Healthy knees aren't the main consideration in choosing high heels, but new research says chunky heels are just as bad for the knees as spindly stilettos (细高跟鞋). "It takes a long time to feel the effects of knee osteoarthritis (骨关节炎) — and once you do, it is too ]ate," said Dr. Casey Kerrigan, leading researcher of the study and associate professor at Harvard Medical School's department of physical medicine. "I compare it to smoking — one cigarette is not painful, but over a lifetime it is. Wide-heeled shoes feel comfortable, so women wear them all day long, "Kerrigan said. "They are better for your feet than stiletto heels, but just as had for your knees."
In the study, researchers had twenty women wear two pairs of shoes with three-inch heels, one with a narrow heel and the other with a thick one. The scientists compared how much pressure was put on the women's knees by both types of shoes. The women also walked barefoot to test normal pressure. The scientists found that both types of shoes applied equal amounts of pressure to the knees. Compared with walking barefoot, the heels increased pressure on the inside of the knee by 26 percent. Increased pressure on the knee eventually leads to arthritis, experts say.
The idea that high heels are bad for your health isn't new — scientists have warned women for years that they contribute to problems ranging from corns to hammer toes, tendonitis, knee pain, sprained (扭伤) ankles and back problems. But in 1998,Kerdgan and a team of Harvard researchers were the first to link high heels and knee osteoarthritis, a painful joint disease that destroys cartilage (软骨) surrounding the knee. The first study looked only at stiletto heels, and Kerrigan said she wanted to study the chunky high-heeled shoes she noticed many women wearing. "This study confirms what we all intuitively (直觉地) know that high-heeled shoes of any kind are not good for our health," said Dr. Glenn Pfeifer, a San Francisco doctor and member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons who was not connected to the study.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the passage above.
1.We learn from the passage that women choose chunky heels because_____.
A.they want to walk comfortably
B.chunky heeled shoes are cheaper than stiletto heeled pairs
C.chunky heels do less harm to knees
D.chunky heels are not painful at all
2.The study mentioned in the second paragraph found that_____.
A.pressure on the knee is caused by high heels
B.the reading of pressure is abnormal while walking barefoot
C.arthritis is always caused by pressure on the knee
D.both types of shoe have the same harm to the knees
3.It can be inferred that_____.
A.people got to know the high heels are had for health recently
B.people have known the high heels are had for health for years
C.people haven't known the high heels are had for health yet
D.people will be warned that the high heels are had for health soon
4.Kerrigan's late study looked at the chunky high-heeled shoes because_____.
A.they feel more comfortable
B.they are related to knee osteoarthritis
C.they are worn by many women
D.they are different from stiletto heels
5.The best title for the passage may be_____.
A.Taking Healthy Knees into Consideration
B.High-heels Do Harm to Knees
C.Chunky Heels and Stiletto Heels
D.When Wearing High Heels
文章精要
议论文。本文主要论述了鞋跟粗厚的高跟鞋和鞋跟细高的高跟鞋一样，都对膝关节有损害。
斟词酌句
1.chunk n. 厚片，大块;相当大的部分(或数量)
*In the old days having meat and milk every day often meant a big chunk of the family income. 过去，每天吃肉、喝牛奶意味着要花费掉家庭收入的大部分。
chunky adj. 短而厚的;结实的;粗壮的;[美]矮胖的
2.rehabilitate vt. 使恢复原状，修复;恢复……的名誉;改造(罪犯等)，使恢复正常生活
*He has been rehabilitated in public esteem. 公众已恢复对他的敬重。
rehabilitation n. 复原
3.intuition n. 直觉
*She had an intuition that her friend was ill. 她有一种直觉，她的朋友生病了。
intuitive adj. 直觉的
4. surgeon n. 外科医生
*A surgeon is a doctor whose job is to practive surgery. 外科医生是从事外科手术的医生。
试题精析
1.选A。本题为主要细节正误题。第一段中说“Wide-heeled shoes feel comfortable, so women wear them all day long”，由此可知，妇女选择粗高跟鞋是因为粗高跟鞋穿着舒服，A选项与其意思一致。
2.选D。本题为主要细节正误题。从第二段中的“The scientists found that both types of shoes applied equal amounts of pressure to the knees.”可知，两种高跟鞋给膝关节带来的压力是等量的，所以它们对膝关节的伤害是一样的。
3.选B。本题为主要细节正误题。第三段开头说“The idea that high heels are bad for your health isn't new — scientists have warned women for years that ……”，B选项与其意思一致。
4.选C。本题为细节推断题。第三段中说“The first study looked only at stiletto heels, and Kerrigan said she wanted to study the chunky high-heeled shoes she noticed many women wearing.”可见，起初的研究对象只是细高跟，柯里根后来对粗高跟鞋进行调查研究是因为她注意到许多妇女穿着粗高跟鞋。
5.选B。本题为主旨归纳题。本文主要论述了鞋跟粗厚的高跟鞋和鞋跟细高的高跟鞋一样，都对膝关节有损害。所以B选项“高跟鞋伤害膝关节”是最佳答案。
全文翻译
人们在选择高跟鞋时，膝关节的健康不是考虑的重点，但新的研究表明，鞋跟粗厚的高跟鞋对膝关节的损害程度与鞋跟细高的高跟鞋一样。该项研究的领头人、哈佛医学院物理医学与康复系副教授凯西·柯里根博士说：“你需要很长一段时间才能感到膝部关节炎的影响——而一旦感觉到了，就为时已晚了。”“我把高跟鞋比作抽烟，抽一支烟没什么痛苦，但抽一辈子可就苦了。粗高跟鞋穿着舒服，所以妇女们整天穿，”柯里根说，“与细高跟鞋相比，穿粗跟鞋感觉好一些，但对膝关节同样有害。”
在该项研究中，研究人员让20位妇女穿两双跟高3英寸的鞋，一双是细跟的，一双是粗根的。科学家们对穿这两种高跟鞋时妇女膝关节所承受的压力进行了比较。她们也赤脚行走，以提供正常压力下的数据。科学家们发现，两种高跟鞋给膝关节带来的压力是等量的。与赤脚行走相比，高跟鞋给膝关节内部增加26%的压力。专家们说，给膝关节增加压力最终会导致关节炎。
穿高跟鞋有损健康并不是什么新概念——科学家们多年来一直警告妇女们高跟鞋会引起各种病痛，鸡眼、锤状趾、肌腱炎、膝关节炎、踝骨扭伤以后背部不适等。但1998年，柯里根和哈佛的一组研究人员首次将高跟鞋与膝部骨关节炎联系在一起。这是一种痛苦的变性关节病，它损坏膝部周围的软骨。起初的研究对象只是细高跟，而柯里根说她注意到许多妇女穿着粗高跟鞋，所以也要对她们进行调查研究。旧金山矫形外科医生、美国矫形外科医师学会会员格伦·普费弗医生说：“这篇文章证实了我们大家直觉上都知道的——无论哪种高跟鞋，都无益健康。”普费弗没有参与这项研究。
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