Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
If you’re a male and you’re reading this, congratulations: you’re a survivor. According to statistics, you’re more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, than nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you’ll die on average five years before a woman.
There’re many reasons for this – typically, men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke – but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.
“Men aren’t seeing doctors as often as they should,” says Dr. Gullotta. “This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike.”
Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two. For those over45, it should be at least once a year.
Two months ago Gullotta saw a 50-year-old man who had delayed doing anything about his smoker’s cough for a year.
“When I finally saw him it had already spread and he has since died from lung cancer,” he says. “Earlier detection and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have prolonged (延长) his life.”
According to a recent survey, 95%of women aged between 15and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group.
“A lot of men think they’re invincible (不可战胜的),” Gullotta says. “They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, ‘Geez, if it could happen to him, …’”
Then there’s the ostrich approach. “Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know,” says Dr, Ross Cartmill.
“Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups.
Regular check-ups for men would inevitable place strain on the public purse, Cartmill says. “But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases. Besides, the ultimate cost far greater; it’s called premature death.”
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
57. Why does the author congratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage?
A) They are more likely to survive serious diseases today.
B) Their average life span has been considerably extended.
C) They have lived long enough to read this article.
D) They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life.
58. What does the author state is the most important reason men die five years earlier on average than women?
A) Men drink and smoke much more than women.
B) Men don’t seek medical care as often as women
C) Men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger.
D) Men are more likely to suffer from fatal diseases.
59. Which of the following best completes the sentence “Geez, if it could happen to him, …” (Line2, Para. 8)?
A) it could happen to me, too
B) I should avoid playing golf
C) I should consider myself lucky
D) it would be a big misfortune
60. What does Dr. Ross Cartmill mean by “the ostrich approach” (Line 1, Para. 9)
A) A casual attitude towards one’s health conditions.
B) A new therapy for certain psychological problems.
C) Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved.
D) Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear.
61. What does Cartmill say about regular check-ups for men?
A) They may increase public expenses.
B) They will save money in the long run.
C) They may cause psychological strains on men.
D) They will enable men to live as long as women.
这篇文章的主要内容是男性寿命短于女性的成因，作者在文中提出了自己的新颖观点——男性看医生的次数少于女性，并对此进来了论述。
材料以耸人听闻的说法开篇(you’re a survivor)，立即吸引了读者(尤其是男性读者)的注意力，随后指出男性不论是患病死亡(more than twice as likely to die)还是寿终正寝(on average five years before a woman)，其寿命都要短于女性。
下一段探究了这种现象的原因，首先给出几个众所周知的原因，如男性吸烟喝酒(more likely to drink and smoke)，而后提出了自己的独特观点：男性寿命短是因为他们不看医生(men don’t go to the doctor)。
男性如何不爱求医?这是后面5个小段的内容。男性(尤其是四十岁以上的男性)看医生的次数少于正常次数，按正常情况，一位健康男性应该没一两年看一次医生，而45岁以上者应该每年至少一次。作者给出了一个50岁男性的例子，他在咳嗽症状发生后一年才去看医生，结果导致癌症扩散而早亡。
此5小段之后，作者探讨了男性不爱看医生的心理原因。很多男性认为自己不可战胜(即不会得病)，同时采取了一种鸵鸟策略，即害怕知道病情而不敢看病。最后一段从看病成本上分析定期体检的好处，指出从长远来看，预防(体检)的花费要低于得病后治疗的花费。
