Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43 to 50.
Aging is the process of growing old. It occurs eventually in every living thing provided, of course, that an illness or accident does not kill it prematurely. The most familiar outward signs of aging may be seen in old people, such as the graying of the hair and the wrinkling of the skin. Signs of aging in a pet dog or cat include loss of playfulness and energy, a decline in hearing and eyesight, or even a slight graying of the coat. Plants age too, but the signs are much harder to detect.
Most body parts grow bigger and stronger, and function more efficiently during childhood. They reach their peak at the time of maturity, or early adulthood. After that, they begin to decline. Bones, for example, gradually become lighter and more brittle. In the aged, the joints between the bones also become rigid and more inflexible. This can make moving very painful.
All the major organs of the body show signs of aging. The brain, for example, works less efficiently, and even gets smaller in size. Thinking processes of all sorts are slowed down. Old people often have trouble in remembering recent events.
One of the most serious changes of old age occurs in the arteries, the blood vessels that lead from the heart. They become thickened and constricted, allowing less blood to flow to the rest of body. This condition accounts, directly or indirectly, for many of the diseases of the aged. It may, forexample, result in heart attack.
Aging is not a uniform process. Different parts of the body wear out at different rates. There are great differences among people in their rate of aging. Even the cells of the body differ in the way they age. The majority of cells are capable of reproducing themselves many times during the course of a lifetime. Nerve cells and muscle fibers can never be replaced once they wear out.
Gerontologists - scientists who study the process of aging-believe this wearing out of the body is controlled by a built-in biological time-clock. They are trying to discover how this clock works so that they can slow down the process. This could give man a longer life and a great number of productive years
What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. Signs of aging are easier to detect in animals than in plants
B. Aging occurs in every living thing after it has reached maturity
C. Not all signs of aging are visible
D. The outward signs of aging may be seen in old people
Đáp án B
Ý chính của đoạn văn đầu tiên là gì?
A. Những dấu hiệu lão hóa dễ phát hiện ở động vật hơn thực vật.
B. Sự lão hóa xảy ra với mọi sinh vật sau khi trưởng thành.
C. Không phải tất cả mọi dấu hiệu lão hóa đều có thể nhìn thấy.
D. Những dấu hiệu bên ngoài của lão hóa có thể nhìn thấy ở người già.
Aging is the process of growing old. It occurs eventually in every living thing provided, of course, that an illness or accident does not kill it prematurely. The most familiar outward signs of aging may be seen in old people, such as the graying of the hair and the wrinkling of the skin. Signs of aging in a pet dog or cat include loss of playfulness and energy, a decline in hearing and eyesight, or even a slight graying of the coat. Plants age too, but the signs are much harder to detect.
Lão hóa là quá trình già đi. Nó xảy ra cuối cùng ở mọi sinh vật sống, dĩ niên nếu bệnh tật và tai nạn không giết chết nó mãi mãi. Dấu hiệu bên ngoài dễ thấy nhất của sựu lão hóa có thể nhìn thấy ở người già, chẳng hạn như tóc bạc da nhăn. Những dấu hiệu của chó hoặc mèo là không còn năng động và sức lực nữa, giảm thị giác và thính giác, thậm chí là lông bạc đi. Cây cối cũng thế, nhưng dấu hiệu khó phát hiện hơn