The chair is comfortable to _______.

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The chair is comfortable to _______.

[　　]

Mark Ramirez, a senior executive at AOL, could work in the comfortable leather chair, if he wanted. No, thanks. He prefers to stand most of the day at a desk raised above stomach level.

   “I’ve got my knees bent. I feel totally alive,” he said. “It feels more natural to stand.”

   In the past few years, standing has become the new sitting for 10 percent of AOL employees at the firm’s Virginia branch. Part of a standing popularity is among accountants, programmers, telemarketers and other office workers across the nation.

   GeekDesk, a California firm that sells desks raised by electric motors, says sales will triple this year.

   Standers give various reasons for taking to their feet: It makes them feel more focused, prevents drowsiness(困倦睡意), and makes them feel like a general even if they just push paper. (Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfels works standing up. So does novelist Philip Roth.)

   But unknown to them, a debate (辯論) is spreading among ergonomics experts（人類工程學(xué)家） and public-health researchers about whether all office workers should be encouraged to stand—to save lives.

   Doctors point to surprising new research showing higher rates of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and even mortality among people who sit for long stretches. A study earlier this year in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that among 123,000 adults followed over 14 years, those who sat more than six hours a day were at least 18 percent more likely to die during the time period studied than those who sat less than three hours a day.

   “Every rock we turn over when it comes to sitting is astonishing,” said Marc Hamilton, a leading researcher on inactivity physiology at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana. “Sitting is harmful. It’s dangerous. We are on the cusp (尖端) of a major revolution.” He calls sitting “the new smoking”.

    Not so fast, other experts say. Standing too much at work will cause more long-term back injuries. Incidences of varicose veins(靜脈曲張) among women will increase. The heart will have to pump more.

    Hedge, the Cornell professor, isn’t a fan of all this standing. “Making people stand all day is dumb,” he said.

    The sensible and most cost-effective strategy（策略）, he said, is to sit in a neutral posture（姿勢(shì)）, slightly reclined(下彎的), with the keyboard on a tray above the lap. This position promotes positive blood flow. Workers should occasionally walk around, stretch and avoid prolonged periods at the desk. The key, he said, is movement, not standing.

1.Marc Hamilton said “Every rock we turn over when it comes to sitting is astonishing” to show that________.

     A. the result of the study about sitting too long is shocking

     B. we need to remove many rocks

     C. we need to smooth away many difficulties

     D. sitting on a rock is necessary

2. The following are the reasons why some experts are against standing too long except       .

     A. It will cause more long-term back injuries

     B. it will raise the burden of heart

     C. incidences of varicose veins among women will increase

     D. standing too much at work per day is too tiring

3. According to the studies in the passage mentioned,       .

     A. it is better not to stand more than 6 hours

     B. sitting too long can arouse illnesses easily

     C. sitting long is specially harmful to adults

     D. standing much is better than sitting long

4.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

     A. Standing is not better than sitting

     B. Standing more does no harm to people

     C. Standing will promote the efficiency

     D. More office workers take standing against sitting

 

When you think of all the ways your body can get hurt---falling off a bike, stepping on a nail, being bitten by a crazed dog---the aches and pains that come from sitting at a computer may not seem like much.

But more doctors are getting worried about just that. If you sit at a PC the wrong way, the nerves and muscles in your back, neck and arms can get out of line.

Ergonomics is the study of how people work and how jobs and equipment can be designed so that people are safer and more comfortable in the things they do---whether that’s working on a factory assembly line or sitting in front of a computer.

The monitor

You should not have to tilt（傾斜） your neck up or down to lock at the screen. Your eyes should be level with the top of the screen.

How far away should you sit? Reach your arm out so your fingertips just touch the screen.

The keyboard

It should be directly in front of you. Don’t unfold the legs on the bottom of the keyboard so that it tilts up toward you---it should be as flat as possible, or even tilted away from you. You want your wrists “neutral,” which means straight, not bent. This puts less strain on your nerves and muscles.

Arms should be close to the body. Don’t look at your fingers as you type. Use a document holder to hold papers at the same level as the monitor. Keep the mouse on the same level as the keyboard and close by--- so you don’t have to reach for it.

