Title: U.S. Life
Expectancy Rises to Record Level
Source: Associated Press / Fox News
Date: Monday, Feb. 28, 2005
Level: Intermediate
Click for article
[Excerpt]
Declines in death rates from most major causes —
including heart disease and cancer — have pushed
Americans' life expectancy to a record 77.6 years.
Women are still living longer than men, but the gap
is narrowing.
Women now have a life expectancy of 80.1 years, 5.3
more than men. That's down from 5.4 years in 2002
and continues a steady decline from a peak
difference of 7.8 years in 1979, the National Center
for Health Statistics said Monday in its annual
mortality report.
Women now have a life expectancy
of 80.1 years, 5.3 more than men. That's down from
5.4 years in 2002 and continues a steady decline
from a peak difference of 7.8 years in 1979, the
National Center for Health Statistics said Monday in
its annual mortality report.
Research indicates there also is an increase in
active life expectancy, said Mary A. Salmon, a
sociology professor at the University of North
Carolina.
"It's not that we're having a lot of very old, sick
people," she said in a telephone interview.
She added, "There has been lots of speculation on
how this will affect Social Security, of course."
This is an excerpt. For full article,
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Vocabulary
Try to guess what these words mean from reading the
article.
If you need help, check out
OneLook Dictionary Search
New words you will see in this article:
baby
boomer(s)
chronic
crisis
decline(s)
expectancy
flu
gap
hypertension
kidney
|
mortality
peak
pneumonia
respiratory
sociology
speculation
statistic(ally)
suicide
|
Talking
Points
With your
tutor,
conversation partners, or classmates, you
may wish to discuss the following:
1. What is the life expectancy rate in your country?
For men / women?
2. As people live longer, what difficulties do
they face?
3. What challenges must society face when dealing
with a growing elderly population?
4. Who has the primary responsibility to care for
senior citizens?
5. Who will take care of your parents (or
grandparents) when they can no longer care for
themselves?
For Additional
Practice
Pretend you are over 80 years old. Discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of living alone (in
contrast to living with your children or in a
nursing home).e
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