HEALTH REPORT - World Heart Day

HEALTH REPORT - September 25, 2002: World Heart Day

By Nancy Steinbach

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

The World Heart Federation¹ has declared Sunday, September twenty-ninth to be
World Heart Day.

The World Heart Federation is a non-government organization with headquarters in
Geneva, Switzerland. Its purpose is the prevention and control of diseases of the vascular² system. The group
wants to help people all over the world live longer by preventing heart attacks and strokes. These conditions kill
seventeen-million people around the world each year. The World Heart Federation includes one-hundred-sixtysix heart organizations in ninety-seven countries.

Health experts say that lack of exercise increases the chances of developing high blood pressure and diabetes³.
Both conditions lead to heart disease. Experts also say that between sixty-five and eighty-five percent of all
people fail to get enough exercise. This is especially true for women and children. The World Heart Federation
says more than two-million people die every year as a result of a lack of physical exercise.

World Heart Day will be a time to help people change their lives by deciding to eat low-fat foods, stop smoking
cigarettes and exercising more. International actor Chow Yun Fat has become the “goodwill⁴ ambassador⁵” for
the World Heart Federation. He says thirty minutes of exercise every day helps control weight and improve
mental health. He also urges people to follow his example by eating less red meat and more fish, rice, vegetables
and oatmeal.

Seventy-nine countries are taking part in World Heart Day this year. Heart organizations in these nations have
planned sports activities, concerts and public talks that urge people to improve their heart health. For example,
the Ecuadorian Society of Cardiology is holding a Great Walk for the public on September twenty-ninth. The
Nigerian Heart Foundation organized a golf tournament in Abuja and a musical concert in Lagos. It will also hold
a special dinner and present awards to school students who wrote excellent essays about heart health.

The World Heart Federation says everyone can help improve their heart health by walking more. The experts say
people should walk up and down stairs instead of using elevators at work. They should stand up instead of sitting
down during the day and plan time for organized exercise.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.

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1 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

2 vascular   

adj.血管的，脉管的

参考例句：

• The mechanism of this anomalous vascular response is unknown.此种不规则的血管反应的机制尚不清楚。
• The vascular changes interfere with diffusion of nutrients from plasma into adjacent perivascular tissue and cells.这些血管变化干扰了营养物质从血浆中向血管周围邻接的组织和细胞扩散。

3 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

4 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

5 ambassador   

n.大使，特使，（派驻国际组织的）代表

参考例句：

• He took up office as an ambassador for ten years continuously.他连任十年大使。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。