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

Kidney Disease and Heart Disease Spur Each Other

    Hearts and kidneys： If one"s diseased, better keep a close eye on¹ the other. Surprising new research shows kidney disease somehow speeds up heart disease well before it has ravaged the kidneys. And perhaps not so surprising, doctors have finally proven that heart disease can trigger kidney destruction, too.

    The work，from two studies involving over 50,000 patients, promises to boost efforts to diagnose simmering kidney disease earlier. All it takes are urine and blood tests that cost less than $25, something proponents want to become as routine as cholesterol checks.²"The average patient knows their cholesterol，’ says Dr. Peter McCuilough, preventive medicine chief at Michigan"sWilliamBeaumontHospital. "The average patient has no idea of³ their kidney function. ”

    Chronic kidney disease，or CKD，is a quiet epidemic ： Many of the 19 million Americans estimated to have it don"t know they do. The kidneys lose their ability to filter waste out of the bloodstream so slowly that symptoms aren"t obvious until the organs are very damaged.⁴ End-stage kidney failure is rising fast, with 400,000 people requiring dialysis or a transplant to survive, a toll that has doubled in each of the last two decades.⁵

    And while CKD patients often are terrified of having to go on dialysis，the hard truth is that most will die of heart disease before their kidneys disintegrate to that point, something kidney specialists have recognized for several years but isn"t widely known.⁶ Indeed, the new research is highlighted in this month"s Archives of Internal Medicine with a call for doctors who care for heart patients to start rigorously checking out the kidneys，and for better care of early kidney disease.⁷

    The link sounds logical. After all⁸，high blood pressure and diabetes are chief risk factors for both chronic kidney disease and heart attacks. But the link goes beyond⁹ those risk factors，stresses McCuilough：Once the kidneys begin to fail, something in turn¹⁰ accelerates heart disease, not just in the obviously sick or very old, but at what he calls "a shockingly early age. ” McCuilough and colleagues tracked more than 37,000 relatively young people 一 average age 53 — who volunteered for a kidney screening. Three markers of kidney function were checked ： The rate at which kidneys filter blood, called the GFR or glomerular filtration rate¹¹；levels of the protein albumin in the urine； and if they were anemic. They also were asked about previously diagnosed heart disease.

    The odds of having heart disease rose steadily as each of the kidney markers worsened. More striking was the death data. At this age，few deaths are expected，and indeed just 191 people died during the study period. But those who had both CKD and known heart disease had a threefold increased risk of death in a mere 2½ years, mostly from heart problems. "This study is very much a wake-up call," McCullough says.

 

