Obesity： the Scourge of the Western World

    Obesity is rapidly becoming a new scourge of the western world, delegates agreed at the 11th European Conference on the issue in Vienna¹ Wednesday to Saturday. According to statements before the opening of the conference _ of 2,000 specialists from more than 50 countries 一 1. 2 billion people worldwide are overweight, and 250 million are obese.
    Professor Bernhard Ludvik of Vienna General Hospital said，“ Obesity is a chronic illness. In Germany，20 per cent of the people are already affected，but in Japan only one per cent. ” But he said that there was hope for sufferers thanks to the new scientific discoveries and medication.
    Professor Friedrich Hopichler of Salzberg said, "We are living in the new age (but) with the metabolism of a stone-age man.²" “I have just been to the United States. It is really terrible. A pizza shop is springing up³ on every corner. We have been overrun by fast food and Coca-Cola-ization. ”⁴
    Many of the experts stressed that obesity was a potential killer. Hopichler said, “Eighty percent of all diabetics are obese，also fifty per cent of all patients with high blood pressure and fifty per cent with adipose tissue complaints. ” "Ten per cent more weight means thirteen per cent more risk of heart disease. Reducing one"s weight by ten per cent leads to thirteen per cent lower blood pressure. ”
    Another expert Hermann Toplak said that the state health services should improve their financing of preventive programs. "Though the health insurance pays for surgery (such as reducing the size of the stomach) when the body-mass index⁵ is more than 40. That is equivalent to⁶ a weight of 116 kilograms for a height of 1.70 meters. One should start earlier. ”
    Ludvik said that prevention should begin in school. “ Child obesity (fat deposits) correlates with⁷ the time which children spend in front of TV sets. ”
　　The consequences were only apparent later on. No more than fifteen per cent of obese people lived to the average life expectancy⁸ for their population group.

词汇：

scourge / skɜ:dʒ/n. 天灾；祸害       

medication / ˌmedɪˈkeɪʃn/n. .药物疗法
obesity / əʊ"bi:sətɪ/n.肥胖症  

overrun / ˌəʊvə"rʌn/vt.侵扰；蹂躏

obese / əʊˈbi:s/n.肥胖的 

diabetic/ ˌdaɪəˈbetɪk/n. 糖尿病患者；adj.糖尿病的
pizza / ˈpi:tsə/n.(意大利式)烤馅饼，比萨饼
adipose/ "ædɪpəʊs/ahj.脂肪的;肥胖的

metabolism/ məˈtæbəlɪzəm/n. 新陈代谢

 

注释：

1. Vienna： n.维也纳（奧地利首都）
2.We are living... of a stone-age man.我们正生活在新时代，可是却是石器时代人类的新陈代 谢。言外之意，我们的饮食不讲究科学，见什么就吃什么。石器时代，食物匮乏，人类必须四 处觅食，新陈代谢自然旺盛;而现代有高度的物质文明，如果还像石器时代人类那样狼吞虎 咽,不吃成胖子才怪呢！
3.spring up:出现。例如:A suspicion sprang up in her mind.在她的头脑里出现了一个疑团。
4.We have been overrun by fast food and Coca-Cola-ization.我们已经深受快餐食品和可口可乐化的侵害。
5.body-mass index:体质指数(BMI)，也有人称为体重指数或身高体重指数。
6.be equivalent to ：相当于,等于
7.correlate with/to：(使）与……相关联例如:Her research results correlate with his.她的研究成果与他的研究成果相关联。They find it hard to correlate one set of figures with the other.他们发现很难使这两组数字发生相互联
8.life expectancy：(根据概率统计求得的）估计寿命，预期寿命

What is the correlation between body weight and heart disease and blood pressure?

