Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. reliable (adj.) [ri-lahy-uh-buhl] – dependable; can be trusted
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. reliable (adj.) [ri-lahy-uh-buhl] – dependable; can be trusted
Example: Teachers say books are more
reliable sources of information than
Wikipedia.
2. recollection (n.) [ree-kuh-lek-shuhn] – something
remembered; memory
Example: Visiting her old home
brought back many recollections of
her childhood.
3. subject (n.) [suhb-jikt] – somebody or something being studied
Example: The scientists asked the subjects to answer a mental test.
4. sedentary (adj.)
[sed-n-ter-ee] – without much movement or physical activity
Example: Doctors warn patients
that a sedentary lifestyle can
increase a person’s risk for obesity.
5. take into
account (idiom) [teyk in-too,-tuh uh-kount] – to consider or to think about
Example: When planning an
exercise program, we must also take into
account our work schedules.
Article
Read the text below.
Read the text below.
Researchers in the
US estimate that less than three hours of sitting down in a day could add up
to two years to a person’s life.
Cutting down time
for other sedentary activities
like TV watching could also add a couple of years to one’s life.
These results are
based on a study of 167,000 people, who were asked how many hours a day they
spent sitting down or watching TV. Using the answers, researchers analyzed
people’s health risks and life expectancy.
But some experts
say the results of the study are not very reliable because the data came from people’s recollection of how much time they spent sitting and may not be
accurate. The research was also limited to only a sample of the American
population.
Additionally, the subjects’ different lifestyles were
not taken into account. There may
have been some subjects whose poor health causes them to have sedentary lifestyles and not the
other way around.
The researchers
themselves admit their findings are just educated guesses, but they say the
study could be used as a health warning to the public.
Natasha Stewart, a
senior nurse from the British Heart Association, says that although the US study
does not prove sedentary activities directly shorten lives, the study emphasizes
people’s need to have more active lifestyles to prevent getting diseases that put
people’s live at risk.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
Do you spend a lot of time doing sedentary
activities? What kind of sedentary activities do you often do?
·
How can a person who sits in an office all day
have a healthier lifestyle? Please explain your answer.
Discussion B
·
How do you keep yourself physically healthy?
·
Talk about one exercise which you really like
to do and another exercise which you really hate to do. What about those
exercises do you like or dislike?