【Unlocking Word Meanings】
今日の単語・フレーズ
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. reveal /rɪˈvil/ (v.) – to show or make something known
Example: She did not want to reveal the results of her plans.
2. analyze /ˈæn lˌaɪz/ (v.) – to carefully study or examine something
Example: They spent the whole day analyzing the project.
3. average /ˈæv ər ɪ/ (adj.) – the normal quantity of something
Example: They also studied the average weight of people in America.
4. genetic /dʒəˈnɛt ɪk/ (adj.) – something that is inherited from members of the family
Example: Scientists believe that her disease is a genetic disorder.
5. call for /kɔl fɔr/ (verb phrase) – to demand or require
Example: Employees are calling for a salary increase.
【Article】
ニュース記事
Read the text below.
A study revealed the countries that have the tallest men and women in the world.
The research team, led by researchers from Imperial College London, analyzed height charts of 18-year-olds over a 100-year period, from 1914 to 2014. The research found that men from the Netherlands and women from Latvia are the tallest in the world. Based on the results of the research, Dutch men have an average height of 182.5 centimeters while Latvian women have an average height of 170 centimeters.
The research involved more than 800 scientists. They discovered that the average height of people in some countries continued to grow through the study’s 100-year span. For example, Iranian men’s height increased by around 16.5 centimeters, while Korean women grew taller by around 20.2 centimeters.
While the trend in some countries is for people to grow taller, the opposite happened in some countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Finland. People from these countries have stopped growing over the past forty years. In addition, for the past five years, people in sub-Saharan Africa have been growing shorter by five centimeters.
While experts note that height is largely determined by genetic factors, a public health researcher from Imperial College London says that nutrition also plays an important role in height.
Scientists claim that improved nutrition is one of the reasons why men from the Netherlands are tall. Dutch people eat a lot of dairy products, such as milk and cheese, which are rich in protein. Majid Ezzati, a professor from the Imperial College, said that the research calls for more focus on children’s and adolescents’ nutrition.
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【Viewpoint Discussion】
ディスカッションテーマ
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
· Do you think that conducting height studies is important? Why or why not?
· How can having tall citizens benefit a country? Discuss.
Discussion B
· Would you rather be tall or short? Why?
· Aside from height, what are other physical traits that can benefit a person?
