How old is “old” ?
How old is “old” ? 1.Two hundred years ago, you were old at 35. That was the average life then. At the turn of this century, as medical knowledge advanced, the average life span(长度) increased to 45. In 1950, 70-year-olds were really old. Today, a healthy 70-year-old is looking forward to many more active years.
So, how old is old? The answer is one you’ve heard many times, from all sorts of people. “You are as old (or young) as you feel!” The calendar(日历) simply tells you how many years you have lived. 2.
Once an unknown author wrote , “ 3.Nobody grows old by living a number of years; people grow old by giving up their goals.”
4.Alice Brophy, when she was with the New York City commission for the Aging, said, “It upsets me when people say, ‘Gee, you look young for your age!’ What does that mean? Is there some model that you’re supposed to look a certain way at 65 and 75 and 85? You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80.”
There are many wrong ideas about aging. 5.Here are some of the more common ones. For example, most older people are in poor health, or older people are unable to change.
A.Old is a point of view.
B.It’s extremely terrible to be grown old.
C.The answer has changed over the years.
D.Your body tells you how well you’ve lived.
E.Older people are stubborn, unable to change.
F.Youth is not a time of life but it is a state of mind.
G.These ideas stereotype (固化) people on the basis of age.
Each year there is an increasing number of cars on roads and streets as millions of new cars and trucks are produced. One out of every six Americans works at putting together the parts of cars, driving trucks, building roads or filling cars and trucks with gas. Americans won’t live without cars!
Most Americans would find it hard to think what life would look like without cars. However, some have realized the serious problems of the air pollution that is caused by the car.
The polluted air becomes poisonous and dangerous to health.
One way to get rid of the polluted air is to build a car that does not pollute. That’s what several of the large car factories have been trying to do. But to build a clean car is easier said than done. Progress in this field has been slow.
Another way is to take the place of the car engine by something else. Inventors are now working on steam cars as well as electric cars. Many makers believe that it will take years to develop a practical model that pleases man.
To prevent the world from being polluted by cars, we’ll have to make some changes in the way many of us live. Americans, for example, have to cut down on the number of their total cars. They are encouraged to travel and go to work by bicycle. Bicycling is thought to help keep the air clean.
But this change does not come easily. A large number of workers may find themselves without jobs if a car factory closes down. Thus the problem of air pollution would become less important than that of unemployment.
Although cars have led us to a better life, they have also brought us new problems.
1.How many ways to get rid of air pollution are suggested in this article by the writer?
A. Four. B. Three.
C. Two. D. One.
2.If the number of cars is cut down, the most serious problem to American workers is_______.
A. to have no work to do B. to keep the air clean
C. to get a better life D. to go to work by bike
3.What is the conclusion(结论) of the writer?
A. Bicycling is the only way out.
B. The number of cars must be cut down.
C. Cars bring us nothing but serious problems.
D. Cars bring us not only a better life but serious problems.
4.To reduce pollution, we’ll have to make some changes in the way many of us live, EXCEPT that ______.
A. Americans have to cut down on the number of their total cars.
B. People are encouraged to travel and go to work by bicycle.
C. The number of cars on the roads should be limited every day.
D. People should build more roads and fill cars and trucks with gas.
It warmed my heart today to walk into the Thirsty Camel downtown in the Thanksgiving Day, for a quick lunch before a haircut and library trip. Ihan, a food shop owner, said that he was refusing to take money today because it was Buy Nothing Day. To increase awareness(意识) of the strange’s over-spending nature of our society, Ilan suggested a trade for food today. He simply asked that you offer something of equal personal value for the meal you received.
At first I was really uncomfortable, wondering if it would be fair to exchange a yet to be determined “I Owe You” (IOU) for food? What could I give him of equal value? After all, his food is the best in the town!
We ended up writing our IOU’s with promises of a book, some paintings and the offer of work in a variety of ways if he needs it.
I think the idea isn’t that the trade is “equal” so much as the importance of the kind of transaction. We put thought into our offer and we had an even greater understanding for the meals we ate.
We don’t buy a lot, especially at this upcoming time of year. We don’t give gifts at all in fact. The holiday time is spent enjoying each other’s company and doing things together with family and friends. This is what seems most sensible.
Ilan is a good person. We are all lucky to have someone like this in our community.
1.Ilan did not take any money that day in order to .
A. have a quick lunch before a haircut and library trip
B. trade for something of equal value in return
C. make people aware of their over spending
D. buy nothing that day to save some money
2.For the meal, the author finally offered Ilan .
A. some promises B. a book
C. some paintings D. work in different ways
3.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “transaction”?
A. transport B. trade
C. meal D. giving
4.What is the author’s attitude to Buy Nothing Day?
A. Disagreeable B. Meaningless.
C. Doubtful. D. Supportive.
Where can you find a nice place to relax on holiday for both you and your children? Well, I suggest you try the beautiful and green Isle of Wight (IOW). The Isle of Wight is one of the main tourist attractions. Here is some information on a few of the attractions on the IOW.
