Passage One The ups and downs of life may seem to have no predictable plan. But scientists now know there are very definite life patterns that almost all people share. Today, when we live 20 years longer than our great-grandparents, and when women mysteriously outlive men by seven years, it is clearer than ever that the “game of life” is really a game of trade-offs. As we age, we trade strength for ingenuity, speed for thoroughness, and passion for reason. These exchanges may not always seem fair, but at every age, there are some advantages. So it is reassuring to note that even if you’ve passed some of your “prime”, you still have other prime years to experience in the future. Certain important primes seem to peak later in time.
WHEN ARE YOU HEALTHIEST? For men, from 15 to 25; for women 15 to 30.
“A man is in his best shape in the decade before age 25,” says New York internist Dr. Donald Tomkins. “His muscles are firmest, his resistance to colds and infections is highest, and his body is most efficient in utilizing nutrients.” Women, for reasons scientists do not understand, get a five-year bonus. Peak health begins to decline when the body process called anabolism （cell growth） is overtaken by the opposite process, catabolism （cell death）. “Cells have been dying since birth,” says Tomkins, “but in our late 20’s, they start dying faster than they are replaced.” Also, muscle is replaced with fat.
Women also get an additional bonus of good health later in life. The figures of National Institute of Health show that the onset of such “old age” diseases as arthritis, rheumatism, and heart ailments denies the generally greater fitness of women: Life expectancy for men is now 68.3; for women 75.9. U.S. aging authority William Kannel says, “Older women with low blood pressure are practically important.” However, psychologists believe that by entering the competitive job market in increasing numbers, women may eventually give up their statistical advantage.
WHEN ARE YOU MOST CREATIVE? Generally between 30 to 39, but the peak varies with different professions.
Mozart wrote a symphony and four sonatas by age eight, and Mendelssohn composed his best-known work, A Midsummer Night's Dream, at 17. Psychologist H. C. Lehman presents the years for peak work in many fields. Though the peak in most fields comes early—most Nobel Prize winners did their top research in their late 20's and 30’s——creative people continue to produce quality work throughout their lives. Questions 1-5 are based on Passage One.
1.C 2.C 3.B 4.A 5.C
