Howoldisold?Theanswerhaschangedovertheyears.Twohundredyearsagoyouwere35.Thatwastheaveragelifespan(跨度)then.Attheturnofthiscenturyasmedicalknowledgeadvancedtheaveragelifespanincreasedto45.

Question

How old is old? The answer has changed over the years. Two hundred years ago you were 35. That was the average life span( 跨度 ) then. At the turn of this century as medical knowledge advanced the average life span increased to 45. In 1950 70-year-olds were really old. Today a healthy 70-year-old is looking forward to many more active years.

So how old is old? The answer is one you heard many times from all sorts of people. You are as old (or young) as you feel. The calendar simply tells you how many years you have lived. Your body tells you how well you lived.

Old is a point of view. Alice Brophy said “It makes me angry when people say ’Gee you look young for your age. ’What does that mean? Is there some model that you are supposed to look a certain way at 65 and 75 and 85? You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80. ”

There are many myths about aging. Here are some of the more common myths—and the facts.

Myth 1: Most older people are in poor health.

Fact 1: Not so. There are neither biological nor physiological reasons to connect poor health with growing older. Older people are more likely to be affected by illness but old age itself is not a disease. It is possible to remain physically healthy throughout your life.

Myth 2: Older people are unable to change.

Fact 2: Older people are as easily changed in their life-styles as young and middle-aged people. Though sometimes they deal with the very big pressures—death of loved ones or jobs financial or family problems—they deal wonderfully well. Older people give up smoking and break other bad habits just as successfully as younger people.

1. The article is mainly about ______.

A. the average life span

B. aging

C. people’s health

D. life myths

2. According to the article which statement is true?

A. Aging does not mean you become unhealthy.

B. Older people are not as smart as young people.

C. Most older people are physically healthy.

D. Your health can tell you how many years you have lived.

3. Which questions is NOT answered in the article?

A. Do older people have more trouble breaking bad habits?

B. Is old age a disease?

C. How old is old?

D. What is the average life span today?

4. The reason why Alice Brophy got angry was that ______.

A. she didn’t think she looked young for her age

B. she didn’t like to be thought old

C. she was 65 but people thought she was 85

D. there wasn’t a model to follow to judge one’s age

5. Which of the following does the second fact support?

A. Older people have more pressures than younger people.

B. Younger people break old habit more easily.

C. Old people are not too fixed to change for new needs.

D. Younger and middle-aged people have the same problems as old people.

 

Answer 1

答案：1B2A3D4B5C
提示：
1题属于文章主旨题，本文介绍了关于衰老的一些问题，故1题选B项。通读全文，发现2题中只有A选项是正确的，故本题选A。3题选择文章中没有涉及到的问题。文中第二个事实老人并非没有新的需求，故5题选C