1 . Are you relatively skinny but growing a “beer belly”?
Then don’t be surprised at your next checkup if the nurse measures your waistline to determine your healthy weight. That’s because research is showing that a protruding (鼓出的) belly may be a sign of VAT — a dangerous form of fat around organs deep inside your body. “Studies confirm that visceral (内脏的) fat is a clear health risk,” said Dr. Tiffany Wiley, a senior expert at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Unlike the fat just under your skin, visceral fat raises your risk for heart disease. Experts think that’s because visceral fat raises blood pressure and inflames (使发炎) tissues and organs.
However, you can’t assume you’re safe from visceral fat if your overall weight is healthy, experts stress. That’s because you can have dangerous visceral fat even if you’re not considered overweight — and not have any visceral fat even if you are overweight.
How do you know if your stomach is protruding into dangerous size? Do a check. Non-pregnant women with a waist size greater than 88 cm and men with a waist larger than 102 cm, are at higher risk according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you’re Asian, it drops to 80 cm for women and 90 cm for men. But it is only a rough measure. “The only sure way to know is to check your visceral fat levels on a CT scan or MRI,” say experts.
According to the AHA committee, the most salutary physical activity to “shrink” belly is aerobic exercise. Aerobic means “with oxygen”, so aerobic exercise increases your breathing rate and promotes the circulation of oxygen through the blood. This type of exercise makes the heart work more effectively and improves its ability to move oxygen-carrying blood with every beat. Speed walking, jogging, stair climbing, cycling and swimming are all examples of aerobic exercise.
“However, more studies are needed to determine the best physical activity, food and other lifestyle changes to reduce heart disease risk,” Dr. Tiffany Wiley added.
1. What would a “beer belly” cause?A.Enlarged organs inside the body. | B.Higher risk of heart disease. |
C.Raised mental pressure. | D.Inflamed stomach. |
A.A white man with a waist size of 120 cm. |
B.A white woman with a waist size of 90 cm. |
C.An Asian man with a waist size of 102 cm. |
D.An Asian woman with a waist size of 75 cm. |
A.Beneficial. | B.Difficult. | C.Enthusiastic. | D.Useless. |
A.Doing aerobic exercise can remove visceral fat completely. |
B.Heart ability improves when one does speed walking. |
C.Further studies are needed to reduce heart disease risk. |
D.Food and life style determine one’s body shape. |
2 . The Last Robot-Proof Job in America?
You can get most food, such as warm cookies or vodka, to your doorstep in minutes. But try getting a red snapper (红鲷鱼). Until recently, if you could obtain it, it would likely have been pre-frozen and shipped in from overseas.
A new tech startup is aiming to
There is one thing,
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By 1 a.m. each night, the company collects
Then, what can a fishmonger see that a computer can’t? DeGregorio showed me his part of the
Is he ever
A.maintain | B.remedy | C.substitute | D.recognize |
A.free | B.overseas | C.separate | D.fresh |
A.therefore | B.otherwise | C.however | D.thus |
A.ensure | B.propose | C.concede | D.remind |
A.overpriced | B.misidentified | C.displaced | D.modified |
A.computer | B.cuisine | C.fish | D.marketing |
A.Rather than | B.Thanks to | C.Except for | D.Prior to |
A.fund-raising | B.online-grocery | C.fish-selling | D.non-profit |
A.significant | B.worthy | C.responsible | D.ridiculous |
A.sales | B.orders | C.alternatives | D.statistics |
A.analyze | B.supply | C.prioritize | D.feed |
A.require | B.process | C.predict | D.value |
A.calculation | B.decoding | C.correction | D.selection |
A.smash | B.touch | C.wipe | D.roll |
A.concerned about | B.eager for | C.delighted with | D.capable of |
3 . Babies made from three people approved in UK
Babies made from two women and one man have been approved by the UK’s fertility regulator. The historic and controversial move is to prevent children from being born with deadly genetic diseases.
Doctors in Newcastle — who developed the advanced form of In Vitro Fertilization or IVF (人工授精) — are expected to be the first to offer the procedure and have already appealed for donor eggs. The first such child could be born, at the earliest, by the end of 2017.
Some families have lost multiple children to incurable mitochondrial (线粒体的) diseases, which can leave people with insufficient energy to keep their heart beating.
The diseases are passed down from only the mother, so a technique using a donor egg as well as the mother’s egg and father’s sperm has been developed.
The resulting child has a tiny amount of their DNA from the donor, but the procedure is legal and reviews say it is ethical (伦理的) and scientifically ready.
“It is a decision of historic importance,” said Sally Cheshire, chairwoman of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). “I’m sure patients will be really pleased by what we’ve decided today.”
But some scientists have questioned the ethics of the technique, saying it could open the door to genetically-modified(转基因) ‘designer’ babies.
The HFEA must approve every clinic and every patient before the procedure can take place. Three-person babies have been allowed only in cases where the risk of a child developing mitochondrial disease is very high.
Prof Mary Herbert, from the Newcastle Fertility Centre, said, “It is enormously pleasing that our many years of research in this area can finally be applied to help families affected by these devastating diseases”.
“Now that we are moving forward towards clinical treatments, we will also need donors to donate eggs for use in treatment to prevent affected women transmitting disease to their children.”
Prof Sir Doug Turnbull, the director of the Welcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University, said, “We are delighted by today’s decision. We will also provide long-term follow up of any children born.”
NHS England has agreed to fund the treatment costs of the first trial of three-person IVF for those women who meet the HFEA criteria, as long as they agree to long-term follow up of their children after they are born.
1. Why is it historically important to approve babies made from three people?A.It helps couples who lose the ability to give birth to a baby. |
B.It marks a foundation stone to change babies’ appearances before birth. |
C.It stops deadly genetic diseases passing down to newly-born babies. |
D.It turns out to be an advanced form of In Vitro Fertilization. |
A.They pass down on to babies from their parents. |
B.They prevent people’s heart from functioning normally. |
C.Some children infected can be cured with proper treatment. |
D.Babies can be infected with them through a donor’s egg. |
A.Only when the baby to be born needs it to survive. |
B.Only when the patient gets financially prepared. |
C.Only when the clinic gets scientifically ready. |
D.Only when the technique is ethnically accepted. |
A.Supportive | B.Indifferent | C.Worried | D.Objective |