Faculty of Letters

Specialized Modern Language Department

TEST OF ENGLISH

Text A: Insert each word on the left in its corresponding place in the text.
from
over
not
harsh
driven
as
ageing
clock programmed ill / ______is a very complex process which in short means that
______the years we will become more liable to fall
______and eventually to die. That is the simple
______truth that defines the essence of the aging process. We now know that aging is
______by the build up of damage in the cells and organs of our bodies
______we live our lives. People used to think that there was some kind of
______ticking inside there but that is
______the case. We are
______for survival but our survival mechanisms are not good enough to prevent damage
______building up gradually day by day.
Text B: Insert the following sentences/phrases in their corresponding place in the text below. There is one extra variant that should be crossed out.
a) Professor Tom Kirkwood is director of the Institute for Ageing and Health at the University of Newcastle.
b) That defends them against this or the other kind of damage.
c) So, sadly for us, we age because our genes evolved to treat the body as something of a throwaway.
d) Which, we must say, is actually quite costly. / f) In the past, very many people would die as children.
g) that could keep the body going beyond the 30 or 40 or 50 years.
h) in their nutrition or in the circumstances of their lives.
e) Understanding why it is that some people age faster than others is really important.
You might think that in our evolutionary past our genes would have put a really high priority on building a body that could last forever. But you do not have to go very far back in history to find a time when life spans were rather short.
(1) …………………………………………………… Others died quite early in their adulthood due to some kind of accident, starvation, an injury, an infection or whatever. So back then life expectancy was short and our genes would not have bothered much about investing in the maintenance and repair of the body.
(2) …………………………………………………… It takes a quite of lot the energy that is available to the body to keep things in good shape. It is easy to understand that back then, when the life expectancy was limited, it was a relatively low priority for our genes to invest in systems
(3) …………………………………………………….
That is the age range that would be necessary in order to produce the next generation.
(4) …………………………………………………... / However, while everybody is bound to age, it is quite obvious that we do not all age in the same way.
It does seem that people have different rates of ageing and some of this would come from differences in their particular genetic endowment. Some people will have better genetic setting of the level for DNA repair for example.
(5) …………………………………………………… Some people may age at different rates because they live their lives in circumstances that impose a higher burden of damage. Some people are luckier than others in the environment they live in,
(6) …………………………………………………… So there is great variability in the way that the ageing process plays out in each and every one of us.
(7) …………………………………………………… We want to be able to understand where this variability comes from because what we would like to do is to be able to use that information to give everybody the same chance, or as near as possible an equal chance to living a long and healthy life.
Text C: Read the two texts below and answer the questions that follow.
Okinawa, Japan
There is one remarkable scientific fact that sets Okinawans apart from the rest of us, they actually age more slowly than almost anyone else on earth.
"The calendar may say they're 70 but their body says they're 50," says Bradley Willcox, a scientist researching the extraordinary phenomenon. "The most impressive part of it is that a good lot of them are healthy until the very end."
Finding the cause of their exceptional longevity is not simple but the spotlight has fallen on one hormone - DHEA. It's a precursor of both oestrogen and testosterone and produced in the adrenal glands.
While scientists don't know what it does, they do know the hormone decreases with age and levels decline at a much slower rate among the Okinawans.
Explanations for this mostly centre around the dinner table. The Okinawans not only eat more tofu and soya products than any other population in the world, their diet also includes a vast range of different vegetables and fruit all rich in anti-oxidants. Scientists refer to it as a rainbow diet.
But it's what they don't eat that may be at the heart of their exceptionally long lives. The Okinawan's most significant cultural tradition is known as hara hachi bu, which translated means eat until you're only 80% full.
In a typical day they only consume around 1,200 calories, about 20% less than most people in the UK. Culturally it is a million miles from attitudes in a lot of Western societies, where all-you-can-eat meal deals are offered in restaurants on most high streets.
Scientists call it caloric restriction, but don't entirely understand why it works. They think it sends a signal to the body that there is going to be a impending famine, sending it into a protective, self-preservation mode.
"It's this ability to trick their bodies into starvation that may be keeping Okinawans physiologically so young. It's a stark contrast with the cultural habits that drive food consumption in other parts of the world," says Mr Willcox. / Ovodda, SardiniaDDA, SARDINIA
In stark contrast to Okinawans, the residents of Ovodda don't count calories and meat is very firmly on the menu, while tofu and soya are not.
But this small town of just over 1,700 residents boasts five centenarians and, even more remarkably, as many men live to 100 as women.
The benefits of a Mediterranean diet are well known, but this still does not account for the number in Ovodda and other parts of Sardinia. It's even the case that Sardinians who emigrated at 20, 30 or 40 years of age still manage to reach 100, say researchers.
Over the years Professor Luca Deiana has tested every single Sardinian centenarian and has come up with a surprising theory about why there are so many.
For hundreds of years families in Ovodda have lived in relative isolation from the rest of the world, marrying into each others' families. In fact most people living in the town today are descended from only a few original settlers.
"Marriage among relatives is not the rule but there are some cases of this taking place," says Professor Deiana.
"From a genetic point of view when this happens there's a higher probability of having genetic diseases, but also of having positive results like centenarians."
In Ovodda, this interbreeding actually seems to have enabled people to live longer. The limited gene pool has provided a unique opportunity to discover specific genes that are associated with long life. Professor Deiana has detected a number of unusual genetic characteristics that seem to link the centenarians of Ovodda.
"One particular gene on the X chromosome seems to be faulty, failing to produce an enzyme known as G6PD. This can often have a negative impact on health, but in Ovodda it may well have had a positive effect."
The role G6PD may play in living longer is now being researched further, but the professor is convinced the genetic elixir of life lies with the families of Ovodda.

