剑桥雅思6：Test2雅思阅读PASSAGE 2真题+答案+解析

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　　READING PASSAGE 2

       Elderly people are growing healthier, happier and more independent, say American scientists. The results of a 14-year study to be announced later this month reveal that the diseases associated with old age are afflicting fewer and fewer people and when they do strike, it is much later in life.

　　美国科学家说，老年人变得更健康、更快乐、更独立。本月晚些时候公布的一项为期14年的研究结果显示，与老年有关的疾病折磨的人越来越少，而且当他们发病时，他们的寿命要晚得多。

　　In the last 14 years, the National Long-term Health Care Survey has gathered data on the health and lifestyles of more than 20,000 men and women over 65. Researchers, now analysing the results of data gathered in 1994, say arthritis, high blood pressure and circulation problems — the major medical complaints in this age group — are troubling a smaller proportion every year. And the data confirms that the rate at which these diseases are declining continues to accelerate. Other diseases of old age — dementia, stroke, arteriosclerosis and emphysema — are also troubling fewer and fewer people.在过去的14年中，全国长期保健调查收集了超过20000名65岁以上的男女的健康和生活方式的数据。研究人员正在分析1994年收集的数据结果，他们说关节炎、高血压和血液循环问题——这个年龄段的主要疾病——每年困扰着一小部分人。数据证实，这些疾病下降的速度在继续加快。其他老年疾病——痴呆、中风、动脉硬化和肺气肿——也让越来越少的人烦恼。

　　‘It really raises the question of what should be considered normal ageing,’ says Kenneth Manton, a demographer from Duke University in North Carolina. He says the problems doctors accepted as normal in a 65-year-old in 1982 are often not appearing until people are 70 or 75.

　　北卡罗来纳州杜克大学人口统计学家曼顿(Kenneth Manton)说，这确实引发了一个问题，即什么才是正常的老龄化。他说，医生们在1982年认为正常的问题在一个65岁的老人身上通常直到70或75岁才会出现。

　　Clearly, certain diseases are beating a retreat in the face of medical advances. But there may be other contributing factors. Improvements in childhood nutrition in the first quarter of the twentieth century, for example, gave today’s elderly people a better start in life than their predecessors.

　　很明显，面对医学的进步，某些疾病正在退缩。但可能还有其他因素。例如，20世纪前半叶儿童营养的改善使今天的老年人比他们的前辈有了一个的生活开端。

　　On the downside, the data also reveals failures in public health that have caused surges in some illnesses. An increase in some cancers and bronchitis may reflect changing smoking habits and poorer air quality, say the researchers. ‘These may be subtle influences,’ says Manton, ‘but our subjects have been exposed to worse and worse pollution for over 60 years. It’s not surprising we see some effect."

　　在不利方面，数据也揭示了公共卫生方面的失败，导致了一些疾病的激增。研究人员说，一些癌症和支气管炎的增加可能反映了吸烟习惯的改变和空气质量的下降。曼顿说，这些影响可能是微妙的，但60多年来，我们的研究对象一直面临着越来越严重的污染。这并不奇怪，我们看到了一些效果。“

　　One interesting correlation Manton uncovered is that better-educated people are likely to live longer. For example, 65-year-old women with fewer than eight years of schooling are expected, on average, to live to 82. Those who continued their education live an extra seven years. Although some of this can be attributed to a higher income, Manton believes it is mainly because educated people seek more medical attention.

　　曼顿发现的一个有趣的关联是，受过良好教育的人可能活得更长。例如，平均年龄在8年以下的65岁女性有望活到82岁。继续接受教育的人多活七年。虽然部分原因可以归因于较高的收入，曼顿认为，这主要是因为受过教育的人寻求的医疗照顾。

　　The survey also assessed how independent people over 65 were, and again found a striking trend. Almost 80% of those in the 1994 survey could complete everyday activities ranging from eating and dressing unaided to complex tasks such as cooking and managing their finances. That represents a significant drop in the number of disabled old people in the population. If the trends apparent in the United States 14 years ago had continued, researchers calculate there would be an additional one million disabled elderly people in today’s population. According to Manton, slowing the trend has saved the United States government’s Medicare system more than $200 billion, suggesting that the greying of America’s population may prove less of a financial burden than expected.

