轻松背单词新浪微博 轻松背单词腾讯微博
轻松背单词微信服务号
当前位置:首页 -> 10级英语阅读 - > 做家务能够瘦身
做家务能够瘦身
添加时间:2017-06-14 17:38:11 浏览次数: 作者:未知
Tip:点击数字可快速查看单词解释  
  • One reason so many American women are overweight may be that we are vacuuming and doing laundry less often, according to a new study that, while scrupulously1 even-handed, is likely to stir controversy2 and emotions.

    一项新的研究显示,美国有如此之多的超重女性,原因之一是她们不再那么经常使用吸尘器和洗衣服。即使以谨慎而公正的方式进行,这项研究也可能在舆论和情感层面引起轩然大波。

    The study, published this month in PLoS One, is a follow-up to an influential3 2011 report which used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine that, during the past 50 years, most American workers began sitting down on the job. Physical activity at work, such as walking or lifting, almost vanished, according to the data, with workers now spending most of their time seated before a computer or talking on the phone. Consequently, the authors found, the average American worker was burning almost 150 fewer calories daily at work than his or her employed parents had, a change that had materially contributed to the rise in obesity4 during the same time frame, especially among men, the authors concluded.

    上述研究成果是2011年发表的一篇论文的续作,刊登在本月的科研杂志《PLoS One》上。前作引起了很大反响,它通过美国劳工统计局(Bureau of Labor Statistics)的数据得出结论说,50年来,大多数美国劳动者逐渐开始坐着工作。像四处走动或搬运东西这样的体力劳动几乎已经消失。这些数据显示,现在劳动者把大多数时间都用在了操作电脑和打电话上。该论文的作者发现,和他们的父辈相比,美国劳动者每天在工作中消耗的热量减少了150大卡。作者断定,这样的变化对同一时期肥胖现象的增多有实质性的推动作用,特别是男性肥胖。

    “Fifty years ago, a majority of women did not work outside of the home, ” said Edward Archer5, a research fellow with the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, and lead author of the new study.

    哥伦比亚市南卡罗来那大学阿诺德公共健康学院(Arnold School of Public Health at University of South Carolina)研究员爱德华·阿彻(Edward Archer)博士是这篇新研究报告的主笔。他说:“50年前,多数女性都不外出工作。”

    So, in collaboration6 with many of the authors of the earlier study of occupational physical activity, Dr. Archer set out to find data about how women had once spent their hours at home and whether and how their patterns of movement had changed over the years.

    因此,阿彻博士联合了在之前的论文中探讨过职业体力劳动情况的多位作者,开始着手寻找过去女性在家中分配时间的数据,进而探究这些年来她们的行为模式是否改变以及出现了哪些变化。

    He found the information he needed in the American Heritage Time Use Study, a remarkable7 archive of “time-use diaries” provided by thousands of women beginning in 1965. Because Dr. Archer wished to examine how women in a variety of circumstances spent their time around the house, he gathered diaries from both working and non-employed women, starting with those in 1965 and extending through 2010.

    他在一项名为“美国时间分配研究资料库”(American Heritage Time Use Study, AHTUS)的研究中找到了自己需要的信息。AHTUS的课题是美国人怎样利用时间,它有一个非同凡响的数据库,其中收集了从1965年至今数千名美国女性的日记,内容是自己如何分配时间。由于阿彻博士希望了解不同条件下美国女性怎样在家里支配时间,所以他同时收集了职业女性和家庭主妇的日记,这些日记从1965年开始,一直延续到2010年。

    He and his colleagues then pulled data from the diaries about how many hours the women were spending in various activities, how many calories they likely were expending8 in each of those tasks, and how the activities and associated energy expenditures10 changed over the years.

    接下来,阿彻博士和同事们开始从这些日记中提取信息,以确定美国女性在各项家务上花费的时间、消耗的热量以及这么多年来这些家务和与之相关的能量消耗有了怎样的变化。

    As it turned out, their findings broadly echoed those of the occupational time-use study. Women, they found, once had been quite physically11 active around the house, spending, in 1965, an average of 25.7 hours a week cleaning, cooking and doing laundry. Those activities, whatever their social freight, required the expenditure9 of considerable energy. (The authors did not include child care time in their calculations, since the women’s diary entries related to child care were inconsistent and often overlapped12 those of other activities.) In general at that time, working women devoted13 somewhat fewer hours to housework, while those not employed outside the home spent more.

