If you’re a male and you’re reading this, congratulations! You’re a survivor．Acc

If you’re amale and you’re reading this, congratulations! You’re a survivor．Accordingto statistics, you’re more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than awoman, a nine times more likely to die of AIDS．Assumingyou make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men inAustralia, you’ll die on average five years before a woman．

There’re manyreasons for this——typically, men take more risks than women and are more likelyto drink and smoke——but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor．

“Men aren’tseeing doctors as often as they should,” says Dr．Gullotta．“This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend tostrike．

Gullotta saysa healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two．Forthose over 45, it should be at least once a year．

“When Ifinally 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 wouldhave prolonged his life．”

According toa recent survey, 95% of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once ayear, compared to 70% of men in the same age group．

“A lot of menthink they’re invincible,” Gullotta says．“They only come in when afriend drops dead on the golf course and they think, “Geez, if it couldhappen to him…”

Then there’sthe ostrich approach．“Some men are scared of what might be there and wouldrather not know,” says Dr．Ross Cartmill．

“Most men gettheir cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmillsays．He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could beaddressed by preventive check-ups．

Regularcheck-ups for men would inevitably place strain on the public purse, Cartmillsays．“But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat thediseases．Besides, the ultimate cost is far greater,it’s called premature death．”

1.Whydoes the author congratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage?

    A．Theyare more likely to survive serious diseases today．

    B．Theiraverage life span has been considerably extended．

    C．Theyhave lived long enough to read this article．

    D．Theyare sure to enjoy a longer and happier life．

2.Whichof the author’s statement is the most important reason men die five yearsearlier on average than women according to the passage?

    A．Mendrink and smoke much more than women．

    B．Mendon’t seek medical care as often as women．

    C．Menaren’t as cautious as women in face of danger．

    D．Menare more likely to suffer from fatal diseases．

3.What does Dr．RossCartmill mean by “the ostrich approach” ?

    A．Acasual attitude towards one’s health conditions．

    B．A newtherapy for certain psychological problems．

    C．Refusalto get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved．

    D．Unwillingnessto find out about one’s disease because of fear．

4.What does Cartmill sayabout regular check-ups for men?

    A．Theymay increase public expenses．

    B．Theywill save money in the long run．

    C．Theymay cause psychological strains on men．

    D．Theywill enable men to live as long as women．

试题答案

【答案】

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.B