The largest-ever study of the link between city walkability and high blood pressure has been held up as evidence of the “invisible value of urban design” in improving long-term health outcomes, say researchers.
The study of around 430,000 people aged between 38 and 73 and living in 22 UK cities found significant associations between the increased walkability of a neighborhood, lower blood pressure and reduced risk of high blood pressure among its residents.
The outcomes remained consistent even after adjustments for socio-demographic (社会人口统计学), lifestyle and changing physical environment factors, though the protective effects were particularly pronounced among participants aged between 50 and 60, women, and those residing in higher density and poor neighborhoods.
The paper was published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health this week. With high blood pressure a major risk factor for chronic (慢性的) and particularly heart diseases, researchers at the University of Hong Kong and Oxford University said the findings demonstrated the need to take notice of the health-influencing factor in urban design.
“With the increasing pace of urbanization and demographic shifts towards an ageing population, we become more likely to suffer from chronic diseases,” said Dr. Chinmoy Sarkar, an assistant professor at the Healthy High Density Cities Lab of the University of Hong Kong and lead author of the study. “The action taken to improve public health must consider the invisible value of urban planning and design.
“We are spending billions of pounds in preventing and curing heart diseases — if we are able to invest in creating healthy cities through small changes in the design of our neighborhoods to make them more activity-friendly and walkable, then probably, we will have significant savings in future healthcare expenses.”
To measure a neighborhood’s activity-promoting potential, researchers developed a set of index of walkability containing relevant urban elements, including residential and retail (零售) density, public transport, street-level movement, and distance to attractive destinations.
Poorly designed spaces generally reduced walking and physical activity, promoting the lifestyles of long time sitting down and not moving; and were harmful to social interactions, and as such associated with poorer mental and physical health.
Because walkability was “based on the underlying design of the city”, said Sarkar, cities could be modified or designed to encourage it. “Such investments in healthy design are likely to bring in long-term gains as they are enduring and common.”
1.By considering “invisible value of urban design”, people can _______.
A.reduce the ageing population
B.slow down the pace of urbanization
C.promote activity-friendly and walkable cities
D.invest in preventing and curing heart diseases
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.A set of index is essential to ensure that urban design promotes walkability.
B.Walkable cities can lower blood pressure and the risk of high blood pressure.
C.Chronic diseases are becoming common due to people’s neglect of their health.
D.Middle-aged women living in poor areas are less likely to benefit from increased walkability.
3.All of the following are the undesirable consequences of poorly-designed neighborhoods EXCEPT _______.
A.failing health B.unhealthy lifestyle
C.fewer social interactions D.fewer neighborhoods
4.According to Dr. Chinmoy Sarkar, _______.
A.cities should encourage the residents to engage in social interactions
B.the design of our neighborhoods should meet people’s needs for retail density
C.money invested in creating healthy cities is money saved in future healthcare expenses
D.chronic diseases will be common because of our lifestyle and the physical environment
When prehistoric man arrived in new parts of the world, something strange happened to the large animals. They suddenly became extinct. Smaller species survived. The large, slow-growing animals were easy game, and were quickly hunted to extinction. Now something similar could be happening in the oceans.
That the seas are being overfished has been known for years. What researchers such as Ransom Myers and Boris Worm have shown is just how fast things are changing. They have looked at half a century of data from fisheries around the world. Their methods do not attempt to estimate the actual biomass (the amount of living biological matter) of fish species in particular parts of the ocean, but rather changes in that biomass over time. According to their latest paper published in Nature, the biomass of large predators (animals that kill and eat other animals) in a new fishery is reduced on average by 80% within 15 years of the start of exploitation. In some long-fished areas, it has halved again since then.
Dr. Worm acknowledges that the figures are conservative. One reason for this is that fishing technology has improved. Today's vessels (船)can find their prey using satellites and sonar, which were not available 50 years ago. That means a higher proportion of what is in the sea is being caught, so the real difference between present and past is likely to be worse than the one recorded by changes in catch sizes. In the early days, too, longlines (多钩长线) would have been more filled with fish. Some individuals would therefore not have been caught, since no baited hooks (带饵钩)would have been available to trap them, leading to an underestimate of fish stocks in the past. Furthermore, in the early days of longline fishing, a lot of fish were lost to sharks after they had been hooked. That is no longer a problem, because there are fewer sharks around now。
Dr. Myers and Dr. Worm argue that their work gives a correct baseline, which future management efforts must take into account. They believe the data support an idea current among marine biologists, that of the “shifting baseline". The idea is that people have failed to detect the massive changes which have happened in the ocean because they have been looking back only a relatively short time into the past. That matters because theory suggests that the maximum sustainable yield （产量）that can be cropped from a fishery comes when the biomass of a target species is about 50% of its original levels. Most fisheries are well below that, which is a bad way to do business.
1.The extinction of large prehistoric animals is noted to suggest that .
A.large animals were easily hurt in the changing environment
B.small species survived as large animals disappeared
C.large sea animals may face the same threat today
D.slow-growing fish outlive fast-growing ones
2.By saying these figures are conservative , Dr. Worm means that .
A.fishing technology has improved rapidly
B.the catch-sizes are actually smaller than recorded
C.the marine biomass has suffered a greater loss
D.the data collected so far are out of date
3.Dr. Myers and other researchers hold that .
