U. S. Eats Too Much Salt
People in the United States consume more than twice the recommended amount1 of salt, raising their risk for high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes, government health experts said on Thursday.
They found nearly 70 percent of U. S. adults are in high-risk groups that would benefit from a lower-salt diet of no more than 1,500 mg per day2，yet most consume closer to 3,500 mg per day.
Its important for people to eat less salt. People who adopt a heart-healthy eating pattern that includes a diet low in sodium and rich in potassium and calcium can improve their blood pressure,Dr. Darwin Labarthe of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.
People need to know their recommended daily sodium limit and take action to reduce sodium intake, Labarthe said.
The study in CDCs weekly report on death and disease used national survey data to show that two out of three adults should be consuming no more than 1，500 mg of sodium per day because they are black or over the age of 40一which are considered high-risk groups.
Yet studies show most people in the United States eat 3,436 mg of sodium per day, according to a 20052006 CDC estimate.
Most of the sodium eaten comes from packaged, processed and restaurant foods. The CDC said it will join other agencies in the Health and Human Services department in working with major food manufacturers and chain restaurants to reduce sodium levels in the food supply.
Nationwide, 16 million men and women have heart disease and 5.8 million are estimated to have had a stroke. Cutting salt consumption can reduce these risks, the CDC said.
词汇：
sodium /s??d??m/ n.钠
potassium /p?t?s??m/ n.钾
calcium /k?ls??m/ n.钙
intake /?nte?k/ n.纳入量
注释:
1.more than twice the recommended amount：比推荐量的两倍还多
2.They found nearly 70 percent of U. S. adults are in high-risk groups that would benefit from a lower-salt diet of no more than 1,500 mg per day：他们发现将近分之七十的美国成年人属于高危人群,如果他们的日食盐量降至l,500毫克,则会从中受益。
练习：
1.Too much salt raises ones risk for
A.high blood pressure.
B.heart attacks.
C.strokes.
D.all of the above.
2.How much salt do most American adults eat per day?
A.No more than 1,500 mg.
B.Closer to 3,500 mg.
C.Less than 3,436 mg.
D.Closer to 1,500 mg.
3.To improve their blood pressure, people should have a diet
A.rich in potassium and sodium.
B.rich in potassium and calcium.
C.rich in calcium arid sodium.
D.none of the above.
4.The high-risk groups include those
A.who are black.
B.who are over the age of 40.
C.who are white and young.
D.both A and B.
5.Packaged, processed and restaurant foods are known to be
A.cheap.
B.tasty.
C.rich in salt.
D.healthy.
答案与题解：
1.D短文第一段说,吃盐过多会增加罹患高血压、心脏病和中风的危险。
2.B短文的第二段说,大多数美国成年人的日食盐量接近3,500毫克。
3.B短文的第三段说,采用低钠并富含钾、钙的饮食方式将有助于改善血压。
4.D短文的第五段说,黑人和年龄超过40岁的人被视为高危人群。
5.C短文的倒数第二段说,人们所食用的钠绝大部分来自于包装、加工和饭店食品。
译文：美国人吃盐过量
美国人的食盐量比推荐食用量的两倍还多，这增加了他们罹患高血压、心脏病以及中风的危险， 政府部门的健康专家周二表示。 ?
健康专家发现近七成的美国成年人属于高危人群，如果他们的日食盐量降至1，500毫克，则会 从中受益,然而大多数美国成年人的日食盐量接近3,500毫克。
少吃盐对人们很重要。采用低钠并富含钾、钙的饮食方式有助于维持心脏健康、改善血压， 疾病预防控制中心的达尔文?拉巴德博士在一份声明中谈到。
人们需要了解推荐日食钠量的限制并釆取措施减少钠的摄入量，拉巴德说。 疾病预防控制中心每周公布的有关死亡和疾病的研究报告采用了全国普查的数据，结果显示三 分之二的成年人的日食钠量均不应超过1，500毫克，因为他们是被视为高危人群的黑人或者年龄超 过40岁的人。
然而根据疾病预防控制中心20052006年的估计,美国大多数人的日食钠量为3,436毫克。
大多数食用钠都来自于袋装的、加工过的和餐厅食品。疾病预防控制中心称其将和美国卫生与 公共服务部的其他部门一道联手主要食品生产商和连锁餐厅,降低食品供应中的钠含量。
全国已有1，600万人罹患心脏病，估计还有580万人已患中风。减少食盐量可以使患这些疾病 的风险降低，疾病预防控制中心称。