Old age may not sound exciting.But recent findings offer good news for older pepole and for people worried about getting older.
Researches found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty.In fact,they say by the age of eighty—five,people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States.The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008.At that time,the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty—five.The searches asked questions about emotions like happiness,sadness and worry.They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study.His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty—two and twenty—five.The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies.The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
The study also showed that men and women had similar emotional patterns as they grew older.Hower,women at all ages reported more sadness,stress and worry than men.Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older.One theory is that,as people grow older,they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotion .They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children,being unemployed or being single.But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well—being related to age.
1. How did the researchers find older people happier?
A.They did a series of experiments.
B.They made a written survey about the old people.
C.They interviewed people of different ages face to face.
D.They telephoned people between the ages of 18 and 85.
2.When do people feel happier according to the passage?
A.In their twenties B.In their fifties
C.After their seventies D.When they were born
3.Which one is NOT related to the happiness of old people?
A.Less stress B .Away from working
C.Controlling of emotions D.More thankfulness
4.Which is the best title for the passage?
A.No Worrying about Getting Older
B.Older Men are Happier than Older Women
C.The Factors Affecting the Happiness of Old people
D.For Lots of people,Getting Older Means Getting Happy
Ask just about any college student you know,and he is likely to tell you that he is a member of facebook.com.Many students say they check their e-mail.It’s so popular “facelooking”has become a verb “Everywhere everyone is doing it,”college student Katie Silverman said,“It’s like everyone’s center of life.”
Facebook is an online social meeting place where students create profiles (简介)，share personal information, and meet other members. It is password protected and targeted to high school and college students;members must have an edu.email address to join.
Many students say it has changed their social lives, giving them an easy way to find and chat with classmates who share their interests.“Some people might be too shy to go to talk to someone they like in one of their classes,but on facebook it’s a lot easier to strike up a conversation,”said Rahul Vanjani.
The website was founded by two Harward University students who wanted to meet more of their classmates.It became so popular that the website is at 2,200 colleges and at 22,000 high schools.It says that it has 6 million active users,two—thirds of whom are on it every day.Many of the facebook members said their parents had no idea they were on it .“No way.My parents certainly don’t know about it,” said a college senior who asked us not to use his name.
To keep it popular,Facebook says it stops students posting improper information.Some students have paid the price.At Fisher College in Boston,two students were kicked out for using facebook.com to do something that is against the law.At North Carolina State University,four students were punished for posting photos about drinking.
1.The passage is mainly about____.
A.student’s idea about Facebook
B.the development of Facebook
C.the popularity of Facebook with students
D.the rules of Facebook
2.To become a member of Facebook,you must_____.
A.have an edu,e—mail dress
B.have your own profile
C.be a high school student
D.offer main personal information
3.By saying “Some students have paid the price”in the last paragraph,the author means more students_____.
A. will have to pay money for being on Facebook
B. always use Facebook to do something against the law
C.have been punished for doing some improper things on Facebook
D.often stop others from posting improper information on Facebook
4.We can learn about Facebook from the passage that______.
A.the information that students offer to Facebook is secret to others
B. Facebook is at more colleges that at high schools
C. 6 million active users of Facebook are on it every day
D.many students don’t want their parents to know they are facebooking
You can't escape the message that smoking is bad for you.But what if one or both of your parents smoke?You might be worried about their health,sick of smelling the smoke,or even a little embarrassed(尴尬的) by it.You can't order your mom or dad to stop smoking ,but you can encourage them to quit.There are lots of good reasons.Here are some you can mention:
*Smoking will hurt their health.
*Smoking creates secondhand smoke,which you don't like .
*Smoking will make it hard for them to keep up with you because they might run out of breath easily.
If you think it will help,you could print out articles like this one to give it to your mom or dad. But what if your parent gets angry with you for bringing up the topic of smoking?People don't like to be reminded that they are doing something unhealthy,so it's possible that your parents will be insulted or angry,especially if they're worried they won't be able to quit.Maybe they have tried before and failed.
Remember to be kind and respectful when you discuss smoking with your mom or dad. Also rememeber that it is difficult to quit.Some people try several times before they're able to quit for good. Instead of yelling at the them,tell them that you love them and want them to enjoy many healthy years ahead. In time,your mom or dad may realize you are right about smoking .And if they do agree to stop smoking,be their biggest supporter.Ask if there's anything you can do to help them when they feel the urge to smoke.Maybe you could go for a walk,do a puzzle,or listen to music together.As they reach milestones,such as a month without smoking,be sure to celebrate the achievement.Way to go,mom!Way to go,dad!
