When we speak of a basic human need we mean something which is necessary to life, something we cannot possibly do without．Food is a basic human need．Without it we would starve to death; but even if we have plenty of food, but of the wrong kind, our bodies will suffer from a lack of the right food．This is known as malnutrition．
In primitive countries, people want only the foods which can be grown near their homes, whereas we eat foods which are often grown many thousands of miles away from our homes．Just think of the different types of meat we cat, beef mutton, pork, chicken, turkey, goose, and rabbit．We could manage on a diet of one kind of meat, but how monotonous it would become! Even turkey, which most of us eat only at Christmas, would become monotonous(单调的)if we ate it every day．
Yet we cannot live on meat alone, and need other foods like bread and fruit to provide us with other essential nutrients which we need to keep our bodies healthy．
We can agree with primitive man that food is a basic need, but we differ：from him in our food wants because of．the wide variety of food we have available compared with him; we have a wider choice．Take fruit, for example, not only can we enjoy the fruits grown in this country, but because of modem methods of transport and food preservation, we can also enjoy the more exotic fruits from countries thousands of miles away, whereas primitive man, is limited in his choice to the kinds of fruit which actually grow where he lives．
However they differ in satisfying their hunger primitive and civilized men both experience the basic need for food．
The same is true of the second of our human needs．Clothing is necessary to regulate the heat of our bodies．Since we live：in a temperate climate we need more clothes than people living in tropic conditions．Likewise, our clothing needs to change with seasons．
Shelter, the third of our needs, depends upon the climate, the skill of the builder, one's social position, and the materials available．The simple shelter of the aboriginal would not do for US, and yet it satisfies his needs．The three bed roomed suburban house of the average family would not be grand enough for a rich family, and yet the modern house contains many of the material comforts which were denied to the kings and queens of old times．
(1)
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “malnutrition” in paragraph l?
[ ]
A．
Having no food at all．
B．
Not having enough of any kind of food．
C．
Not having a variety of food．
D．
Not having enough food or enough of the right kinds of food．
(2)
With regard to food, civilized people differ from primitive people in that ________．
[ ]
A．
they eat only the foods which can be grown near their homes
B．
they eat more food than primitive people did
C．
they eat a great variety of food
D．
they can afford to eat turkey every day
(3)
The sentence “The same is true of the second of our human needs” means ________．
[ ]
A．
the first and the second needs are exactly alike
B．
1ike the first need, the second need is also true
C．
what is said of the first need can also be said of the second
D．
the first need is as significant to human as the second need
(4)
Which of the following statements is TRUE of the kings and queens of the old times?
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday．
Whe n it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder．She lived to the ripe old age of 122．So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span(寿命)?If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers．“Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135,”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas．
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees．“People can live much longer than we think,”he says．“Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110．When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120．So why can’t we go higher?”
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing．“Anyone can make up a number,”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan．“Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine．”
Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries?Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120．Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most．So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller,“adding another 50 percent would get you to 120．”
So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers?That life span is flexible(有弹性的)，but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington．“We can get flies to live 50 percent longer,”he says．“But a fly’s never going to live 150 years．”
“Of course, if you became a new species(物种)，one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story,”he adds．
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve(进化)their way to longer life?“It’s pretty cool to think about it,”he says with a smile．
(1)
What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
[ ]
A．
People can live to 122．
B．
Old people are creative．
C．
Women are sporty at 85．
D．
Women live longer than men．
(2)
According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ________．
[ ]
A．
the average human life span could be 110
B．
scientists cannot find ways to slow aging
C．
few people can expect to live to over 150
D．
researchers are not sure how long people can live
(3)
Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?
[ ]
A．
Jerry Shay．
B．
Steve Austad
C．
Rich Miller
D．
George Martin
(4)
What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
[ ]
A．
Most of us could be good at sports even at 120．
B．
The average human life span cannot be doubled．
C．
Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before．
D．
New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species．
