题目内容
【题目】 People have grown taller over the last century, with South Korean women shooting up by more than 20cm on average, and Iranian men gaining 16.5cm. A global study looked at the average height of 18-year-olds in 200 countries between 1914 and 2014.
The results show that while Swedes were the tallest people in the world in 1914, Dutch men have risen from 12th place to claim top spot with an average height of 182.5cm. Latvian women, meanwhile, rose from 28th place in 1914 to become the tallest in the world a century later, with an average height of 169.8cm.
James Bentham, a co-author of the research from Imperial College, London, says the global trend is likely to be due to improvements in nutrition and healthcare.“An individual’s genetics has a big influence on their height, but once you average over whole populations, genetics plays a less key role,” he added.
A little extra height brings a number of advantages, says Elio Riboli of Imperial College.“Being taller is associated with longer life expectancy,”he said.“This is largely due to a lower risk of dying of cardiovascular（心血管的）disease among taller people.”
But while height has increased around the world, the trend in many African countries causes concern, says Riboli. While height increased in Uganda and Niger during the early 20th century, the trend has reversed in recent years, with height decreasing among 18-year-olds.
“One reason for these decreases in height is the economic situation in the 1980s,”said Alexander Moradi of the
University of Sussex. The nutritional and health crises that followed the policy of structural adjustment, he says, led to many children and teenagers failing to reach their full potential（潜力）in terms of height.
Bentham believes the global trend of increasing height has important implications “How. tall we are now is strongly influenced by the environment we grew up in,” he said.“If we give children the best possible start in life now, they will be healthier and more productive for decades to come.”
【1】What does the global study tell us about people’s height in the last century?
A.The increase in people’s height has been quickening.
B.The increase in women’s height is bigger than in men’s.
C.There is a remarkable difference across continents.
D.There has been a noticeable increase in most countries.
【2】What does Elio Riboli say about taller people?
A.They enjoy an easier life.B.They tend to live longer.
C.They risk fewer deadly diseases.D.They have greater expectations in life.
【3】What does the underlined word “reversed” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A.Slowed down.B.Gone upwards.
C.Changed to the contrary.D.Come to life again.
【4】What does James Bentham suggest we do?
A.Ensure children’s proper nutrition and healthcare.
B.Improve the economic situation of some countries.
C.Watch the global trend of increasing height closely.
D.Attach great importance to environmental protection.
【答案】
【1】D
【2】B
【3】C
【4】A
【解析】
这是一篇说明文。全球研究调查了上个世纪人们平均身高增长了的结论。全球身高增长的趋势有着重要的影响。我们现在的身高很大程度上受到我们成长环境的影响。如果我们现在给孩子们最好的人生开端，他们在未来几十年里会更健康，更年富力强。文章建议我们要确保孩子们的营养和医疗保健。
【1】细节理解题。根据第一段内容People have grown taller over the last century, with South Korean women shooting up by more than 20cm on average, and Iranian men gaining 16.5cm. A global study looked at the average height of 18-year-olds in 200 countries between 1914 and 2014.“在过去的一个世纪里，人们的身高不断增长，韩国女性的平均身高增加了20厘米以上，伊朗男性的平均身高增加了16.5厘米。一项全球研究调查了1914年至2014年间200个国家18岁青年的平均身高。”可知，这项全球研究调查了1914年到2014年200个国家18岁年轻人的平均身高，得出了上个世纪人们平均身高增长了的结论。故选D项。
【2】细节理解题。根据第四段中Elio Riboli 所说的Being taller is associated with longer life expectancy可知，身材更高的人平均寿命更长。故选B项。
【3】词义猜测题。根据画线词前面的While height increased in Uganda and Niger during the early 20th century“而在20世纪早期，乌干达和尼日尔的身高有所增加”和画线词后面的with height decreasing among 18-year-olds.“在18岁的人群中，随着身高的下降。”可知，reversed的意思是“反转”。故选C项。
【4】细节理解题。根据最后一段If we give children the best possible start in life now, they will be healthier and more productive for decades to come.“如果我们现在给孩子们最好的人生开端，他们在未来的几十年里会更健康，更年富力强。”可知，他建议我们要确保孩子们的营养和医疗保健。故选A项。
做词义猜测题时，利用上下文提供的情景和线索，进行合乎逻辑的综合分析进而推测词义，是阅读过程中的一大关键，这也是近年来高考考查的热点。最常见的就是利用上下文语境、常识和语法关系推断词义，尤其要抓住所需推断词汇前后的含义。本题第3小题，根据画线词前面的While height increased in Uganda and Niger during the early 20th century“而在20世纪早期，乌干达和尼日尔的身高有所增加”和画线词后面的with height decreasing among 18-year-olds.“在18岁的人群中，随着身高的下降。”可知，reversed的意思是“反转”。故选C项