　　这项调查还评估了65岁以上的独立人士的独立程度，并再次发现了一个惊人的趋势。在1994年的调查中，近80%的人可以完成日常活动，从没有帮助的饮食和穿衣，到复杂的工作，如烹饪和管理他们的财务。这意味着人口中残疾老年人的人数大幅下降。研究人员估计，如果14年前美国的趋势继续下去，今天的人口中还会有100万名残疾老人。曼顿称，这一趋势的放缓为美国政府的医疗计划体系节省了超过2000亿美元，这意味着美国人口老龄化可能比预期的要轻。

　　The increasing self-reliance of many elderly people is probably linked to a massive increase in the use of simple home medical aids. For instance, the use of raised toilet seats has more than doubled since the start of the study, and the use of bath seats has grown by more than 50%. These developments also bring some health benefits, according to a report from the MacArthur Foundation’s research group on successful ageing. The group found that those elderly people who were able to retain a sense of independence were more likely to stay healthy in old age.

　　许多老年人日益自力更生，这可能与使用简单的家庭医疗辅助设备的人数大幅度增加有关。例如，自研究开始以来，上升的马桶坐便器的使用增加了一倍多，使用浴缸坐便器的比例增加了50%以上。麦克阿瑟基金会(MacArthur Foundation)成功老龄化问题研究小组的一份报告称，这些进展也带来了一些健康好处。研究小组发现，那些能够保持独立感的老年人在老年时更有可能保持健康。

　　Maintaining a level of daily physical activity may help mental functioning, says Carl Cotman, a neuroscientist at the University of California at Irvine. He found that rats that exercise on a treadmill have raised levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor coursing through their brains. Cotman believes this hormone, which keeps neurons functioning, may prevent the brains of active humans from deteriorating.

　　加州大学欧文分校的神经科学家卡尔·科特曼说，保持的日常体育活动有助于大脑功能。他发现，在跑步机上锻炼的老鼠大脑中的脑源性神经营养因子水平升高。科特曼认为，这种保持神经元功能的激素可以防止活跃人类的大脑退化。

　　As part of the same study, Teresa Seeman, a social epidemiologist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, found a connection between self-esteem and stress in people over 70. In laboratory simulations of challenging activities such as driving, those who felt in control of their lives pumped out lower levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. Chronically high levels of these hormones have been linked to heart disease.

　　作为这项研究的一部分，洛杉矶南加州大学的社会流行病学家特蕾莎·西曼发现70岁以上的人的自尊和压力之间存在联系。在驾驶等挑战性活动的实验室模拟中，那些感觉自己能够控制自己生活的人，会释放出皮质醇等较低水平的应激激素。这些激素长期高水平与心脏病有关。

　　But independence can have drawbacks. Seeman found that elderly people who felt emotionally isolated maintained higher levels of stress hormones even when asleep. The research suggests that older people fare best when they feel independent but know they can get help when they need it.

　但是独立也有缺点。Seeman发现，那些感到情绪孤立的老年人即使在睡觉时也保持着较高的压力荷尔蒙水平。研究表明，当老年人感到独立时，他们的生活状态，但他们知道，当他们需要帮助时，他们可以得到帮助。

　　‘Like much research into ageing, these results support common sense,’ says Seeman. They also show that we may be underestimating the impact of these simple factors. ‘The sort of thing that your grandmother always told you turns out to be right on target,’ she says.　

　　“就像许多关于衰老的研究一样，这些结果支持常识，”西曼说。它们还表明，我们可能低估了这些简单因素的影响。她说，你祖母经常告诉你的那些事情，结果都是对的。

　　Questions 14-22

　　问题14-22

　　Complete the summary using the list of words, A-Q, below.

　　Write the correct letter, A-Q in boxes 14-22 on your answer sheet.

　　在答题纸第14-22栏中写出正确的字母A-Q。

　　Research carried out by scientists in the United States has shown that the proportion of people over 65 suffering from the most common age-related medical problems is 14 ..............and that the speed of this change is 15.............. . It also seems that these diseases are affecting people 16.............. in life than they did in the past. This is largely due to developments in 17.............., but other factors such as improved 18.............. may also be playing a part. Increases in some other illnesses may be due to changes in personal habits and to 19.............. . The research establishes a link between levels of 20.............. and life expectancy. It also shows that there has been a considerable reduction in the number of elderly people who are 21.............., which means that the 22.............. involved in supporting this section of the population may be less than previously predicted.

