2019年06月四级第2套仔细阅读 Passage 2 原文翻译及答案解析

People have grown taller over the last century, with South Korean women shooting up by more than 20cm on average, and Iranian men gaining. 16.5cm. A global study looked at the average height of 18-year-olds in 200 countries 1914 and 2014.

过去一个世纪以来，人们的身高有所增长，韩国女性平均身高增加了20多厘米，伊朗男性平均增加了16.5厘米。一项全球研究考察了200个国家在1914年和2014年18岁青年的平均身高。

The results reveal that while Swedes were the tallest people in the world in 1914, Dutch men have risen from 12th place to claim top spot with an average height of 182.5cm. Latvian women. Meanwhile, rose from 28th place in 1914 to become the tallest in the world a century later, with an average height of 169.8cm.

结果显示，虽然1914年瑞典人是世界上最高的人群，但荷兰男性已从第12位上升到榜首，平均身高为182.5厘米。与此同时，拉脱维亚女性从1914年的第28位上升，一个世纪后成为世界上最高的女性，平均身高为169.8厘米。

James Bentham, a co-author of the research from Imperial College, London, says the global trend is likely to be due primarily to improvements in nutrition and healthcare. "An individual's genetics has a big influence on their height, but once you average over whole populations, genetics plays a less key role," he added.

伦敦帝国理工学院的研究合著者詹姆斯·本瑟姆表示，全球趋势可能主要归因于营养和医疗保健的改善。'个体的遗传对身高有很大影响，但一旦对整体人口进行平均，遗传所起的作用就不那么关键了，'他补充道。

A little extra height brings a number of advantages, says Elio Riboli of Imperial College. "Being taller is associated with longer life expectancy," he said. "This is largely due to a lower risk of dying of cardiovascular (心血管的) disease among taller people."

帝国理工学院的埃利奥·里博利说，身高略高带来许多好处。'身高较高与预期寿命更长相关，'他说。'这主要是因为身高较高的人死于心血管（心血管的）疾病的风险较低。'

But while height has increased around the world, the trend in many countries of north and sub-Saharan Africa causes concern, says Riboli. While height increased in Uganda and Niger during the early 20th century, the trend has reversed in recent years, with height decreasing among 18-year-olds.

但是，尽管全球身高有所增长，里博利说，北部和撒哈拉以南非洲许多国家的趋势令人担忧。虽然20世纪初乌干达和尼日尔的身高有所增加，但近年来趋势逆转，18岁青年的身高有所下降。

"One reason for these decreases in height is the economic situation in the 1980s," said Alexander Moradi of the University of Sussex. The nutritional and health crises that followed the policy of structural adjustment, he says, led to many children and teenagers failing to reach their full potential in terms of height.

苏塞克斯大学的亚历山大·莫拉迪说：'身高下降的一个原因是20世纪80年代的经济状况。'他说，结构调整政策之后的营养和健康危机导致许多儿童和青少年未能充分发挥其身高潜力。

Bentham believes the global trend of increasing height has important implications. "How tall we are now is strongly influenced by the environment we grew up in," he said. "If we give children the best possible start in life now, they will be healthier and more productive for decades to come."

本瑟姆认为全球身高增长的趋势具有重要意义。'我们现在的身高在很大程度上受到成长环境的影响，'他说。'如果我们现在为孩子们提供最好的人生开端，他们在未来几十年将会更健康、更高效。'