Two recent studies have confirmed the belief that size does matter, at least when it comes to cancer. The first builds on previo

admin2013-08-22  36

问题     Two recent studies have confirmed the belief that size does matter, at least when it comes to cancer. The first builds on previous evidence that being overweight is a major risk factor for breast cancer, and the second suggests that tall people are prone to a number of common cancers.
    Our bodies contain trillions of cells that are constantly renewing or repairing themselves. Normal cells know where they are in the body, and behave appropriately. They grow and reproduce only when required, and self-destruct when they come to the end of their life. But, because of the problems in their software(DNA), cancer cells no longer respond to these normal signals and grow out of control.
    Numerous mistakes are made during cell division every minute of every day and the body has natural defense systems to spot the damage and repair it, or kill the affected cells. The more cells you have, and the longer you live, the greater the odds of one of these mistakes slipping through. And that is without the external influence of carcinogens(诱癌因素).
    Risk factors such as being overweight or taller than average are not direct carcinogens and it is often unclear why they increase the risk of cancer. The link with height may simply be down to taller people having more cells, meaning that there is more opportunity for things to go wrong. The link with obesity is likely to be more complex, but in the case of breast cancer it is thought that overweight women tend to produce more oestrogen(雌激素), a hormone(荷尔蒙)that can act as a "fertilizer" for some types of breast cancer.
    Whatever the cause, the result is the same. Once enough mistakes have occurred for a cell to escape the body’s normal control mechanisms, it divides unchecked and a tumor(肿瘤)develops.
    Will we have a cure? Probably not. But recent advances using drugs that target proteins in cancer cells to control their growth and spread suggest that we are about to enter an era when we may be able to slow and control cancer to such an extent that it will become a chronic(慢性的)disease that can be held in check.
What do we learn about cell division from the passage?

选项 A、Damages are caused solely by some external factors.
B、Mistakes can be avoided if the cells behave properly.
C、Affected cells will be repaired by the defense systems.
D、Defense systems in the body help correct the mistakes.

答案D

解析 根据题干关键词cell division定位到第三段: Numerous mistakes are made during cell division everyminute of every day and the body has natural defense systems to spot the damage and repair it,or kill the affectedcells.每时每刻都在发生的细胞分裂过程会出现无数的错误,而身体的自然防御系统发现损害并修复它,或者杀死感染了的细胞。D)项是原文的同义转述,故为答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/vcoFFFFM
0

最新回复(0)