10 . The average American gets about 4,000 steps a day — but how much is enough? According to a recent study of more than 72,000 people, getting in 9,000 to 10,000 daily steps cuts the risk of death by more than a third and reduced cardiovascular (心血管) disease risk by at least 20 percent, but even smaller increases showed benefits.
Ashley Goodwin, one of the study’s authors, says the study really builds on the evidence we already know about how walking can help lower cardiovascular risk and death. He found it especially amazing that the benefit differed so little between those who sat for long periods each day and those who sat less. “That’s really great because it drives home the message that simply walking a little bit more than you usually do is going to bring some health benefits, no matter where you’re starting from.”
Past research had shown that higher step counts are linked to better heart health and a longer life, and a separate body of research has shown the increased risks of cardiovascular disease and death associated with more sedentary (久坐) time. But this study brought those bodies of research together to learn if extra daily steps could offset (抵消) the risks of sedentary behavior even in those who spend much of the day seated.
The results show that both highly sedentary and less sedentary people had statistically similar risk reductions from higher step counts. But the findings also reveal that the more steps people had per day, the more their risk of heart disease or death fell, up until about 9,000 to 9,700 daily steps for highly sedentary people.
In fact, highly sedentary people in the study began experiencing a heart benefit starting as low as 4,300 steps per day, when their risk of heart disease fell by 10 percent. Doubling that step counts to 9,700 steps a day doubled the benefit. Similarly, highly sedentary people began seeing a 20 percent reduced risk of death starting at 4,100 steps per day. Again, that benefit nearly doubled to 39 percent when their daily step counts increased to 9,000.
1. What is newly found in the study?
| A．Higher step counts are linked to a longer life. |
| B．Walking 10,000 steps a day is not suitable for everyone. |
| C．A small increase in people’s usual step counts is beneficial. |
| D．The average American gets around 4,000 steps each day. |
2. What makes Goodwin surprised?
| A．The more steps people get, the healthier they are. |
| B．Walking can treat cardiovascular diseases to some degree. |
| C．People can benefit from walking without walking too fast. |
| D．Walking has similar effect on sedentary people and active people. |
3. What is one aim of the study?
| A．To research how step counts differ from people to people. |
| B．To examine how walking can help lower cardiovascular risk. |
| C．To know whether extra daily steps offset the risks of being sedentary. |
| D．To check whether sedentary life can lead to increased risks of death. |
4. What is the function of the figures in the last paragraph?
| A．To list the recommended step counts. |
| B．To show the link between step counts and health. |
| C．To warn people of the harm of sedentary lifestyle. |
| D．To compare the steps of active people and inactive people. |
