A research by the National Center for Health Statistics is seen as an important confirmation of the“Hispanic mortality paradox（西班牙裔死亡率悖论）.”

On average，Hispanics outlive whites by 2.5 years and blacks by 7.7 years. Their life expectancy at birth in 2006 was 80.6 years，compared with 78.1 for whites，72.9 for blacks and 77.7 years for the total population.

The report shows that the Hispanic population has higher life expectancy at birth and at almost every age despite a socioeconomic status lower than that of whites.“Mortality is very correlated with income，education and health care access，”says Elizabeth Arias，author of the report.“You would expect the Hispanic population would have higher mortality，”in line with the black population.

The Hispanic paradox has been documented for more than two decades，but this is the first time the government has had enough data to issue national numbers. Researchers are struggling to explain why Hispanics live longer.

“We don’t know，”says David Hayes-Bautista，director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.“We thought it was a problem in the data，but we can pretty much say this is real.”

Potential factors:

·Culture and lifestyle.  Support from extended family and lower rates of smoking and drinking.Latino groups in particular have very strong family and social ties.

·Migration.  The“healthy migrant effect”argues that healthy people are more likely to emigrate. And when immigrants become ill，they might return home and die there.

    Solving the puzzle may help the nation deal with health care issues because Hispanics use health services less—they make fewer doctors visits and spend less time in hospitals，Hayes-Bautista says.“It’s clearly something in the Latino culture，”he says.

In 2006，Hispanics’life expectancy is           years longer than the average of the total population.

    A. 2.5                 B. 7.7               C. 2.9              D. 80.6

What does the underlined word“outlive”in the second paragraph probably mean？

A. To live longer than…                      B. To live shorter than…

C. To die out.                              D. To expect to live.

What is the main idea of paragraph three？

A. Hispanics were born better than whites.

B. Morality is closely related with health care access.

C. Whites should have longer life expectancy.

D. Even experts can’t explain the phenomenon.

What is Mr.Hayes-Bautista’s opinion about the paradox？

A. He supports there is a problem with the data.

B. He intends to trust the cultural factor.

C. He believes in the“healthy migrant effect”.

D. He thinks health care the most important factor.

Which of the following inferences is true according to the passage？

A. Black people suffer the lowest social status in America.

B. Hispanics might have healthier ways of life.

C. Only healthy people can immigrate into America.

D. White people don’t have strong family ties.

A research by the National Center for Health Statistics is seen as an important confirmation of the“Hispanic mortality paradox（西班牙裔死亡率悖论）.”
On average，Hispanics outlive whites by 2.5 years and blacks by 7.7 years. Their life expectancy at birth in 2006 was 80.6 years，compared with 78.1 for whites，72.9 for blacks and 77.7 years for the total population.
The report shows that the Hispanic population has higher life expectancy at birth and at almost every age despite a socioeconomic status lower than that of whites.“Mortality is very correlated with income，education and health care access，”says Elizabeth Arias，author of the report.“You would expect the Hispanic population would have higher mortality，”in line with the black population.
The Hispanic paradox has been documented for more than two decades，but this is the first time the government has had enough data to issue national numbers. Researchers are struggling to explain why Hispanics live longer.
“We don’t know，”says David Hayes-Bautista，director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.“We thought it was a problem in the data，but we can pretty much say this is real.”
Potential factors:
·Culture and lifestyle.  Support from extended family and lower rates of smoking and drinking.Latino groups in particular have very strong family and social ties.
·Migration.  The“healthy migrant effect”argues that healthy people are more likely to emigrate. And when immigrants become ill，they might return home and die there.
Solving the puzzle may help the nation deal with health care issues because Hispanics use health services less—they make fewer doctors visits and spend less time in hospitals，Hayes-Bautista says.“It’s clearly something in the Latino culture，”he says.
【小题1】In 2006，Hispanics’life expectancy is           years longer than the average of the total population.

Life is to be enjoyed. There’s no point in giving up something you enjoy unless you get something back that’s even better. When people eat more healthfully, exercise, quit smoking, and manage stress better, they find that they feel so much better that it reconstructs the reason for making these changes from fear of dying to joy of living. The latest studies show that when you exercise and eat right:

YOUR BRAIN receives more blood flow and oxygen, so you become smarter, think more clearly, have more energy, and need less sleep. Two studies showed that just walking for three hours per week for only three months caused so many new neurons (神经细胞) to grow that it actually increased the size of people’s brains!

YOUR FACE receives more blood flow, so your skin glows more and wrinkles less. You look younger and more attractive. In contrast, an unhealthy diet, chronic emotional stress and smoking reduce blood flow to your face so you age more quickly. Smoking accelerates aging because nicotine causes your arteries (动脉) to narrow down, which decreases blood flow to your face and makes it wrinkle earlier. This is why smokers look years older than they really are.

YOUR GENES change. In May, a study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing that changing your lifestyle changes your genes.

YOUR TELOMERES (染色体端粒) get longer. Telomeres are the ends of our chromosomes (染色体) that control how long we live. As telomeres become shorter, then cells age more quickly, thus shortening your life.

