Question

【題目】Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.

What Your “Age” Says About You

Imagine, for a moment, that you had no birth certificate and your age was simply based on the way you feel inside. How old would you say you are?

Like your height or shoe size, the number of years that have passed since you first entered the world is an unchangeable fact. 【1】

Scientists are increasingly interested in this quality. They are finding that our “subjective age” may be essential for understanding the reasons why some people appear to be energetic as they grow old — while others fade.

【2】 It is now well accepted that people tend to mature as they get older, becoming less extroverted ( 外 向 的 ) and less open to new experiences. These personality changes are often considered more obvious in the people with older subjective ages.

However, those who feel younger than they really are also become more reliable and less neurotic ( 神 經(jīng) 質(zhì) 的 ) as they gain the wisdom that comes with greater life experience. But it doesn’t come at the cost of the energy and vigor of youth. It’s not true that having a lower subjective age leaves us frozen in a state of permanent immaturity.

Feeling younger than your years also seems to come with a lower risk of depression and greater mental wellbeing as we age. 【3】 Most people felt about eight years younger than their actual chronological age (實(shí)際年齡). But some felt they had aged — and the consequences were serious. Feeling between 8 and 13 years older than your actual age resulted in an 18-25% greater risk of death over the study periods, and greater disease burden — even when you control for other demographic ( 人 口 學(xué) 的 ) factors such as education, race or marital status.

【4】 However old you really are, it’s worth questioning whether any of those limitations are coming from the within.

A.It also means better physical health.

B.One of the most interesting aspects of the research has explored how subjective age interacts with our personality.

C.Some studies have explored the potential physical consequences of this difference.

D.These findings can give us all a view of the way our own brains and bodies endure the passing of time.

E.But everyday experience suggests that people often don’t experience ageing the same way.

F.Many researchers are now trying to study how this knowledge might help us live longer.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】E

【2】B

【3】A

【4】D

【解析】

這是一篇說明文。文章引出了“主觀年齡”這個(gè)概念，并講述了主觀年齡的認(rèn)定對(duì)于人會(huì)造成哪些影響。

【1】空白前句指出人的實(shí)際年齡是無法改變的，E選項(xiàng)“但是日常的經(jīng)歷顯示，人們對(duì)衰老的感受并不都是一樣的”與前句形成轉(zhuǎn)折，同時(shí)引起下文提出“主觀年齡”的概念，承上啟下，符合文意。故選E項(xiàng)。

【2】空白處位于段落開頭，下句表示人們隨著年齡增長(zhǎng)會(huì)變得成熟，不再那么外向同時(shí)對(duì)新鮮事物不再感興趣，再下句更是直接總結(jié)主觀年齡和個(gè)性之間的關(guān)系。B選項(xiàng)“研究中最有意思的部分之一就是探索主觀年齡與我們的性格之間的關(guān)系”作為段首句，符合段落主題。故選B項(xiàng)。

【3】本段主題是主觀年齡對(duì)于身心健康的影響。空白前句指出感覺自己比實(shí)際年齡年輕在精神方面的好處，A選項(xiàng)“這也意味著更良好的身體健康”承接上文，符合文意。故選A項(xiàng)。

【4】最后一段總結(jié)全文，D選項(xiàng)“這些發(fā)現(xiàn)能讓我們看到我們的大腦和身體是怎么忍耐時(shí)間流逝的”與文段中提到的各種finding呼應(yīng)，也能較為準(zhǔn)確地反映文章主題。故選D項(xiàng)。