A:Ten per cent less body weight means ten per cent less risk of heart disease and high blood pressure B:hirteen per cent more body weight means ten per cent more risk of heart disease and high blood pressure C:The more body weight one gains，the more risk of heart disease and high blood pressure he has D:The less body weight one gains, the more risk of heart disease and the less risk of high ‘ blood pressure he has

Hypertension Drugs Found to Cut Risk of Stroke

    Australian doctors declared Monday that a cocktail of simple antihypertensive drugs can lower the risk of patients suffering a repeat stroke by more than a third. This is the result of their research. The research, presented at a medical conference in Italyover the weekend, has been valued highly as a major breakthrough in stroke prevention.

    Strokes kill 5 million people a year, and more than 15 million suffer nbn-fatal strokes that often leave them with useless limbs , slurred speech and other serious disabilities. One in five stroke survivors goes on to have a second, often fatal, stroke within five years of the first.

    An international six-year study of 6，100 patients directed from Sydney University found that by taking two blood pressure-lowering drugs,the risk of secondary strokes can be reduced by up to 40 per cent. Even taking one of the commonly available drugs can cut the risk by a third，the study said. The drugs are the diuretic indapamide and the ACE inhibitor¹ perindopril, better known by its brand name Coversyl. The combination was effective even in patients who did not have high blood pressure，the researchers said. They even found that the risk of another stroke could be cut by three quarters among the one-in-ten patients who had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, the worst type of stroke, where there is direct bleeding into the brain.

    Stephen McMahon, who presented the research at theMilancongress of the European Society of Hypertension, said about 50 million people were alive who had suffered at least one stroke. "If most of those patients were able to get access to² this treatment, it would result in³ maybe the avoidance of half a million strokes a year，” the professor told Australia"s ABC Radio.

    McMahon said doctors had long known that lowering the blood pressure of those with hypertension could help prevent strokes. "What we have shown for the first time is that it does not really matter what your blood pressure is⁴ ； if you have had a stroke，then lowering blood pressure will produce large benefits, to begin with⁵— even for people whose blood pressure is average or below average，” he said.

    McMahon said the Milan gathering had heralded the research as a “ major breakthrough in the care of patients with strokes 一 perhaps the biggest step forward that we have made in the last couple of decades".

 

词汇：

hypertension /ˌhaɪpəˈtenʃn/ n.高血压

cocktail /"kɒkteɪl/ n.鸡尾酒（一种各种成分混合的饮料）；混合剂，合剂

antihypertensive / "ænti:hɑɪpə"tensɪv/ adj. .抗高血压的；抗高血压药

slur  /slɜ:(r) / vt.  (使）含糊不清 

diuretic / ˌdaɪjuˈretɪk/ adj. 禾尿的；利尿剂

indapamide /ɪndəpə"maɪd/ n. 吲达帕胺，茚磺苯酰胺(抗高血压药，利尿药）

inhibitor /ɪnˈhɪbɪtə(r)/ n.抑制剂，抑制物

perindopril .呱哚普利

cerebral / ˈserəbrəl, səˈri:-/ adj. 大脑的

h (a) emorrhage  /ˈhemərɪdʒ/ n.  出血

bleeding  /ˈbli:dɪŋ/ v.出血，放血

avoidance /əˈvɔɪdəns/ n.  避免，逃避

herald  /ˈherəld/ v.宣布；预示……的来临

 

注释：

1.ACE (angiotension converting enzyme) inhibitor:血管紧张肽转化酶抑制剂

2.get/have access to:有机会，有权利,有办法。例如:You can get easy access to him.你可以很容易见到他。Students must have access to good books.学生们必须有机会读到好书。

3.result in：(原因）导致（……结果）请注意另一短语result from,其因果关系正相反：（结果）是由……原因所造成的。 例如:His negligence resulted in the accident.他的疏<忽导致了这个事故。Sickness often results from eating too much.疾病常常是因饮食过度造成的。

4.What we have shown for the first time is that it does not really matter what your blood pressure is...：我们第一次所证明的是，你的血压高低并不太重要……在本句中What.. .time是主语从句，that... is是表语从句。在表语从句中it是形式主语， what... is是主语从句。在这里matter是不及物动词,等于be of importance,即“关系重大”。 例如:It doesn"t matter what you do or where you go.你做什么事或到什么地方去，这都无关紧要。

5.to begin with ：首先（作插入语)，例如:He is very diligent, to begin with.首先，他很勤奋。

What patients among those who have had a stroke will benefit greatly from taking blood pressure-lowering drugs?

