雅思词汇课文（4）· Living Longer, Living Better 城市与健康生活
健康主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思健康类核心词。
🎧 课文朗读音频（约 1 分钟）
📖 课文 Text
Living Longer, Living Better
People in wealthy countries now live, on average, nearly a decade longer than they did half a century ago. This remarkable achievement is often attributed to advances in medicine — vaccines, antibiotics and new treatments for heart disease and cancer. Yet researchers increasingly argue that the bigger story lies not in hospitals, but in the way people actually live.
The link between lifestyle and health is well established. A diet high in processed food and sugar raises the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Lack of physical activity contributes to a wide range of conditions, from poor circulation to depression. Even sleep — once dismissed as passive — is now understood as essential for mental wellbeing, memory and immune function.
What is less obvious is how strongly the environment shapes these personal choices. A child growing up in a neighbourhood with no parks, unsafe streets and fast-food outlets on every corner is far less likely to walk or to eat nutritious meals than one growing up in a leafy suburb. Pollution from traffic worsens asthma and lung disease, while chronic noise raises stress levels and disrupts sleep. In this sense, health is not simply a matter of willpower; it is a product of the cities people live in.
Public health experts now call for a shift in thinking. Rather than treating illness after it appears, governments should design cities that encourage healthy choices: safe cycling paths, accessible green spaces, and limits on the marketing of unhealthy food. Such measures are not just medical — they are social investments whose benefits return to the whole community.
The goal, after all, is not merely to live longer, but to live better. And that depends as much on the streets people walk, the air they breathe, and the food they can afford, as on any drug.
📝 生词表 New Words and Expressions
| Word | 音标 | 词性 | 中文 | 课文例句 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| remarkable | /rɪˈmɑːkəbl/ | adj. | 显著的、非凡的 | this remarkable achievement |
| attribute | /əˈtrɪbjuːt/ | v. | 把……归因于 | attributed to advances in medicine |
| vaccine | /ˈvæksiːn/ | n. | 疫苗 | vaccines, antibiotics |
| antibiotic | /ˌæntibɪˈɒtɪk/ | n. | 抗生素 | vaccines, antibiotics |
| treatment | /ˈtriːtmənt/ | n. | 治疗、疗法 | new treatments |
| establish | /ɪˈstæblɪʃ/ | v. | 确立、证实 | well established |
| processed | /ˈprəʊsest/ | adj. | 加工的 | processed food |
| obesity | /əʊˈbiːsəti/ | n. | 肥胖 | the risk of obesity |
| diabetes | /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/ | n. | 糖尿病 | diabetes and heart disease |
| activity | /ækˈtɪvəti/ | n. | 活动 | physical activity |
| circulation | /ˌsɜːkjəˈleɪʃn/ | n. | 循环 | poor circulation |
| depression | /dɪˈpreʃn/ | n. | 抑郁 | depression |
| wellbeing | /ˌwelˈbiːɪŋ/ | n. | 幸福、健康 | mental wellbeing |
| immune | /ɪˈmjuːn/ | adj. | 免疫的 | immune function |
| environment | /ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt/ | n. | 环境 | the environment shapes choices |
| nutritious | /njuˈtrɪʃəs/ | adj. | 有营养的 | nutritious meals |
| pollution | /pəˈluːʃn/ | n. | 污染 | pollution from traffic |
| asthma | /ˈæsmə/ | n. | 哮喘 | worsens asthma |
| chronic | /ˈkrɒnɪk/ | adj. | 慢性的、长期的 | chronic noise |
| willpower | /ˈwɪlpaʊə/ | n. | 意志力 | a matter of willpower |
| public health | /ˌpʌblɪk ˈhelθ/ | n. | 公共卫生 | public health experts |
| cycling | /ˈsaɪklɪŋ/ | n. | 骑自行车 | safe cycling paths |
| accessible | /əkˈsesəbl/ | adj. | 可进入的、易获得的 | accessible green spaces |
| social investment | /ˌsəʊʃl ɪnˈvestmənt/ | n. | 社会投资 | social investments |
| benefit | /ˈbenɪfɪt/ | n. | 好处 | whose benefits return |
| street | /striːt/ | n. | 街道 | the streets people walk |
| breathe | /briːð/ | v. | 呼吸 | the air they breathe |
| affordable | /əˈfɔːdəbl/ | adj. | 负担得起的 | the food they can afford |
| drug | /drʌɡ/ | n. | 药物 | as on any drug |
| suburb | /ˈsʌbɜːb/ | n. | 郊区 | a leafy suburb |
🧠 课文理解 Comprehension
1. According to Paragraph 1, longer life expectancy is usually attributed to...
- A. better diet
- B. medical advances
- C. exercise
- D. cleaner air
2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a health risk of modern lifestyle?
- A. processed food
- B. lack of exercise
- C. lack of sleep
- D. high income
3. The writer argues that health depends heavily on...
- A. individual willpower alone
- B. the urban environment people live in
- C. regular hospital visits
- D. genetic factors
4. What do public health experts recommend?
- A. treating illness more quickly
- B. designing cities that make healthy choices easier
- C. building more hospitals
- D. banning fast food entirely
5. The writer's final point is that...
- A. medicine is no longer useful
- B. living longer is the main goal
- C. quality of life depends on social and environmental factors
- D. poor people should pay more for healthcare
✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.
| accessible / attribute / chronic / immune / nutritious / obesity / pollution / wellbeing |
- The researchers ______ the improvement to a new public transport system.
- Too much sugar increases the risk of childhood ______.
- A balanced diet helps to support the body's ______ system.
- The town has plenty of ______ parks within walking distance of homes.
- ______ from factory emissions has contaminated the river.
- Yoga and meditation are often used to improve mental ______.
- His ______ back pain kept him off work for months.
- Fresh vegetables are cheap, healthy and highly ______.
✅ 答案 Answers
Comprehension
- B（"attributed to advances in medicine"）
- D（processed food/lack of activity/lack of sleep 都提到，high income 未提）
- B（"health is a product of the cities people live in"）
- B（"design cities that encourage healthy choices"）
- C（"depends as much on the streets... air... food... as on any drug"）
Vocabulary
- attributed 2. obesity 3. immune 4. accessible 5. Pollution 6. wellbeing 7. chronic 8. nutritious
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