Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best option for each of the blanks.
People’s fingernails and toenails, according to a recent study, are nowadays growing more quickly. Research (35) _____ out at the University of North Carolina indicates that the speed at which human nails are growing has increased by (36) _____ 25 per cent over the last 70 years. The results of the study show that the (37)_____ human fingernail now grows about 3.5 mm a month, (38) _____ just 3 mm seven decades ago. Toenail growth, (39) _____ only about 2 mm per month, was also up on the figure (40) _____ in a similar survey done 70 years ago. Researchers (41) _____ the rapid increase down to changes in lifestyle, particularly the greater awareness of the importance of regular exercise and a healthy diet. This, they point out, is in (42) _____with similar trends in the height and weight of present-day adults. Interestingly, it appears that nails have a propensity to grow fastest (43) _____ warmer conditions, with the quickest growth rate among young people, and men. The fastestgrowing nail is on the middle finger while that on the little finger is (44) _____ the slowest, at only a fraction over 3 mm each month.
(36)..............................