陳蕙雅思教材 - 雅思閱讀精選 (Colds and Age)

Colds and Age

A critical factorthat  plays a part  in susceptibility to colds is age. A

study done by theUniversity of Michigan School of Public Health revealed

particulars that seem tohold true for the general population. Infants are

the most cold           ridden  group, averaging more than six colds in theirfirst

years. Boys have morecolds than girls up to age three. After the age of

three, girls are moresusceptible than boys, and teenage girls average

three colds a year toboys' two. The general incidence of colds continues

to decline into maturity.Elderly people who are in good health have as few

as  one or two colds annually. One exception is found among  people  in  

their twenties,especially women, who show a rise in cold infections,

because people in thisage group are most likely to have young children.

Adults who  delay having children until their  thirties and forties

experience the samesudden increase in cold infections. The study also

found that economicsplays an important role. As income increases, the

frequency at which coldsare reported in the family decreases. Families

with the lowest incomesuffer about a third more colds than families at the

upper end. Lowerincome  generally forces people tolive  in more cramped

quarters than thosetypically occupied by wealthier people, and crowding

increases theopportunities for the cold virus to travel from person  to

person. Low income  may also adversely  influence diet. The  degree to

which poor nutritionaffects susceptibility to colds is not yet clearly

established, but aninadequate diet is suspected of lowering resistance

generally.

感冒與年齡

年齡是人們是否易患感冒的一個重要因素。  密歇根大學公共衛生學院揭示了一些對人 們普遍適用的細節。

嬰兒期是最易感冒的時期，從出生到一周歲平均感冒六次。 在三周歲 前，男孩比女孩感冒次數要多。  但三周歲後，女孩就更易感冒了。  十幾歲的女孩年平均感

冒三次，男孩則為兩次。  一般說來，隨著年齡的增長，感冒的次數也越來越少。  健康的老 年人每年只感冒一至兩次或更少。

但在二十至三十歲之間的人尤其是婦女出現了例外。 他 們感冒的次數有所增加，其原因在於人們通常在這一時期帶養小孩。  那些晚育至三十幾歲

或四十幾歲才有孩子的人，在那一時期感冒次數也會突然增加。  研究還發現，經濟狀況與 感冒息息相關。 隨著收入的增加，家庭成員的感冒次數呈下降趨勢。

家境貧寒的人感冒次 數要比最富裕的人多三分之一。 低收入者被迫擠住在比富人居所狹小得多的空間裡。 擁擠 的狀況為感冒病菌的傳播提供了條件。

低收入同樣不利於合理的飲食結構。 營養不良到底 對患感冒造成多大的影響目前尚不清楚，但不合理的飲食通常降低了人體的抵抗力。