Is there a limit to the number of years that a person can expect to live? Can changes in life-style add years to one’s life? Throughout history people have sought answers to these questions and others.
Various myths offer the hope of great longevity. In the imaginary land of Shangri-La, for example, people are said to lead a charmed existence for a thousand years. The Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon was convinced that he would find the Foundation of Youth in what is now the state of Florida. According to the Bible, Methuselah lived to be more than 900 years old.
The subject of longevity is fascinating, and scientists study individuals such as Jeanne Calment to learn about the aging process. Calment died in 1997 in Arles, France, at the age of 122. She never married, and she lived in her own apartment until moving to a retirement community when she was 109.
Most scientists agree that bodies will last, at best, about 125 years. This potential has changed little since modern human beings appeared more than 100 thousand years age. Recent improvements in medicine and the environment have extended life expectancy, especially for those from poorer parts of the world. It is not clear, however, whether such improvements will lengthen life expectancy beyond a certain point.
Life expectancy is the number of years an infant can be expected to live, given the conditions into which it is born. Life expectancy, therefore, is affected by nutrition, medical care, and social and political circumstances. An individual’s genetic makeup is also an important factor. Children from long-lived families can hope to enjoy long lives themselves. According to recent data, the average life expectancy worldwide in 1998 was 67 years. This can be compared with an average life expectancy of 77 in the United States.
In 1970 the average life expectancy worldwide was 61 years, or 6 years less than it was in 1998. This same period saw a drop in infant mortality -— the death of a child before the first birthday-—from 80 births out of 1,000 to 54 births out of 1,000. According to some researchers, the rise in the average life expectancy is due primarily to the drop in infant mortality. It is not so much that adults are living to an older age. It is, rather, that more people are living into adulthood because more children are surviving beyond their first birthdays.
小題1:Infant mortality is defined as ________ .
A．the number of children born alive
B．the kinds of behavior typical of very young children
C．the number of children, out of 1,000 births, who die before their first birthday
D．the typical and obvious thoughts of very young children
小題2:Although it may be possible to improve the life expectancy of a particular group of people, ________ .
A．it is more difficult to affect the rate of infant mortality
B．it is unlikely that one will be able to extend the potential life span of human beings in general
C．the process of evolution is extending the potential life span beyond 125 years
D．the potential that bodies will last, at best, about 125 years has changed much since modern human beings appeared
小題3:One can infer that people have at times imagined that ________ .
A．people live longer in the state of Florida
B．a(chǎn) long life is a burden rather than a blessing
C．it is possible to find a way to live for centuries
D．life expectancy is affected by a couple of factors
小題4:One can conclude that  ________ .
A．the aging process can be stopped.
B．the aging process is inevitable.
C．life expectancy in the United States will soon reach 125 years.
D．the average life expectancy worldwide is decreasing

小題1:C
小題2:B
小題3:C
小題4:B

試題分析：人的壽命有局限嗎？改變生活方式可以延長壽命嗎？自古以來，古今中外的人們都在試圖破解生命之謎，尋找長壽之方。然而科學家們卻認為人的壽命除了受營養(yǎng)、醫(yī)療、社會和政治環(huán)境影響外，人的遺傳基因也起著非常重要的作用，所以人的壽命不是可以無限延長的。
小題1:C 詞意猜測題。根據(jù)末段infant mortality -— the death of a child before the first birthday-—from 80 births out of 1,000 to 54 births out of 1,000.可知infant mortality指的是嬰兒死亡率，故C選項正確。
小題2:B根據(jù)文章第四段內(nèi)容可知人的壽命受多種因素影響，比如營養(yǎng)、醫(yī)療、社會和政治環(huán)境而且人的遺傳基因也起著非常重要的作用，由此推斷人們的壽命不可能全部延長，所以B為正確選項。
小題3:C細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第二段的內(nèi)容可知人們曾認為某些地方的人們能活到將近一千年，由此可知C選項正確。
小題4:B推理判斷題。根據(jù)文中Most scientists agree that bodies will last, at best, about 125 years.以及下文Life expectancy, therefore, is affected by nutrition, medical care, and social and political circumstances.可知無論怎樣想方設法延長壽命，人的死亡是不可避免的，所以B選項正確。
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B．when given equality of opportunity
C．by way of competition
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A．People with ideals of equality and freedom.
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D．Both businessmen and their customers.
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A．its role in protecting basic American values
B．its absolute control of power
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