Recently a study, led by Pedro Hallal of the Federal University, suggests that nearly a third of adults, 31%, are not getting enough exercise. That rates of exercise have declined is hardly a new discovery. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, technology and economic growth have helped to create a world in which taking exercise is more and more an option rather than a necessity. But only recently has enough good data been collected from enough places to carry out the sort of analysis Dr Hallal and his colleagues have engaged in.
There are common themes in different places. Unsurprisingly, people in rich countries are less active than those in poor ones, and old people are less active than young ones. Less obviously, women tend to exercise less than men—34% are inactive, compared with 28% of men. But there are exceptions. The women of Croatia, Finland, Iraq and Luxembourg, for example, move more than their male countrymen.
Malta wins the race for the most slothful country, with 72% of adults getting too little exercise, and Swaziland and Saudi Arabia are in close behind, with 69%. In Bangladesh, just 5% of adults fail to exercise enough. Surprisingly, six Americans in ten are active enough according to Dr Hallal's study, compared with fewer than four in ten British.
These high rates of inactivity are worrying. Human beings seem to have evolved(进化) to benefit from exercise while deliberately avoiding it whenever they can. In a state of nature it would be impossible to live a life that did not provide enough of it. But that is no longer the case. Actually lack of enough activity these days has nearly the same effect on life span(寿命) as smoking.
20.We may learn from Paragraph 1 that________.
A.the decline of exercise rates is newly discovered
B.the study suggests 31% of female adults get too little exercise
C.the good enough data has been collected from only one country
D.the industrial revolution has changed the way people live to some degree
21.According to the study, women of Luxembourg ________.
A.have little time to exercise
B.hate to get regular exercise
C.take more exercise to lose weight
D.exercise more than men in their country
22.The underlined word “slothful” in Paragraph 3 most probably means “________”.
A.powerful B.rich
C.lazy D.unpopular
23.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Worldwide lack of enough exercise
B.A new health discovery
C.Evolvement of human beings
D.Benefits of taking exercise
【文章大意】 本文是一篇科研报告。研究发现世界范围内人们缺乏锻炼这一事实。
20.D 推理判断题。根据文章第一段的第三句“Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, technology and economic growth have helped to create a world in which taking exercise is more and more an option rather than a necessity.”可推知，工业革命使人们的生活方式发生了巨大的变化，故选D项。
21.D 细节理解题。根据文章第二段的整体理解可知，人们不经常锻炼已经成了普遍现象。但是根据该段最后两句“But there are exceptions. The women of Croatia, Finland, Iraq and Luxembourg, for example, move more than their male countrymen.”可知，Luxembourg女性比男性活动量要大，故选D项。
22.C 词义猜测题。根据文章第三段第一句“…with 72% of adults getting too little exercise…”可推知，大多数国家的人都比较懒于运动，故选C项。
23.A 主旨大意题。根据文章第一段第一句“Recently a study, led by Pedro Hallal of the Federal University, suggests that nearly a third of adults, 31%, are not getting enough exercise.”可知，本文主要讲的是世界范围内人们缺乏锻炼的这种状况，故选A。