A:Those whose blood pressure is high B:Those whose blood pressure is average C:Those whose blood pressure is below average D:All of the above

Text 2
"Ouch!" you cry as your doctor "stabs" you in a finger or in that sensitive spot on the inside of your elbow opposite your elbow. "Is the sharp, if momentary, pain necessary" You wonder as the doctor takes a sample of your blood. What is she up to anyway What are blood tests for
Your blood is a vital part of your body. It picks up oxygen in your lungs and carries it to your cells, which use the oxygen to produce energy. It carries wastes away from your cells, It carries white blood cells and disease-fighting chemicals called antibodies to places where foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses are causing infections. The white blood cells gobble up the invaders, and the antibodies knock them out.
Your blood also carries food from your stomach and small intestine to all parts of your body. Clearly, a large loss of blood from an accident or disease can have serious consequences.
So can an imbalance of the blood’ s parts. For example, a low concentration of white cells reduces the body’ s ability to fight infection. A low concentration of oxygen-carrying red cells robs the body of energyreleasing oxygen.
Suppose you lost a lot of blood, what would a doctor do Replace the blood quickly as possible by giving you a transfusion of blood donated by another person. But the doctor can’ t use just anyone’s blood. The donor’s blood has to be of a type that won’t be destroyed by your blood. Blood type What’s that
Remember the blood your doctor took from you Well, some of that blood may have been used to find your blood type--A, B, AB, or O. Each of us has one of these basic blood types (plus a number of subtypes). People with a certain type can receive blood of only certain other types.
To find your blood type, the doctor sends your blood to a laboratory. There your red cells are separated from the other parts of your blood. These cells may have certain antigens (special proteins) on their surfaces--" A "antigens and/or "B" antigens. If your red cells have "A" antigens you are type A, "B" antigens make you type B both "A" and "B" antigens make you type AB, neither "A" nor "B" antigens makes you type O. How do you find those antigens
A lab technician mixes your red blood cells with two kinds of blood serum. One contains anti-A antibodies. The other kind contains anti-B antibodies. An antibody is a substance that "attacks" a particular antigen, in this case "A" or "B" antigens.
The technician taken looks at each mixture under a microscope to see what will happen to your blood cells. Certain mixtures may make your red cells clump together. By finding which mixtures do this and which do not, the technician can figure out your blood type.
But blood typing isn’t the only reason to have a blood test taken. It can also check for signs of infection. How When you have an infection, especially a serious one, the number of white blood cells soars. This is normal response of your body to an invasion of germs.
This time, a sample of blood goes to the lab for a CBC--complete blood count. A technician will examine your blood under a microscope--counting the white cells in a small marked-off area. If the number is much higher than it ought to be, the doctor may need to treat you to be sure the infection doesn’t spread.
Other blood tests can determine the concentration of various chemicals in your blood or the variety and types of blood cells circulating in the blood. The information hidden in a drop of blood may lead a doctor to suggest ways to treat. Or avoid dangerous health conditions.
Was the stick in the finger or arm necessary If protecting yourself from danger is necessary, the answer has got to be--yes!

"But the doctor can't use just anyone's blood. The donor's blood has to be of a type that won't be destroyed by your blood." This statement means that（）

A:the doctor can't use the donor's blood because your blood can destroy this B:the doctor has to choose a donor whose blood can not be destroyed by your blood C:the doctor has to choose a certain type of blood from a donor whose blood will not be destroyed by yours D:the doctor can choose a certain type of blood from any donors

"But the doctor can't use just anyone's blood. The donor's blood has to be of a type that won't be destroyed by your blood." This statement means that______.

