Questão de Língua Inglesa

‹Ci›Cargo: Nome‹Cf› \t/1 The same nerves involved in the fight-or-flight response can cause permanent damage to the cells responsible for producing hair color in mice, scientists 4 have found. There is some truth to the longstanding anecdote that your locks can lose color when you’re stressed. 7 A team of researchers has found that in mice, stressful events damage the stem cells that are responsible for producing pigment in hair. These stem cells, found near 10 the base of each hair follicle, differentiate to form more specialized cells called melanocytes, which generate the brown, black, red and yellow hues in hair and skin. Stress 13 makes the stem cells differentiate faster, exhausting their number and resulting in strands that are more likely to be transparent — gray. 16 The study also found that the sympathetic nervous system, which prepares the body to respond to threats, plays a major role in the graying process. “Normally, the 19 sympathetic nervous system is an emergency system for fight or flight, and it is supposed to be very beneficial or, at the very least, its effects are supposed to be transient and 22 reversible,” said Ya-Chieh Hsu. Stress affects the whole body, so the researchers had to do some investigation to figure out which 25 physiological system was conveying its effects to hair follicles. The findings provide the first scientific link between stress and hair graying. The new study is an 28 important step toward understanding the role of stress on various tissues. Internet: <www.nytimes.com> (adapted). Concerning the text above, judge the items below. 28 The common-sense belief according to which a person’s hair can turn gray when he or she is stressed is something new.