Why do men die earlier than women? The latest research makes it known that the reason could be that men's hearts go into rapid decline when they reach middle age.
The largest study of the effects of ageing on the heart has found that women's longevity may be linked to the fact that their hearts do not lose their pumping power with age.
"We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20--25 percent between 18 and 70 years of age,”said the head of the study, David Goldspink of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.
"Within the heart there are millions of cells that enable it to beat. Between the age of 20 and 70,one-third of those cells die and are not replaced in men,”said Goldspink. "This is part of the ageing process."
What surprises scientists is that the female heart sees very little loss of these cells. A
healthy 70-year-old woman's heart could perform almost as well as a 20-year-old one's.
"This gender difference might just explain why women live longer than men,”said Goldspink.
They studied more than 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 80,focusing on healthy persons to remove the confusing influence of disease.
The team has yet to find why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart, said Goldspink.
The good news is that men can improve the health of their heart with regular exercise. Goldspink stressed that women also need regular exercise to prevent their leg muscles becoming smaller and weaker as they age.
1. The underlined word“longevity" in the second paragraph probably refers to ______.
A. health B. long life C. ageing D. effect
2.The text mainly talks about ______.
A. men's heart cells B. women's ageing process、
C. the gender difference D. hearts and long life
3.According to the text, the UK scientists have known that
A. women have more cells than men when they are born
B. women can replace the cells that enable the heart to beat
C. the female heart loses few of the cells with age
D. women never lose their pumping power with age
4.If you want to live longer, you should
A. enable your heart to beat much faster
B. find out the reason for ageing
C. exercise regularly to keep your heart healthy
D. prevent your cells from being lost
5.We can know from the passage that
A. the reason why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart has been found out
B. scientists are on the way to finding out why the male heart loses more of the cells
C. the team has done something to prevent the male from suffering the greater loss
D. women over 70 could lose more heart cells than those at the age of 20
完形填空(共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分)
On August 26,1999,New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm.The rain caused the streets to 51 and the subway system almost came to a stop.
Unfortunately,this happened during the morning rush hour.Many people who were going to work were 52 to go home.Some battled to 53 a taxi or to get on a bus.Still others faced the 54 bravely,walking miles to get to work.
I 55 to be one of people on the way to work that morning.I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most 56 had stopped.After making my way 57 crowds of people,I finally found a subway line that was 58 .Unfortunately,there were so many people waiting to 59 the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the 60 .So I took the train going in the opposite direction,and then switched back to the downtown train.Finally,after what seemed like forever,the train 61 my stop.Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain.When I finally got to my office,I was 62 through,exhausted and 63 .
My co-workers and I spent most of the day drying off.When it was 5∶00 pm,I was ready to go home.I was about to turn off my computer 64 I received an email from Garth,my Director:
I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and 65 reported to work.It is always reassuring (令人欣慰),at times like these,when employees so clearly show their 66 to their jobs.Thank you.
Garth’s email was short,but I learned more from that 67 message than I ever did from a textbook.The email taught me that a few words of 68 can make a big difference.The rainstorm and the traffic 69 had made me tired and upset.But Garth’s words immediately 70 me and put a smile back on my face.
1.A.break B.flood C.sink D.crash
2.A.forced B.refused C.adjusted D.gathered
3.A.order B.pay C.call D.search
4.A.climate B.scenery C.storm D.burden
5.A.used B.promised C.deserved D.happened
6.A.practice B.routine C.process D.service
7.A.to B.through C.over D.for
8.A.operating B.cycling C.turning D.rushing
9.A.check B.carry C.find D.board
10.A.street B.ground C.floor D.platform
11.A.paused B.crossed C.reached D.parked
12.A.wet B.weak C.sick D.hurt
13.A.ashamed B.discouraged C.surprised D.puzzled
14.A.while B.when C.where D.after
15.A.hardly B.casually C.absolutely D.eventually
16.A.devotion B.donation C.connection D.reaction
17.A.accurate B.urgent C.brief D.humorous
18.A.promise B.appreciation C.advice D.guidance
19.A.troubles B.signals C.rules D.signs
20.A.corrected B.supported C.amazed D.refreshed
According to a new regulation for school, the desks and chairs must be to the height of any child.
A. adapted B. adopted C. admired D. adjusted
She a golden ring when she searched her old box for a letter.
A. came about B. came to C. came across D. came up with
What great fun it is to have a swim in a hot day in summer.
A .a B. the C. / D. of
It is rather difficult to make friends with him, but his friendship, is more true than any other’s.
A. once gained B. when to gain C. after gaining D. while gaining