In the Caucasus region（高加索地区）, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100,000 reach 100. But these Caucasus people aren’t alone. The Pakistani Hunzas, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Vilcabambans of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador seem to share the secret of long life too.
These peoples remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Caucasus people aged 110-140, work in the fields beside their great-great-grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked, “At what age does youth end?” most of these old people had no answer. Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80.” The very youngest estimate was age 60.
What accounts for this ability to survive (live) to such old age, and to survive so well? First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-lived peoples. They began their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. For example, Mr. Rustam is 142 years of age. He remembers his life experience: the Crimean War of 1854; the Turkish War of 1878; the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. His wife is 116 years old. They have been married for 90 years. Mr. Rustam has no plan of retiring from his life as a farmer. “Why? What else would I do?” he asks. Oh, he’s slowed down a bit. Now he might quit (stop working) for the day after 6 hours in the field instead of 10.
All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. They live and work at elevations（海拔）of 5,000 to 12, 000 feet(1,660 to 4,000meters) above sea level. The air has less oxygen and is pollution-free. This reduced oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel（血管）system stronger.
Another factor（因素）that may lead to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent, they are separated from the pressure（压力）and worries of industrial society.
Inherited（遗传的） factors also play some role. Most of the longest-lived peoples had parents and grandparents who also reached very old age. Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer.
Finally, although these three groups don’t eat exactly the same foods, their diets are similar. All of them eat little animal meat. Their diets are full of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, cheese and milk. They never eat more food than their bodies need.
It is clear that isolation from urban pressure and pollution, clean mountain air, daily hard work, moderate diets, good genes, and a youthful approach to life all lead to the health and remarkable long life of all these people.
1. What is the main idea of this article?
A．Cause and effect of long-lived life.
B．People in the world enjoying a longer life.
C．Factors leading to the health and long life of people.
D．A description of several societies where people living a long life.
2. “The idea of aging is foreign to them” means that _________.
A．they don’t care much about their age
B．they have no idea of how old they are
C．they won’t say anything about their age until they are asked to
D．the idea of getting old has never come into their mind
3. How do you think the writer feels about these long-lived people?
A．He is much impressed with them.
B．He doesn’t care a bit about them.
C．He hopes that they will live a still longer life.
D．He doesn’t think their life is full of pressure and worries.
A recent study offers a picture of how dangerous it is to get a lift from a teenage driver. Indeed, a 16-year-old driver with three or more passengers is three times as likely to have a fatal（致命的）accident as a teenager driving alone. However, the possibility of death for drivers between 30 and 59 decreases with each additional (added) passenger.
It was also found that the death rates for teenage drivers increased greatly after 10 p.m., and especially after midnight. With passengers in the car, the driver was even more likely to die in a late night accident.
Robert Foss, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, says the higher death rates for teenage drivers have less to do with “really stupid behavior” than with just a lack of driving experience. Both he and the author of the study believe that the way to help solve the problem is to have states setting up so-called graduated licensing systems（等级执照制）. A graduated license requires that a teenager first prove that he/she is able to drive in the presence of an adult, followed by a period of driving with a limited number of passengers, before graduating to full driving on his own. About half of the states now have some sort of graduated licensing system in place. The systems have reduced teenage driver crashes（相撞）, according to recent studies.
1.Which of the following situations is most dangerous according to the passage?
A．Adults giving a lift to teenagers on the highway after 10 p.m.
B．A teenager driving after midnight with passengers in the car.
C．Adults driving with three or more teenage passengers late at night.
D．A teenager getting a lift from a stranger on the highway at midnight.
2.According to Robert Foss, the high death rate of teenage drivers is mainly because __.
A．their preference for driving at night
B．their lack of driving experience
C．their careless way of driving
D．their driving with passengers
For as long as I can remember, Grandma’s plentiful tomato garden has been a sign of summer’s end. Each September, just as the decreased heat of the sun suggests cooler days, Grandma requests (ask for something) my help in her tomato garden. I’m sure that she cannot pick tomatoes without my youthful eyes and quick mind. She says we need to examine each tomato and agree on its readiness for picking. While Grandma’s request for my help in the tomato garden is always the same, her desire for my help seems to increase each year.
Grandma has eyes for finding even the tomatoes hidden by undergrowth and other tomatoes. I, however, just turn circles looking for the ones I think Grandma will like. I spot what looks like a ripe（成熟的）tomato, head in its direction, and then get sidetracked by another that appears to be equally ripe. I usually end up watching Grandma and trying to stay out of her way, which seems the only way my eyes and mind are useful.