　　美国科学家进行的研究表明，65岁以上的老人中，最常见的与年龄有关的疾病的比例是14.我认为这种变化的速度是15%。似乎这些疾病对人的影响比过去更大了。这主要是由于17年的发展，但其他因素，如改善18年，也可能发挥了一部分。其他一些疾病的增加可能是由于个人习惯的改变而导致的……19………………………这项研究确定了20的水平和预期寿命之间的联系。调查还显示，21岁的老年人人数大幅减少，这就意味着，参与支持这部分人口的人数可能比原先预计的要少。

　　A cost B falling C technology

　　A 成本 B下降 C技术

　　D undernourished E earlier F later

　　D 营养不良E较早F较晚

　　G disabled H more I increasing

　　G 禁用H多I增加

　　J  nutrition K education L constant

　　J 营养K教育L常数

　　M medicine N pollution O environmental

　　 药药氮污染环境

　　P health Q independent

　　P 健康Q独立

　　Questions 23-26

　　问题23-26

　　Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-H, below.

　　用正确的结尾完成下面的每个句子。

　　Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.

　　在答题纸上的23-26框中写出正确的字母A-H。

　　Question 14

　　答案：B

　　关键词：proportion/people over 65/age-related medical problems

　　定位原文: 第2段第2句“...are troubling a smaller proportion…”

　　解题思路: smaller 和falling 是隐晦的同义表达，B选项符合题意。

　　Question 15

　　答案：I

　　关键词：speed

　　定位原文: 第2段倒数第2句“the rate at which these diseases…”

　　解题思路: rate与speed是同义表达，可知正确答案是I。

　　Question 16

　　答案：F

　　关键词：past

　　定位原文: 第3段第2句“He says…”

　　解题思路: 第3段中提到the problems doctors accepted as normal in a 65-year-oId in 1982 are often not appearing until people are 70 or 75，第二段提到数据是1994年采集的，所以1982代表了the past，疾病由65岁推迟到70或者75 岁才发作，显然是later。

　　Question 17

　　答案：M

　　关键词：due to developments

　　定位原文: 第4段第1句“…certain diseases are beating…”

　　解题思路: 第四段开头提到certain diseases are beating a retreat in the face of medical advances，表明有些疾病是被医药进步打败的。advances和developments属于同义表达，medical和medicine是同源词。

　　Question 18

　　答案：J

　　关键词：improved

　　定位原文: 第4段第2、3句“…there may be other contributing factors. Improvements…”

　　解题思路: 这个题找到定位句，没有什么难度，选择J。

　　Question 19

　　答案：N

　　关键词：other illnesses

　　定位原文: 第5段第2、3句“… poorer air quality/ worse and worse pollution…”

　　解题思路: 第五段提到An increase in some cancers and bronchitis may reflect changing smoking habits and poorer air quality...和....been exposed to worse and worse pollution, changes in personal habits与 changing smoking habits相对应。所以原文提供的另一因素poorer air quality就是与答案相关的内容。正确答案是N。

　　Question 20

　　答案： K

　　关键词：link/life expectancy

　　定位原文: 第6段第1句“One interesting…”

　　解题思路: 第6段第1句中的correlation和live longer分别对应题干中的link和life expectancy，所以原文的better-educated就是答案的原形，被选项中只有K项的education与此相符。正确答案是K。

　　Question 21

　　答案： G

　　关键词：considerable /reduction

　　定位原文: 第7段第3句“That represents…”

　　解题思路: considerable与significant、reduction与 drop分别为近义词，再根据第七段中a significant drop in the number of disabled old people，答案应为disabled。正确答案是G。

　　Question 22

　　答案：A

　　关键词：less/predicted

　　定位原文: 第7段最后一句“… less of a financial burden…”

　　解题思路: predicted与expected为同义表达，只需找 financial burden的同义表达就可以。正确答案是A。

　　Question 23

　　答案：G

　　关键词：home medical aids

　　定位原文: 第8段第1句“The increasing…”

　　解题思路: 许多老年人自理能力的增强可能与简易家庭医疗辅助用品的广泛使用有关。题干是将这句话反过来问简易家庭医疗辅助用品有什么作用，self-reliance与independent表达同样含义，所以选G。

　　Question 24

　　答案： E

　　关键词：regular amounts of exercise

　　定位原文: 第9段第1句“…daily physical activity…”

　　解题思路: exercise 与physical activity 属于同义表达，regular与daily 属于同义表达，所以选E。

　　Question 25

　　答案：H

　　关键词：feelings of control over life

　　定位原文: 第10段倒数第2句“…felt in control of their lives…”

　　解题思路: 根据第10段中 challenging activities和 those who felt in control of their lives pumped out lower levels of stress hormone, challenging activities 与 difficult situations 属于同义表达，lower levels of stress hormones自然压力就小。正确答案是H。

　　Question 26

　　答案：C

　　关键词： feelings of loneliness

　　定位原文: 第11段第2句“…emotionally isolated…”

　　解题思路: feelings of loneliness 与emotionally isolated 属于同义表达，所以选C。