Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ielts 2017.10.28 Reading Real
Ielts 2017.10.28 Reading Real
28 Reading REAL
Passage 1
Topic What is the secret to live a long life?
Content Review
P1 This year, the number of retired pensioners in the UK exceeded the number of under 18 for the
first time in history. That's remarkable in its own right, but the real "population explosion" has been
among the oldest of the old - the centenarians. In fact, this is the fastest-growing demographic in much
of the developed world. In the UK, their numbers have increased by a factor of 60 since the early 20th
century. And their ranks are set to swell even further, thanks to the aging baby-boomer generation: by
P2 These trends raise social, ethical and economic dilemmas. Are medical advances artificially
prolonging life with little regard for the quality of that life? Old age brings an increased risk of chronic
disease, disability and dementia, and if growing numbers of elderly people become dependent on state
or familial support, society faces skyrocketing costs and commitments. This is the dark cloud outside the
silver lining of increasing longevity. Yet researchers who study the oldest old have made a surprising
discovery that presents a less pessimistic vision of the future than many anticipate.
P3 It is becoming clear that people who break through the 90-plus barrier represent a physical elite,
markedly different from the elderly who typically die younger than them. Far from gaining a longer
burden of disability, their extra years are often healthy ones. They have a remarkable ability to live
through, delay or entirely escape a host of diseases that kill off most of their peers. Supercentenarians -
people aged 110 or over - are even better examples of aging gracefully. The average supercentenarian
had freely gone about their daily life until the age of 105 or so, some five to 10 years longer even than
centenarians, who are themselves the physical equivalent of people eight to 10 years their junior.
P4 One of the most comprehensive studies comes from Denmark. In 1998, Kaare Christensen at
the University of Southern Denmark, in Odense, exploited the country's exemplary registries to contact
every single one of the 3600 people born in 1905 who was still alive. Assessing their health over the
subsequent decade, he found that the proportion of people who managed to remain independent
throughout was constantly around one-third of the total: each individual risked becoming more infirm, but
the unhealthiest ones passed away at earlier ages, leaving the strongest behind. In 2005, only 166 of
the people in Christensen's sample were alive, but one-third of those were still entirely self-sufficient.
P5 Christensen's optimistic findings are echoed in studies all over the world. In the US, almost all of
the 700-plus people recruited to the New England Centenarian Study (NECS) since it began in 1994 had
lived independently until the age of 90, and 40 per cent of supercentenarians in the study could still look
after themselves. In the UK, Carol Brayne at the University of Cambridge studied 958 people aged over
90 and found that only one-quarter of them were living in institutions or nursing homes. Likewise,
research in China reveals that before their deaths, centenarians and nonagenarians spend fewer days ill
and bedridden than younger elderly groups, though the end comes quickly when it finally comes. Of
course, people can live independently without being entirely healthy, and it is true that most
centenarians suffer from some sort of ailment. These range from osteoarthritis to simple loneliness.
P6 Not all of the oldest old survive by delaying illness or disability, though – many soldier through it.
Jessica Evert of Ohio State University in Columbus examined the medical histories of over 400
centenarians. She found that those who achieve extreme longevity tend to fall into three categories.
About 40 per cent were "delayers", who avoided chronic diseases until after the age of 80. Another 40
per cent were "survivors", who suffered from chronic diseases before the age of 80 but lived longer to
tell the tale. The final 20 per cent were "escapers", who hit their century with no sign of the most
common chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and stroke.
Intriguingly, one-third of male centenarians were in this category, compared with only 15 per cent of
women.
P7 Okinawa in Japan is the front runner. At 58 centenarians per 100,000 people (and rising), it has
the world's highest proportion in this age group - more than five times the level of some developed
countries. Like other hotspots, including Sardinia and Iceland, Okinawa is a relatively isolated island
environment too, but this alone cannot explain clusters of longevity. Gerontologists have found that the
influence of social factors such as wealth fades as we age, while that of genes increases. By comparing
10,000 pairs of Scandinavian twins, Christensen found that genes only start exerting a strong influence
on our lifespan after the age of 60. Before then, both identical and non-identical twins have largely
independent odds of reaching a given age. Beyond 60, however, the odds of one twin reaching a given
age are greatly increased if their co-twin has done so, especially if the twins are identical.
P8 This makes the "centenarian genome" a key resource for identifying "longevity genes", an
invaluable step in understanding the physiological processes underlying long lives. Such genes have
been found in abundance in other organisms – including over 70 in the worms. Unfortunately, it's a
different story in humans. While many candidate genes have been suggested to affect lifespan, very few
1. The largest growth of Centenarians all over the world is in the UK. NG
(原文说 greatest growth in developed countries. in UK, increased 60%)
5. None of the oldest old survivors in Christensen’s study could take care of themselves. False
(原文 1/3 could look after themselves.)
7. The Centenarians may suffer from stronger loneliness than the generation younger than
them. NG
(原文只说 they do suffer from some ailments, such as osteoarthritis and loneliness.)
8. What does Jessica Evert call the people who reached 100 years old without having chronic
diseases?
escapers
genetics
Okinawa
11. Which factor should not be neglected if people want to have a long life?
exercise
12. Which social element decreases as the age grows?
wealth
13. Which species, apart from human, have the longevity genes?
worms
Passage 2
Topic Patterns of Settlement in England Countryside
Content Review
A: For many centuries, England has been consisted of a variety of administrative unites, which
B: Villages are commonly in the west of England, where is drier and arable, while pastoral farms
C: The characteristics of different patterns are various. The explanation to this is the difference of
farming. The lackage of capital equipment makes cooperation a necessity in villages. Several villages
D: villages are rarer than west when moving east, pastoral farm are becoming popular due to the
E: Helmet is another pattern, which is harder to account for. Farmers and animals are generally
housed in the same houses, called ‘long houses’, scattering on the lands.
F: The layout of village depending on some factors. Farmers looked for first of all unfailing water.
G: The earliest picture of settlement maps can be dated form late 16 th century. Yet, it is very clear
that very hard to find the original shapes and size of patterns. For the reason that, they have been
Questions 14-19
List of Headings
Paragraph A: v (Sample)
Questions 20-26
For such a small country, England has been consisted of villages and several
20. farmsteads and a group of helmets. The reason for various types of settlement patterns is the
21. different farming. (20 题在文章第一段,21 在第三段)
Capital equipment lackage makes the cooperation a necessity. Several villages cooperate in the
22.clearance of woodland and build 23. dikes where the water is a threat. (22 题和 23 题在第三段,)
Moving east, 24. Pastoral farm is a popular pattern, where farmers cultivate cows and sheep,
Farmers and animals are generally housed in the isolated houses, called 25. long houses. (24 题和 25
题在第四段)
Passage 3
Topic What does video games do to our brain?
Content Review
P1 Video games is originally created for children. James Gee conducted research about the
influence of video games on adult. Other researchers are investigating the potential hidden benefits in
video games.
P3 Video games challenge the brain, making it process incoming visual information more efficiently.
P4 In one study, scientists used fMRI (functional MRI) technology to study the brains of subjects.
P5 Fast action games require the player constantly to switch their attention from one part of the
screen to another while also staying vigilant for other events in the environment.
P6 The reject to the cliché that video games is the coordination of eye contact and visual
contact. Prof Daphne Bavelier has compared the visual abilities of gamers and non-gamers.
P7 Science has failed to find a causal link between video games and real-world acts of violence.
P8 Players use adapted controllers that mimic the tools used in surgery - and those who perform
P9 Video game play is literally the neurological opposite of depression. It has been further
discovered that dopamine, a chemical that the brain produces, is released when we play video games.
Questions 32-35
32. The most popular video games are to some extent of violence. NOT GIVEN
34. Many schools are supposed to adapt video games into their courses. NOT GOVEN
35. Game players who are addicted to video games produce more dopamine in their brains. YES
Questions 36-40
Use the information in the passage to match the organization (listed A-E) with opinions or
details below.
37. Daphne Bavelier (D)
39. Steve Johnson (E)
First article: Rubber
2017 Nian 8 Yue 12 Ri
2017 Nian 8 Yue 19 Ri
First: Otters (9 - pointer reading 3- T4P1 )
2017 Nian 8 Yue 26 Ri
Second: Senses
2017 Nian 9 Yue 9 Ri
2017 Nian 9 Yue 16 Ri
2017 Nian 9 Yue 21 Ri