VOA常速英语2007年-Obesity: a Growing Problem in U.S. and Globally

By Paul Sisco
Washington
01 November 2007
 

The World Health Organization reports in its latest study 300 million adults around the world are considered obese¹, and that it is a problem not only in the industrialized nations but elsewhere as well.

At the Mayo Clinic in the U.S., a researcher is developing ways for office workers to "run in place" at work, rather than sit at their desks all day. Paul Sisco has today's Searching for Solutions report.

Amy Langer is one of tens of millions of Americans who sit at their desk most of the day. Now her company is replacing sit-down desks and chairs with stand-up work stations.

She describes the experience, "I've checked all of my e-mail. I can make phone calls. Every single thing that I can do from my desk I can do from here."

An estimated one third of Americans are obese. A recent French study found much of the industrialized world is catching² up.

Dr. James Levine says a sedentary lifestyle is a big part of the problem."If sitting is to blame then standing³ is the solution," he said. 

In his research at the Mayo Clinic in the midwestern U.S. state Minnesota he found that workers who stand burn 20 more calories each hour over those who sit. And because walking burns more, he designed a treadmill⁴ desk.

Dr. Levine explains, "I spend my entire workday at one mile an hour."

Levine's research at the Mayo clinic found that, depending on your age and body type, if you took an easy eight hour stroll each day rather than sitting at your desk, you could lose more than 50 pounds a year.

1 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

2 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 treadmill   

n.踏车；单调的工作

参考例句：

• The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
• Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。