题目内容
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.
When 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, ”he says with a smile.
【小题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. |
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 |
A.Jerry Shay. | B.Steve Austad |
C.Rich Miller | D.George Martin |
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 |
【小题1】A
【小题2】D
【小题3】C
【小题4】B
解析试题分析:本文介绍了科学家对长寿的不同观点和对延长人的寿命的不同理解。
【小题1】细节题。文章第二段中的“She lived to the ripe old age of 122...”说明人们可以活到122岁,应选A。
【小题2】细节题。文章第四段中的“People can live much longer than we think...”说明人类能活多长仍是未知数,故选D。
【小题3】细节题。文章第五段中的“Usually the scientists who...in time magazine”,说明Rich Miller认为科学家们,只要疯狂的想法找机会成名,因此选C。
【小题4】整体理解题。文章最后三段说明科学家通过试验证实人类平均寿命的跨度不能翻倍,故应选B。
考点:考查科普类短文
点评:本文属于科普文章,介绍了科学家对长寿的不同观点和对延长人的寿命的不同理解。细节题居多,答题时在文章找到对应的地方,用笔进行标记,这有利于后期有时间检查时可以立刻找到答案的位置。仔细理解作者所讲的意思,再结合选项,通过排除法和自己对全文的把握,选出正确答案。
When you’re lying on the white sands of the Mexican Rivera, the stresses (压力) of the world seem a million miles away. Hey, stop! This is no vacation—you have to finish something.
Here lies the problem for travel writer and food critic (评论家) Edie Jarolim. “I always loved traveling and always liked to eat, but it never occurred to me that I could make money doing both of those things,” Jarolim said. Now you can read her travel advice everywhere--- in Arts and Antiques, in Brides, or in one of her three books, The Complete Idiot Travel Guide to Mexican Beach Resorts.
Her job in travel writing began some eight years ago. After getting a PhD in English in Canada, she took a test for Frommer’s travel guides, passed it, and got the job. After working at Frommer’s, Jarolim worked for a while at Rough Guides in London, then Fodor’s where she fell so in love with a description of the Southwest of the U.S. that she moved there.
Now as a travel writer, she spends one-third of her year on the road. The rest of the time is spent completing her tasks and writing reviews of restaurants at home in Tucson, Arizona.
As adventurous as the job sounds, the hard part is fact-checking all the information. Sure, it’s great to write about a tourist attraction, but you’d better get the local museum hours correct or you could really ruin someone’s vacation.
【小题1】What is most difficult for Jarolim?
A.Working in different places to collect information. |
B.Checking all the facts to be written in the guides. |
C.Finishing her work as soon as possible. |
D.Passing a test to write travel guides. |
A.She is successful in her job. |
B.She finds her life full of stresses. |
C.She spends half of her time traveling. |
D.She is especially interested in museums. |
A.Adventures in Travel Writing | B.Working as a Food Critic |
C.Travel Guides on the Market | D.Vacationing for a Living |