新奇事件簿 孩子们比三十年前跑得更慢

A new report from the American Heart Association says fitness¹ levels in children are lower today than they were 30 years ago. The researchers looked at data from the past 46 years. The statistics² were on more than 25 million children in 28 countries. The research team found that on average, today's children run one kilometre about one minute slower than their parents did three decades ago. The figures were roughly the same for boys and girls. The distance a child can run is decreasing by around half of one per cent every year. One of the biggest reasons for the slowdown in children's running ability is obesity³. Kids are overweight because they are eating too much and not exercising enough.

来自美国心脏病协会一份新的报告表示，现今孩子的身体素质水平低于30年前。研究人员查看了过去46年的数据。统计数据是针对28个国家超过2500万儿童进行的。研究团队发现，今天的孩子们跑完1000米用的时间平均比他们的父母30年前多一分钟。男孩和女孩的数据大致相同。孩子们可以跑的距离平均每年减少0.5%。孩子们奔跑能力下降的一个最大原因就是肥胖。孩子们出现肥胖问题是由于吃的太多，同时没有足够的运动量。

The researchers say their report is worrying. If children are becoming fatter and less fit, they will be unhealthier in the future. Lead researcher Dr Grant Tomkinson said: "If a young person is generally unfit now, then they are more likely to develop conditions like heart disease later in life." Dr Tomkinson said: "We need to help to inspire children and youth to develop fitness habits that will keep them healthy now and into the future. They need to choose a range of physical activities they like or think they might like to try, and they need to get moving." He added: "Young people can be fit in different ways. They can be strong like a weightlifter, or flexible like a gymnast, or skillful like a tennis player."

研究人员表示，他们的报告非常令人担忧。如果孩子们越来越胖，身体素质越来越差，将来就会更加不健康。首席研究员Grant Tomkinson博士表示：“如果年轻人现在不那么健康，那么今后患心脏病等疾病的可能性就更高。”Tomkinson博士表示：“我们需要激励儿童和年轻人养成健身习惯，帮助他们现在和将来更加健康。他们需要选择一些自己喜欢或者想要尝试的体育活动，需要运动起来。”他补充说：“年轻人可以通过不同的方式保持健康。他们可以像举重运动员一样强壮，或者像体操运动员一样柔韧，也可以像网球运动员那样灵活。”

1 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

2 statistics   

n.统计，统计数字，统计学

参考例句：

• We have statistics for the last year.我们有去年的统计资料。
• Statistics is taught in many colleges.许多大学都教授统计学。

3 obesity   

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。