单选题
That a lack of wealth all too often translates into poor health may seem painfully obvious. But now a review of health inequalities in England reveals that such inequalities don't just disadvantage the least well-off. The review also suggests some strategies to tackle the inequalities. These remedies should apply the world over, including in the US, where health and wealth inequalities can be especially severe. Commissioned by the UK government, the review was headed by Michael Marmot of University College London. Marmot, in his latest work, uses census data from across England to show that these health inequalities don't just exist between the richest and the poorest. He says action to reduce health inequalities should take place right across society, not focus solely on the poor. "It's not rich versus poor, because it's a social grade," he says. What's more, the most productive time to intervene to create a healthier society is childhood, Marmot says. That children who start out with well-off, well-educated parents are likely to be healthier would seem to be something of a no-brainer. But the fates of 17,200 UK babies monitored since they were born in the same week in April 1970, and highlighted in Marmot's review, make compelling evidence. It turns out that babies who had low IQs at 22 months and were born to richer, better educated parents caught up by the age of 6 with children who started with high IQs but whose parents were poorer and less educated. "It shows that the social is exceeding the biological," says Marmot. "We can change that, and that's why I'm optimistic." He also finds that children in poorer families miss out on pre-school reading, socialising and physical exercise. This disadvantage leaves them trailing far behind when they start school and they seldom recover. Such inequalities are not confined to the UK. A US report in April 2009 concluded that interventions most likely to improve the health of all Americans were "programs that promote early childhood development and that support children and families". A report from Brazil recommended prioritising "actions related to health promotion of children and adolescents". "We look forward to assessing how to adapt the policy recommendations for England to the rest of the world," says Rudiger Krech, director of the WHO's department of ethics, equity, trade and human rights. He agrees that giving every child the best start in life "is critical in setting the foundation for a lifetime of health and successful contribution to society". What can be done to ensure this? One option is to extend maternity or paternity leave. Another is to help struggling parents by providing extra services and information.
单选题
According to Paragraph 2, Marmot believes the best time to combat health inequalities is _____.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析:根据题干可直接定位到第二段。文章第一段通过一份英国审查报告来表明健康不平等的状况,第二段首句表示这份报告是由马默特来主持的。其中第二段③句提到应该采取一些措施来减少这种不平等,而在⑤句中,马默特则更进一步指出,采取干预行动的最有效时机(the most productive time)是儿童时期(childhood),故选C项。
单选题
The assumption that well-off parents tend to have healthier kids seems _____.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析:根据题干的well-off和healthier定位到第二段。该段⑥句表示那些生于富裕家庭、父母受过良好教育的儿童身体更健康,这与题目里假设的内容一致,而原文的seem to be表示推测语气,no-brainer表示“不用动脑筋的事”,因此可以理解为富裕家庭的小孩更健康这一观点不言而喻,十分明显,故A项正确。
单选题
It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that a person's IQ is_____.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析:根据题干中的关键词IQ可定位到第三段首句。该段①句中turns out that的内容即为第二段末句提到的对17200名婴儿进行的跟踪调查的研究结果,该结果表示出生时智商较低的富裕家庭孩子长到6岁时智商可能超过以前智商较高的贫困家庭孩子,由此可推测出家庭环境影响了孩子的智商,故D项正确。
单选题
Reports from America and Brazil is mentioned in Paragraph 4 to show that_____.