环球英语 — 418：Caring for the Heart

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Marina Santee
Voice 2
And I'm Ruby² Jones. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
The sound of the human heart. It is one of the most amazing organs in the body. When the heart stops, life ends. During an average lifetime, the heart beats over two and a half thousand million times. It never stops to rest. Each day the heart pumps over seven thousand litres of blood. It sends blood around and around the body.
Voice 2
Everyone knows how important the heart is. But does everyone know how to look after his or her heart? Cardiovascular diseases⁴, or CVDs, are diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels⁵. CVDs are the leading cause of death world wide. Every year over seventeen million people die from CVDs. Many of these deaths can be avoided. In today's Spotlight programme we look at ways of living a long and healthy life. First, here is Ryan Geertsma with one man's story of a heart attack. The man's name is Steven.
Voice 3
It was August, 2007. One night, we met some friends and went to a street party. There was live music, art - and lots of bad food. The next day was Sunday. I felt a bit more tired than usual. But I believed it was because of my lack of sleep the night before. I continued as normal. Later, my wife and I were getting ready for bed. And I started feeling like I had a bad case of pain in my chest. I though the pain was from eating too much. Then, the pain moved to my arm and the front of my neck. Finally, I did something unusual - I looked on the Internet for information about these particular pains. What I read told me that I was having a heart attack!
We went to hospital. Everything was happening so fast. It was almost like I was dreaming. My wife took my hand. Medical workers wheeled me into the operating room. They put a stent in place. (A stent is a long piece of metal. It opens blocked blood tubes near the heart.) I started to feel better almost immediately.
But after I left the hospital, the most difficult time was in front of me. It was time to make major changes. I had to change my diet. I had to start exercising. And I had to accept that my life had changed. My body was recovering at a good rate. But mentally and emotionally⁶ I was recovering much more slowly.
It is now one year since my heart attack. With support and the right attitude, my depression is getting better.
I have learned⁷ many important things. A heart attack affects everyone around me. The event has changed me. Today, I weigh eighteen kilograms less. And I feel great. This is the beginning of my second chance. My aim now is to tell my story to help other people. I want to encourage everyone who has had a heart attack at a young age.
Voice 1
Steven was forty years old when he had his heart attack. Like many people, he had believed that he was too young to have a heart attack! Many people do not think about what they eat, or how much exercise they do - until they become sick.
Voice 2
There are several risk factors that can lead to heart disease³. These include: smoking tobacco, an unhealthy diet and a lack of exercise.
Voice 1
Governments and other organisations around the world are working to help people avoid some of these risk factors. For example, in the United Kingdom, a government programme worked with the food and drink industry. Together, they reduced the amount of salt in around twenty five percent of processed foods. Many health experts believe that too much salt is related⁸ to high blood pressure - and high blood pressure is a major cause of CVD's.
Voice 2
The people of South Korea have worked to keep a healthy diet. This is sometimes difficult with the economic and industrial growth of a country. Traditionally the Korean diet is low in fat and contains lots of vegetables. The people have worked to keep their traditional cooking methods.
Voice 1
A government health plan in Mauritius has helped people to lower the amount of fat in their diets. This has reduced people's cholesterol⁹. Cholesterol is a substance found in all animals. There are good and bad kinds of cholesterol. Good cholesterol protects the heart. Bad cholesterol can cause heart disease. People with high fat diets often have high levels of bad cholesterol in their blood. In Mauritius, the government led a project to change the oil that people cook with. Most people cooked with palm oil. Palm oil contains high levels of bad fats. So people started using soya bean oil instead. This is a different kind of vegetable oil. Soya bean oil contains a much lower level of bad fat.
Voice 2
These health plans are simple yet effective. Here are some simple health efforts that can lower the fat in your diet, without too much effort!
Voice 1
In India: Try and avoid milk fats like butter and ghee. Also try and avoid vanaspati. This contains vegetable oils that have been treated with hydrogen¹⁰. All of these are high in bad fats. A high fat diet is one of the main factors of heart disease.
Instead, choose healthier oil such as refined¹¹ ground nut oil, olive¹² oil or rice oil. Combining the oils is even better because you get the goodness¹³ from each.
Voice 2
Experts advise all people to avoid always cooking everything in oil. Instead, use methods that do not need oil. For example, cook food in the oven¹⁴, or under a grill¹⁵.
Voice 1
Try to avoid too much red meat. Before you cook meat, cut the fat off - including the skin.
Voice 2
Include plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet.
Voice 1
Exercise for half an hour or more every day.
Voice 2
Avoid smoking.
Voice 1
And make sure you are not too fat or too thin.
Voice 2
Doing all these things will help to reduce your risk of heart disease and heart attacks. Caring for your heart increases your chances of a long and healthy life!
Voice 1
World Heart Day is the last Sunday of September. It is a special day, a day that people can think about protecting and celebrating the one thing they all have in common: life.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

4 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

5 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 emotionally   

adv.感情上，情绪上，冲动地

参考例句：

• a special school for emotionally disturbed children 为精神异常儿童开办的特殊学校
• A wide range of emotionally stressful events may trigger a relapse. 多种令人情绪紧张的事情都可能引起旧病复发。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

8 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

9 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

10 hydrogen   

n.氢元素，氢气

参考例句：

• Water is made up of atoms of hydrogen and oxygen.水由氢和氧的原子构成。
• A chemist can isolate the oxygen from the hydrogen in water.一个化学家能把水中的氧和氢分解。

11 refined   

adj.精炼的；精制的；经过改良的；举止优雅的v.精炼( refine的过去式和过去分词)；精制；使纯净；使文雅高尚

参考例句：

• Much of the really nutritive material actually was refined out of food. 大部分真正有营养价值的物质实际上已从食物中提炼出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They refined gold out of the ore. 他们从矿石中提炼出黄金。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 olive   

n.橄榄，橄榄树，橄榄色；adj.黄绿色的，黄褐色的，橄榄色的

参考例句：

• Have you eaten a kind of fruit called olive?你吃过橄榄这种水果吗？
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace.她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。

13 goodness   

n.善良，善行，美德

参考例句：

• Would you have the goodness to turn off the radio?劳驾，请你把收音机关上好不好？
• Thank goodness,we've found a cure for the disease.好了，这病有救了！

14 oven   

n.烤炉；烤箱

参考例句：

• You put food inside an oven to cook it.你把食物放进烤箱里热一下。
• She baked bread in an oven.她用烤炉烤面包。

15 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。