Complete the blanks in the following sentences with information from the text, which you should phrase in your own way so as to match the context.

1. Caloric restriction means that ………..…………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………., while a rainbow diet places special importance on ………………………………………………………………..

......

2. What keeps Okinawans away from eating excesses is a ………………...………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………, namely………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. DHEA is found in ………………………………………………………………………………………………...

…………………………………………………...in Okinawans as compared to other elderly people in the world.

4. People in Ovodda live just as much as their Japanese counterparts although…………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5. Lifestyle and climate do not seem to have much influence on the Ovoddians’ longevity, as proven by the fact that…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… .

6. There is a very well known, scientifically estabilished negative side of interbreeding, the fact that …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. .

7. Hovever, in the case of Ovoddians, interbreeding seems to have been also …………………………………….

.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ,since their G6PD …………………………………………………………………………………………………...

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………......

WRITING.

Use the next page to write a brief presentation on a university course that has had an important impact on your formation.

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Professor Tom Kirkwood is the co-director of the Institute for Ageing and Health at the University of Newcastle. His research focuses on the science of ageing and on understanding how genes as well as non-genetic such as nutrition influence longevity and health in old age.

Text A:
Ageing is a very complex process which in short means that over the years we will become more liable to fall ill and eventually to die. That is the the simple harsh truth that defines the essence of the ageing process. We now know that aging is driven by the build up of damage in the cells and organs of our bodies as we live our lives. People used to think that there was some kind of clock ticking inside there but that is not the case. We are programmed for survival but our survival mechanisms are not quite good enough to prevent damage from building up gradually subtly day by day.

Text B:

Give each paragraph a title under the form of a wh-question.

You might think that in our evolutionary past our genes would have put a really high priority on building a body that could last forever. But you do not have to go very far back in history to find a time when life spans were rather short.

In the past, very many people would die as children. Others died quite early in their adulthood due to some kind of accident, starvation, an injury, an infection or whatever. So back then life expectancy was short and our genes would not have bothered much about investing in the maintenance and repair of the body. Which, we must say, is actually quite costly. It takes a quite of lot the energy that is available to the body to keep things in good shape. It is easy to understand that back then, when the life expectancy was limited, it was a relatively low priority for our genes to invest in systems that could keep the body going beyond the 30 or 40 or 50 years. That is the age range that would be necessary in order to produce the next generation. So, sadly for us, we age because our genes evolved to treat the body as something of a throwaway.

However, while everybody is bound to age, it is quite obvious that we do not all age in the same way. It does seem that people have different rates of ageing and some of this would come from differences in their particular genetic endowment. Some people will have better genetic setting of the level for DNA repair for example. That defends them against this or the other kind of damage. Some people may age at different rates because they live their lives in circumstances that impose a higher burden of damage. Some people are luckier than others in the environment they live in, in their nutrition or in the circumstances of their lives. So there is great variability in the way that the ageing process plays out in each and every one of us.

Understanding why it is that some people age faster than others is really important. We want to be able to understand where this variability comes from because what we would like to do is to be able to use that information to give everybody the same chance, or as near as possible an equal chance to living a long and healthy life.

What ages us?

Why don't we live forever?

Why don't our genes keep our bodies going forever?

Why do we age differently?

What causes this variability?

Loma Linda, California

In Loma Linda, California, one community is proving anyone can increase their chances of living a longer, healthier life. The extraordinary longevity of residents may not have anything to do with genes.

The community has discovered a secret that's much easier to find than any gene. Its effect is so powerful that it enables them to live longer than anyone else in the US.

For many of those living in Loma Lindo long life is a matter of faith. A significant number of people in the town are Seventh Day Adventist, a religion whose members live between five and 10 years longer than fellow citizens.

This can be partly explained by the fact Adventists don't drink or smoke and many stick to a vegetarian diet the church advises. But not all members do and even they live significantly longer than average.