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Health researchers have noticed that some groups of people are more consistently healthy than others, and wondered… Is it race? Income? Where you live? In the United States, these disagreements in health outcomes have been the focus of intense research for the past several decades.
Harvard University health policy researcher Ellen Meara says scholars have found some clues as to why some groups of people have more or less disease than others. She says one important factor in people’s health is the amount of education they have.
In her most recent paper, Meara looked at data from the United states census. These counts of people occur every 10 years. Meara and her colleagues examined data from several decades.
“We looked at life expectancy(预测寿命) at age 25,” Meara says.
“How many additional years can you expect to live if you arrive at age 25 and your education has stopped at high school, or sooner? Versus how many years, can you expect to live if you’ve reached aged 25 and you’ve gone on to at least some college…”
Meara says they found that in 1990, a 25-year-old who only had some secondary school could expect to live for a total of 75 years. In 2000, a 25-year-old with some secondary education could also expect to live to the age of 75.
In contrast, for a better educated 25-year-old, they could expect to live to the age of 80 in 1990. Someone with a similar education level in the year 2000, could expect to live to be more than 81 years, 81.6 years to be exact.
Meara says, not only do better-educated people live longer to begin with, but in the past ten years, more educated people have made gains in the length of their lives. Meanwhile, the life expectancy hasn’t changed for less educated people.
Some of these gains can be explained. Meara says researchers know that people who are more educated are more likely to quit smoking cigarettes, or not start at all, compared to people with less education.
“I think it’s a reminder not to be satisfactory,” Meara says. “Just because a population overall appears to be getting healthier, it doesn’t always mean that those advantages and successes that many people have enjoyed really extend into all parts of the population. And I think that’s something to really pay attention to regardless of whether you live in the US or elsewhere.”
Meara points out that education can often determine income---people with more education frequently make more money. This makes them aware of health care, and purchase other resources and services that can keep them healthier. But the data on income do NOT show that people who make more money are automatically healthier.
Meara says education is key. People need to be educated in order to take advantage of opportunities for better health.
| Title |
The Amount of |
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The less educated people |
The |
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| Comparisons |
In 1990 |
They could live for 75 years |
They could live to the age of 80 |
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| In 2000 |
Their life expectancy was the same as in 1990. |
They could live to the age of 81.6 |
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| In the past ten years |
Their life expectancy remained |
They’ve made gains in the length of their lives, partly due to their |
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| People are getting healthier, but it doesn’t mean that the advantages and successes extend into all parts of the |
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| Education |
People with more education make more money |
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| Getting more money helps to increase their |
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| Education is the key to better health. |
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In a world with limited land, water and other natural resources, the harm from the traditional business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decade has seen more and more forests disappearing and the globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable ways. That means growth with low carbon or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the healthy while using its supply of natural resources.
Today, sustainable development is a popular trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low-carbon energy will become three times bigger over the next decade. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy resolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high-speed trains. In addition, we are also seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil(棕榈油), which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown more than 50%.
Governments can fully develop the potential of these new markets. First, they can set high targets for reducing carbon emissions(排放) and targets for saving and reusing energy. Besides, stronger arrangement of public resources like forests can also help to speed up the development. Finally, governments can avoid the huge public expenses that are taking us in the wrong direction, and redirecting some of those expenses can accelerate the change from the traditional model to a sustainable one.
The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of a growing population within the limits of this single planet. That is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.The traditional business model is harmful because of all the following EXCEPT that .
| A.it makes the world warmer |
| B.it consumes natural resources |
| C.it brings severe damage to future |
| D.it makes growth hard to continue |
What can we infer from Paragraph2?
| A.China lacks wind and solar energy. |
| B.China is the leader of the low-carbon market. |
| C.High-speed trains are a low-carbon development. |
| D.Palm oil is made at the cost of valuable forests. |
To fully develop the low-carbon markets governments can______.
| A.cut public expenses |
| B.forbid carbon emissions |
| C.develop public resources |
| D.encourage energy conservation |
We can learn from the last paragraph that businesses have many chances to _______.
| A.develop sustainable products |
| B.explore new natural resources |
| C.make full use of natural resources |
| D.deal with the major challenge |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A.To introduce a new business model |
| B.To compare two business models |
| C.To predict a change of the global markets |
| D.To advocate sustainable development |
Big Brothers Big Sisters is based on the simplicity and power of friendship. It is a program which provides friendship and fun by matching vulnerable young people (ages 7-17) with a volunteer adult who can be both a role model and a supportive friend.
Volunteer tutors come from all walks of life—married, single, with or without children. Big Brothers and Big Sisters are not replacement parents or social workers. They are tutors: someone to trust, to have fun with, to talk and go to when needed.
A Big Sister and Little Sister will generally spend between one and four hours together three or four times each month for at least twelve months. They enjoy simple activities such as a picnic at a park, cooking, playing sport or going to a football match. These activities improve the friendship and help the young person develop positive self-respect, confidence and life direction.
Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations exist throughout the world. It is the largest and most well-known provider of tutor services internationally and has been operating for 25 years.
Emily and Sarah have been matched since March 2008. Emily is a 10-year-old girl who has experienced some difficulties being accepted by her schoolmates at school. "I was pretty sure there was something wrong with me.”
Emily’s mum came across Big Brothers Big Sisters and thought it would be of benefit to Emily by "providing different feedback(反馈)about herself other than just relying on schoolmates to measure her self-worth. ”
Sarah wanted to get involved in a volunteer program. "I paid close attention to it and found out how to be a part of it. I thought it would be fun for me to get involved in making time to do something because sometimes it’s all work and no play. ”
Big Brothers Big Sisters has been of great benefit and enjoyment to both Emily and Sarah. They love and look forward to their time together and the partnership has certainly helped Emily be more comfortable in being the wonderful, happy and unique girl she is!What is the aim of Big Brothers Big Sisters?
| A.To offer students public services. |
| B.To provide partnership and fun for young people. |
| C.To organize sport activities for young people. |
| D.To help students improve their grades |
A volunteer is usually expected to work within a year for at least .
| A.24 hours | B.72 hours |
| C.48 hours | D.36 hours |
According to Emily’s mother, this program may provide Emily with .
| A.a new way to assess herself |
| B.advice from her teachers |
| C.a new way to judge her schoolmates |
| D.more comments from her schoolmates |
Why did Sarah want to get involved in the program?
| A.She used to be a volunteer. |
| B.She felt a bit bored with her life. |
| C.She needed a part-time job. |
| D.She wanted to get a challenging job. |
According to the passage, ‘vulnerable young people’ underlined in Paragraph1 are probably those who are .
| A.popular at school |
| B.rather weak physically |
| C.easily hurt emotionally |
| D.confident in themselves |
In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8. Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the middle of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams. When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be __________.
| A.a writer | B.a teacher |
| C.a judge | D.a doctor |
Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?
| A.She wanted to study by herself. |
| B.She fell in love and got married. |
| C.She suffered from a serious illness. |
| D.She decided to look after her grandma. |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
| A.She was busy yet happy with her family life. |
| B.She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons. |
| C.She wanted to remain a full-time housewife. |
| D.She was too confused to make a correct choice. |
What does the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?
| A.Failure is the mother of success. |
| B.Little by little, one goes far. |
| C.Every coin has two sides. |
| D.Well begun, half done. |
Which of the following can best describe the author?
| A.Caring and determined. |
| B.Honest and responsible. |
| C.Ambitious and sensitive. |
| D.Innocent and single-minded. |
A sick little girl is being kept alive thanks to her best friend — a dog who carries her oxygen tank on his back. Alida’s faithful dog companion Mr Gibbs has been specially trained to shepherd the three-year-old, who breathes through a tube most of the time. He follows her closely as she plays in her family’s ten-acre land in Louisville, uses the slide or even rides her bike.
Alida was diagnosed with neuroendocrine hyperplasia of infancy(NEHI)when she was just eight months old. Her rare condition has just eight hundred documented sufferers throughout the world, and causes diseased pieces of the lungs to filter oxygen through extra layers of cells, making it hard or almost impossible to breathe. For Alida and her parents, it meant that even a walk in the park was very difficult because oxygen equipment was too heavy for the youngster to be able to carry herself. As parents, they wanted to do something to help their daughter survive despite having a tube following her all the time. The couple found out about “service dogs” from a TV program and realized an animal trained to help the blind could be trained to help Alida. They finally found help in the shape of golden doodle—a retriever crossed with a poodle-dog Mr Gibbs. Now thanks to trainer Ashleigh Kinsley—Alida and Mr Gibbs love nothing more than playing and running around together with the dog acting as Alida’s life saver.What is Mr Gibbs?
| A.A pet dog. | B.A policeman. |
| C.A doctor. | D.A firefighter. |
When did the doctor know Alida caught the disease?
| A.At her birth. |
| B.At the age of eight. |
| C.Before she was one year old. |
| D.When she was three years old. |
The underlined part “the couple” in paragraph 3 refers to _______.
| A.Alida’s classmates | B.Alida’s parents |
| C.Alida’s doctors | D.Alida’s pets |
How did Alida keep alive?
| A.By training her dog. |
| B.By staying with her parents. |
| C.By playing with her fellows. |
| D.By breathing through a tube. |
It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.
Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.
“We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”
On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.
“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F. T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”
Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.
He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider legislative approach.”
The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google_______.
| A.to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy. |
| B.to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information. |
| C.to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos. |
| D.to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo. |
Which of the following statements is True?
| A.Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time. |
| B.Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously. |
| C.Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time. |
| D.Apple and Google have decided to make a change. |
Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion_______.
A. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently.
B. can be used if permitted.
C. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information.
D. causes personal information to be posted online without permission.Where can we read about the passage?
| A.In a newspaper. | B.In a magazine. |
| C.In a science report. | D.In a textbook. |