词汇：

kidney 肾 spur 刺激 ravage .蹂躏；破坏；毁掉

trigger 激发，引起 destruction .破坏；毁灭

simmer(用小火）慢慢地煮(炖）；（感情等）即将爆发

proponent 提议者；支持者 cholesterol 胆固醇

epidemic.流行"性的；n.流行病；（流行病）流行

filter过滤，滤过,滤清 bloodstream .血、流

dialysis 透析 transplant移植；n.移植；移植物

toll 代价;损失；（事故等）伤亡人数

terrify .吓倒，吓坏 disintegrate 瓦解；蜕变

highlight 使突出，使注意 archive (常用复数）档案；档案室

rigorously 严格地 diabetes 糖尿病，多尿症

shockingly 极度地，极端地 marker标示物

albumin .清蛋白，白蛋白 anemic贫血的 odds(单复数同形）可能性，机会　　

kidney / ˈkɪdni / n.  肾

spur  /spɜ:n/ vt. 刺激

ravage  /"rævɪdʒ / vt.  .蹂躏；破坏；毁掉

trigger / ˈtrɪgə(r)/ n.   激发，引起

destruction / dɪ"strʌkʃn)/ n.破坏；毁灭

simmer(用小火）  /"sɪmə(r)/ vt. 慢慢地煮(炖）；（感情等）即将爆发

proponent / prəˈpəʊnənt / n. 提议者；支持者

cholesterol / kəˈlestərɒl / n. 胆固醇

epidemi / ˌepɪ"demɪk/ adj.流行"性的；n.流行病；（流行病）流行

filter  /ˈfɪltə(r)/ vi.过滤，滤过,滤清

bloodstream /ˈblʌdstri:m/ n.血、流

dialysis /ˌdaɪˈæləsɪs/ n.透析

transplant / trænsˈplɑ:nt/ vt.  移植；n.移植；移植物

toll /təʊl/ n. 代价;损失；（事故等）伤亡人数

terrify / ˈterɪfaɪ/ vt.吓倒，吓坏

disintegrate / dɪs"ɪntɪɡreɪt/ vt. 瓦解；蜕变

highlight / ˈhaɪlaɪt/ vt. 使突出，使注意

archive /"ɑ:kaɪv/ n. (常用复数）档案；档案室

rigorously  /"rɪɡərəslɪ/ adv. 严格地

diabetes /ˌdaɪəˈbi:ti:z/ n. 糖尿病，多尿症

shockingly /"ʃɒkɪŋlɪ/ adv. 极度地，极端地

marker/ˈmɑ:kə(r)/ n.标示物

albumin /æl"bju:mɪn/ n.清蛋白，白蛋白

anemic /ə"ni:mɪk/ adj.贫血的

odds /ɒdz/ n. (单复数同形）可能性，机会

 

注释：

1.keep a close eye on:密切地关注

2. All it takes are urine and blood tests that cost less than $25，something proponents want to become as routine as cholesterol checks.这种对缓慢形成的肾病的早期诊断所采取的全部措 施就是尿检和血检，其费用不足25美元，提出这项建议的人希望它能像胆固醇检查那样成 为一种常规检查。本句中，it takes是all的定语从句，something是urine and blood tests的 同位语，proponents want to become as routine as cholesterol checks 是 something 的金语从句。

3.have no idea of:没有……的概念,不知道……

4.The kidneys lose their ability to filter waste out of the bloodstream so slowly that symptoms aren"t obvious until the organs are very damaged.肾脏如此缓慢地丧失它从i流中—出废物 的能力，以至于直到该器官受到严重损伤时才有明显症状。not... until:直到……才……。

5.End-stage kidney failure is rising fast, with 400,000 people requiring dialysis or a transplant to survive, a toll that has doubled in each of the last two decades.终末期丨肾衰竭病人数目迅速 增加，有40万人需要肾透析或肾移^[才能存话，这个数字在近20年中每10年翻一番。 end-stage kidney failure??终末期肾衰竭。a toll 是 400,000 people requiring dialysis or a transplant to survive 的同位语。

6.And while CKD patients often are terrified of having to go on dialysis, the hard truth is that most will die of heart disease before their kidneys disintegrate to that point, something kidney specialists have recognized for several years but isn"t widely known.尽管慢性肾病患者常常 害怕不得不去做肾透析，但是严酷的事实是，大多数人在肾脏还没有那么糟糕以前就死于 心脏病，这一点肾病专家几年前就已经知道，只是不被广为人知而已。这里，something是the hard truth is... to that point 这个句子的同位语，后面的 kidney specialists have recognized for several years but isn"t widely known 则是 something 的定语从句，省略了关系代词 that。

7.Indeed, the new research is highlighted in this month"s Archives of Internal Medicine with a call for doctors who care for heart patients to start rigorously checking out the kidneys，and for better care of early kidney disease.其实，这项新的研究在本月的《内科档案》杂志上就受到重视，该研 究号召为心脏病人治病的医生要开始严格地检查病人的肾脏，并要更好地关注早期肾病。Archives of Internal Medicine：《内科档案》。call for：要求，号召，提倡。check out:检验。

8.after all:毕竟

9.go beyond:超过

10in turn:依次

11glomerular filtration rate (GFR)：肾小球滤过率

What did the Archives of Internal Medicine call for doctors caring for heart patients to do?

