43. In line 22, the word “increase” could best be replaced by

(A) proliferation
(B) diffusion
(C) secretion
(D) absorption

44~50 題 行數
Bathed in estrogen in the womb, all fetuses begin life as females. The male 1
of the species is created about two months after conception when a burst of
testosterone produces the masculine sex organs. With no need for such a
cataclysmic event to create her primary sexual infrastructure, the female
experiences her first hormonal surge at puberty when an upswing in estrogen
ripens her reproductive tract and proclaims her maturity to the world by 6
producing breasts and the monthly cycle whose advent, in all cultures, is
recognized as a major life event.
Estrogen, then, is the source of womanhood. But it also plays a central, and
rather surprising, role in women’s health beyond reproduction. It has been shown
to promote certain diseases like cancers of the breast and endometrium and to 11
ward off others like heart disease and osteoporosis. Indeed, researchers are
beginning to see estrogen as a powerful elixir, affecting the growth of a woman’s
cells, her bone density, her cholesterol levels, her youthfulness, and even her
perception and coordination. Yet, as medical science is discovering its many roles
in a woman’s life, society is blithely attempting to ignore estrogen’s signals. 16
For all its attractions, the life of the modern woman runs directly counter to
the impulses of the hormones and to the ways of the female ancestors. Never
before in history have women come into puberty so early, yet borne so few
children, had those children so late and then lived so long after menopause.
Yet women are attempting to reforge their identities as if their essential body 21
chemistry had no bearing on the matter, as if womanhood had no biological
definition. The truth is, all human beings are shaped by their hormones as surely
as life is powered by the sun.