大学英语快速阅读第三版2电子版.docx

1、大学英语快速阅读第三版2电子版6.A Long and Healthy LifeHave you wished for a magic pill or magic formula (方法) that would let you live happily forever ? If you have, dont feel alone! Its a very common, natural wish that has a long history. Spanish explorers of the sixteenth century even tried to find a fountain of

2、youth in what is now the state of Florida. The water of this legendary (传说中的) fountain, which no one has yet found ,was believed to restore youth and good health to those who drank it. Biologists today dont expect that anyone will find a magical fountain of youth. Growing older is a natural part of

3、the life cycle that cant be reversed(倒退) .As human beings grow older ,organs such as the heart and lungs may stop functioning properly. Sight and hearing may become weak .And the human body becomes more likely to come down with serious illness from which it cannot recover.Considered together, change

4、s that bring about the decline(衰退) of an organism are called aging .Because of aging ,many biologists believe that there may be a maximum(最大的) age limit to which even the healthiest organisms can live. For human beings, this maximum age limit is about 110 years.Perhaps the most important thing that

5、you can learn from your study of human biology is that you have a lot of control over the aging process in your own life .In fact; within our control are many physical and mental factors that have much to do with aging. For example ,each of us ,as recent research indicates, can do many things to hel

6、p prevent heart and vessel(血管) disease ,which causes half the deaths each year in the United States .We can avoid eating a lot of fatty meat. Eating too much of these types of animal fats can lead to the clogging(阻塞) and hardening of blood vessels . We can cut back on smoking and hopefully of sugar

7、we eat. We can exercise regularly and strengthen the heart and other organs. And we can remember to take time out each day for ourselves, time just to relax. Exercise ,recreation(娱乐), and relaxation all reduce stressinner tension that is hard on all body organs. One final thing we can do is to try t

8、o keep aware of advances made in health education. Information is often available free of charge from health clinics or schools. (406 words)Comprehension Exercises. Choose the best answers to the following questions.1. Which of the following is the leading cause of death in the United States? A. Hea

9、rt disease. B. Cancer. C. Alcohol. D. Smoking. 2. What happens as people grow older?A. They dream of a magic pill to help them live a happy and long time.B. They come down with serious illnesses.C. Their organs become weak and may stop working properly.D. Their blood vessels become clogged.3. In the

10、 opinion of biologists,.A. the aging process can be reversedB. the aging process can be controlled and slowed down C. the aging process can be got rid of D. the aging process can go beyond its limit4. We can slow down the weakening of all our body organs by.A. not eating animal fat B. limiting drink

11、ing and smoking C. exercise, recreation and relaxation to blood vesselsD. preventing the clogging and hardening of blood vessels5. Besides physical and mental factors, which of the following also contributes to living a long and healthy life according to the passage?A. Health education.B. Traditiona

12、l medicine. C. Artificial organs.D. The invention of magic pills. Judge whether or not the following statements agree with the information given in the passage,and mark Y for YES,N for NO ,or NG if information is not given in the passage.( ) 1.Few people have the wish of finding a magic pill that wo

13、uld be of help to live happily forever.( ) 2.Many biologists believe that each species has a natural maximum age limit.( ) 3.From the passage we know that there is much we can do to help prevent many diseases.( ) 4.Mental factors have little to do with good health.( ) 5.Doctors believes that regular

14、 exercise reduces the chances of getting heart disease.7.The Earths Past If the history of the earth could be compressed （压缩）into the span of one years time,the story of the human race would be written as the the last two hours of the final day!This fact gives you an idea of just how old the Earth i

15、s no written record to tell us the Earths geological past ,the Earth has left a record in the form of fossils. A fossil is the preserved remains or traced of an ancient living thing.Fossils are most often found buried in rock,but they may bones,shells,and woodyalso be found in caves,ancient tar(沥青)

16、beds,and the solid ice that covered the Earths polar regions.In all these places,fossils are protected from damaging effects of weathering and erosion(侵蚀). Usually only the hard parts are preserved.The hard part can include ones,shells,and woody tissues.The soft parts,like flesh,either decay or are eaten by animals before they can be preserved.One exception is when an organism is subjecte