A:To examine their patients" heart function carefully B:To have their patients" chests X-rayed regularly C:To select volunteers from their patients for a kidney screening D:To start rigorously checking out their patients" kidneys

Heart（）

A:心壁全部由心肌构成 B:心的长轴与人体纵轴一致 C:心底与肺相邻 D:只收纳体循环的静脉 E:可分为左半心和右半心

As heart disease continues to be the number-one killer in the United States, researchers have become increasingly interested in identifying the potential risk factors that trigger heart attacks. High-fat diets and "life in the fast track" have long been known to contribute to the high incidence of heart failure. But according to new studies, the list of risk factors may be significantly longer and quite surprising.
Heart failure, for example, appears to have seasonal and temporal patterns. A higher percentage of heart attacks occur in cold weather, and more people experience heart failure on Monday than on any other day of the week. In addition, people are more susceptible to heart attacks in the first few hours after waking. Cardiologists first observed this morning phenomenon in the mid-1980, and have since discovered a number of possible causes. An early-morning rise in blood pressure, heart rate, and concentration of heart stimulating hormones, plus a reduction of blood flow to the heart, may all contribute to the higher incidence of heart attacks between the hours of 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM.
In other studies, both birthdays and bachelorhood have been implicated as risk factors. Statistics reveal that heart attack rates increase significantly for both females and males in the few days immediately preceding and following their birthdays. And unmarried men are more at risk for heart attacks than their married counterparts. Though stress is thought to be linked in some way to all of the aforementioned risk factors, intense research continues in the hope of further comprehending why and how heart failure is triggered.

What does the passage mainly discuss（）

A:Risk factors in heart attacks. B:Seasonal and temporal patterns of heart attacks. C:Cardiology in the 1980s. D:Diet and stress as factors in heart attacks.

As heart disease continues to be the number-one killer in the United States, researchers have become increasingly interested in identifying the potential risk factors that trigger heart attacks. High-fat diets and "life in the fast track" have long been known to contribute to the high incidence of heart failure. But according to new studies, the list of risk factors may be significantly longer and quite surprising.
Heart failure, for example, appears to have seasonal and temporal patterns. A higher percentage of heart attacks occur in cold weather, and more people experience heart failure on Monday than on any other day of the week. In addition, people are more susceptible to heart attacks in the first few hours after waking. Cardiologists first observed this morning phenomenon in the mid-1980, and have since discovered a number of possible causes. An early-morning rise in blood pressure, heart rate, and concentration of heart stimulating hormones, plus a reduction of blood flow to the heart, may all contribute to the higher incidence of heart attacks between the hours of 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM.
In other studies, both birthdays and bachelorhood have been implicated as risk factors. Statistics reveal that heart attack rates increase significantly for both females and males in the few days immediately preceding and following their birthdays. And unmarried men are more at risk for heart attacks than their married counterparts. Though stress is thought to be linked in some way to all of the aforementioned risk factors, intense research continues in the hope of further comprehending why and how heart failure is triggered.

According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a possible cause of many heart attacks（）

A:Decreased blood flow to the heart. B:Increased blood pressure. C:Lower heart rate. D:Increase in hormones.

According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a possible cause of many heart attacks

A:Decreased blood flow to the heart. B:Increased blood pressure. C:Lower heart rate. D:Increase in hormones.

Heart Attack In the United States, and especially in big cities and rural areas, tens of thousands of people with hearts that should be good 【51】 to keep them alive die each year for lack of adequate first aid. In New York City, for example, a new study has shown that only one person in 100 outside of hospitals 【52】 after the heart suddenly stops pumping. In contrast, in Seattle, the survival 【53】 after such heart attacks is one in five. "The difference can be traced 【54】 the effectiveness of the chain of survival", Dr. Joseph P. Ornato said. " Each link in the 【55】 must be strong enough for many lives to be 【56】 ". The chain begins with an immediate telephone 【57】 for emergency help and the start within four minutes of the process needed for restarting the 【58】 working, by a family member or bystander (旁观者). It continues with the prompt arrival-------within eight 【59】 ten minutes of a rescuer equipped with a special instrument that can shock the heart back to a normal rhythm. And it ends with the administration (给予, 实施) of advanced (先进) emergency care by nurses to maintain the heart’’s ability to survive until the doctors at the hospitals can take 【60】 When one or more links in this chain fail or function too slowly, the 【61】 of a victim surviving heart attack falls rapidly. Because of widespread weaknesses in the chain of 【62】 , experts in emergency heart care estimate that 20,000 to 80,000 people 【63】 needlessly of heart attack each year, a number comparable to the 55,000 killed annually in automobile 【64】 . One expert says, "Sending an emergency vehicle to a heart attack victim, 【65】 the special equipment is like having policemen with guns but no bullets. They may put on a good show, but they lack the weapon needed to get the job done."

A:person B:brain C:heart D:body