A:the doctor can't use the donor's blood because your blood can destroy this B:the doctor has to choose a donor whose blood can not be destroyed by your blood C:the doctor has to choose a certain type of blood from a donor whose blood will not be destroyed by yours D:the doctor can choose a certain type of blood from any donors

You have been badly injured in a car accident. It is necessary to give you a blood transfusion because you lost a great deal of blood in the accident. However, special care must be taken in selecting new blood for you. If the blood is too different from your own, the transfusion could kill you.
There are four basic types of blood; A, B, AB and O. A simple test can indicate a person’s blood type. Everybody is born with one of these four types of blood. Blood type, like hair color and height, is inherited from parents.
Because of substances contained in each type, the four groups must be transfused carefully. Basically, A and B cannot be mixed. A and B cannot receive AB, but AB may receive A or B. O can give to any other group, hence it is often called the universal donor. For the opposite reason, AB sometimes called the universal recipient. However, because so many reactions can occur in transfusions, patients usually receive only salt or plasma until their blood can be matched as exactly as possible in the blood bank of a hospital. In this way, it is possible to avoid any bad reactions to the transfusion.
There is a relationship between your blood type and your nationality. Among Europeans and people of European ancestry, about 42 percent have type A while 45 percent have type O. The rarest is type AB. Other races have different percentages. For example, some American Indian groups have nearly 100 percent type O.

A good title for this passage is （）

A:Getting Blood arid Plasma B:Special Blood and Colors C:Human Blood Types D:The Blood Bank of a Hospital

You have been badly injured in a car accident. It is necessary to give you a blood transfusion because you lost a great deal of blood in the accident. However, special care must be taken in selecting new blood for you. If the blood is too different from your own, the transfusion could kill you.
There are four basic types of blood; A, B, AB and O. A simple test can indicate a person’s blood type. Everybody is born with one of these four types of blood. Blood type, like hair color and height, is inherited from parents.
Because of substances contained in each type, the four groups must be transfused carefully. Basically, A and B cannot be mixed. A and B cannot receive AB, but AB may receive A or B. O can give to any other group, hence it is often called the universal donor. For the opposite reason, AB sometimes called the universal recipient. However, because so many reactions can occur in transfusions, patients usually receive only salt or plasma until their blood can be matched as exactly as possible in the blood bank of a hospital. In this way, it is possible to avoid any bad reactions to the transfusion.
There is a relationship between your blood type and your nationality. Among Europeans and people of European ancestry, about 42 percent have type A while 45 percent have type O. The rarest is type AB. Other races have different percentages. For example, some American Indian groups have nearly 100 percent type O.

A good title for this passage is （　）

A:Getting Blood arid Plasma B:Special Blood and Colors C:Human Blood Types D:The Blood Bank of a Hospital

Passage Four
You have been badly injured in a car accident. It is necessary to give you a blood transfusion because you lost a great deal of blood in the accident. However, special care must be taken in selecting new blood for you. If the blood is too different from your own, the transfusion could kill you.
There are four basic types of blood; A, B, AB and O. A simple test can indicate a person’s blood type. Everybody is born with one of these four types of blood. Blood type, like hair color and height, is inherited from parents.
Because of substances contained in each type, the four groups must be transfused carefully. Basically, A and B cannot be mixed. A and B cannot receive AB, but AB may receive A or B.O can give to any other group, hence it is often called the universal donor. For the opposite reason, AB sometimes called the universal recipient. However, because so many reactions can occur in transfusions, patients usually receive only salt or plasma until their blood can be matched as exactly as possible in the blood bank of a hospital. In this way, it is possible to avoid any bad reactions to the transfusion.
There is a relationship between your blood type and your nationality. Among Europeans and people of European ancestry, about 42 percent have type A while 45 percent have type O. The rarest is type AB. Other races have different percentages. For example, some American Indian groups have nearly 100 percent type O.

A good title for this passage is （）

A:Getting Blood and Plasma B:Special Blood and Colors C:Human Blood Types D:The Blood Bank of a Hospital

Passage Four

A good title for this passage is ______ .

A:Getting Blood and Plasma B:Special Blood and Colors C:Human Blood Types D:The Blood Bank of a Hospital