From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report. 这里是VOA慢速英语健康生活报道。
As spring comes to half the world, many people can enjoy the new growth that comes with warmer weather. 随着春意蔓延至全球多半地区，许多人可以在这个温暖的季节感受万物复苏了。
This is a great time to get outside and get dirty! 这是一个适合外出并将自己搞得脏兮兮的季节。
Gardening is popular in many parts of the world. 园艺在全球很多地区都十分流行。
This outdoor activity gives us beautiful plants, pleasant smelling flowers and fresh fruits and vegetables. 这一户外活动能带给我们美丽的植物，宜人的花香和新鲜的水果和蔬菜。
But it also gives us many health benefits. 而且，这一活动对健康也大有裨益。
Gardening connects people. When you are gardening, you are outdoors. So it is a perfect time to socialize with your neighbors. 园艺可促进人际交往。当你做园艺时会身处户外。而这为邻里互相走动提供了完美的契机。
Most people love to talk about their hobbies, and gardeners are no different. 大多人都喜欢聊聊自己的爱好，园艺爱好者也不例外。
They usually enjoy showing people what they are growing. 他们通常喜欢向他人展示所种植的植物。
And most enjoy sharing advice and stories about their gardens almost as much as sharing herbs, flowers and vegetables from their gardens. 除了分享种植的香料、蔬菜外，他们最喜欢分享自己在园艺方面的建议和园艺经历。
Gardening can greatly widen a person's community. 园艺可以极大地拓宽一个人的社交圈。
Some people may not have the resources to have their own garden. 有些人可能缺乏足够资源来构建自己的花园。
So, many cities and towns have community gardens. 所以，许多城镇都建有社区花园。
You can either volunteer or just visit to learn more. 你可以自愿参与维护或者前往一饱眼福。
Check what resources are available to you in your area. 你可以检查一下所在区域可以利用的资源。
If there are no community gardens near you, there may be government money available to help you start one. 如果附近没有社区花园的话，说不定政府会出资建设。
Gardening is a great activity to do with children. 园艺也是一项非常棒的亲子活动。
It gets families outdoors and off computers, televisions and other electronics. 它能够让家人关上电脑、电视和其它电子设备投身于户外活动。
Gardening can be a great teacher. 园艺还是一位良师。
Children can learn about nature and wildlife. 孩子们能够学习到更多与大自然和野生动物有关的知识。
Gardening can teach a child about where food comes from and healthy eating. 通过园艺，孩子知道了食物的来源以及如何健康饮食。
It can also help them to understand the limits of natural resources and the importance of using them carefully. 它还可以帮助孩子了解自然资源的有限性，以及合理利用自然资源的重要性。
When you are in your garden, you might feel the sunshine on your skin. This means you are getting Vitamin D. 当你置身花园时，可能会感受到阳光照射在皮肤上。这意味着你补充了维生素D。
Vitamin D helps our bodies use calcium. That is necessary to keep bones strong. 维生素D会帮助人体吸收钙质。这是保持骨骼强健的必要条件。
Vitamin D also helps us fight diseases. 维他命D还可以帮助我们对抗疾病。
Also, when you garden you must move around. 此外，当你做园艺时必须得四处走动。
All the different movements needed for gardening -- bending, twisting, stretching and lifting -- work small muscles in the body. 园艺会涉及到弯腰、转身、拉伸和举重等动作，这些活动能使小肌肉群得到锻炼。
And you can easily get a good work out when you are digging holes or pulling weeds. 当你挖洞或除草时也能轻松地锻炼身体。
Gardening may also help you to feel calm and happy. 园艺可能让人感到平静和愉悦。
A study by researchers in the Netherlands found that gardening may reduce the stress hormone cortisol in the brain. 荷兰研究人员的一项研究发现，园艺可减少大脑中的激素皮质醇（压力荷尔蒙）。
Scientists say that high levels of cortisol in the body interfere with learning and memory. 科学家称，体内高水平的皮质醇会干扰学习和记忆。
It can also increase a person's weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 皮质醇还可能增加人体的体重、血压和胆固醇水平。
