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In the cause of equal rights, feminists have had much to complain about. But one striking piece of inequality has been conveniently overlooked: lifespan. In this area, women have the upper hand. All round the world, they live longer than men. Why they should do so is not immediately obvious. But the same is true in many other species. From lions to antelope and from sea lions to deer, males, for some reason, simply can't go the distance.
One theory is that males must compete for female attention. That means evolution is busy selecting for antlers, aggression and alloy wheels in males, at the expense of longevity. Females are not subject to such pressures. If this theory is correct, the effect will be especially noticeable in those species where males compete for the attention of lots of females. Conversely, it will be reduced or absent where they do not.
To test that idea, Tim Clutton-Brock of Cambridge University and Kavita Isvaran of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengalooru decided to compare monogamous and polygynous species ( in the latter, a male monopolises a number of females ). They wanted to find out whether polygynous males had lower survival rates and aged faster than those of monogamous species. To do so, they collected the relevant data for 35 species of long-lived birds and mammals.
As they report this week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society the pattern was much as they expected. In 16 of the 19 polygynous species in their sample, males of all ages were much more likely to die during any given period than were females. Furthermore, the older they got, the bigger the mortality gap became. In other words, they aged faster. Males from monogamous species did not show these patterns.
The point about polygyny, according to Dr Clutton-Brock, is that if one male has exclusive access to, say, ten females, another nine males will be waiting to topple the harem master as soon as he shows the first sign of weakness. The intense competitive pressure means that individuals who succeed put all their efforts into one or two breeding seasons.
That obviously takes its toll directly. But a more subtle effect may also be at work. Most students of ageing agree that an animal's maximum lifespan is set by how long it can reasonably expect to escape predation, disease, accident and damaging aggression by others of its kind. If it will be killed quickly anyway, there is not much reason for evolution to divert scarce resources into keeping the machine in tip-top condition. Those resources should, instead, be devoted to reproduction. And the more threatening the outside world is, the shorter the maximum lifespan should be.
（選自 The Economist）
1. In the essay, the meaning of "antlers, aggression and alloy wheels" ( line1, para. 2) are .
A. their male signs, aggression and power
B. their food, aggression and power
C. their male signs, aggression and authority
D. their food, territories and power
2. According to the essay, what are Tim Clutton Brock and Kavita Isvaran's expectation?
A. In the area of life span, females have the upper hand than males.
B. Comparing polygynous males and monogamous males, the later ones had lower survival rates and aged faster.
C. In the polygynous species, males of all ages were much more likely to die than were females.
D. The polygynous had higher survival rates and aged slower than those of monogamous species.
3. The Proceedings of the Royal Society ( line 1, para. 4 ) is .
A. a learned conference
B. a magazine
C. a broadcasting program
D. a newspaper
4. According to the last paragraph, "a more subtle effect" refers to .
A. the revolting rule
B. the ability of escaping from the outside world's threatening
C. the threatening from the outside world
D. their own life style
5. According to the essay, which of the following statements is FALSE?
A. It's a fact that females have longer lifespan than males in many species.
B. Females are not subject to the pressures which is at the expense of longevity, so they can live longer.
C. Polygynous males had lower survival rates and aged faster than those of monogamous species.
D. Males' competition takes its toll, but the ability of escaping from threatening from the outside world is a more subtle effect.
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（上下滑動查看單詞）
complain [kəmˈpleɪn]
vi. 抱怨，悲嘆，控訴
inequality [ˌɪnɪˈkwɒləti]
n. 不平等，不同，不等式，（表面）不平坦（用複數）
feminist [ˈfemənɪst]
n. 男女平等主義者，女權主義者
antelope [ˈæntɪləʊp]
n. 羚羊
overlook [ˌəʊvəˈlʊk]
vt. 俯瞰，聳出，遠眺，沒注意到
n. 眺望，俯瞰中的景色
longevity [lɒnˈdʒevəti]
n. 壽命，供職期限，資歷
distance [ˈdɪstəns]
n. 距離，一長段時間，遠景，遙遠
monogamous [mə'nɒɡəməs]
adj. 一夫一妻的，一雌一雄的
evolution [ˌi:vəˈlu:ʃn]
n. 進展，發展，演變，進化
polygynous [pə'lɪdʒənəs]
adj. 一夫多妻的，多雌蕊的
aggression [əˈgreʃn]
n. 進攻，侵略
conversely [ˈkɒnvɜ:sli]
adv. 倒地，逆地
monopolise [mə'nɒpəlaɪz]
vt. （monopolize）壟斷，獲得. 的專賣權
mammal [ˈmæml]
n. 哺乳動物
mortality [mɔ:ˈtæləti]
n. 死亡率
polygyny [pə'lɪdʒənɪ]
n. 一夫多妻
lifespan [ˈlaɪfspæn]
n. （動植物的）壽命，預期生命期限，（物的）預期使用期限
intense [ɪnˈtens]
adj. 強烈的，熱情的，激烈的
predation [prɪˈdeɪʃn]
n. 掠奪行為
resource [rɪˈsɔ:s]
n. 資源，財力，辦法，智謀
scarce [skeəs]
adj. 缺乏的，不足的，稀有的
threatening [ˈθretnɪŋ]
adj. 脅迫的，危險的
1. If this theory is correct, the effect will be especially noticeable in those species where males compete for the attention of lots of females.
結構分析：本句是一個複合句。主句是 the effect will be... species；If 引導的是一個條件狀語從句；where後面引導一個定語從句，來修飾 those species。
參考譯文：如果這種理論是正確的，那麼在那些雄性為贏得更多雌性青睞的物種中其影響會顯而易見。
2. The point about polygyny, according to Dr Clutton-Brock, is that if one male has exclusive access to, say, ten females, another nine males will be waiting to topple the harem master as soon as he shows the first sign of weakness.
結構分析：本句是一個複合句。主句是The point about... is；that後面引導的是一個表語從句，來作is的表語；if跟後面的 as soon as引導的均是一個條件狀語從句。
參考譯文：克拉頓·布羅克博士指出，一夫多妻制的關鍵在於，如果一個雄性獨佔10個雌性，那麼當他剛一出現衰弱徵兆時，另外的9個雄性對其地位虎視眈眈。
3. Most students of ageing agree that an animal's maximum lifespan is set by how long it can reasonably expect to escape predation, disease, accident and damaging aggression by others of its kind.
結構分析：本句是一個複合句。主句是 Most students of ageing agree；that引導一個賓語從句，來作 agree的賓語；這個賓語從句本身又是一個被動句，由 is set by可以看出；how... of its kind是一個how引導的賓語從句，來作介詞by的賓語。
參考譯文：動物的最長壽命取決於它能多少次逃離被捕食、疾病、意外事故和同類的毀滅性攻擊，大多數學生也贊同這一觀點。
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