8月14日午间英语新闻：为了健康，我们真的需要每天走一万步吗？

Moody’s downgrades US banks, warns of possible cuts to others

穆迪下调多家美国中小银行评级

International credit rating agency Moody’s has lowered the credit ratings of several small and medium-sized banks in the United States. It also announced the possibility of downgrading ratings for major banks, including Bank of New York Mellon, US Bancorp, and State Street.

当地时间7日，国际评级机构穆迪下调多家美国中小规模银行的信用评级，同时还宣布有可能下调一些美国大型银行的评级，包括纽约梅隆银行、美国合众银行和道富银行等。

In its report released Monday, Moody’s indicated that many banks faced growing profitability pressures in the second quarter. This comes as a mild US recession is on the horizon for early 2024 and asset quality looks to decline, with particular risks in some banks’ commercial real estate (CRE) portfolios.

穆迪在报告中表示，许多银行在第二季度的盈利压力增大，同时美国经济或在2024年温和衰退、银行资产质量下滑，一些银行的商业房产投资组合存在显著风险。

Moody’s highlighted that the elevated CRE exposure is a vital risk for the banking sector, primarily attributed to the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes, reduced demand for office buildings due to remote work trends, and a reduction in the availability of CRE credit.

穆迪认为，商业地产风险敞口扩大成为银行业关键风险，这主要是因为美联储持续加息，远程办公导致办公楼需求下滑，以及金融机构收紧对商业地产项目的贷款和融资。

Fed survey data released last week showed that US banks reported tighter credit standards and weaker loan demand from both businesses and consumers during the second quarter. Morgan Stanley analysts said the loan demand is likely to continue to weaken.

美联储上周发布的调查结果显示，今年第二季度，美国银行业提高了信贷门槛，企业和消费者的贷款需求也减少。摩根士丹利预期，贷款需求将继续疲软。

Last week, rating agency Fitch downgraded the US by a notch from AAA to AA+ due to fiscal deterioration over the next three years and repeated down-to-wire, government debt ceiling negotiations.

国际评级机构惠誉此前将美国长期外币发行人违约评级从AAA下调至AA+，因美国未来三年财政状况恶化，债务上限政治僵局反复出现。

重点词汇：

1.profitability

英/ˌprɒfɪtəˈbɪləti/

美/ˌprɑːfɪtəˈbɪləti/

n.盈利能力；收益性；利益率

英/pɔːtˈfəʊliəʊ/

美/pɔːrtˈfoʊlioʊ/

n.公文包，画夹；（成册展示的）作品集，照片集；（个人或机构的）投资组合；（部长或大臣的）职责，职务；（公司或机构提供的）系列产品，成套物品

adj.（职业类型）短期合同制的，兼职的

3.primarily

英/praɪˈmerəli/

美/praɪˈmerəli/

adv.主要地，首要地，根本地

4.fiscal

英/ˈfɪsk(ə)l/

美/ˈfɪsk(ə)l/

adj.（政府）财政的；<美>财政年度的；<美>金融的

5.deterioration

英/dɪˌtɪəriəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/

美/dɪˌtɪriəˈreɪʃn/

n.恶化

Do we really need 10,000 steps a day for our health?

为了健康，我们真的需要每天走一万步吗？

Despite the recommendations of pedometers everywhere, there's nothing scientific to the goal of walking 10,000 steps a day, for health or for weight loss. The concept of taking 10,000 steps a day to maintain health is rooted not in science but in marketing gimmick.

尽管“每天走一万步”成为健身新口号，但其实这个目标对健康和减重并没有科学依据。每天走一万步保持健康的概念并不是源自科学，而是营销噱头。

In the 1960s a company in Japan invented an early pedometer. Because the Japanese character for "10,000" looks like a person walking, the company called its device the 10,000-step meter.

在20世纪60年代，日本的一家公司发明了早期计步器。因为日语中的“万”字看起来像一个人在走路，所以该公司将其设备称为“万步计”。

"It was just sort of a catchy phrase," says I-Min Lee, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School. "Sure, if you get 10,000 steps, it seems like a good goal. But there was not really any basis to it."

“这只是一种朗朗上口的措词。”哈佛医学院流行病学家李逸民（音译）说，“如果你走了一万步，这当然不错。但其实这种标准没有任何依据。”

In 2019 Lee published one of the first studies specifically investigating the actual effects of meeting the 10,000-step goal. Several other large studies followed. The result? Some movement is good, and more is better, but the benefits taper at some point. 

2019年李逸民发表了首批专门研究达到一万步目标实际效果的研究之一，随后又进行了其他几项大型项目。研究结果表明，多运动一些总是好的，但实际效果会在某个峰值之后趋于平稳。 

Your personal peak depends on your age. People younger than 60 should indeed walk 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day to get the best benefits in terms of life expectancy and cardiovascular health. People older than 60 show the most benefit between 6,000 and 8,000 steps.

个人运动峰值取决于年龄。60岁以下的人确实应该每天走8000到10000步，以期延长预期寿命，保护心血管健康。而60岁以上的人，则每天走6000到8000步最合适。

The difference is energy expenditure. "The older you are, the less efficient you are with your steps," says William Kraus, a physician and scientist at Duke University. "Per step, older people expend more energy." As a result, they need fewer steps to achieve the same benefits.

两者区别在于能量消耗。“年龄越大，走路的效率越低。”杜克大学医生、科学家威廉·克劳斯说道：“每走一步，老年人消耗的能量会更多。”因此，他们只需更少的步数就可以达到同样的锻炼效果。

Newer studies are moving beyond death rates to ask questions about the way steps may contribute to diabetes prevention or help to control blood pressure and weight. The goal, after all, is not just to live longer but to live healthier. Full results are not in yet, so Lee's advice in the meantime is: "Tailor your steps according to what you are trying to achieve and according to who you are."

最新的研究已经超越死亡率的范畴，提出步数可能有助于预防糖尿病，或帮助控制血压和体重。毕竟，我们不仅要活得更久，更要活得健康。目前为止还没有完整的结论，李逸民的建议是：“根据你的目标和个人情况，来调整你的步数。”

重点词汇：

1.pedometer

英/pɪˈdɒmɪtə(r)/

美/pɪˈdɑːmɪtər/

n.计步器，步程计，步数计

2.gimmick

英/ˈɡɪmɪk/

美/ˈɡɪmɪk/

n.暗机关；骗人的玩意；花招

vt.使暗机关；搞骗人的玩意

3.catchy

英/ˈkætʃi/

美/ˈkætʃi/

adj.（曲调或口号）悦耳易记的；易使人上当的

4.epidemiologist

英/ˌepɪˌdiːmiˈɒlədʒɪst/

美/ˌepɪˌdiːmiˈɑːlədʒɪst/

n.流行病学家

5.cardiovascular

英/ˌkɑːdiəʊˈvæskjələ(r)/

美/ˌkɑːrdioʊˈvæskjələr/

adj.心血管的；心脏强化运动的

6.tailor

英/ˈteɪlə(r)/

美/ˈteɪlər/

n.（尤指男装）裁缝；蓝鱼（Tailorfish 的简称）

v.定做（衣服）；迎合，使适应