In the Caucasus region of the Soviet Union, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100,000 reach 100. But these Soviet old people aren’t alone. The Pakistani Hunzas, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Vilacbambans of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador seem to share the secret of long too.

These peoples remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Soviet Georgians, aged 110 to 140, work in the fields beside their great- great- grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked, “At what age does youth end?”, most of these old people has no answer. Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80.” The very youngest estimate was age 60.

What accounts for this ability to survive to such old age, and to survive so well? First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-lived peoples. They begin their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. For example, Mr. Rustam Mamedov is 142 years of age. He remember his life experiences: the Grimean War of 1854; the Turkish War of 1878; the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. His wife is 116 years old. They have been married for 90 years. Mr. Mamedov has no intentions of retiring from his life as a farmer. “Why? What else would I do?” he asks. Oh, he has slowed down a bit. Now he might quit for the day after 6 hours in the field instead of 10.

All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. They live and work at elevations of 5,000 to 12,000 feet (1,660 to 4,000 meters) above sea level. The air has less oxygen and is pollutionfree. This reduced-oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel system stronger.

Another factor that may contribute to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent, they are separated from the pressures and worried of industrial society.

Inherited factors also play some role. Most of the longest-lived people had parents and grandparents who also reached very old ages. Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer.

Finally, although these three groups don’t eat exactly the same foods, their diets are similar. The Hunzas, Vilacbambans, and Soviets eat little animal meat. Their diets are full of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, cheese, and milk. They never eat more food than their bodies need.

It is clear that isolation from urban pressures and pollution, clean mountain air, daily hard work, moderate diets, good genes, and a youthful approach to life all contribute to the health and remarkable long life of all these people.

 

1. What kinds of things contribute to the remarkable long life of these peoples?

A. Moderate diets                    B. Clean mountain air.

C. Daily hard work.                  D. All the above factors(因素).

2. How do you think the author feels about these long-lived people?

A. He is impressed with them          B. He doesn’t care.

C. He doesn’t like them.             D. He admires them.

3.According to the passage, the phrase “the passage of time” means         .

A. have time to do what they want     B. being on time

C. time going by                      D. limited time

4.In the passage, why does the author describe Mr. Mamedov?

A. An example of a typical long life among these people.

B. An example of an unusual long life among these people.

C. An explanation of why he is still healthy.

D. An example of why his wife died early than him.

5.What is the main subject of this article?

A. Mr. Mamedov’s life.

B. A description of several societies where people live a long time.

C. Suggestions for how you can live long life.

D. People are healthy in mountainous regions.

 

【答案】

 

1.D

2.A

3.C

4.A

5.B

【解析】略

 

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來源:河北省邢臺(tái)一中2011-2012學(xué)年高二下學(xué)期第四次月考英語(yǔ)試題 題型:050

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  Two year s ago, Wendy Ha snip, 47,experienced a brain injury that left her speechle s s for two week s.When she finally recovered, she found her self talking with what seemed to be a French accent.“I phoned a friend the other day, and she spent the fir st ten minute s laughing, ” Ha snip said at the time, “while I have nothing again st the French.”

  Ha snip suffered from foreign accent syndrome(外國(guó)口音綜合癥), a rare condition in which people find them selve s speaking their own language like someone from a foreign country.The condition u sually occur s in people who have experienced a head injury or a stroke-a sudden lo s s of con sciou sne s s, sen sation, or movement cau sed by a blocked or broken blood ve s selin the brain.

  The condition wa s fir st identified during the Second World War in a Norwegian woman who se head wa s injured during an attack by the German military.The woman recovered but wa s left with a German-sounding accent, to the horror of fellow villager s who avoided her after that.

  Re searcher s have di scovered that the combined effect of the damage to several part s of the brain make s victim s lengthen certain syllable, mi spronounce sound s, and change the normal pitch(音高)of their voice.Tho se change s in speech add up to what sound s like a foreign accent.

  Another re searcher, a phonetician, say s victim s of the syndrome don't acquire a true foreign accent.Their strangely changed speech only re semble s the foreign accent with which it ha s a few sound s in common.

  When an Engli sh woman named Annie recently developed foreign accent syndrome after a stroke, she spoke with what seemed to be a Scotti sh accent.However, Annie' s Scotti sh coworker s said she didn't sound at all like a Scot.

(1)

According to the pa s sage, people ________ may have foreign accent syndrome.

[  ]

A.

who se parent ha s experienced a head injury

B.

who have lived in a foreign country for a long time

C.

who have lo st their con sciou sne s s owing to a stroke

D.

who have learned foreign language from their coworker s

(2)

If a per son suffer s foreign accent syndrome, ________.

[  ]

A.

hi s coworker s will be afraid of him and avoid contacting with him

B.

he ha s more chance of suffering stroke again

C.

he will speak a fluent foreign language like native speaker s

D.

hi s speech only ha s a few sound s in common with the foreign accent

(3)

Writing thi s pa s sage, the writer' s main purpo se i s to ________.

[  ]

A.

introduce foreign accent syndrome and some related information

B.

warn people not to be at the ri sk of experiencing a stroke

C.

make it clear that foreign accent syndrome can be cured

D.

tell a story of an injured woman during the Second World War

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