    最终,他们的发现和此前对劳动者如何分配时间的研究所得出的结论大体相同。以前,美国女性曾在家中从事相当多的体力劳动。在1965年,她们花在清扫、做饭和洗衣服上的时间平均为每周25.7个小时。无论借助怎样的工具,这些家务都会消耗相当多的能量。(研究者们没有把照看孩子的时间计算在内,原因是这些女性在照看孩子方面的记录存在矛盾而且经常和其他家务重叠在一起。)总的来说,当时职业女性在家务上花的时间较少,而家庭主妇在这方面所花的时间则较多。

    Forty-five years later, in 2010, things had changed dramatically. By then, the time-use diaries showed, women were spending an average of 13.3 hours per week on housework.

    45年后,也就是2010年,情况有了显著变化。上述日记显示,到2010年,美国女性花在家务上的时间平均为每周13.3小时。

    More striking, the diary entries showed, women at home were now spending far more hours sitting in front of a screen. In 1965, women typically had spent about eight hours a week sitting and watching television. (Home computers weren’t invented yet.)

    更引人注目的是,在这些日记中,家庭主妇坐在电视或电脑前的时间大幅上升。1965年,美国女性每周看电视的时间通常为八小时左右(当时还没有出现家用电脑)。

    By 2010, those hours had more than doubled, to 16.5 hours per week. In essence, women had exchanged time spent in active pursuits, like vacuuming, for time spent being sedentary.

    到了2010年,这个数字提高了一倍以上,达到每周16.5小时。实际上,美国女性压缩了用在清扫等动态行为上的时间,而延长了静坐不动的时间。

    In the process, they had also greatly reduced the number of calories that they typically expended14 during their hours at home. According to the authors’ calculations, American women not employed outside the home were burning about 360 fewer calories every day in 2010 than they had in 1965, with working women burning about 132 fewer calories at home each day in 2010 than in 1965.

    在这个过程中,她们在家里消耗的热量下降了很多。研究者们计算,2010年美国家庭主妇每天消耗的热量比1965年减少了360大卡左右,对职业女性来说,这个数字约为132大卡。

    “Those are large reductions in energy expenditure, ” Dr. Archer said, and would result, over the years, in significant weight gain without reductions in caloric intake15.

    阿彻博士指出:“这在能量消耗方面是一个巨大退步。”如果不减少热量摄入,长此以往体重就会明显上升。

    This does not mean, he said, that women — or men — should be doing more housework. For one thing, the effort involved is such activities today is less than it once was. Using modern, gliding16 vacuum cleaners is less taxing than struggling with the clunky, heavy machines once available, and thank goodness for that.

    他说这并不意味着女性或男性应该分担更多家务。首先,现在做家务已不像从前那样耗费体力。谢天谢地,如今的吸尘器轻巧灵活,不像以前那样笨拙沉重,使用起来也不再那么费力。

    Nor is more time spent helping17 around the house a guarantee of more activity, over all. A telling 2012 study of television viewing habits found that when men increased the number of hours they spent on housework, they also greatly increased the hours they spent sitting in front of the TV, presumably because it was there and beckoning18.

    其次,总的来说在家务上花更多时间并不能保证有更多的运动量。2012年一项关于看电视习惯的研究就生动地说明了这一点。这项研究表明,人们做家务的时间增多后,他们坐在那里看电视的时间也会大幅上升,原因大概是开着的电视引起了他们的注意。

    Instead, Dr. Archer said, we should start consciously tracking what we do when we are at home and try to reduce the amount of time spent sitting. “Walk to the mailbox, ” he said. Chop vegetables in the kitchen. Play ball with your, or a neighbor’s, dog. Chivvy your spouse19 into helping you fold sheets. “The data clearly shows, ” Dr. Archer said, that even at home, we need to be in motion.

    阿彻博士说,相反,人们待在家里时应该有意识地记录自己的活动并设法缩短坐着的时间。他建议说:“走到信箱那儿取信”,到厨房切菜,和自己或者邻居养的狗做游戏,哄爱人帮你一起叠床单。他指出,“这些数据清楚地表明”,就算在家,我们也需要动起来。

