英语听力视频：世界上最致命的杀手“高血压”

　　About one billion people in the world suffer from hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, according to World Health Organization. The theme of this year’s World Health Day on April 7th is high blood pressure.

　　WHO is calling for greater efforts to prevent and control the disease. CCTV reporter Shi Wenjing takes a look at the situation in China and how the disease is related to our daily habits.

　　Is your blood pressure normal? There’s a one in five chance that you have high blood pressure.

　　In the last 10 years the proportion of people with high blood pressure in China has almost doubled - from 10% to over 18% of the population.

　　A key contributing factor is an unhealthy lifestyle.

　　Yang Shuixiang, Director, Cardiology Dept., Shijitan Hospital, SAID, "High blood pressure is closely related to lifestyle. Many people nowadays are so busy they neglect to follow a healthy daily routine. Irregular schedules and chronic¹ stress contribute to the disease. More importantly, it’s closely related to our diet."

　　The new guidelines issued by the WHO say adults should consume less than 2,000 mg of sodium², or 5 grams of salt per day.

　　To give you a better idea of this, common dishes such as eggplant in garlic sauce have 2,000 milligrams of sodium. Ma Po Tofu contains 2,300 milligrams. Another popular cuisine³ Kung Pao Chicken contains 2,600 mg of sodium.

　　So what’s the problem with this?

　　Yang Shuixiang, Director, Cardiology Dept., Shijitan Hospital, said, "The sodium levels in Chinese food can prove problematic. A person with a high sodium level could be at risk of raising blood pressure which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, or kidney disease."

　　Doctors say high blood pressure can be controlled with modifications⁴ in lifestyle. Apart from eating healthily by minimizing daily salt intake⁵, increasing physical exercise and limiting alcohol consumption and smoking can also help reduce the risk of disease.

1 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

2 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

3 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

4 modifications   

n.缓和( modification的名词复数 )；限制；更改；改变

参考例句：

• The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型，然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 intake   

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。