2008 考研英语阅读真题Text 3(英语二)

2008 Text 3（英语⼆）身⾼与遗传
In the early 1960s, Wilt Chamberlain was one of only three players in (NBA) listed at over seven feet.
If he had played last season, however, he would have been one of 42.
The bodies playing have changed dramatically over the years, and managers have been more than willing to adjust team uniforms to fit the growing numbers of bigger, longer frames.
The trend in sports, though, may be obscuring an unrecognized reality: Americans have generally stopped growing.
Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today's people — especially those born to families who have lived in the U.S. for many generations — apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s.
And they aren't likely to get any taller.
"In the general population today, at this genetic, environmental level, we've pretty much gone as far as we can go, " says anthropologist William Cameron Chumlea of .
In the case of NBA players, their increase in height appears to result from the increasingly common practice of recruiting players from all over the world.the National Basketball Association 在 20 世纪 60 年代早期，Wilt Chamberlain 是美国国家篮球协会中仅有的身⾼超过 7 英尺的三个⼈之⼀。

可是如果他参加了上个赛季的话，他就变成了 1/42 了。

major professional sports 这些年来在较⼤的职业体育运动中的运动员的身体状况发⽣了很⼤的改变，⽽他们的经理⼈也更愿意调整队员的运动服来适应队员们更⼤，更⾼的身材。

虽然体育界的这种趋势可能蒙蔽了⼀个没有被承认的现实：美国⼈基本上停⽌⽣⻓了。

虽然现在⼈们⽐ 140 年前⾼了 2 英⼨，特别是那些出⽣在已移⺠美国很多代的那些⼈，但是明显的，在⼆⼗世纪 60 年代早期，已经到达了他们的身⾼的极限。

他们已经不可能再⻓得更⾼了。

Wright State University Wright 州⼤学的⼈类学家 William Cameron Chumlea 说：“在这个基因和环境的条件下，现在整体的⼈们已经⻓到我们能够达到的范围了。

”
Growth, which rarely continues beyond the age of 20, demands calories and nutrients — notably, protein — to feed expanding tissues.
At the start of the 20th century, under-nutrition and childhood infections got in the way.
But as diet and health improved, children and adolescents have, on average,
increased in height by about an inch and a half every 20 years, a pattern known as the in height.
Yet according to the , — 5'9″ for men, 5'4″ for women — hasn't really changed since 1960.
Genetically speaking, there are advantages to avoiding substantial height.
During childbirth, larger babies have more difficulty passing through the .
Moreover, even though humans have been upright for millions of years, our feet and back continue to struggle with bipedal posture and cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs.
"There are some real constraints that are set by the genetic architecture of the individual organism, " says anthropologist William Leonard of Northwestern University.
拿 NBA 球员来说，他们身⾼的增加主要由于从世界各地招募到了球员。

身⾼的增⻓⼀般在 20 岁以后就停⽌了，⽽发育是需要能量和营养的，其中的蛋⽩质⽤来供给组织的⽣⻓。

在 20 世纪初，营养不良和⼉童疾病妨碍了整体的发育。

secular trend 但是当饮⻝和健康的促进，⼉童和⻘少年平均每 20 年都增⻓了⼤概 1.5 英⼨，这就是⻓⾼的趋势。

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention average height 根据疾病防治中⼼，从 1960 年开始，⼈们平均身⾼，男性 5 英尺 9 英⼨，⼥性 5 英尺 4 英⼨，就没有什么变化了。

从遗传的⻆度来看，避免过⾼的身⾼是有很多优点的。

birth canal 在⽣产时，较⼤的婴⼉通过产道是有更多的问题的。

⽽且，就算⼈类已经直⽴⾏⾛已经⼏百万年了，我们的脚和背部继续对抗着巨⼤的压⼒，这些压⼒来源于双⾜直⽴的姿势和巨⼤的肢体。

Genetic maximums can change, but don't expect this to happen soon.
Claire C. Gordon, senior anthropologist at the Army Research Center in Natick, Mass., ensures that 90 percent of the uniforms and workstations fit recruits without alteration.
She says that, unlike those for basketball, the length of has not changed for some time.
And if you need to predict human height in the near future to design a piece of
equipment, Gordon says that by and large, "you could use today's data and feel fairly confident. "
⻄北⼤学的⼈类学家 William Leonard 说：“有⼀些限制是个体器官的基因结构导致的。

”
基因的最⼤化可以改变，但是不要期待它会⻢上就能发⽣。

Mass 州的 Natick 的军队研究中⼼的⾼级⼈类学家 Claire C. Gordon 确信百分之九⼗的⼊伍新兵不需要更换新的制服和⼯作站。

military uniforms 她说，不像那些篮球制服，军队的制服⻓度很⻓时间都没有改变了。

如果你需要在不远的将来预测⼈类的身⾼⽽去设计⼀款新的设备，Gordon 说基本上，“你都可以使⽤现在的数据，并且⾮常地⾃信。

”。