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  3. Move over Methuselah. Future generations could be living well into their second century and still doing Sudoku, if life expectan

Move over Methuselah. Future generations could be living well into their second century and still doing Sudoku, if life expectan

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问题     Move over Methuselah. Future generations could be living well into their second century and still doing Sudoku, if life expectancy predictions are true. Increasing by two years every decade, they show no signs of flattening out. Average lifespan worldwide is already double what it was 200 years ago. Since the 1980s, experts thought the increase in life expectancy would slow down and then stop, but forecasters have repeatedly been proved wrong.
    The reason behind the steady rise in life expectancy is "the decline in the death rate of the elderly", says Professor Tom Kirkwood from Newcastle University. He maintains that our bodies are evolving to maintain and repair themselves better and our genes are investing in this process to put off the damage which will eventually lead to death. As a result, there is no ceiling imposed by the realities of the aging process. "There is no use-by-date when we age. Aging is not a fixed biological process," Tom says.
    A large study of people aged 85 and over carried out by Professor Kirkwood discovered that there were a remarkable number of people enjoying good health and independence in their late 80s and beyond. With people reaching old age in better shape, it is safe to assume that this is all due to better eating habits, living conditions, education and medicine.
    There are still many people who suffer from major health problems, but modern medicine means doctors are better at managing long-term health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. "We are reaching old age with less accumulative damage than previous generations. We are less damaged," says Professor Kirkwood. Our softer lives and the improvements in nutrition and healthcare have had a direct impact on longevity.
    Nearly one-in-five people currently in the UK will live to see their birthday, the Office for National Statistics predicted last year. Life expectancy has continued to increase in the UK — from 73.4 years for the period 1991 to 1993 to 77.83 years for 2007 to 2009. A report in 2002 which looked at life expectancy pattern in different countries since 1840 concluded that there was no sign of natural limits to life.
    Researchers Jim Oeppen and Dr. James found that people in the country with the highest life expectancy would live to an average age of 100 in about six decades. But they stopped short of predicting anything more.
    "This is far from eternity: modest annual increments in life expectancy will never lead to immortality," the researchers said.
    We do not seem to be approaching anything like the limits of life expectancy, says Professor David Leon from the London School of Health and Medicine. "There has been no flattening out of the best of the best - the groups which everyone knows have good life expectancy and low mortality," he says.
    These groups, which tend to be in the higher social and economic groups in society, can live for several years longer than people in lower social groups, prompting calls for an end to inequalities within societies.
    Within populations, genes also have an important role to play in determining how long we could survive for — but environment is still the most important factor.
    It is no surprise that healthy-living societies like Japan have the highest life expectancies in the world. But it would still be incredible to think that life expectancy could go on rising forever. "I would bet there will be further increases in life expectancy and then it will probably begin to slow," says Tom, "but we just don’t know."
Which statement below is TRUE concerning life expectancy according to the passage?
选项 A、Life expectancy goes on rising forever.
B、There could be further increases in life expectancy.
C、Life expectancy has slowed down since 1980s and it will stop.
D、Life expectancy in Japan doubles what it was 200 years ago.
答案D
解析 该题问的是关于人的寿命，下面哪个说法是正确的?A项说的是人的寿命会永远延长；B项说的是人的寿命会继续延长；C项说的是人的寿命延长自从20世纪80年代以来已经减缓并且将会停止：D项说的是日本人的寿命比200年前延长了一倍。该题的每个观点在文中都能找到对应的线索。首先第一段最后一句Since the 1980s，experts thought the increase in life expectancy would slow downand then stop，but forecasters have repeatedly been proved wrong．说自从20世纪80年代，专家认为寿命的延长可能会减缓甚至停止．但是这种预言不断被证明是错误的，所以B选项是错误的；最后一段有一句But it would still be incredible to think that life expectancy could go on rising forever．说的是很难想象人的寿命会永远延长下去，因此A选项被推翻；最后一段还说there will be further increases in lifeexpectancy and then it will probably begin to slow，即人的寿命会继续延长，然后或许会减缓。因此C项的叙述不完整，所以正确答案为D选项。第一段中说Average lifespan worldwide is already double whatit was 200 years ago．即全世界的平均寿命都比200年前延长了一倍，而最后一段It is no surprise thathealthy—living societies like Japan have the highest life expectancies in the world．说日本是世界上寿命最长的国家。因此日本的寿命必然比200年前延长了一倍。
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