weekly news: 比萨斜塔让位 德国尖塔成“世界最斜塔”

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weekly news: 比萨斜塔让位 德国尖塔成“世界最斜塔”

　　German steeple beats Leaning Tower of Pisa into Guinness book
　　
　　A 15th century church steeple in Germany has snatched the accolade ofthe most tilted tower in the world from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, theGuinness Book of World Records confirmed on Thursday.
　　
　　The27-metre-high (86-feet-high) steeple in the northern village ofSuurhusen tilts at an angle of 5.19 degrees compared to just 3.97degrees for the Pisa tower.
　　
　　In a ceremony to mark GuinnessWorld Records Day on Thursday, the book’s editor-in-chief handed over acertificate to mark the accomplishment to church officials.
　　
　　"We have always known it, but now it’s official," said the pastor of the church, Frank Wessels.
　　
　　According to local historian Tjabbo van Lessen, the church was builtin marshy land in 1450 on foundations of oak tree trunks which werepreserved by the water in the ground.
　　
　　When the land was drained in the 19th century, the wood rotted, causing the tower to tilt.
　　
　　The steeple was closed to the public in 1975 for safety reasons, but re-opened 10 years later after being made safe.
　　
　　Suurhusen is a village of 1,200 residents near Germany’s border with the Netherlands.
　　
　　
　　
　　
　　《吉尼斯世界纪录大全》于上周四确认，德国一座建于15世纪的教堂尖塔“击败”意大利比萨斜塔，赢得“世界最斜塔”的称号。
　　
　　这座位于德国北部苏乌尔胡森村的教堂尖塔高27米，倾斜5.19度，而比萨斜塔的倾斜度仅为3.97度。
　　
　　在本周四“吉尼斯世界纪录大全日”的庆祝仪式上，《吉尼斯世界纪录大全》的主编向教堂的神职人员颁发了证书。
　　
　　教堂的弗兰克•威瑟尔斯牧师说：“其实，我们早知道这个事实，但现在我们得到了官方的认证。”
　　
　　据当地历史学家蒂加博•范•莱森介绍，这座教堂于1450年在烂泥地里建成，它以橡树树干为地基，几个世纪以来，教堂的木质地基一直浸泡在地下水中。
　　
　　19世纪，这块地里的水被排干，木质地基也随之腐烂，导致整个建筑逐渐倾斜。
　　
　　由于安全原因，尖塔于1975年停止向公众开放，但十年后，经过安全加固的尖塔又重新对外开放。
　　
　　苏乌尔胡森村地处德国与荷兰交界处，共有1200个居民。
　　
　　
　　想永葆青春？去晒太阳吧！
　　Sunshine ‘helps to keep you young’
　　
　　A healthy dose of sunshine may be the secret to staying young, British scientists have revealed.
　　
　　A healthy dose of sunshine may be the secret to staying young, British scientists have revealed.
　　
　　Vitamin D is produced naturally by the skin in response to sunlightand may help to slow the ageing process and protect against heartdisease, according to the study.
　　
　　Researchers from King’sCollege London studied 2,160 women aged between 18 and 79, looking attheir telomeres - a biological marker of ageing found in DNA. As peopleget older their telomeres get shorter and they become more susceptibleto certain illnesses.
　　
　　But the study found women with highlevels of vitamin D had comparatively longer telomeres - a sign ofbeing biologically younger and healthier.
　　
　　The study suggests vitamin D may help to slow down the ageing process of DNA, and therefore the ageing process as a whole.
　　
　　Lead researcher Dr Brent Richards said: "These results are excitingbecause they demonstrate for the first time that people who have higherlevels of vitamin D may age more slowly than people with lower levelsof vitamin D.
　　
　　"This could help to explain how vitamin D hasa protective effect on many ageing related diseases, such as heartdisease and cancer."
　　
　　He said further studies are required to confirm the findings.
　　
　　Professor Tim Spector, head of KCL’s twin research unit, and aco-author of the report, added: "Although it might sound absurd, it’spossible that the same sunshine which may increase our risk of skincancer may also have a healthy effect on the general ageing process."
　　
　　Vitamin D made by the action of sunlight on the skin accounts for 90per cent of the body’s supply, but lower levels can also be obtainedthrough food such as fish, eggs and breakfast cereals.
　　
　　Other studies have suggested the vitamin plays a key role in protecting against cancer and heart disease.
　　
　　
　　 英国科学家日前公布，长期坚持晒太阳可能是永葆青春的秘诀。
　　
　　该研究称，皮肤受到阳光照射后而自然产生的维他命D有助于延缓衰老，预防心脏疾病。
　　
　　由伦敦国王学院开展的该研究共有2160名女性参加，她们的年龄在18岁至79岁之间。研究人员们主要对研究对象的端粒（端粒是位于染色体末端的DNA微粒，与人的衰老有关）进行了探究。研究发现，随着年龄的增长，人的端粒日趋变短，人体对于某些疾病的抵抗力也不断下降。
　　
　　但研究发现，体内维他命D含量较高的女性的端粒相对较长，这是人更加年轻与健康的一种生物学表现。
　　
　　研究表明，维他命D有助于延缓DNA的衰老，从而延缓整个人体的衰老。
　　
　　研究负责人布兰特•理查德兹说：“研究结果令人振奋。研究首次表明，体内维他命D含量较高的人比体内维他命D含量较低的人衰老得慢。”
　　
　　“这也许可以解释维他命D是如何预防如心脏病和癌症等很多与衰老有关的疾病这一问题。”
　　
　　布兰特称，研究结果需要经过进一步研究加以确认。
　　
　　研究报告撰写人之一、伦敦国王学院双胞胎研究小组的蒂姆•斯派克特教授说：“尽管这听起来可能有些荒谬，但有一点完全有可能：晒太阳在增加患皮肤癌风险的同时，对于延缓整个衰老进程是有一定积极作用的。”
　　
　　皮肤受到阳光照射后所产生的维他命D占体内总含量的90%，此外，摄入鱼类、蛋类及早餐麦片等食物也能为人体提供少量的维他命D。
　　
　　另有研究表明，维他命对预防癌症和心脏病具有重要作用。