Question

She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
　　    When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span（壽命）? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
　　    Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135, ”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
　　    Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees. “People can live much longer than we think, ”he says. “Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110. When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120. So why can’t we go higher? ”
　　    The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing. “Anyone can make up a number, ”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan. “Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine. ”
　　    Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120. Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most. So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, “adding another 50 percent would get you to 120. ”
　　    So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible（有彈性的）, but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington. “We can get flies to live 50 percent longer, ”he says. “But a fly’s never going to live 150 years. ”Of course, if you became a new species （物種）, one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds.
　　    Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve （進化）their way to longer life? “It’s pretty cool to think about, ”he says with a smile.
小題1: What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?

A．People can live to 122.

B．Old people are creative.

C．Women are sporty at 85.

D．Women live longer than men.

小題2: According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ______.

A．the average human life span could be 110

B．scientists cannot find ways to slow aging

C．few people can expect to live to over 150

D．researchers are not sure how long people can live

小題3: Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?

A．Jerry Shay.	B．Steve Austad
C．Rich Miller	D．George Martin

小題4: What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?

A．Most of us could be good at sports even at 120.

B．The average human life span cannot be doubled

C．Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before.

D．New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species

Answer 1

小題1:A
小題2:D
小題3:C
小題4:B

試題分析：本文介紹了科學家對長壽的不同觀點和對延長人的壽命的不同理解。
小題1:細節題。文章第二段中的“She lived to the ripe old age of 122...”說明人們可以活到122歲，應選A。
小題2:細節題。文章第四段中的“People can live much longer than we think...”說明人類能活多長仍是未知數，故選D。
小題3:細節題。文章第五段中的“Usually the scientists who...in time magazine”，說明Rich Miller認為科學家們，只要瘋狂的想法找機會成名，因此選C。
小題4:整體理解題。文章最后三段說明科學家通過試驗證實人類平均壽命的跨度不能翻倍，故應選B。
點評：本文屬于科普文章，介紹了科學家對長壽的不同觀點和對延長人的壽命的不同理解。細節題居多，答題時在文章找到對應的地方，用筆進行標記，這有利于后期有時間檢查時可以立刻找到答案的位置。仔細理解作者所講的意思，再結合選項，通過排除法和自己對全文的把握，選出正確答案。