Question

【题目】 Does stress cause gray hair? Many people believe that tension and stress can cause your hair to lose its color. In fact, it is an old-wives’ tale that being upset all the time can result in premature graying. Here is a closer look at this situation and why some believe that this old wives’ tale could be true.

As one ages, the hairs on the head also age. In fact, just about everything on the human body begins to show signs of wear and tear (磨损) after a while. The joints wear and become stiff and skin wears and becomes wrinkled. Hairs on the head grow and eventually die. They are replaced, but in the process something else happens.

When new hairs are replacing the old ones, the color or pigment (色素) is also added to them. However, as one ages, this pigment becomes less and less available. At first, hairs will have a limited amount of pigment and they will appear to be grayish in color. In time, they will lose all of their pigment and will be white. Many things are known to cause graying, and genetics is a very powerful factor. If one of your parents turns gray at an early age, there is a good chance that you will too. Some people begin the graying process in high school, while others may be over the age of forty.

Constant worry and tension can have many harmful effects on the human body. It is a known fact that stressful times can cause one to suffer hair loss. It would make sense that if it can cause these problems, perhaps it also may contribute to graying. However, there is no sound evidence to support this.

On the other hand, many medical professionals believe that there may be a link between graying and a constant state of anxiety or tension. Does stress cause gray hair? There is no scientific evidence to support the theory, but it is best to avoid stressful situations.

【1】The underlined phrase in the first paragraph most probably means________.

A.clever remarksB.silly remarksC.exciting remarksD.disappointed remarks

【2】The second paragraph mainly tells us __________.

A.every part of body is replaced with ageB.hairs will grow weak but not die

C.skin becomes wrinkled with ageD.every part of body ages with age

【3】What might play the most important role in the graying process?

A.Genetics and the amount of sleeping time.

B.The amount of food people eat and living environment.

C.The amount of pigment and genetics.

D.Genetics and the amount of water people drink

【4】From the passage we can infer that________.

A.stress causing gray hair is still in question

B.gray hair has nothing to do with tension

C.stressful situations can be of benefit

D.sound evidence has been found

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】D

【3】C

【4】A

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。压力会导致头发变白吗？许多人相信情况是这样的。本文从年龄和基因两方面谈了头发变白的原因，持续的压力和忧虑对于身体是有害的，可导致脱发。但是，究竟压力和头发变白之间是否有联系，目前尚无定论。

【1】词义猜测题。画线短语前面提到“Many people believe that tension and stress can cause your hair to lose its color”，即许多人相信紧张和压力导致头发褪色变白。短文接着谈到“In fact，it is...”，这是推测画线词意思的关键。因此an old wives’ tale意为“无稽之谈”。故选B。

【2】主旨大意题。第二段第一句话是该段的主题句。从中可以看出，人体的每一部分都会随着年龄的增长而衰老。故选D。

【3】细节理解题。本文第三段提到“At first，hairs will have a limited amount of pigment and they will appear to be grayish in color.In time，they will lose all of their pigment and will be white.Many things are known to cause graying，and genetics is a very powerful factor.”由此可以看出，色素和基因在头发变白的过程中起着重要的作用。故选C。

【4】推理判断题。本文倒数第二段最后提到“However，there is no sound evidence to support this.”最后一段也提到“There is no scientific evidence to support the theory...”。由此可知，是否压力会引起头发变白仍无定论。故选A。