Recently a study, led by Pedro Hallal of the Federal University, suggests that nearly a third of adults, 31%, are not getting enough exercise. That rates of exercise have declined is hardly a new discovery. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, technology and economic growth have helped to create a world in which taking exercise is more and more an option rather than a necessity. But only recently have enough good data been collected from enough places to carry out the sort of analysis Dr Hallal and his colleagues have engaged in.
There are common themes in different places. Unsurprisingly, people in rich countries are less active than those in poor ones, and old people are less active than young ones. Less obviously, women tend to exercise less than men—34% are inactive, compared with 28% of men. But there are exceptions. The women of Croatia, Finland, Iraq and Luxembourg, for example, move more than their male countrymen.
Malta wins the race for most slothful country, with 72% of adults getting too little exercise, and Swaziland and Saudi Arabia are in close behind, with 69%. In Bangladesh, just 5% of adults fail to exercise enough. Surprisingly, six Americans in ten are active enough according to Dr Hallal’s study, compared with fewer than four in ten British.
These high rates of inactivity are worrying. Human beings seem to have evolved(进化) to benefit from exercise while deliberately avoiding it whenever they can. In a state of nature it would be impossible to live a life that did not provide enough of it. But that is no longer the case. Actually lack of enough activity these days has nearly the same effect on life span(寿命) as smoking.
24. We may learn from Paragraph 1 that_________.
A. the decline of exercise rates is newly discovered
B. the study suggests 31% of female adults get too little exercise
C. the good enough data has been collected from only one country
D. the industrial revolution has changed the way people live to some degree
25. According to the study, women of Luxembourg_________.
A. have little time to exercise
B. hate to get regular exercise
C. take more exercise to lose weight
D. exercise more than men in their country
26. The underlined word “slothful” in Paragraph 3 most probably means_________.
A. powerful B. rich C. lazy D. unpopular
27. What can be the best title for the text?
A. Worldwide Lack of Enough Exercise B. New Health Discovery
C. Evolvement of Human Beings D. Benefits of Taking Exercise