Did you know that Christmas shopping is even worse for our health than we previously thought? According to an internet survey, the incidence of hypertension during the festive shopping season is on the up.
Christmas shopping increased blood pressure to dangerous levels in 50 percent of shoppers. This can lead to hypertension. Heart rates increased by an average of 10 per cent during Christmas shopping. In the study of 16 men and 16 women, men had the worst beating in heart rate during a 90-minute shopping. Samuel Thompson, 30, said: “I had to buy five items and had an hour and a half to buy them.” “Normally, I know exactly what I want to get and do it as quickly as possible. But having to make on-spot decisions, like we did in the test, makes it more stressful.” “Lack of time and the crowds were the biggest pressure points. I got frustrated by other people slowing me down by stopping to chat in the street. And I could feel myself sweating in queues. Everything took longer than planned.”
Dr Turner drew the conclusion: “Samuel’s heart rate was good at the start but it had almost doubled by the end. Combined with his systolic blood pressure（舒张血压）up by nearly 15 percent, it could put him in line for stroke(中风). Systolic blood pressure relates to the pumping out of blood by the heart.”
Men suffer twice as much as women and are therefore in greater danger of dying on the High Street in the coming weeks.
Remember, a husband is for life and not just for Christmas.
48. The word “hypertension” in the passage most probably refers to .
A. the heart beat B. the lung problem
C. high blood pressure D. causing your sweating
49. The author develops the second paragraph mainly in order of .
A. cause and effect B. space C. time D. topic and example
50. Which statement is TRUE according to Dr Turner?
A. Samuel’s heart rate was good all the time.
B. Walking on the street will put Samuel in danger.
C. Samuel is likely to have stroke when shopping for Christmas.
D. Samuel suffers as much as his wife when shopping.