Dinosaur Isle
It is located in Sandown, a seaside town on the southeast coast. It’s a large, lovely museum, both fun and educational. Here you can see a large fossil collection of all kinds of dinosaurs, as well as a gift shop. You can walk into the past and then the future, learning about the history and the development of the civilization of dinosaurs that lived 120 million years ago.
Robin Hill Country Park
The park is in the beautiful countryside, and is suitable for children’s parties and games. It has five new gardens, and offers great opportunities to see and take pictures of the rare red squirrels.
The West of the Wight
Here we have the Marine Aquarium, the Archaeology Exhibition and the Model Railway. They offer another opportunity to combine fun with learning. This is a great place to see ancient boats crossing the narrow strait between the island and the mainland.
The Wight Bus Museum
This museum is run completely by unpaid volunteers. It has a bus collection stored in what was once a warehouse(仓库). Most of the buses in the museum date back to around the 1910’s.
With all of these choices, what are you waiting for? IOW Tourism welcomes you!
1.In Robin Hill Country Park, children can NOT .
A. have parties. B. buy gifts.
C. play games. D. take pictures.
2.It can be learned from the passage that .
A. there are five new gardens on Dinosaur Isle
B. visitors can drive buses in the Wight Bus Museum
C. those running the Wight Bus Museum work for free
D. on Dinosaur Isle we can learn about all kinds of animals
3.The purpose of this passage is to .
A. show the development of tourism on the IOW
B. advise readers how to relax on holidays
C. attract readers to come to the IOW
D. tell readers what is worth visiting
4.You can read this article in a .
A. travel magazine B. science journal
C. book review D. film advertisement
Last night Mr. and Mrs. Rojas stayed home. It was cold and rainy and they didn’t want to go out in the bad weather. Mrs. Rojas made some popcorn and ice tea. At 8:00, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas went into the living room, sat on the sofa and began the movie and ate and drank. At 8:15, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas realized they already watched the movie last year and they didn’t want to watch it again.
“Now what?” asked Mr. Rojas. “Let’s play cards!” answered Mrs. Rojas. At 8:30 Mr. and Mrs. Rojas started to play cards. They were playing for about 10 minutes when Mr. Rojas looked out the window. The rain changed to snow and the trees were covered in beautiful white snow. “I’m happy we stayed home tonight. It looks beautiful outside but this weather is very dangerous to drive in.” said Mr. Rojas. “You’re right,” said Mrs. Rojas, “but I’m bored. Let’s play some music and dance.”
Mr. Rojas was surprised. “Dance? But I really don’t ….”
“Oh come on!” Mrs. Rojas insisted. She put on a romantic CD and they both started to dance. They were dancing for about 1 minute when suddenly the music stopped and the lights went out. Mrs. Rojas laughed. “We’re just not very lucky tonight, are we?” she said. Mr. Rojas said, “Of course we’re lucky! We are together!” He kissed her and continued to dance with her, in the dark and without music.
1.Why did Mr. and Mrs. Rojas stay at home last night?
A. They wanted to stay together. B. The weather was so terrible.
C. They had a dinner at home. D. They planned to watch a movie.
2.When it started to snow, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas were _________.
A. making popcorn B. watching a movie
C. playing cards D. dancing to the music
3.We can infer from the passage that .
A. It was a rainy day in summer B. Mrs. Rojas cooked very well
C. Mr. Rojas loved to dance at first D. Mr. Rojas was in love with his wife
When I was a little girl, I remember that when my dad was repairing something, every time he asked me to _______the hammer, just so we would have a time for a _______with each other. I _____saw my dad drinking or taking a night out, all he did after work was taking care of his family.
I grew up and left home for college and since then, my dad had been calling me every Sunday morning, no matter what. And when several ______later I bought a house, my dad was ____it by himself for three days in the 38°C summer heat. All he asked was to hold his paint brush and _______to him. But I was too ________in those days, I did not find any time for a conversation with my dad.
One Sunday morning we had a telephone talk as usual, I noticed that my dad had totally _______some things that we discussed ______. I was in a hurry, so our conversation was a bit ___. Few hours later that day came a call. My father was in a hospital with an aneurysm(动脉瘤). ________I bought a ticket for a flight and on my way I was thinking about all _______occasions(场合) to have a talk with my dad.
By the time I _______at the hospital, my father had passed away. Now it was he who did not have ______for a conversation with me. After his death I ______much more about him, and even more about myself. All he ever asked me was my time. And now he has all my attention every single day.
1.A. find B. hold C. pack D. select
2.A. conversation B. opinion C. debate D. bargain
3.A. ever B. just C. even D. never
4.A. weeks B. years C. hours D. days
5.A. building B. making C. fixing D. painting
6.A. face B. walk C. talk D. smile
7.A. busy B. lazy C. selfless D. lonely
8.A. recognized B. buried C. explored D. forgotten
9.A. soon B. lately C. personally D. briefly
10.A. short B. boring C. unbelievable D. sad
11.A. Exactly B. Gradually C. Immediately D. Finally
12.A. missed B. impressed C. suffering D. painful
13.A. pointed B. stared C. arrived D. called
14.A. words B. time C. permission D. benefit
15.A. worried B. concerned C. cared D. learned
