People Born in Autumn Live Longer
People born in the autumn live longer than those born in the spring and are less likely to fall chronically ill when they are older, according to an Austrian scientist.
Using census（人口普查）data for more than one million people in Austria, Denmark and Australia, scientists at the Max Planck Institute in the northern German town of Rostock found the month of birth was related to life expectancy（预期寿命）over the age of 50. Seasonal differences in what mothers ate during pregnancy, and infections occurring at different times of the year could both have an impact on the health of a new-born baby and could influence its life expectancy in older age. “A mother giving birth in spring spends the last phase of her pregnancy in winter, when she will eat less vitamins than in summer,” said Gabriele Doblhammer, one of a team of scientists who carried out the research. “When she stops breast-feeding and starts giving her baby normal food, it’s in the hot weeks of summer when babies are prone (易于)to infections of the digestive system.” In Austria, adults born in autumn (October-December) lived about seven months longer than those born in spring (April-June), and in Denmark adults with birthdays in autumn outlived those born in spring by about four months. In the southern hemisphere, the picture was similar. Adults born in the Australian autumn—the European spring—lived about four months longer than those born in the Australian spring. The study focused on people born at the beginning of the 20th century, using death certificates and census data. Although nutrition at all times of the year has improved since then, the seasonal pattern persists, Doblhammer said.
But on the other hand, according to a study of more 40,000 people, those born in spring and summer report themselves luckier than those born in autumn or winter. Professor Richard Wise-man who led the research explained that the temperature at the time of birth might influence the development of the brain and seasonal factors make a difference as well.
【小题1】The underlined word “outlived” in the text probably means .A．lived out ofB．depended onC．had a shorter life thanD．lived longer than【小题2】The census data of the following countries is used for research EXCEPT .A．Germany.B．Denmark.C．Australia.D．Austria.【小题3】What’s the main idea of this text?A．Nutrition at all times of the year has improved since the beginning of the 20th century.B．In Austria, adults born in autumn (October—December) lived about seven months longer than those born in spring (April—June).C．People born in autumn live longer than those born in spring and are less likely to fall ill when they are older.D．Babies are prone to infections of the digestive system.【小题4】Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?A．Infections occurring at different times of the year influence the health of a new-born baby.B．The study focused on people born in the late 20th century.C．A mother giving birth in spring eats less vitamins during the last phase of her pregnancy in winter.D．What mothers ate during pregnancy could have an impact on the babies’ life expectancy in older age.【小题5】The right sentence of the following is .A．The month of birth was not related to life expectancy over the age of 50.B．A mother giving birth in spring spends the last phase of her pregnancy in winter, eating more vitamins than in summer.C．Stopping breast-feeding and starting giving babies normal food must make babies prone to get infected with the digestive system in the hot weeks of summer.D．Adults born in the Australian autumn―the European spring―lived about four months longer than those born in the Australian spring.D
网友回答
(答案→)D
解析：
人的寿命与出生季节有关系吗？最近奥地利科学家得出的结论，秋天出生的人比春天出生的人长寿。
【小题1】词义理解题。根据文中In Austria, adults born in autumn (October-December) lived about seven months longer than…判断，答案应选D。
【小题2】细节理解题。根据第三段可以看出答案。
【小题3】主旨大意题。其它三个选项都是例证，只有C才能概括全文大意。
【小题4】辨别正误题。根据文中The study focused on people born at the beginning of the 20th century, using death certificates and census data.来判断。
【小题5】辨别正误题。根据第二段可以看出答案。A错在not；B错在more；C错在must上。