased daily physical activity is one of the methods the CDC gives to help deal with the problem among children.
According to Martin, there are all kinds of reasons why children in city areas might be more likely to bike or walk to school. They pointed out the fact that if schools are in places where there are fewer safe sidewalks, the students will be less likely to ride or walk to school. The students should try to ride or walk to school as much as possible and parents are advised to pay great attention to their children’s health.
1. Sarah Martin and her workmates found that ________.| A．younger children would like to bike or walk to school |
| B．kids whose parents received less education walk more |
| C．older children are stronger than the younger ones |
| D．parents are worried about their children’s health |
| A．eating less every day |
| B．having healthy diets |
| C．living in the countryside |
| D．having enough physical activities |
① Children’s age. ② Children’s health. ③ Parents’ education.
④ The family income. ⑤ The number of safe sidewalks.
| A．①②③ | B．①③⑤ | C．②③⑤ | D．②④⑤ |
| A．Education. | B．Culture. | C．Sports. | D．Health. |
【推荐2】Yoga (瑜伽) is a kind of sport. It is very popular around the world now. Everyone, young or old, men or women, can do yoga.
There are many reasons why people like yoga. First, yoga can build up your muscle. Your body will become stronger and more flexible. Second, yoga helps you get rid of stress. What's more, yoga can help your mind stay calm. To put it simply, the reason why so many people are falling in love with yoga is that they are discovering how wonderful it is for their mind, body and spirit.
Yoga began in India about 5,000 years ago. At that time, people wanted to be free, healthy and live a long life. As a result, this kind of exercise was born. The early yoga was part of the religion (宗教). It was usually taught one to one—one teacher and one student. Later, it was accepted by more people.
Yoga is an Indian word that means “to join together”. There are three parts of yoga altogether: exercise, breathing and meditation (冥想). In the past, people paid more attention to the spirit. The idea behind the exercise was to join the mind, body and spirit as one.
With the development of the exercise, more and more people are doing yoga as a way of keeping healthy. Among them, office ladies enjoy doing yoga most. Yoga can give them peace, help them feel relaxed and have fewer worries and illnesses.
1. From the passage, we know that yoga is ________ .| A．a kind of music | B．a kind of sport |
| C．a kind of book | D．a kind of food |
| A．The reasons why people like yoga. | B．The places where people do yoga. |
| C．The ways that people develop yoga. | D．The persons who invented yoga. |
| A．2,000 years ago. | B．3,000 years ago. |
| C．4,000 years ago. | D．5,000 years ago. |
| A．The introduction of yoga. | B．The introduction of paper. |
| C．The introduction of drink. | D．The introduction of weather. |
【推荐3】There have always been a lot of commonly believed but false ideas about being fat and doing exercise. Some people believe that they can' t help putting on weight as they get older while others hold that if they stop exercising, their muscles will turn into fat.
I’ ll never lose weight — I come from a fat family
Wrong. While we can'tchange the body type we are born with, we can't blame our genes for making us fat. There' s plenty of evidence that fatness runs in families, and the main reason is that they share the same habits of eating too much and exercising too little.
Wrong! Fatness is not caused by a slow metabolism (新陈代谢). In fact, although fat people consume more energy than slim people, they also fail to realize how much they eat! Keeping a diary can help you work out your daily food intake more accurately
Exercising is boring
Wrong!
No pain, no gain
Wrong!
| A．Anything can be boring if you do it repetitively. |
| B．Exercise should be stopped if continuous pain is felt. |
| C．If you don' t, rest and seek medical advice. |
| D．Exercise is not meant to hurt. |
| E．Here are more myths (false ideas). |
| F．People are fat because they consume too little energy. |
| G．I am fat because I burn calories slowly. |
