Question

If you are sitting, please stand up. Move your legs. Touch your toes if you can. Do anything but sit. New research shows that if you cut down on the time you spend sitting, you might live longer. Sitting less than three hours a day might extend your life by two years. Cutting television time to less than two hours a day can add one point four years to life.

The human body is designed to move. The fact is just the opposite. Modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely give us the chance to move around. We sit while we’re eating; we sit in the car; we sit while we are watching TV. And most of us sit for many hours at work. Sitting is something we do all the time. On average, Americans sit for four and a half to five hours a day. But that does not make sitting good for us.

Though you may exercise often, that does not mean you can sit for the rest of your waking hours. We can’t throw away physical activity. It is extremely important. Even if you exercise for 30 minutes a day, what goes on in the other 23 and a half hours a day is also very important.

Changes are coming to some offices, especially in the design of desks. A “standing desk” lets people stand while they work. Another new design is called the “treadmill desk”. It is an exercise machine that lets you walk slowly in one place. Even some U.S. schools begin to experiment with desks that are part bicycle to keep children moving.

Many companies may not buy a standing desk for everybody. However, they may get five standing desks or a treadmill desk for their employees and put them in a certain place where people can go for an hour a day to answer their emails or talk on the phone. Experts suggest some other activities: take a walk at lunchtime; walk to the offices and talk directly instead of emailing colleagues. All these activities may help you live longer.

1.Why should people stand up according to the new research?

A. They should touch their toes.

B. Standing more can cure some diseases.

C. Sitting less does people good and may help people live longer.

D. They spend too much time watching TV.

2.What can we learn about sitting?

A. Sitting is the best position for the body.

B. People usually have to sit for a long time nowadays.

C. The more people sit, the better they will be.

D. Americans sit longer every day than people in other countries.

3.What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A. The walking hour B. Sitting

C. Standing. D. Exercising

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The new design of desks can help people sit less.

B. The “treadmill desk” is used by people to run.

C. It’s better for school students to use standing desks.

D. It’s necessary for companies to offer a sitting desk to every employees.

Answer 1