阅读理解

　　We’ve all seen them：perfectly toned famous people on late-night television telling us that we too can develop rock-hard abdominal muscles(腹肌)．It’s easy! Just pay ＄149.99 for the Torso Track or ＄149.75 for the Ad-Doer and watch those unwanted inches leave your waist．Americans spend tens of millions of dollars on various products to firm up their fat around the waist．And did they work? Not necessarily．Independent studies have concluded that most of these products－no matter who approved them or how expensive they are－shape your midsection no better than old-fashioned stomach crunches(仰卧起坐)．Some can even cause injury－like the ＄518.99 Body Shaper-Q8SP, which left electrical burns on some researchers at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse．Others, like the popular Ab-Doer, typically burn less energy than a gentle walk, according to a study to be published in September by the American Council on Exercise．

　　The fact is that many Americans don’t have the biological makeup to develop an obvious abdominal muscles．They are either unable to get the necessary muscle mass or they can’t lose enough fat to make a difference．Even if the underlying muscles are well developed, all it takes to hide it is one-sixteenth of an inch of fat．That’s enough to exclude most healthy women as well as plenty of guys who do crunches every day．

　　So what works best? In its new study, the exercise experts researched on the results of the popular Ab-Doer．A lengthy TV advertisement promises that just 10 minutes a day performing such movements as “Body Boogies” and “Good Mornings” will “help form those muscles the fun and easy way without diets．” Steven Loy, professor at California State University, Northridge, tested the promise by measuring the electrical activity produced by the abdominal muscles during three Ab-Doer movements．He and his colleagues then compared the results with those produced during traditional exercises．They determined that the muscles were no more active, and in some cases less so, when exercisers were using the Ab-Doer．

　　Taking a broader approach, researchers at San Diego State University compared 13 abdominal exercises for their ability to develop the central abdominal muscles．They concluded, in a report published in May, that the most effective exercises kept turning the body and worked the muscles the entire time．Among the winners：the bicycle movements－so called because it looks as if you are riding a bike while lying flat on the floor－and exercises performed on the “Captain’s Chair”, a product typically found in gyms that helps hold the body in the air while you raise your legs up toward your chest．Researchers suggested that a varied routine of the different exercises could deliver the best results．

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阅读理解

　　Besides news reports that tend to focus on war or election, Americans generally don't hear much about people in other countries．One reason may be that very little foreign-language literature is translated into English．In the United States, just a few of the titles, mainly translations of foreign novels, short stories, or poetry, make it into English．However, a number of efforts have taken root to try to bring more global literature to US audiences．

　　The online magazine of international literature, Words Without Borders, was founded by Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N．Y．The nonprofit site, now in its fifth year, offers modern writing from places such as Argentina, China and Italy, often for the first time in English．It gets about 200 000 page views per month and counts roughly 8 000 subscribers(订阅者), more than one-quarter of whom live in the US．

　　“There's a wave of interest right now,” says Jill Schoolman, publisher of Archipelago Books, a small nonprofit press in Brooklyn, N．Y．, opened in 2003 to publish world literature in translation only．“People are hungry for ideas from other countries．”

　　Rainmaker Translations－a Las Vegas-based nonprofit－was formed two years ago to support the publication of more top-quality global writing here in the US．They put out their first three titles, translated from Arabic, Chinese, and Russian, in the spring of 2006 and plan to aid up to four more in the coming year．

　　In March, the Center for the Art of Translation, a nonprofit started in 1994 in San Francisco, will publish Two Lines World Library, focused on writing from some particular areas published over the last several decades．

　　Dalkey Archive Press, a century-old nonprofit publisher in Champaign, Illinois, has upped the number of translations on its publication list since 2003, from 25 percent to nearly 80 percent．

　　In recent years, more nonprofits have applied to the National Endowment for the Arts for help to publish literary translations．The agency is also trying to increase the availability of translated prose(散文)and poetry in the US, such as publishing partnerships with foreign governments．

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