In recent years, there has been growing recognition that ageing doesn’t always progress at the same speed and certain factors, such as stress and smoking, can speed it up.
Scientists have developed several ways to test the speed of ageing, including measuring the length of telomeres-pieces of DNA that protect the ends of chromosomes (染色体) — in cells, examining expressions of genes that are influenced by the environment. “However, the exactness of these measures may be limited if they are used on their own,” says Weiqi Zhang at the Beijing Institute of Genomics in China.
Zhang and her team conducted an all-round study of ageing in women recently, taking advantage of many different measures. 113 healthy women volunteers aged 20 to 66 from Quzhou, a city in southeast China, took part in the study.
Their study found that the volunteers were likely to be biologically “younger” than their age if they had healthy diets that included eating plenty of fruits and grains. It also found that the volunteers around the ages of 30 and 50 usually showed the fastest speed of ageing. “These are often the ages when some women give birth or experience the menopause (更年期), both of which are related to hormonal (荷尔蒙) changes,” says Zhang. Interestingly, the volunteers aged 45and older who were receiving hormone treatment to deal with menopause seemed to show slower ageing than those who weren’t. “Hormone treatment can prevent the drop in hormones, possibly slowing the speed of ageing,” says Zhang.
“However, since the study only included a small number of volunteers, further research is needed,” Zhang says. The team is now planning to conduct a similar study in men to find out if they show different patterns of ageing.
12. Where is the text most probably taken from?
A.A science magazine. | B.A guidebook. |
C.A history book. | D.A product advertisement. |
13. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?
A.The basis of Zhang’s study. |
B.The results of former research studies. |
C.The factors influencing people’s ageing. |
D.The methods of examining ageing speed. |
14. What can we learn from the study?
A.Genes determine the time of women’s menopause. |
B.The female ageing speed is affected by hormonal changes. |
C.Healthy diets play a leading role in keeping women young. |
D.Giving birth causes women’s hormones to increase greatly. |
15. What is Zhang’s attitude towards the study?
A.Positive. | B.Doubtful. |
C.Dissatisfied. | D.Amazed. |