 Besides, one of the most interesting findings in the study was that the mothers’ awareness of stress was more important than what was really occurring in their lives. The researchers gave the women a questionnaire and asked them to rate on a three-point scale how stressed they felt each day, and how out of control their lives felt to them. The women who were aware that they were under heavy stress had significantly shortened and damaged telomeres compared with those who felt more relaxed. On the contrary, some of the women who felt relaxed despite raising a disabled child had more normal-appearing telomeres.

In other words, if you feel stressed, you are stressed; if you feel fine, you are fine.

1.Which of the following are good for lengthening one’s life, according to the passage?

① eat healthy food  ② drink plenty of water  ③ take exercise  ④ get up early

⑤ go to sleep early  ⑥ release one’s stress

A. ①③⑥                           B. ①②③                           C. ①⑤⑥                           D. ③④⑥

2.The underlined words “your skin glows” in Paragraph 3 are closest in meaning to _________.

A. your skin becomes white as there is plenty of sunshine

B. your skin becomes smooth as there is much blood in it

C. your skin looks pink as you are healthy

D. your skin becomes soft as you exercise enough

3.In the author’s opinion, when you exercise and eat right, you will experience some changes EXCEPT _________.

A. brains becoming cleverer                                 B. faces having fewer wrinkles

C. arteries turning narrower                         D. genes being changed

4.From the last but one paragraph we learn that _________.

A. mothers will have more damaged telomeres if they raise a disabled child

B. mothers don’t know how to handle stress effectively

C. some women were asked to fill out a questionnaire about educating children

D. mothers’ positive attitudes are the key to managing their stress

5.The best title for the passage would be _________.  

A. Eat better, live better                                         B. Feel better, live longer

C. Less stress, fewer diseases                 D. Smoke more, age sooner

A. self-confidence    B. refers         C. frequently      D. despite        E. consider

F. normally          G. bored        H. alter          I. reshapes       J. qualified

Many people today are obsessed with their appearance. Although they are perfectly healthy, they constantly worry that their nose is a bit too big, or that their ears stick too far out. Cosmetic surgery (整容）is a possible solution to this problem. Cosmetic surgery means a surgeon ___1.___ a part of your body that works ___2.___, but which makes you unhappy. It is different from plastic surgery, which ___3.___ to the work surgeons do to repair body parts damaged by disease or accidents. Different kinds of people get cosmetic surgery. Some may have low ___4.___. They may be depressed, or struggling to find a satisfactory job. People with such problems believe cosmetic surgery will not just make them look better, but also make them feel better inside. Other people may be insecure about one part of their body, or just ___5.___ with how they look.

There is no proof that cosmetic surgery can really make people happier, but ___6.___ this, many people still have very high expectations for it. They think that it will solve all their problems. It is important to remember that cosmetic surgery might ___7.___ a part of your body, but it can’t change your whole life.

Cosmetic surgery can also be risky. If you have existing health problems, like a weak heart or breathing problems, this kind of operation can sometimes make them worse. In addition, cosmetic surgery is a big industry, and not everyone involved in it is honest. Therefore, you need to choose the clinic for your surgery very carefully. You must be certain that the surgeon you choose is ___8.___ to give you cosmetic surgery.

The biggest question for someone thinking of having cosmetic surgery is the cost. The price can vary from a few hundred dollars to $10,000 or above. It depends on which part of your body you want to change. Rich stars may not __9.___ the cost very high, but most people cannot afford to pay. Perhaps it is cheaper—and better for your health—to learn to live with how you look.

A research by the National Center for Health Statistics is seen as an important confirmation of the“Hispanic mortality paradox（西班牙裔死亡率悖论）.”

On average，Hispanics outlive whites by 2.5 years and blacks by 7.7 years. Their life expectancy at birth in 2006 was 80.6 years，compared with 78.1 for whites，72.9 for blacks and 77.7 years for the total population.

The report shows that the Hispanic population has higher life expectancy at birth and at almost every age despite a socioeconomic status lower than that of whites.“Mortality is very correlated with income，education and health care access，”says Elizabeth Arias，author of the report.“You would expect the Hispanic population would have higher mortality，”in line with the black population.

The Hispanic paradox has been documented for more than two decades，but this is the first time the government has had enough data to issue national numbers. Researchers are struggling to explain why Hispanics live longer.

“We don’t know，”says David Hayes-Bautista，director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.“We thought it was a problem in the data，but we can pretty much say this is real.”

Potential factors:

·Culture and lifestyle.  Support from extended family and lower rates of smoking and drinking.Latino groups in particular have very strong family and social ties.

·Migration.  The“healthy migrant effect”argues that healthy people are more likely to emigrate. And when immigrants become ill，they might return home and die there.

Solving the puzzle may help the nation deal with health care issues because Hispanics use health services less—they make fewer doctors visits and spend less time in hospitals，Hayes-Bautista says.“It’s clearly something in the Latino culture，”he says.

1.In 2006，Hispanics’life expectancy is           years longer than the average of the total population.

2.What does the underlined word“outlive”in the second paragraph probably mean？

3.What is the main idea of paragraph three？

4.What is Mr.Hayes-Bautista’s opinion about the paradox？

5.Which of the following inferences is true according to the passage？