【原版杂志阅读】33期 Day 1：Do you need to walk 10,000 steps a day part 1

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Science & technology | Well Informed (+n)

Do you need to walk 10,000 steps a day?

How fast you walk may be as important as how much (you walk) 

“WALKING IS MAN’S best medicine,” said Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician. Or so the story goes. Whether the phrase originated with him is disputed. But it does contain a kernel of truth. Walking is a form of exercise that is free, requires no equipment and is easy for most people to incorporate into their days. But how many steps should one walk—and at what speed—to unlock its benefits?

Conventional wisdom sets 10,000 steps per day as a good target. The source of that number, though, is as questionable as Hippocrates’s quotation. Its origins lie not in a clinical trial, but a Japanese advertising campaign for a pedometer launched ahead of the 1964Tokyo Olympics (10,000, in Japanese Kanji, also looks a little like a person walking). Those committed to getting their steps in should not shy away from the 10,000 mark. But in terms of scientific research, the number barely has a leg to stand on.

A study published in Lancet Public Health in 2025 considered 57 papers published since 2014 to assess the connection between different daily step counts and various health outcomes. Walking more was found to be beneficial across the board. Taking 7,000 steps a day, in contrast to 2,000, brought about a 47% lower risk of premature death, a 25% lower chance of developing cardiovascular disease and a 14% reduction in the risk of diabetes.Even a little goes a long way: going from 2,000 daily steps to 4,000 resulted in a 36% drop in mortality risk over the years tracked.

一、词汇部分

1. pedometer  /pɪˈdɑːmɪtər/  n. 计步器；步数计数器

英文释义: A device that counts the number of steps a person takes, usually while walking or running.

词根词缀: ped- 脚(foot)+ meter- 测量

英文例句: I use a pedometer to track how many steps I take every day. 我用计步器记录自己每天走多少步。

同源词: 

● pedal /ˈpedəl/ n. 踏板；v. 踩踏—gas pedal 

● pedestrian /pəˈdestriən/ n. 行人 —str-street —Ian 人—history —historian 

● centipede /ˈsentɪpiːd/ n. 蜈蚣（词源上指百足—century, centimeter)

2. trial /ˈtraɪəl/ n. 试验；试用；试验过程；审判；考验; adj. 试验性的；试用的

英文释义: A test or experiment designed to determine the effectiveness, quality, or suitability of something.

词根词缀: try + ial 

英文例句: The drug is currently being tested in clinical trials. 这种药物目前正在接受临床试验。

常见搭配: 

● clinical trial 临床试验

● scientific trial 科学试验

● randomized controlled trial (RCT) 随机对照试验

● free trial 免费试用

● trial period 试用期

● trial and error 反复试验；试错

3. beneficial /ˌbenɪˈfɪʃəl/ adj. 有益的；有好处的；有利的

英文释义: Producing a good or helpful effect; having a positive influence on someone or something.

词根词缀: bene- 好、良好(benefit)+ fic- 做(fiction) +-ial  具有……性质的

英文例句: Regular exercise is beneficial to both physical and mental health. 定期锻炼对身体和心理健康都有益。

●be beneficial to 对……有益

●highly beneficial 非常有益的

●beneficial effects 有益的效果

4. cardiovascular /ˌkɑːrdioʊˈvæskjələr/ adj.  心血管的；与心脏和血管有关的

英文释义: Relating to the heart and blood vessels, especially their structure and function.

词根词缀: cardio- 心脏+ vascul- = vessel容器、血管(vase) + -ar 与……有关的

英文例句: Walking is a simple way to improve cardiovascular health. 散步是改善心血管健康的一种简单方式。

●cardiology /ˌkɑːrdiˈɑːlədʒi/ n. 心脏病学

●cardiologist /ˌkɑːrdiˈɑːlədʒɪst/ n. 心脏科医生

●cardiovascular disease 心血管疾病

●cardiovascular health 心血管健康

●cardiovascular system 心血管系统

●cardiovascular fitness 心肺功能

●cardiovascular risk 心血管风险

5. mortality /mɔːrˈtæləti/ n.  死亡；死亡率；死亡现象

英文释义: The state of being subject to death, or the number or proportion of deaths in a particular population over a specific period.

词根: mort- 死亡 + al 形容词后缀 + ity 名词后缀

英文例句: Infant mortality has declined significantly over the past century. 在过去一个世纪里，婴儿死亡率显著下降。

●mortal /ˈmɔːrtəl/ adj. 终有一死的；致命的

●immortal /ɪˈmɔːrtəl/ adj. 不朽的；长生不死的

●mortuary /ˈmɔːrtʃueri/ n. 太平间

●mortify /ˈmɔːrtɪfaɪ/ v. 使难堪（词源上与死亡、使失去活力有关）

二、文章讲解(词汇/搭配、语法长难句、篇章段落结构）

1. “WALKING IS MAN’S best medicine,” said Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician. Or so the story goes.  ==等号== (Whether the phrase originated with him) is disputed. But it does contain a kernel of truth. Walking is a form of exercise (that is free, requires no equipment and is easy for most people to incorporate into their days). But how many steps should one walk—and at what speed—to unlock its benefits?

1) physics —physical —physician 

2) 语言—沟通; 写文章—沟通—让别理解. ==》写作怎么展开? 用什么语法结构?  —前提(尽力的保护你的可靠性) tend to do something 倾向于做某事

3) Or so the story goes. 至少只有这种说法的./据说是这样.

4) 主语从句: Whether the phrase originated with him 

(从句----整体) 谓语 宾语. 

连接词开始, 到第二个谓语动词前面断开

5) kernel 内核; 核心;  a kernel of truth 有一定的真实的成分, 有一定的道理

His theory may sound extreme, but there is a kernel of truth to it. 

6) 一定要学会总结. —有个要求. 尽量一句话总结. 

7) incorporate A into B 把A 融入到B里. 

8) unlock its benefits 释放价值—-unlock the potential 释放潜力/unlock opportunities 创造机会

三、段落翻译

“步行是人类最好的良药。” 古希腊医生希波克拉底曾这样说过。至少，流传下来的说法是这样的。至于这句话是否真的出自他之口，目前仍存在争议。不过，这句话确实包含着一定的道理。步行是一种免费的运动方式，不需要任何器材，而且对大多数人来说，很容易将它融入日常生活。那么，一个人究竟应该走多少步？又应该以多快的速度行走，才能充分获得步行带来的健康益处呢？