Unit 9 Why French Live Longer In 1965, a French lawyer, Andre Raffray, gambled on statistics and lost. He acquired the flat of a 90-year-old woman, Jeanne Calment, agreeing to pay her a lifetime pension of 2,500 francs a month in exchange. It seemed reasonable to think Calment would die before him. After all, he was only 47. As the decades flew past, Raffray went into a sad decline. On Christmas Day, 1995, aged 77, he died, having paid out three times the market value of the apartment. At her nursing home in Arles that day, Calment, aged 120, dined on chicken liver and roast duck. She would enjoy life for another two year before dying, the longest-lived human being whose age can be confirmed by reliable records. "I took pleasure when I could. I acted clearly and morally and without regret. I'm very lucky," she said. Was it mere luck? Perhaps something else was at work. True, Calment was exceptional. But with a glass of red wine in one hand and a health insurance card in the other, the French appear to dance their way toward being the longest-lived nation on earth. The French have steadily competed wit the Japanese in terms of average life expectancy. French researchers have declared that, if recent trends in death rates continue, average life expectancy in France would reach 85 by 2033. If their predictions ring true, the French life expectancy will be two years ahead of Japan, well ahead of Britain, and leaving the US in the dust. It was French cardiologist Serge Renaud, who coined the phrase "the French paradox". His research showed that, despite eating a diet high in saturated fat, the French tended to live longer and had one of the lowest rates of coronary disease in the industrialized countries. He put it down to wine. Two or three glasses a day, he said -- with some heavy scientific data to back it up -- combat not just heart disease, but cancer. It was a great boost to French pride, not to mention French wine exports. However, it is French women who are living longer. In 1998, they had a life expectancy of 82.4, compared to 79.7 for women in England and Wales. Marjorie Marais, who works in publishing in London, says that the difference in drinking culture between the two societies is very marked -- as much to do with rhythm as quantities. "The French drink a lot ore regularly, in smaller quantities" she said. But it is not just about lifestyle choice. The French health care system, funded by compulsory insurance from individuals and employers, is better. Improvements in the French health service are also a reason for greater average longevity -- such as better training and equipment to deal with cardiac emergencies.
心灵鸡汤:单身男女情人节过节攻略
心灵鸡汤:用心去发现你自己
心灵鸡汤:你对命运公平吗
经济学告诉你:关于幸福的10件事
心灵鸡汤:工作和娱乐Work and Pleasure
经典小诗:我二十一岁的时候
名女人:帮你横扫人生七大沮丧时刻
人生路上,你可能会需要这样几句话
心灵鸡汤:励志诗篇If 如果
挫折必修课:面对失败你需要对自己说的10句话
经典小诗:晚安Good Night
经典小诗欣赏:爱之物语 (一)
心灵鸡汤:爱因斯坦十大名言
卓越不仅仅是行为,而是习惯
心灵鸡汤:在监狱中悟出的人生哲理
爱的召唤When Love Beckons You
心灵鸡汤:巴菲特致股东的信
随风潜入夜,润物细无声——春
自信成就一切Self
心灵鸡汤:爸爸,祝您父亲节快乐!
悼念:波兰女诗人维斯瓦娃·辛波丝卡
心灵鸡汤:积极地看待生活
十年生死两茫茫:看西方的悼亡诗句
坚持你的方向Keep Your Direction
恋爱中的狮子The Lion in Love
真实的故事:有关自行车及生活
美文赏析:别再忽略那些想法
爱情要如何邂逅:你爱我什么?
心灵鸡汤:幸福路上的十道坎
白色情人节特供:那些流淌在心中的爱情箴言
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |