(来源：英语杂志 http://www.EnglishCN.com)

The simple exercise of sitting down and standing up again without holding onto anything, could suggest how long you have to live.

不搀扶任何东西，坐下再站起来。从这一系列简单的动作就能预测你的寿命。

This is the belief of a group of physicians, who came up with the ‘sitting-rising test’ to measure their patients’ flexibility and strength.

上述是一组医生的观点，他们提出“坐立测试”（sitting-rising test）以评估患者的柔韧度和力量。

They developed a scoring system for the test and found that people who scored three points or less out of 10, were more than five times as likely to die within six years, as those who scored more than eight points.

他们为该测试研发了相应的评分系统，评估发现在总分10分的测试中，得分等于或小于3分的人6年内死亡的可能性比得分大于8分的人高5倍多。

Claudio Gil Araujo, of Gama Filho University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was among the doctors who originally developed the sitting rising test (SRT) to quickly assess the flexibility of athletes, but he now uses it to persuade his patients that they need to stay active to maintain their muscle and balance, and live longer, Discover Magazine reported.

据《探索》杂志（Discover Magazine）报道，来自巴西里约热内卢的伽马·菲里奥大学（Gama Filho University）的克劳迪奥·吉尔·阿罗约医生（Claudio Gil Araujo）是“坐立测试”（SRT）的初始研发者之一。那时做这个研发是为了快速评估运动员的柔韧度，但现在他将之用于说服患者经常运动以维持患者肌肉量、保持身体平衡，从而延长寿命。

As we age, our muscles tend to become weaker and a loss of balance means we are increasingly likely to fall.

随着年龄的增长，我们的肌肉力量往往会减弱，而失去平衡意味着我们更容易跌倒。

Current ways to test frailty can be time-consuming, impractical and inaccurate for small doctors’ surgeries, but experts are keen to keep older people moving.

对于医生的一些小型外科手术来说，目前测试肌肉衰退的方法很浪费时间、不太可行也不太精确。但是专家非常希望老人们保持活动。

Dr Araujo says that anyone can take the SRT because no equipment is needed.

阿罗约博士说，谁都可以进行SRT测试，因为这不需要任何仪器。

In a study, published in the European Journal of Cardiology, the researchers described how 2002 adults aged between 51 and 80 took the SRT at Clinimex Exercise Medicine Clinic in Rio.

在发表于欧洲期刊《心脏病学》（Cardiology）的一项研究中，研究人员描述了2002名成年人参与SRT测试的情况，此次测试者年龄分布在51岁到80岁之间，测试地点为里约热内卢克林尼梅克斯运动医学诊所（Clinimex Exercise Medicine Clinic）。

They found that patients who scored fewer than eight points out of 10 on the test, were twice as likely to die within the next six years, compared with people with more perfect scores.

研究人员发现，在满分为10分的测试中，得分少于8分的患者未来6年内死亡的可能性是得分更多者的两倍。

One point was deducted each time a person used their hand or knee for support to either sit down or stand up, while half a point was deducted for losing their balance.

受测人在坐下或站起的过程中使用手或膝盖进行支撑的话，一次会被扣去1分；失去平衡则被扣去0.5分。

The experts found that people who scored three points or fewer, were more than five times as likely to die within the same period.

专家发现得分为3分或低于3分者在相同时间段内死亡可能性是其他人的5倍多。

They wrote in the study: ‘Musculoskeletal fitness, as assessed by SRT, was a significant predictor of mortality in 51–80-year-old subjects.’

他在此研究中写道：“如SRT测试评估的那样，肌肉骨骼的健康状况是年龄在51岁到80岁受试者寿命长短的重要预示。”

The study found that every point increase in the test, was linked to a 21 per cent decrease in mortality from all causes.

研究发现测试中每增加一分，受测者死亡的可能性就降低21%，无论死因是什么。