Whether it’s a carol(圣诞颂歌)service or an evening of karaoke in the pub, many people will enjoy a good old singsong this Christmas．Singing aloud will not just lift the spirits---it’s good for your physical health as well．Filling the lungs(肺)with air, increasing the heart rate and getting blood pumping round the body faster can all help our physical health．
For the past few years Heart Research UK has been Funding a Christmas campaign aimed at getting people singing, simply for the benefit it can bring．The organizer of the campaign says singing is a safe, simple and social activity that everyone can enjoy．“Singing is linked to long life, stress reduction, and general health protection．It also brings a great amount of happiness．It is impossible to sing well with a long face because it affects your pitch(音高)．”
Professor Graham Welch, who leads the International Music Education Research Centre at the University of London, has spent more than 30 years studying the effects of singing．He says that singing is a form of exercise．It means we’re also having a strong aerobic activity(有氧运动)when we’re singing, which results in increasing the feeling of pleasure while decreasing that of stress．
“And communal(共同的)singing－like in a singing group, a church service or even a singsong in the pub－helps improve our sense of self-respect．It increases our sense of satisfaction with ourselves, a greater sense of feeling included．”
Helen Astrid, a singing teacher, also sees the great effects that singing brings．“It lifts us up on a spiritual level, it helps our self-respect, and it’s great for all ages from small kids to grannies－you can have a good sing and let your hair down．”
But she warns people not to have too many beers or glasses of wine, though a glass may help them gather courage before taking to the stage during the holidays．
(1)
Heart Research UK holds a campaign to _________．
[ ]
A．
encourage people to sing for God at Christmas
B．
study the effects of singing on people
C．
get people to sing and improve their health
D．
bring happiness to people during holidays
(2)
What are the benefits of singing according to Graham Welch?
a．Singers’ living longer．
b．Singers’ general health protection．
c．Singers’ feeling happier．
d．Singers’ stress reduced．
e．Singer’s self-respect improved．
[ ]
A．
a, b, c
B．
b, c, d
C．
c, d, e
D．
a, b, e
(3)
The underlined part “let your hair down” probably means _________．
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．
阅读快车系列答案