Long and short lives.

• Position: GRAPH * INTERNATIONAL

Of all the statistics in Upfront's almanac (see p. 15), those on life expectancy may be the most jarring: Why do people in some countries Live so much Longer than in others? In developed nations, good nutrition, quality health care, and relatively comfortable working and Living conditions Lengthen Life spans. In poorer nations, war, famine, and disease can all take a terrible toll. Environmental factors such as pollution also affect life expectancy. And, as this graph shows, in most countries women outlive men by about five years.

[GRAPHIC OMITTED]

ANALYZE THE GRAPH

(1) In the country with the Longest male Life expectancy, men Live--years Longer than men in the country with the shortest Life expectancy.

a 25

b 35 c 40

d 50

(2) The country where women outlive men by the widest margin is--.

a Botswana

b Russia

c Brazil

d Iraq

(3) According to this graph, a baby boy born in the U.S. today will live, on average, till the year --.

a 2074

b 2079

c 2084

d 2089

(4) According to the C.I.A.'s World Factbook 2009, the world's average Life expectancy is 65--about the same as that for--.

a North Korean women

b Chinese men

c Brazilian men

d Botswanan women

(5) The Life of a baby girt born today in--is projected to be about 120 percent Longer than that of a baby girt born today--in.

a Iceland, Iraq

b Japan, Lesotho

c the U.S., Russia

d Yemen, Ghana

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(1) How might diets in the countries with the Longest Life expectancies differ from diets in countries with the shortest Life expectancies?

(2) According to the World Health Organization, worldwide Life expectancies in the early 20th...