英語流利說 Level6 Unit 2 Part 4 Reading:Global Life Expectancy & Virtual Heaven

Global Life Expectancy

People today are living longer than at any point in human history. Virtually every country enjoys a higher life expectancy than it did in the 19th century. In 1870, the average person could expect to live for 30 years. By 2015 that number had increased to 71, more than doubling.

The west was the first region to see an increase in life expectancy. Scientific discoveries led to a growing awareness of germs and disease. New medicines and treatments were developed, and people adopted more hygienic lifestyles. Public health measures were a major factor. During the 20th century, the average lifespan in the United States increased by more than 30 years, if which 25 years can be attributed to advances in public health.

Between 1900 and 1950, Europe’s life expectancy grew from 43 years to 65 years. However, this did not reflect the experience of the rest of the world, which largely remained impoverished and underdeveloped. In 1950, Asia’s average life expectancy was 42 and the Africa’s was 36. In the following decades, living conditions in both continents improved, along with life expectancy. As Asian economies grew, people had better access to health services and greater quantities of food. In Africa however, several countries did not see significant economic growth, but still enjoyed a growing life expectancy. This was due to better access to medicines and vaccines. As of 2015, the life expectancies of Asia and Africa were about 72 and 60 years respectively.

In all countries, some facts are universal, including higher mortality rates associated with childhood. Therefore, life expectancy increases with age. Economics condition also affect life expectancy. For example, in the UK, life expectancy among the wealthiest is several years higher than among the poorest. This may reflect factors such as diet and lifestyle, as well as access to medical care.

And finally, women enjoy an advantage over men. Females have a higher survival rate from birth to old age. Of individuals aged 110, 90% are women. In fact, for almost all animal species except birds, females have higher survival rates than males.


What has been the overall trend life expectancy is around the world? They have significantly increased.

What region of world saw?increase in life expectancy?despite no?significant?economic growth??some countries in Africa

What place is significant role improving life expectancy ? public health

To be hygienic means to be clean and sanitary.

To be impoverished means to be extremely poor, in a state of poverty.

The attribute higher life expectancy to better public health means that better public health is a cause.

To reflect the experience means to serve as an example of it.

To be impoverished means to be extremely poor, in a state of poverty.

Economic conditions also affect life expectancy.

What was the average life expectancy in Asia in 1950??In 1950,Asia’s average life?expectancy?was 42 and the Africa’s was 36.?

What help to increase life expectancy in Africa even without economic growth??This was due to better access to medicines and vaccines.?


Virtual Heaven

If you could live forever, would you want to? The challenge of keeping your body alive seems impossible, but some scientists are working on an alternative. They want to create a digital copy of your “self” and keep that copy “alive” long after your physical body has stopped functioning.

In effect, their plan is to clone a person electronically.Unlike?ordinary?physical clones –which have identical?features?as their parents, but which are?independent?organisms, each with a different conscious?self?– your electronic clone would?believe?itself to be you.

One plan relies on the development of nanotechnology. Ray Kurzweil, a leading futurist, predicts that within two or three decades we will have tiny transmitters that can be injected into the brain. How might this be possible? Once there they would line up alongside neurons and monitor the details of the brain’s activity. They would then be able to transmit that information to receivers inside a special helmet, allowing us to map the brain.

As a further step, Kurzweil foresees using these tiny transmitters to connect you to a world of virtual reality. With the transmitters in place, you could think your way onto the internet. Instead of seeing pictures on a screen, you would see them in your mind. Rather than send emails to your friends, you could meet them on some virtual tropical beach and exchange messages in “virtual person”.

For a futurist like Ray, this would be heaven, a virtual heaven. Once you upload the brain onto the internet and log on to that virtual world, your body can be left to decompose while your virtual self can play games for as long as you wish.

However, there is still a problem. To exist on the net, your virtual self will have to reside on the computer of a web-hosting company.These companies want to be paid real money, or they will delete your “self” and sell the space to someone else. With your body long gone how you pay?

What is this?article about??It’s about the possibility of staying?alive along after our bodies have stopped functioning.

To clone something means to make copies of it from itself.

If you could live forever, would you want to?

最后編輯于
?著作權(quán)歸作者所有,轉(zhuǎn)載或內(nèi)容合作請聯(lián)系作者
【社區(qū)內(nèi)容提示】社區(qū)部分內(nèi)容疑似由AI輔助生成,瀏覽時請結(jié)合常識與多方信息審慎甄別。
平臺聲明:文章內(nèi)容(如有圖片或視頻亦包括在內(nèi))由作者上傳并發(fā)布,文章內(nèi)容僅代表作者本人觀點,簡書系信息發(fā)布平臺,僅提供信息存儲服務(wù)。

相關(guān)閱讀更多精彩內(nèi)容

  • rljs by sennchi Timeline of History Part One The Cognitiv...
    sennchi閱讀 7,864評論 0 10
  • **2014真題Directions:Read the following text. Choose the be...
    又是夜半驚坐起閱讀 11,168評論 0 23
  • 我們的生活離不開水資源,那么水只是解決我們的日常生活所需嗎?并不是的,原來喝水也能減肥。那么喝水怎樣喝可以輕松減肥...
    耳東陳的自繪室閱讀 235評論 0 1
  • 仰仗著飛鷹,水穹總算活了下來。在三鷹國里,被飛鷹庇護的東西總有那么一絲神圣不可侵犯的意味。所以第二天的晚上,水穹有...
    曦禾子閱讀 584評論 8 4
  • 有人敬佩偉大的科學(xué)家,有人敬佩著名的藝術(shù)家,有人敬佩出色的專業(yè)人才……,而我最敬佩的還是我那平凡的爸爸,他...
    王慧康閱讀 354評論 0 0

友情鏈接更多精彩內(nèi)容