The chair

Your feet shouldn’t dangle---the blood will pool in your feet. They should rest flat on the floor, or on phone books, if necessary. Your back needs support. Roll up a towel and stick it there.

The Body

If you think of your body as a collection of right angles when you sit at a computer, you should be just fine.

Your hips should be at a 90-degree angle to your back. That takes the pressure off the spine. And your knees should bend at a 90 degree angle so your feet are flat.

1.The passage mainly talks about        .

A．a(chǎn)voiding pains caused by using PC           B．the science of ergonomics

C．illness caused by a computer               D．how to keep fit

2.The underlined word “ergonomics” most probably means ______ in Chinese.  

A．管理學(xué)           B．人機(jī)工程學(xué)        C．機(jī)械工程學(xué)        D．經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)

3.How high should a monitor be placed according to the passage?

A．As high as your arms.

B．A little higher than your eyes.

C．A little lower than your eyes.

D．At the same level as your eyes.

4.How shouldn’t a keyboard be placed?

A．Tilting away from you.                    B．Tilting up toward you.

C．Flat.                                  D．Not mentioned.

5.How should you place your foot?

A．Rest them on a phone book.               B．Rest them on the floor.

C．They should rest flat.                     D．They should dangle.

 

Mark Ramirez, a senior executive at AOL, could work in the comfortable leather chair, if he wanted. No, thanks. He prefers to stand most of the day at a desk raised above stomach level.

“I’ve got my knees bent. I feel totally alive,” he said. “It feels more natural to stand.”

In the past few years, standing has become the new sitting for 10 percent of AOL employees at the firm’s Virginia branch. Part of a standing popularity is among accountants, programmers, telemarketers and other office workers across the nation.

GeekDesk, a California firm that sells desks raised by electric motors, says sales will triple this year.

Standers give various reasons for taking to their feet: It makes them feel more focused, prevents drowsiness, makes them feel like a general even if they just push paper. (Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfels works standing up. So does novelist Philip Roth.)

But unknown to them, a debate is spreading among ergonomics experts and public-health researchers about whether all office workers should be encouraged to stand—to save lives.

Dostors point to surprising new research showing higher rates of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and even mortality among people who sit for long stretches. A study earlier this year in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that among 123,000 adults followed over 14 years, those who sat more than six hours a day were at least 18 percent more likely to die during the time period studied than those who sat less than three hours a day.

“showed that among 123,000 adults followed over 14 years, those who sat more than six hours a day were at least 18 percent more likely to die during the time period studied than those who sat less than three hours a day.

“Every rock we turn over when it comes to sitting is astonishing,” said Marc Hamilton, a leading researcher on inactivity physiology at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana. “Sitting is harmful. It’s dangerous. We are on the cusp of a major revolution.” He calls sitting “the new smoking”.

Not so fast, other experts say. Standing too much at work will cause more long-term back injuries. Incidences of varicose veins among women will increase. The heart will have to pump more.

Hedge, the Cornell professor, isn’t a fan of all this standing. “Making people stand all day is dumb,” he said.

The sensible and most cost-effective strategy, he said, is to sit in a neutral posture, slightly reclined, with the keyboard on a tray above the lap. This position promotes positive blood flow. Workers should occasionally walk around, stretch and avoid prolonged periods at the desk. The key, he said, is movement, not standing.

67. Marc Hamilton said “Every rock we turn over when it comes to sitting is astonishing” to show that       .
A. the result of the study about sitting too long is shocking
B. we need to remove many rocks
C. we need to smooth away many difficulties
D. sitting on a rock is necessary

68. The following are the reasons why some experts are against standing too long except       .
A. It will cause more long-term back injuries
B. it will raise the burden of heart
C. incidences of varicose veins among women will increase
D. standing too much at work per day is too tiring

69. According to the studies in the passage mentioned,       .
A. it is better not to stand more than 6 hours
B. sitting too long can arouse illnesses easily
C. sitting long is specially harmful to adults
D. standing much is better than sitting long

70. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Standing is better than sitting
B. Standing more does no harm to people
C. Standing will promote the efficiency
D. More office workers take standing against sitting