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 data for more than one million people in Austria, Denmark and Australia, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in the northern German town of Rostock found the month of birth was related to life expectancy 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 after a 40 – week pregnancy 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 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.

1．The passage is mainly about          .

       A．food and health                                    B．infections and health

       C．nutrition and lifespan                            D．birth season and lifespan

2．The underlined word “outlived” in Paragraph 3 could be replaced by          .

       A．compared                                           B．survived             

       C．bypassed                                            D．updated

3．Which of the following statements is true?

      A．Pregnant mothers get more vitamins in winter than in summer.

       B．A mother mustn’t stop breast – feeding in summer.

       C．A pregnant mother tends to take in more vitamins in summer.

       D．Scientists from Australia, Austria and Denmark did the research.

4．The passage tells us that             .

       A．a(chǎn)n Austrian lives longer than an Australian

       B．the discovery doesn’t apply to Asians

       C．a(chǎn) baby doesn’t have a sound digestive system

       D．the seasonal pattern remains despite the improved nutrition

5．According to the passage,           is a good time to get pregnant in Austria.

       A．July                                                    B．August               

       C．February                                             D．November

Directions:  For each blank in the following passages there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

People born in the autumn live longer than those born in the spring and are less likely to fall chronically(經(jīng)常) ill when they are older, according to an Austrian scientist. Using census(人口統(tǒng)計) data for more than one million people in Austria, Denmark and Australia, ____52____ at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in the northern German town of Rostock found the month of birth was ___53____ to life expectancy over the age of 50. ____54____ differences in what mothers ate during pregnancy, and ___55____ occurring at different times of the year could both have an ___56____ on the health of a new-born baby and could ___57____ its life expectancy in older age. "A mother giving birth in spring spends the __58____ phase (階段)of her pregnancy in winter, when she will eat less vitamins than in summer," said Gabriele Doblhammer, one of a team of scientists who ___59____ the research. "When she stops breast-feeding and starts giving her baby ___60___ food, it’s in the hot weeks of summer when babies are likely to be exposed to infections of the digestive system." In Austria, adults born in autumn (October-December) lived about seven months __61___ 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 __62____. Adults born in the Australian autumn - the European ___63___ - lived about four months longer than those born in the Australian spring. The study ___64___ people born at the beginning of the 20th century, using death certificates and census data. Although ___65___ at all times of the year has improved since then, the seasonal pattern ___66___, Doblhammer said.

52. a. scientists                     b. doctors                            c. readers                      d. who

53. a. familiar                      b. used                         c. related                      d. devoted

54. a. Seasonal                            b. Physical                    c. Mental                      d. Occasional

55. a. accidents                    b. infections                  c. ideas                         d. nutrition

56. a. efficiency                   b. result                        c. cause                        d. impact

57. a. shorten                       b. lengthen                   c. harm                        d. influence

58. a. first                           b. last                           c. middle                      d. initial

59. a. broke through             b. led to                       c. carried out                d. insisted on

60. a. normal                       b. fast                          c. general                            d. sea

61. a. shorter                       b. longer                      c. younger                    d. healthier

62. a. similar                       b. different                   c. contrary                    d. opposite

63. a. spring                        b. summer                    c. autumn                            d. winter

64. a. depended on               b. investigated into        c. called for                  d. focused on

65. a. food                           b. situation                   c. living conditions        d. nutrition

66. a. changes                      b. improves                  c. persists                            d. declines

Directions:  For each blank in the following passages there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

People born in the autumn live longer than those born in the spring and are less likely to fall chronically(經(jīng)常) ill when they are older, according to an Austrian scientist. Using census(人口統(tǒng)計) data for more than one million people in Austria, Denmark and Australia, ____52____ at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in the northern German town of Rostock found the month of birth was ___53____ to life expectancy over the age of 50. ____54____ differences in what mothers ate during pregnancy, and ___55____ occurring at different times of the year could both have an ___56____ on the health of a new-born baby and could ___57____ its life expectancy in older age. "A mother giving birth in spring spends the __58____ phase (階段)of her pregnancy in winter, when she will eat less vitamins than in summer," said Gabriele Doblhammer, one of a team of scientists who ___59____ the research. "When she stops breast-feeding and starts giving her baby ___60___ food, it’s in the hot weeks of summer when babies are likely to be exposed to infections of the digestive system." In Austria, adults born in autumn (October-December) lived about seven months __61___ 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 __62____. Adults born in the Australian autumn - the European ___63___ - lived about four months longer than those born in the Australian spring. The study ___64___ people born at the beginning of the 20th century, using death certificates and census data. Although ___65___ at all times of the year has improved since then, the seasonal pattern ___66___, Doblhammer said.

52. a. scientists                     b. doctors                            c. readers                      d. who

53. a. familiar                      b. used                         c. related                      d. devoted

54. a. Seasonal                            b. Physical                    c. Mental                      d. Occasional

55. a. accidents                    b. infections                  c. ideas                         d. nutrition[來源:]

56. a. efficiency                   b. result                        c. cause                        d. impact

57. a. shorten                       b. lengthen                   c. harm                        d. influence

58. a. first                           b. last                           c. middle                      d. initial

59. a. broke through             b. led to                       c. carried out                d. insisted on[來源:]

60. a. normal                       b. fast                          c. general                            d. sea[來源:ZXXK]

61. a. shorter                       b. longer                      c. younger                    d. healthier

62. a. similar                       b. different                   c. contrary                    d. opposite

63. a. spring                        b. summer                    c. autumn                            d. winter

64. a. depended on               b. investigated into        c. called for                  d. focused on

65. a. food                           b. situation                   c. living conditions        d. nutrition

66. a. changes                      b. improves                  c. persists                            d. declines

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（預(yù)期壽命）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.

1. 1.

   The underlined word “outlived” in the text probably means ________.

   1. A.
      lived out of
   2. B.
      depended on
   3. C.
      had a shorter life than
   4. D.
      lived longer than
2. 2.

   The census data of the following countries is used for research EXCEPT _______.

   1. A.
      Germany.
   2. B.
      Denmark.
   3. C.
      Australia.
   4. D.
      Austria.
3. 3.

   What’s the main idea of this text?

   1. A.
      Nutrition at all times of the year has improved since the beginning of the 20th century.
   2. B.
      In Austria, adults born in autumn (October—December) lived about seven months longer than those born in spring (April—June).
   3. C.
      People born in autumn live longer than those born in spring and are less likely to fall ill when they are older.
   4. D.
      Babies are prone to infections of the digestive system.
4. 4.

   Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?

   1. A.
      Infections occurring at different times of the year influence the health of a new-born baby.
   2. B.
      The study focused on people born in the late 20th century.
   3. C.
      A mother giving birth in spring eats less vitamins during the last phase of her pregnancy in winter.
   4. D.
      What mothers ate during pregnancy could have an impact on the babies’ life expectancy in older age.
5. 5.

   The right sentence of the following is ________.

   1. A.
      The month of birth was not related to life expectancy over the age of 50.
   2. B.
      A mother giving birth in spring spends the last phase of her pregnancy in winter, eating more vitamins than in summer.
   3. 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.
   4. D.
      Adults born in the Australian autumn―the European spring―lived about four months longer than those born in the Australian spring.

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（預(yù)期壽命）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.

The underlined word “outlived” in the text probably means ________.

A. lived out of                                          B. depended on

C. had a shorter life than                            D. lived longer than

The census data of the following countries is used for research EXCEPT _______.

A. Germany.                                      B. Denmark.

C. Australia.                                      D. Austria.

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.

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.

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.