     10级    双语 


    点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

    1 scrupulously ['skru:pjələslɪ] Tj5zRa   第8级
    adv.一丝不苟地;小心翼翼地,多顾虑地
    参考例句:
    • She toed scrupulously into the room. 她小心翼翼地踮着脚走进房间。 来自辞典例句
    • To others he would be scrupulously fair. 对待别人,他力求公正。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史
    2 controversy [ˈkɒntrəvɜ:si] 6Z9y0   第7级
    n.争论,辩论,争吵
    参考例句:
    • That is a fact beyond controversy. 那是一个无可争论的事实。
    • We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy. 我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。
    3 influential [ˌɪnfluˈenʃl] l7oxK   第7级
    adj.有影响的,有权势的
    参考例句:
    • He always tries to get in with the most influential people. 他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
    • He is a very influential man in the government. 他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。
    4 obesity [əʊ'bi:sətɪ] Dv1ya   第8级
    n.肥胖,肥大
    参考例句:
    • One effect of overeating may be obesity. 吃得过多能导致肥胖。
    • Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods. 糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。
    5 archer [ˈɑ:tʃə(r)] KVxzP   第11级
    n.射手,弓箭手
    参考例句:
    • The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target. 弓箭手拉紧弓弦将箭瞄准靶子。
    • The archer's shot was a perfect bull's-eye. 射手的那一箭正中靶心。
    6 collaboration [kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃn] bW7yD   第7级
    n.合作,协作;勾结
    参考例句:
    • The two companies are working in close collaboration each other. 这两家公司密切合作。
    • He was shot for collaboration with the enemy. 他因通敌而被枪毙了。
    7 remarkable [rɪˈmɑ:kəbl] 8Vbx6   第7级
    adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
    参考例句:
    • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills. 她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
    • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines. 这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
    8 expending [iksˈpendɪŋ] 2bc25f0be219ef94a9ff43e600aae5eb   第7级
    v.花费( expend的现在分词 );使用(钱等)做某事;用光;耗尽
    参考例句:
    • The heart pumps by expending and contracting of muscle. 心脏通过收缩肌肉抽取和放出(血液)。 来自互联网
    • Criminal action is an action of expending cost and then producing profit. 刑事诉讼是一种需要支付成本、能够产生收益的活动。 来自互联网
    9 expenditure [ɪkˈspendɪtʃə(r)] XPbzM   第7级
    n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出;使用,消耗
    参考例句:
    • The entry of all expenditure is necessary. 有必要把一切开支入账。
    • The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether. 我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。
    10 expenditures [ɪks'pendɪtʃəz] 2af585403f5a51eeaa8f7b29110cc2ab   第7级
    n.花费( expenditure的名词复数 );使用;(尤指金钱的)支出额;(精力、时间、材料等的)耗费
    参考例句:
    • We have overspent.We'll have to let up our expenditures next month. 我们已经超支了,下个月一定得节约开支。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The pension includes an allowance of fifty pounds for traffic expenditures. 年金中包括50镑交通费补贴。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    11 physically [ˈfɪzɪkli] iNix5   第8级
    adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律
    参考例句:
    • He was out of sorts physically, as well as disordered mentally. 他浑身不舒服,心绪也很乱。
    • Every time I think about it I feel physically sick. 一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
    12 overlapped [əʊvə'læpt] f19155784c00c0c252a8b4dba353c5b8   第7级
    _adj.重叠的v.部分重叠( overlap的过去式和过去分词 );(物体)部份重叠;交叠;(时间上)部份重叠
    参考例句:
    • His visit and mine overlapped. 他的访问期与我的访问期有几天重叠。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    • Our visits to the town overlapped. 我们彼此都恰巧到那小城观光。 来自辞典例句
    13 devoted [dɪˈvəʊtɪd] xu9zka   第8级
    adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的
    参考例句:
    • He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland. 他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
    • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic. 我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
    14 expended [iksˈpendid] 39b2ea06557590ef53e0148a487bc107   第7级
    v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 );使用(钱等)做某事;用光;耗尽
    参考例句:
    • She expended all her efforts on the care of home and children. 她把所有精力都花在料理家务和照顾孩子上。
    • The enemy had expended all their ammunition. 敌人已耗尽所有的弹药。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    15 intake [ˈɪnteɪk] 44cyQ   第7级
    n.吸入,纳入;进气口,入口
    参考例句:
    • Reduce your salt intake. 减少盐的摄入量。
    • There was a horrified intake of breath from every child. 所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。
    16 gliding [ˈglaɪdɪŋ] gliding   第7级
    v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的
    参考例句:
    • Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
    • The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。
    17 helping [ˈhelpɪŋ] 2rGzDc   第7级
    n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
    参考例句:
    • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
    • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来,他们在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
    18 beckoning ['bekənŋ] fcbc3f0e8d09c5f29e4c5759847d03d6   第7级
    adj.引诱人的,令人心动的v.(用头或手的动作)示意,召唤( beckon的现在分词 )
    参考例句:
    • An even more beautiful future is beckoning us on. 一个更加美好的未来在召唤我们继续前进。 来自辞典例句
    • He saw a youth of great radiance beckoning to him. 他看见一个丰神飘逸的少年向他招手。 来自辞典例句
    19 spouse [spaʊs] Ah6yK   第7级
    n.配偶(指夫或妻)
    参考例句:
    • Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday. 她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
    • What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage? 在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么?

    文章评论 共有评论 0查看全部

      会员登陆
      热门单词标签
    我的单词印象
    我的理解: