World News for Students of English

08-09-2022 15:00

In the 1960s, the average American’s life expectancy was almost 70 years old, and the US ranked 18^th in the world.

Today, the country’s average life expectancy is 77 years old; however, other countries made more progress in expectancy. In 2020, the US ranked 61^st out of 237 nations.

After World War II and the postwar boom, Americans benefited from medical advances like penicillin and open-heart surgery. As the 20^th century progressed, Americans lived longer, but they also developed unhealthy habits. The diet started to rely on prepared foods that we commonly call junk food. More people got involved in work, and they did less exercise.

Nowadays, many people are lacking a health care system, and they don’t take preventive actions early enough to deal with illnesses. In the last 30 years, the use of opiates has reached an epidemic level, and obesity has gotten much higher, too.

Difficult words: life expectancy (the number of year a person can expect to live), boom (a period of prosperity or economic growth), opiate (a drug that treats pain or causes sleepiness).

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