单选题
. People have grown taller over the last century, with South Korean women shooting up by more than 20cm on average, and Iranian men gaining 16.5cm. A global study looked at the average height of 18-year-olds in 200 countries between 1914 and 2014.
The results reveal that while Swedes were the tallest people in the world in 1914, Dutch men have risen from 12th place to claim top spot with an average height of 182.5cm. Latvian women, meanwhile, rose from 28th place in 1914 to become the tallest in the world a century later, with an average height of 169.8cm.
James Bentham, a co-author of the research from Imperial College, London, says the global trend is likely to be due primarily to improvements in nutrition and healthcare. "An individual's genetics has a big influence on their height, but once you average over whole populations, genetics plays a less key role," he added.
A little extra height brings a number of advantages, says Elio Riboli of Imperial College. "Being taller is associated with longer life expectancy," he said. "This is largely due to a lower risk of dying of cardiovascular (心血管的) disease among taller people."
But while height has increased around the world, the trend in many countries of north and sub-Saharan Africa causes concern, says Riboli. While height increased in Uganda and Niger during the early 20th century, the trend has reversed in recent years, with height decreasing among 18-year-olds.
"One reason for these decreases in height is the economic situation in the 1980s," said Alexander Moradi of the University of Sussex. The nutritional and health crises that followed the policy of structural adjustment, he says, led to many children and teenagers failing to reach their full potential in terms of height.
Bentham believes the global trend of increasing height has important implications. "How tall we are now is strongly influenced by the environment we grew up in," he said. "If we give children the best possible start in life now, they will be healthier and more productive for decades to come."1. What does the global study tell us about people's height in the last hundred years? ______
The results reveal that while Swedes were the tallest people in the world in 1914, Dutch men have risen from 12th place to claim top spot with an average height of 182.5cm. Latvian women, meanwhile, rose from 28th place in 1914 to become the tallest in the world a century later, with an average height of 169.8cm.
James Bentham, a co-author of the research from Imperial College, London, says the global trend is likely to be due primarily to improvements in nutrition and healthcare. "An individual's genetics has a big influence on their height, but once you average over whole populations, genetics plays a less key role," he added.
A little extra height brings a number of advantages, says Elio Riboli of Imperial College. "Being taller is associated with longer life expectancy," he said. "This is largely due to a lower risk of dying of cardiovascular (心血管的) disease among taller people."
But while height has increased around the world, the trend in many countries of north and sub-Saharan Africa causes concern, says Riboli. While height increased in Uganda and Niger during the early 20th century, the trend has reversed in recent years, with height decreasing among 18-year-olds.
"One reason for these decreases in height is the economic situation in the 1980s," said Alexander Moradi of the University of Sussex. The nutritional and health crises that followed the policy of structural adjustment, he says, led to many children and teenagers failing to reach their full potential in terms of height.
Bentham believes the global trend of increasing height has important implications. "How tall we are now is strongly influenced by the environment we grew up in," he said. "If we give children the best possible start in life now, they will be healthier and more productive for decades to come."1. What does the global study tell us about people's height in the last hundred years? ______
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】 由题干中的global study和people's height in the last hundred years定位到首段。
推理判断题。定位段指出，在过去的一个世纪里，人们的身高不断增长，其中韩国女性的平均身高增加了20多厘米，伊朗男性的平均身高增加了16.5厘米。一项全球研究调查了1914年至2014年间200个国家18岁人群的平均身高。第二段接着指出调查结果，列举的几个国家身高均有显著增长。由此可推断，全球大多数国家身高都有明显的增长，故答案为B。
由第二段指出的全球研究调查结果可知，几个国家身高均有显著增长。但由此无法得出各大洲身高之间存在着显著的差异，A为过度推断，故排除。第二段并未指出人们身高的增长一直在加快，故排除C。根据第二段无法推出女性身高增长大于男性，D属于过度推断，故排除。
本文选自2016年7月25日发表在www.theguardian.com(《卫报》官网)上的一篇标题为“Tall story? Men and women have grown taller over last century, study shows”(《长高的故事?研究显示，在过去的一个世纪里，男性和女性都长高了》)的文章。
推理判断题。定位段指出，在过去的一个世纪里，人们的身高不断增长，其中韩国女性的平均身高增加了20多厘米，伊朗男性的平均身高增加了16.5厘米。一项全球研究调查了1914年至2014年间200个国家18岁人群的平均身高。第二段接着指出调查结果，列举的几个国家身高均有显著增长。由此可推断，全球大多数国家身高都有明显的增长，故答案为B。
由第二段指出的全球研究调查结果可知，几个国家身高均有显著增长。但由此无法得出各大洲身高之间存在着显著的差异，A为过度推断，故排除。第二段并未指出人们身高的增长一直在加快，故排除C。根据第二段无法推出女性身高增长大于男性，D属于过度推断，故排除。
本文选自2016年7月25日发表在www.theguardian.com(《卫报》官网)上的一篇标题为“Tall story? Men and women have grown taller over last century, study shows”(《长高的故事?研究显示，在过去的一个世纪里，男性和女性都长高了》)的文章。