A growing number of workers at Google Inc., Facebook Inc. and other employers are trading in their sit-down desks for standing ones, saying they feel more comfortable and energized. They also are motivated by medical reports saying that sitting for too long leads to increased health risks.
A standing desk sits high off the floor so a worker can either stand at it or sit on a high stool to use it. Officials at Palo Alto-based Facebook say a number of employees asked about standing desks after news articles were published about the health risks of sitting all day.
The stories cited medical studies that tied excessive sitting to increased obesity and other health problems because of factors including a drop in physical activity. A 2010 study by the American Cancer Society found that women who sat more than six hours a day were 37% more likely to die prematurely than women who sat for less than three hours, while the early-death rate for men was 18% higher. The American College of Cardiology released a study in January that found increased mortality (死亡率) among people who sat longer at home than those who didn't.
No one seems to compile statistics on the standing-desk trend. But anecdotal reports suggest Silicon Valley is embracing the movement.
Facebook officials say they have seen an upsurge in requests for standing desks to five to eight a week with a total of between 200 and 250 deployed (配置) at the company of more than 2,000 employees. Facebook also is trying out a treadmill station ─ where a worker can walk or run on a treadmill while tapping at a computer.
Google spokesman Jordan Newman said that 'many employees at Google opt for standing desks, and we offer them as part of our wellness program' though he said he didn't know the exact number.
Greg Hoy, 39 years old, asked for a standing desk shortly after joining Facebook seven months ago as a design recruiter. 'I don't get the 3 o'clock slump anymore,' he said. 'I feel active all day long.'
小题1:The underlined word “motivated” in paragraph 1 can be replaced by .
A．frightened
B．inspired
C．missed
D．discouraged小题2:According to paragraph 3, we can know that .
A．a drop in physical activity was the only reason why excessive sitting caused increased obesity.
B．women who sat longer were more likely to die prematurely according to a 2010 study by American College of Cardiology
C．according to the study, the early-death rate for men was 18% higher than that for women.
D．the mortality among people who didn’t sat long at home was lower than that among people who did.小题3:According to paragraph 5, which of the following statements is true about a treadmill station ?
A．is a computer that a worker can take along when he walks or runs
B．has been tried out by Facebook and now is very popular with other companies
C．is a place where workers can exercise while working.
D．is a treadmill on which workers can run or walk only after work小题4:The passage mainly talks about .
A．sitting for too long leads to increased health risks
B．standing desks have replaced sit-down ones in Facebook Inc.
C．more and more workers choose standing desks instead of sit-down ones
D．many employees at Google opt for standing desks
