外刊精读 | 养狗能保护我们的心脏健康

As a dog lover, our canine companions always fill me with joy. Whether pedigree or mongrel, tame or stray, whenever I see one, I smile. After all, their loyalty is indisputable, their companionship is always welcome, they fetch for us, guard for us and even work for us when required. Good old Fido has always been close to my, and many other’s hearts.

Well, not content with just warming the cockles of your heart, it seems that our four-legged-friends actually lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a 2017 scientific study, which looked at 3.4 million Swedes from 2001 to 2012.

The study concluded that this lower risk, which was particularly evident in owners of hunting breeds, may not just be due to the increased physical activity that goes hand-in-hand with owning a dog, but could also be down to dogs increasing the owner’s social contact, or by changing the owner's bacterial microbiome, which is the collection of microscopic species that live in the gut. Dogs change the dirt in home environments and therefore expose people to bacteria that they would otherwise not encounter.

These effects were particularly marked in those who lived on their lonesome. According to Mwenya Mubanga of Uppsala University and lead author of the study, “single dog owners had a 33% reduction in risk of death and an 11% reduction in risk of cardiac arrest compared to single non-owners.”

However, before your heart skips a beat, Tove Fall, senior author of the study, also adds that there may be limitations. It’s possible that the differences between owners and non-owners, which already existed before the dog was bought, could have influenced the results – or that people who are generally more active also tend to get a dog anyway.

It seems that the results are not as clear cut as they initially appear to be, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s ok. I love dogs for how they make me feel and, cardiovascular benefits or not, they’ll always be top dog to me – cross my heart.

二、词汇表

canine 犬的

pedigree（动物）纯种

mongrel 杂种狗

tame（尤指动物）温顺的

stray 流浪的

companionship 陪伴，友谊

fetch 拿来，取回，

guard 守卫，保护

Fido 对宠物狗的一个通用名称

close to one’s heart 贴近某人的心

warm the cockles of your heart 温暖你的内心

cardiovascular 心血管的

breed（动物）品种

physical activity 体育运动

social contact 社会关系，社会往来

bacterial microbiome 细菌微生物群

gut 肠道

on one’s lonesome 单独的，独自的

cardiac arrest 心脏停搏

your heart skips a beat（形容紧张或兴奋）心跳停了一下

top dog 最好的狗，胜利者

cross my heart 我保证所说属实

三、测试与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What reasons does the author give for loving dogs?

2. When did the study mentioned in the article take place and who were its participants?

3. Which three reasons are given for a dog reducing a person’s cardiovascular risk?

4. True or false? Single-household dog owners see no health benefits compared to single-household non-owners.

5. What limitations are mentioned that could affect the results of the study?

2. 请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. That dog doesn’t have an owner so come away immediately. Can’t you see it’s a ______? It might have a disease!

tame Fido

stray mongrel

2. Quickly, nurse. He’s going into ______. Get me the defibrillator!

microbiome

top dog

canine

cardiac arrest

3. He won’t bite, but he doesn’t like being touched. It’s ______ his last owner, who used to beat him.

cross my heart

down to

clear cut breeds

4. How can you not see it? There’s a ______ difference between the first picture and the second!

marked gut

hand-in-hand

tame

5. Please stop smoking, son. It goes ______ with cancer and you don’t want that.

skips a beat

cross my heart

on their lonesome

hand-in-hand

【参考答案】

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What reasons does the author give for loving dogs?

They fill the author with joy. Their loyalty is indisputable, their companionship is always welcome, they fetch for us, guard for us and even work for us when required

2. When did the study mentioned in the article take place and who were its participants?

The study took place between 2001 and 2012. Its participants were 3.4 million Swedes.

3. Which three reasons are given for a dog reducing a person’s cardiovascular risk?

The increased physical activity associated with dog ownership, the increased social contact and the change of the owner’s microbiome.

4. True or false? Single-household dog owners see no health benefits compared to single-household non-owners

False. Single dog owners had a 33% reduction in risk of death and 11% reduction in risk of cardiac arrest compared to single non-owners.

5. What limitations are mentioned that could affect the results of the study?

There may be a difference between dog owners and non-owners that existed before the dog was obtained. It’s also possible that people who tend to buy dogs are also generally more active.

2. 请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. That dog doesn’t have an owner so come away immediately. Can’t you see it’s a stray? It might have a disease.

2. Quickly, nurse. He’s going into cardiac arrest. Get me the defibrillator.

3. He won’t bite, but he doesn’t like being touched. It’s down to his last owner, who used to beat him.

4. How can you not see it? There’s a marked difference between the first picture and the second!!

5. Please stop smoking, son. It goes hand-in-hand with cancer and you don’t want that.

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