3 . TANAKA KANE became the third person ever to turn 118, according to the Gerontology Research Group, a team of academics. She is also the first citizen of Japan to reach 118—but is unlikely to be the last. The country has the world's longest life expectancy, and 80,000 people aged at 100 years old or older.
The unusual longevity enjoyed in Japan is credited to diet. Japan largely banned meat for l,200 years, and still consumes relatively little meat and dairy. Too much of these can be damaging, since they contain saturated fatty acids(饱和脂肪酸)，which correlate to heart disease. Studies have also tied eating lots of processed red meat to a greater risk of stroke. But too little may be unwise as well, because they provide chemical substance that may be needed for our blood-tube walls. In a study of 48,000 Britons, vegetarians were unusually resistant to heart disease, but likely to suffer from strokes.
In theory, a lack of animal-based food could have contributed to Japan's historical cerebrovascular(脑血管)death rate. In 1960-2013, as the country's deaths from strokes reduced, its annual meat intake rose from near zero to 52kg per person (45% of America's level). Tsugane Shoichiro of the National Cancer Centre in Tokyo says that his citizens may need meat and dairy to keep their blood tubes strong―though not so much that those tubes get blocked.
Some evidence supports this view. One paper from the 1990s found that the parts of Japan where diets had changed most also had the biggest drops in cerebrovascular death rate. Another study, which tracked 80,000 Japanese people in 1995-2009, showed that strokes were most common among those who ate the least chops and cream. Although Japan's decline in cerebrovascular deaths could stem from other causes, these data suggest that nutritional shifts may have helped.
The unhappy irony is that Japan's health gains, paired with a low birth rate, threaten its economy. By 2060, 40% of Japanese could be 60 or older. That would produce more birthday cakes with 118 candles—and fewer great-grandchildren to blow them out.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
| A．To provide evidence. |
| B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To promote an idea. |
| D．To make comparison. |
2. What message is conveyed in paragraph 2?
| A．A light heart lives long. |
| B．Diet cures more than doctors. |
| C．Happiness lies first of all in health. |
| D．All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. |
3. What do the studies in paragraph 4 show?
| A．It is vital to have meat and dairy. |
| B．It is common to suffer from strokes. |
| C．It is beneficial to change diet habit. |
| D．It is important to eat least cream. |
4. What can be learned from the last paragraph?
| A．The less meat and dairy, the better. |
| B．More cakes and candles are needed. |
| C．Medical demand for heart disease is met. |
| D．Longevity and low birth rate affect economy. |