There we are, lost in the tomato vines（藤）. Grandma’s eyes are always knowing, and they are no different in the vegetable garden. From afar she spots (notice) what looks like a ripe tomato. As she walks toward the garden, she evaluates the tomato for a second time, but from a different angle. I already know it will end up in the basket with the pile of others Grandma has carefully chosen. However, Grandma acts as if she needs a final look to be sure. She calls me to her side, kneels beside the vine while enjoying the warmth of the fading sunlight on her face, and grasps the tomato in her hand. She turns each round, red ball toward the sunlight before disconnecting it from the vine with a half-hearted smile.
She then looks at me. I nod my head and smile. Grandma assumes I smile in agreement with her tomato selection. I know I smile, instead, at her.
1. Why does Grandma ask the author to go to the tomato garden with her?
A．He can help pick more tomatoes.
B．He can learn the hardship of labor.
C．She enjoys staying with him while working.
D．She tries to share tomato harvest with him.
2.The second paragraph shows that the writer _________.
A．isn’t good at picking tomatoes
B．doesn’t like to stay with Grandma
C．thinks his eyes and mind are useful
D．is trying to be out of Grandma’s sight
3. What’s the best title of the story?
A．Gardening—good for my Grandma.
B．Growing Grandma.
C．Gardening—good for my growth.
D．Picking tomatoes.
Just a Quick Nap（打个盹儿）
Do you feel a little sleepy after lunch? Well, that’s normal. Your body naturally slows down then. What should you do about it? Don’t reach for a coffee! Instead, take a nap.
It’s good to have a daily nap. First of all , you are more efficient（有效的） after napping. You remember things better and make fewer mistakes. Also, you can learn things more easily after taking a nap. A nap may increase your self-confidence and make you more active. It may even cheer you up. But, there are some simple rules you should follow about taking a nap. First, take a nap in the middle of day, about eight hours after you wake up. Next, a 20-minute nap is best. If you sleep longer, you may fall into a deep sleep. After waking from a deep sleep, you will feel worse. Also, you should set an alarm clock. That way, you can fully relax during your nap. You won’t have to keep looking at the clock, so you don’t oversleep.
Now, the next time you feel sleepy after lunch, don’t get stressed. Put your head down, close your eyes, and catch forty winks.
1. After taking a nap, you may feel more .
A．tired B．confident
C．sleepy D．excited
2.The proper period of time for taking a nap is .
A．the shorter the better
B．as long as you like
C．the longer the better
D．about twenty minutes
Bayfield Shopping Coupons(赠券)
1.What do you do to get a 10% discount at Tom’s Bookstore?
A．Spend $100. B．Choose two books.
C．Buy some toys. D．Present coupon No.3.
2. A second shirt will cost ________ after you buy one at $180.
A．$180. B．$168. C．$90. D．nothing.
3. If you drive to Bayfield Shopping Center, which coupon might be most useful?
A．Coupon No.5. B．Coupon No.2.
C．Coupon No.4. D．Coupon No.1.
完形填空（共12分，每小题1分）
阅读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳选项
I had my first job at the age of thirteen, when a friend of my mother’s who owned a book shop hired（雇佣） me for six hours a week to help her in the shop. I was very 1 to earn my own pocket money and my parents 2 interfered（干涉）with how I spent it, even when I was spending it foolishly. They believed that by earning money, spending it, and learning from the 3 , I would become more mature（成熟的） and responsible about how to handle work, relationships with others, and money.
Like many American parents, my parents also let me and my brothers do things over which they 4 a great deal. When I was sixteen, for example, after I finished high school and before I entered university, I wanted to spend the summer months traveling around Europe. My mother was against the idea of my traveling alone at such a young age, but my father felt that it would be a great 5 for me. In the end, my father won the argument（争论） on the 6 that I limited（限定）my traveling to France, my mother’s home, where I had many uncles, aunts and cousins spread out through the country who could 7 shelter（住处）and help if I needed them.
Three years later, my younger brother decided to 8 a year off after his first year in university and travel through the United States and the Caribbean. Again my mother was very worried and not eager to see my brother leave school, but my father encouraged him and my brother had a(n) 9 year working his way on trains and ships to 10 passage to different ports and cities, and discovering many fascinating places and people.
These kinds of experiences are probably rare（稀少的）for children in many countries but in the US they are fairly common. Most parents start 11 their children at a young age to do small things by themselves. By the time they have finished high school, many American kids have already had part-time jobs, traveled around the US or other countries on their own, have selected the university they plan to attend and maybe even 12 on their future career, and so on.
1. A．anxious B．content C．proud D．hopeful
2. A．never B．ever C．always D．even
3. A．problems B．mistakes C．disappointment D．failure
4. A．helped B．supported C．shared D．worried
5. A．journey B．experience
C．decision D．possibility
6. A．situation B．agreement C．gesture D．condition
7. A．promise B．afford C．provide D．serve
8. A．set B．put C．take D．keep
9. A．unusual B．hard C．strange D．busy
10. A．accept B．earn C．find D．search
11. A．bringing B．forcing
C．pushing D．protecting
12. A．worked B．decided C．carried D．tried