Chronic, high levels of cortisol increase the risk for depression, mental illness and lower life expectancy. 长期且高水平的皮质醇会增加患抑郁症、精神疾病和寿命缩短的风险。
In the study, the researchers gave 30 gardeners a difficult, stressful task. 在这项研究中，研究人员给30位园丁布置了一项难度大且有压力的任务。
After completing the task, researchers measured their cortisol levels. 待其完成这项任务后，研究人员测量了他们的的皮质醇水平。
The gardeners self-reported on their mood, or how they felt emotionally. 园丁也各自汇报了心情或感受。
Then the gardeners were asked to recover by either gardening outdoors or reading indoors for 30 minutes. 然后，园丁们被要求在30分钟内到室外做园艺或在室内看书进行恢复。
Both activities led to lower cortisol levels. However, the decreases were stronger in the gardening group. 两项活动都导致了皮质醇水平下降，而园艺组下降幅度更大。
Also, those who gardened reported that their good moods returned fully. 同样，那些通过园艺活动恢复的人报告称，心情已然恢复如初。
The readers found that their bad moods only got worse. 而通过阅读进行恢复的人表示，心情变得更糟了。
Gardening may help your brain stay young. 园艺可能会帮助大脑保持年轻。
In another study in 2006, researchers looked at more than 2,800 people over the age of 60. 在2006年的一项研究中, 研究人员调查了2800多位60岁以上的人。
They studied their lifestyle habits, activities and health over a 16-year period. 他们在16年的时间里调查并研究了这些人的生活习惯、活动和健康状况。
They found that gardening could lower risk of future dementia by 36 percent. 他们发现，园艺可以使未来患痴呆的风险降低36%。
Activities such as gardening uses many repeated actions, such as weeding or dead-heading (removing dying flowers from a plant). 园艺活动中有许多重复性动作，比如除草或移枯。
These actions have a calming effect on the brain. 这些动作对大脑有镇静作用。
The brain is still active but not in the same way that it is, say, when we use computers. 大脑仍然活跃，但与我们使用电脑时的那种活跃截然不同。
In our technology-filled lives, gardening offers a chance to unplug. 在这个四处充斥着电子产品的时代，园艺为我们提供了一个远离（电源）插头的机会。
You cannot hold a phone or other electronic devices when your hands are filled with dirt. 当你的双手布满污垢，你一定不想拿起手机或其它电子设备。
Gardening can also give you the feeling that you have done something good. 园艺也可能带来一种做善举的成就感。
A flower and herb garden can help feed bees and butterflies. 鲜花和香草可以喂养蜜蜂和蝴蝶。
Growing herbs and flowers, even in a of couple of pots at your city home, connects you to nature and pleases all of your senses. 即使在城市的家里种植几盆香草和花朵，这也能让你与大自然相连并愉悦你的所有感官。
What you grow in a garden usually looks, smells, feels and tastes really good. 花园里的植物通常会让你的视觉、嗅觉、触觉和味觉感觉良好。
And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. 以上为健康生活报道的全部内容。
I'm Anna Matteo. 安娜·马特奥为您播报。
1.led to 导致
This difference in approach has led to severalpolitical skirmishes.
这种方式上的差异已经导致了几场政治冲突。
2.blood pressure 血压
Exercise will not only lower blood pressure but possibly protect against heart attacks.
锻炼不仅会降低血压，而且可能对心脏病有预防效果。
3.outdoor activity 户外活动
We all like outdoor activity, especially camping.
我们都喜欢户处活动，尤其是野营。
4.lifestyle habits 生活习惯
Such positive lifestyle habits have a positive impact on your job search, she says.
她说，这些积极生活方式的习惯会对求职发挥积极作用。
5.But it also gives us many health benefits.
health benefits 健康益处
The procedure has no health benefits for girls and women.
对于女童和妇女来讲，该切割程序没有任何健康效益。
The advent of modern medicines has brought significant health benefits at lower cost.
现代医学带来了巨大的健康好处，同时降低了成本。
6.Also, when you garden you must move around.
move around 四处移动
He moved around the country working in orange groves.
他在乡村不断换工作，为不同的柑橘园干活。
He stood up and began to move around the room.
他起身开始在屋里来回走动。