A.people should look for a baseline that can't work for a longer time
B.fisheries should keep the yield below 50% of the biomass
C.the ocean biomass should restore its original level
D.people should adjust the fishing baseline to changing situation
New York’s best classes for kids include sports classes, performing arts classes, art classes, language programs and baby classes. Make sure your kids are ready for new adventures with these super-cool offerings!
92nd Street Y Classes
At this institution your musician can learn how to play an instrument. After-school classes examine different musical pieces and encourage work in a group setting. At the end of the program, mini Mozarts can impress their family and friends at open-house performances. Plus, when they're not jamming, kids can take advantage of homework help in the Clubhouse, where they are divided up by grade level. Ages 5 - 15.
The Cliffs at LIC
After a day of fighting the academic obstacle course at school, your favorite achievers can reach new heights on a rock-climbing wall. The Cliffs， offerings allow developing bodies to build muscle strength. For example, introductory sessions teach climbers how to tie safety knots （结） as well as other basics, mastering them with hands-on games and activities. The Cliffs at LIC, Long Island City. Ages 6-18.
Staten Island Skating Pavilion
This large area maintains its year-round frosty temperatures for ice-skating fun. Courses are offered every day for a variety of interests and skill levels, and public and freestyle sessions are available for children who want to spend some afternoons there without instruction. Ages 4 and up.
West Side YMCA
If your child wants to learn how to swim, you'd be pressed to find more options than those offered at the Y. Kids are grouped by age and capability. The courses cover personal safety and stroke techniques. If your offspring prefer dry land, the Y also offers dance, basketball and football. Visit website for class descriptions and detailed price information. Ages 5-18.
1.Which event will you attend for occasional academic help?
A.The Cliffs at LIC. B.West Side YMCA.
C.92nd Street Y Classes. D.Staten Island Skating Pavilion.
2.What does Staten Island Skating Pavilion provide?
A.A mini open-house performance at the end of the program.
B.Cold temperatures all the year round for ice-skating.
C.Teaching of skating in divided groups according to their age.
D.Introductory lessons on how to overcome the learning obstacles.
I wrote my first poem at the age of seven and showed it to my mother. She read and cried, “Buddy, you really wrote a beautiful poem!”
Shyly but_______, I said yes. She poured out her praise. “It was _______ short of talent!”
“What time will Father be home?” I asked. I could hardly wait to_______my work to him. I spent quite some time_________for his arrival. I wrote the poem out in my finest handwriting, drew a fancy border around it and_______I placed it right on my father’s plate on the dining table. My father had begun his motion-picture career as a writer. I was sure he would be able to_______my poem.
At almost 7 o’clock my father burst in. He seemed upset. He circled the dining-room table, complaining about his employees.
Suddenly he paused and _______his plate. “What is this?” He was reaching for my poem.
“Ben, Buddy has written his first poem!” my mother began. “And it’s beautiful, absolutely amaz…”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to decide for myself.” Father said.
I_______my head as he read that poem. It was only ten lines. But it seemed to take hours. Then I heard him dropping the poem back on the table. Now came the moment of_______.“I think it’s terrible,” he said. I couldn’t look up. My eyes were getting________.“Ben, these are the first lines of poetry he’s ever written,” my mother was saying. “He needs encouragement.”
“I don’t know why.” My father held his________. “Isn’t there enough awful poetry in the world already?”
I couldn’t________it another second. I ran from the dining room crying. Up in my room I________myself on the bed and cried the worst of the________out of me.
That may have been the end of the story, but not of its________for me. I realized how fortunate I had been. I had a mother who said, “I think it’s wonderful!” and a father who drove me to hear with “I think it’s________.”
Every one of us needs that mother force, from which all________flows; and yet the mother force alone is incomplete. It needs the balance of the force that ________, “Watch. Listen. Review. Improve.”
Those________voices of my childhood ring in my ears through the years, like two opposing winds blowing me. Between the two poles of ________and doubt, both in the name of love, I try to follow my true course.
1.A.typically B.proudly C.anxiously D.honestly
2.A.something B.obviously C.definitely D.nothing
3.A.demonstrate B.describe C.recite D.illustrate
4.A.waiting B.praying C.preparing D.planning
5.A.gradually B.confidently C.desperately D.casually
6.A.appreciate B.revise C.read D.polish
7.A.stared at B.glanced at C.glared at D.looked at
8.A.shook B.lowered C.raised D.turned
9.A.decision B.excitement C.meditation D.devotion
10.A.dark B.wide C.wet D.bright
11.A.tongue B.position C.interest D.ground
12.A.tolerate B.contain C.control D.approve
13.A.placed B.threw C.spread D.kept
14.A.confusion B.pressure C.disappointment D.tiredness
15.A.challenge B.development C.difficulty D.significance
16.A.elegant B.awful C.brilliant D.controversial
17.A.failure B.limit C.creation D.improvement
18.A.cautions B.misleads C.orders D.foresees
19.A.inspiring B.warning C.discouraging D.conflicting
20.A.confirmation B.restriction C.distrust D.disapproval
It’s ______ — without experience you can’t get a job and without a job you can’t get experience.
A.a catch-22 situation B.your Achilles’ heel C.Pandora’s box D.your Waterloo
The People’s Bank of China has issued a set of “reform and opening-up” gold coins, but the coins will not be in _______.
A.recognition B.transaction C.circulation D.transportation