1. In the first paragraph,the author intended to tell us______.
A.the reasons you have for your parents' giving up smoking
B.the great damage smoking can cause to secondhand smokers
C.most smokers are includable and stubborn
D.smoking does harm to smoker's health
2. If you bring up the topic of smoking directly,_________.
A.the smokers will accept your advice willingly
B.the smokers may become very annoyed at once
C.the smokers will take your words into account
D.the smokers will put you in an embarrassing situation
3.The underlined word "milestones" in the first paragraph means________.
A.stones which are miles away
B.agreements signed by both sides
C.practical tools for stopping smoking
D.achievements gained with great efforts
4.The author wrote the text for_______.
A.school teachers B.health experts
C.sons and daughters D.medical scientists
When milk arrived on the doorstep
When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note—“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”—and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically（魔术般）appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn't freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete (竞争). Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practiced to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. 1 took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊). Every so often my son's friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
1.Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer .
A.to show his magical power B.to pay for the delivery
C. to satisfy his curiosity D.to please his mother
2.What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy's house?
A.He wanted to have tea there.
B.He was a respectable person.
C.He was treated as a family member.
D.He was fully trusted by the family.
3. Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?
A.Nobody wants to be a milkman now.
B.It has been driven out of the market.
C.Its service is getting poor.
D.It is forbidden by law.
4.Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?
A.He missed the good old days.
B.He wanted to tell interesting stories.
C.He needed it for his milk bottles.
D.He planted flowers in it.
短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
此题要求改正文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行做出判断： 如无错误, 在改行的后面划对号 (√); 如有错误 (每行只有一个错误), 则按下列情况改正：此行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线 (\ ) 划掉, 在该行的右边的横线上写出该词, 并也用斜线划掉。
此行少一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号 (∧), 在该行右边的横线上写出该加的词。
此行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线, 在该行的右边写出改正后的词。
注意：原行没有错的不要改。
I’ll never to forget my favorite teacher from second 1.____
grade, Miss Gnagy. I loved her so much I wanted to 2.____
become a teacher just like him one day. At home I would 3.____
make my own classroom for which I would teach my dolls. 4..____
I believed that teach students would give me lots of fun. 5.____
As the result, I really did become a public-school teacher. 6.____
I taught elementary school（小学）at first. Although I had a 7.____
degree in education, I found I wasn’t total prepared for 8.___
teaching —the job was much hard than I thought. It’s 9.___
difficult to teach students of different level well. 10.___
Energy is very important in modern life. People use energy to run machines, heat and cool their homes, cook, give light, and transport people and products from place to place. Most energy comes from fossil fuels—petroleum, coal, and natural gas. However, burning fuels causes pollution. Also, if we don’t find new kinds of energy, we will use up all the fossil fuels in the twenty-first century. Scientists are working hard to find other kinds of energy for the future. What might these sources of energy be?
Energy from the wind
All over the world, people use the power of the wind. It turns windmills and moves sailboats. It is a clean source of energy, and there is lots of it. Unfortunately, if the wind does not blow, there is no wind energy.
Energy from water
When water moves from a high place to a lower place, it makes energy. This energy is used to create electricity. In Brittany, France, for example, waterpower produces enough energy to light a town of 40,000people. Waterpower gives energy without pollution. However, people have to build dams to use this energy. Dams cost a lot of money, so water energy is expensive.
Energy from the earth
There is heat in rocks under the earth. Scientists use this heat to make geothermal energy. San Francisco gets half of the energy it needs from geothermal power. This kind of energy is cheap, but it is possible only in a few places in the world.
Energy from the sun
Solar panels on the roofs of houses can turn energy from the sun into electricity. These panels can create enough energy to heat an entire house. Solar power is clean and there is a lot of it in sunny places. But when the weather is bad, there is no sunlight for energy.
1.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A．Advantage of the energy from nature.
B．The future of the energy.
C．Scientists have been working hard to research other kinds of energy.
D．energy is the most important power in the word.
2.From the first paragraph we know ______.
A．energy can do everything for people
B．all the energy causes pollution
C．the new kinds of energy are badly needed
D．scientists have found other kinds of energy for the future
3.What is the writer’s opinion about the energy?
A．Try to use water energy more though it costs a lot.
B．Each natural energy has its own advantages and disadvantages.
C．Solar power is environmental.
D．Wind power is the cheapest but we can’t get.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A．In order to protect our environment, we should try other kinds of energy.
B．All scientists in the world will unite to find energy.
C．People in modern life use energy every day.
D．Energy changes people’s lives.
