双语时事系列191:经济衰退

2009-12-04 00:00:00来源：网络

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双语时事：经济衰退——医生的良方

A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal finds that recessions in wealthy countries can lead to better health habits, as people spend less on alcohol, tobacco and rich food.

Recession: Just What the Doctor Ordered?

It sounds paradoxical, but in wealthy countries, there's nothing like a recession to boost the population's health. According to a report in the September 1st Canadian Medical Association Journal, when our paychecks get lighter, we do more than tighten our purse strings—we also cinch our belts, kick bad habits and manage to lower our mortality rates.

Economic growth is usually associated with increased life spans, but the report says that’s only true for very poor countries. Researchers looked at data from dozens of 20th century international health studies and found that, once per-capita income passed $5,000, recessions actually helped health. During lean times, people in relatively wealthy countries drink and smoke less and stop overeating. They also go out less, which means fewer trips in the car. It all adds up to fewer deaths from things like lung cancer, liver disease, heart attacks and car crashes.

The researchers say that fewer hours in the office can also mean more time with family and friends. These close social interactions lead to less stress and better health. Of course, some people may find more family time to be like a lot of good medicine—hard to swallow.

经济衰退：这正是医生的良方吗？

这听起来有些自相矛盾，但是在富裕的发达国家，没有任何东西能像经济衰退一样提高人们的身体健康。根据发表在9月1日的《加拿大医学会杂志》（Canadian Medical Association Journal ）上的一项研究报告，当赚钱减少的时候，我们除了紧缩银根外，我们还会勒紧腰带，甩掉一些坏习惯，还会减少死亡率。

伴随着经济增长，人口寿命一般都会延长，但是上述研究报告称，这样的情况只发生在非常贫穷的国家。研究者们观察了20世纪几十份国际健康研究的数据，他们发现，一旦人均收入超过五千美元，经济衰退实际上有助于身体健康。在经济困难时期，生活在相对富裕国家的人们抽烟和饮酒都减少了，并且停止了过度饮食。他们出门旅行的次数也少了，这意味着汽车使用的减少。所有这些因素加起来使得死于肺癌、肝病、心脏病和车祸的人数减少。

研究者们说，办公时间的减少意味着有更多的时间与朋友和家人相聚。这些紧密的社会交往能减少压力，有助于身体健康。当然，有些人可能会觉得更多和家人相处时间像是很多的良药——一时还难以下咽。

Vocabulary:

Recession: (经济)衰退

Alcohol: 酒精；乙醇

Tobacco: 烟草

Paradoxical: 矛盾的

Boost: 使增长；使兴旺；激励

Tighten:（使）变紧；使更加严格；加强

Cinch:（使）紧缚在腰上

Mortality: 死亡率

Liver: 肝脏

Swallow: 吞咽