The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.
Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular （心血管的） fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "
For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak （最大值的） cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.
A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.
These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.
"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.
27 ． What is on the ever-growing list mentioned in the first paragraph?
A ． Positive effects of doing exercises.
B ． Exercises suitable for the middle-aged.
C ． Experimental studies on diseases.
D ． Advantages of sporty woman over man
28 ． Why did the researchers ask the women to do bicycle exercise?
A ． To predict their maximum heart rate.
B ． To assess their cardiovascular capacity
C ． To change their habits of working out
D ． To detect their potential health problems
29 ． What do we know about Dr Horder's study?
A ． It aimed to find a cure for dementia.
B ． Data collection was a lengthy process.
C ． Some participants withdrew from it.
D ． The results were far from satisfactory.
30 ． Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A ． More Women Are Exercising to Prevent Dementia
B ． Middle-Aged Women Need to Do More Exercise
C ． Fit Women Are Less Likely to Develop Dementia
D ． Biking Improves Women's Cardiovascular Fitness
A 28 ． B 29 ． B 30 ． C
【分析】这是一篇说明文。主要说明了经常锻炼的中年女性在老年时罹患失智症的几率会大大降低。
27 ．细节理解题。根据文章第一段 “New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia （失智症） in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.” （新的研究人员发现，身体健康的中年女性在晚年患痴呆症的可能性要低近 90% ，而且确实如此，与不太喜欢运动的女性相比，她们患痴呆症的时间要晚十年。）可知，第一段提到了健身锻炼的好处。故选 A 项。
28 ．细节理解题。根据上文 “These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia.” （这些发现令人兴奋，因为在中年时改善人们的心血管健康可能会延缓甚至防止他们患上痴呆症。）以及本段 “For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak cardiovascular capacity.” （在这项研究中， 191 名平均年龄为 50 岁的女性进行了自行车运动测试，直到她们精疲力竭，以测量她们的心血管峰值能力。）可知，做这项实验的目的是为了测试女性的心血管峰值能力。故选 B 项。
29 ．细节理解题。根据文章第五段 “These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades.” （这些女性在随后的四十年里测试了六次失智症状况。）可知，此次实验的数据收集是一个长期的过程。故选 B 项。
30 ．推理判断题。根据文章第一段 “New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia （失智症） in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.” （新的研究人员发现，身体健康的中年女性在晚年患痴呆症的可能性要低近 90% ，而且确实如此，与不太喜欢运动的女性相比，她们患痴呆症的时间要晚十年。）以及文章后面几段通过列举实验目的、过程、方式、结果等，说明了身体健康的中年女性在老年时患失智症的几率会大大降低。故选 C 项。
【点睛】