考研英语阅读能力提升需要不断地积累练习，通过多阅读来积累词汇，提升阅读速度，强化把握主旨能力。2017考研复习之初，时间相对充裕，新东方在线建议大家每天多做一些阅读，可娱乐也可增长见闻，还能提升能力。下面一篇文章是关于一种谁也不想拥有的基因。

2017考研英语拓展阅读：一种谁也不想拥有的基因

　　It’s no secret that good genes can explain why some people age well. But researchers said Thursday they have identified a specific gene variant that can make people look about two years older than their actual age.

　　众所周知，有些人看起来比较年轻的原因是拥有优良的基因。但在本周二，研究人员表示，他们鉴定出一种特殊的基因变种，能使人们看起来比实际年龄衰老两岁。

　　Scientists already know that the gene in question, known as MC1R, is responsible for producing red hair and pale skin, according to the report in the journal Current Biology.

　　据《当代生物学》期刊报道，科学家们已经知道这种被称为MC1R的基因会导致红色头发和皮肤苍白。

　　But now they have identified a variation in this gene that seems to age people faster.

　　但是现在，他们在这种基因里发现了变异，能使人们老得更快。

　　"For the first time, a gene has been found that explains in part why some people look older and others younger for their age," said researcher Manfred Kayser of Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

　　“我们第一次发现，基因可以在一定程度上解释为什么有些人显老，而有些人显年轻，” 荷兰鹿特丹市伊拉斯谟大学医学中心的研究员曼弗雷德·凯瑟尔说。

　　Previous research has shown that a person’s genes and environmental factors contribute equally to how old a person looks.

　　此前的研究表明，一个人看起来的年龄是由基因和环境因素共同导致的。

　　Perceived age is also important because it can be linked to a person’s actual health and their risk of dying prematurely, other research has suggested.

　　其他研究已经表明，外表年龄至关重要，能够反映一个人的实际健康状况和过早死亡的风险。

　　For the current study, scientists examined the genomes of more than 2,600 elderly Dutch Europeans "for DNA variants associated with differences in perceived facial age and wrinkling as estimated from digital facial images," the report said.

　　在当前的研究中，科学家们对2600多个老年荷兰人的基因组进行检测。报告称，科学家们发现人们实际的面部年龄以及数字面部图像中起皱情况的不同，都与DNA变体有关。

　　"The strongest hits for perceived facial age were for DNA variants in the MC1R gene."

　　“实际面部年龄最显老的是拥有MC1R基因变体的那些人。”

　　Researchers said they were able to confirm their finding in two other large European studies.

　　研究人员表示，他们的发现也得到了另外两项更大型欧洲研究的证实。

　　The influence of the MC1R gene variant was not swayed by age, sex, skin color, or sun damage.

　　MC1R基因变体的影响不会随着年龄、性别、皮肤颜色和晒伤而改变。

　　MC1R is also known for its role in inflammation and DNA damage repair, processes that may influence how youthful a person appears, researchers said。

　　研究人员表示，MC1R也会引起炎症和DNA损伤修复，从而影响一个人看起来的年龄。