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Slow Aging
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/ 9- Details
- Parent Category: Lower-Intermediate News Lessons
- Category: Health Lessons
- Written by Chris Cotter
Lifestyle choices affect aging. People who smoke usually have dry, rough skin. They have wrinkles around their lips too. Or people who suntan have skin like leather, as well as deep wrinkles around the eyes. People who have too much stress get dark circles under their eyes. However, smoking, sun, and stress affect the inside of people too. And until now, no one knew the seriousness of these unseen effects.
Scientists are closely examining the lifestyles of identical twins. Because twins begin life as exact copies of one another, different behavior will affect each sibling's body. Scientists can then compare these differences. Photos show how lifestyle choices affect the outward appearance of the body, and there are internal differences too. The study is currently examining 186 pairs of adult twins.
Scientists are looking at positive lifestyle choices of the siblings too. Healthy diets of fruits and vegetables, exercise, and reducing the amount of stress in the lives of the twins all add years to a their lives.
The goal is to one day extend the lives of humans to 200 or 300 years. Twins may hold an important piece of the puzzle.
Preview some of the lesson material:
Warm Up: Do you agree or disagree? Why?
- You should enjoy life and not worry about growing older.
- Although everyone grows old, I'd prefer to grow old gracefully.
- I want to look and feel young for as long as possible.
- Someday humans will likely live for hundreds of years.
- My generation will likely live for hundreds of years.
Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence from today's article.
- Or people who suntan have skin like leather, as well as...
- Scientists are closely examining...
- Scientists are looking at...
- Twins may hold an...
post-Comprehension: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers!
- How concerned are you with aging? Please explain.
- Do you think people in general are too worried about aging? Why/not?
- What lifestyle choices have you made that have had negative effects?
- What lifestyle choices have you made that have had positive effects?
- If humans could double their lifespan, would it be a good idea? Why/not?
Google Search: Type "aging" into Google. Look at the websites, and/or read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings.
