Very old people do raise moral problems for almost everyone who comes in contact with them. Their values—this can’t be repeated too often—are not necessarily our values. Physical comfort, cleanness and order are not necessarily the most important things. The social services from time to time find themselves faced with a flat with decaying food covered by small worms, and an old person lying alone in bed, taking no notice of the worms. But is it interfering(干涉) with personal freedom to insist that they go to live with some of their relatives so that they might be taken better care of? Some social workers, the ones who clear up the worms, think we are in danger of carrying this concept of personal freedom to the point where serious risks are being taken with the health and safety of the old.
Indeed, the old can be easily hurt or harmed. The body is like a car, it needs more mechanical maintenance(机械维修,保养) as it gets older. You can carry this comparison right through to the provision of spare parts. But never forget that such operations are painful experiences, however good the results will be. And at what point should you stop to treat the old body? Is it morally right to try to push off death by seeking the development of drugs to excite the forgetful old mind and to activate the old body, knowing that it is designed to die? You can’t ask doctors or scientists to decide, because so long as they can see the technical opportunities, they will feel bound to give them a try, on the principle that while there’s life, there’s hope.
When you talk to the old people, however, you are forced to the conclusion that whether age is happy or unpleasant depends less on money or on health than it does on your ability to have fun.
5. What does the passage mainly tell us?
A. The values are different between the old and the young.
B. The moral problems raised by old people.
C. The personal freedom for the old.
D. Old people’s viewpoint on life.
6. We can know from the first paragraph that________.
A. Very old people would like to live alone to have more personal freedom.
B. Very old people are able to keep their room clean.
C. Very old people like to live with their children.
D. Social services have nothing to do with very old people.
7. According to the author, which of the following is right?
A. The older a person, the more care he needs.
B. Too much emphasis has been put on old people’s values.
C. The human body can’t be compared to a car.
D. It is easy to provide spare parts for old people.
8.The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to “________”.
A. their money or their health
B. the conclusion you come to
C. your talk to the old people
D. whether age is happy or unpleasant
Herds of zebra, impala and giraffe from South Africa’s Kruger Park found a new home as part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP) wildlife relocation project.
About 1,000 animals, from the large blue wildebeest to the stocky warthog, have been relocated to the park straddling South African, Mozambican and Zimbabwean territory.
The game from South Africa arrived in the Massingir area of Mozambique’s southern Maputo province after a one-and-a-half-hour trip by truck.
South African National Parks chief executive Mavuso Msimang and the Peace Parks Foundation officially handed over the animals to Mozambican representatives.
“This project is not only about the management of an ecosystem, but also about community empowerment and tourism,” Msimang said.
Border fences are coming down with the establishment of the park, which will be the world’s biggest game reserve, to allow elephants and other herds to follow ancient migration routes.
The park, due to be officially opened next year, will be bigger than the Netherlands, covering some 38,600 square kilometers(15,440 square miles).
Under a three-year plan, about 6,000 animals are to be moved into the area, where wildlife was decimated(大批杀害)during Mozambique’s 25-year civil war.
African Wildlife Foundation community development officer Jeremiah Machavi said 62 communities living in the area would be affected by the establishment of Transfrontier Park. Tourists will be able to travel across international boundaries in the park without having to show their passports.
The relocation process started in October last year when about 30 elephants were released into the park.
8. ______ is being established to relocate some African animals.
A. Kruger Park B. GLTP
C. South African National Park D. African wildlife Foundation
9. How many more animals will be taken to Transfrontier Park?
A. about 1,000 B. about 6,000 C about 5,000 D. about 7,000
10. What will not be affected by the establishment of GLTP?
A. the ecosystem and tourism B. tourism and communities
C. international boundaries D. African wildlife
11. From the passage we can conclude that ______.
A. the herds of animals mentioned in the first paragraph were the first to be taken to the park
B. the Great Limpopo Transfrontier is located in Mozambique
C. no border fences will be seen inside the park so that animals can migrate
D. the Netherlands is the second largest reserve
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, “Hi, girl! My name is Rose. I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically(热情地)responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel!”
“No seriously,” I said. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor everyday. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!” she said.
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years older. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added.
“The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Song of Rose”. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics(歌词)and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
4. Rose made herself known to the author in a ______ manner.
A. serious B. cold C. humorous D. crazy
5. From the information provided in the passage, we know ______.
A. Rose finished the college degree within a year
B. Rose did realize her dream of meeting a rich husband and getting married through college education
C. Rose enjoyed her campus life very much
D. Rose grew so old that she stopped playing
6. Rose delivered the speech ______.
A. at the graduationB. which she prepared carefully
C. ended with “The Song of Rose” D. to challenge all the other speakers
7. According to her speech, ______.
A. whenever you have a dream, you succeed
B. all people don’t grow up while growing older
C. Rose usually regretted having done something
D. a nine-year-old is as old as a 87-year-old if he doesn’t do anything
YOU don’t need millions to be happy. In fact, at The Happiness Institute in Australia, a couple of hundred dollars may be enough.
The institute opened its doors last year, and, since then, men and women of all ages have been paying A$200 an hour (US$140) for l essons on how to feel great.
“You can actually increase your happiness levels. That’s what we teach,” said Timothy Sharp, founder of the institute.
Experts say that only about 15 per cent of happiness comes from income, assets and other financial factors. As much as 85 per cent comes from things such as attitude, life control and relationships.
Most of us are significantly better off financially than our parents and grandparents, but happiness levels haven’t changed to reflect that.
Studies show that once the basic needs of shelter and food are met, additional wealth adds very little to happiness.
Many decades ago, the “sage of Baltimore, Maryland”, editor HL Mencken, defined wealth as earning US$100 more than your “wife’s sister’s husband.”
Behavioral economists now say part of the reason we are richer but not happier is because we compare ourselves to people better off materially.
“The argument is that if you want to be happy there’s a very simple thing you can do: Compare yourself to people who are less well off than you — poorer, smaller house, car,” said Sharp.
The Happiness Institute aims to show you how to overcome these unhappiness factors by focusing on “more than just your bank account.”
“If I compare myself to Bill Gates then I’m always going to be down,” said Sharp.
A better thing to compare with, he said, might be Kerry Packer, Australia’s richest person who has had a kidney transplant and heart surgery in recent years.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. You can increase your happiness levels by attending the classes at the Happiness Institute.
B. Most of us are happier than our parents or grandparents since we earn more.
C. Earning US$ 100 more than your wife’s sister’s husband if you want to be happy.
D. Both Bill Gates and Kerry Packer are examples of those who are extremely rich but obviously unhappy.
2. The underlined phrase has the same meaning as the word _______.
A. healthy B. unhealthy C. free D. wealthy
3. The author wrote the passage to tell us _______.
A. happiness is everything
B. wealth is the foundation of happiness
C. have fun at the Happiness Institute
D. money doesn’t always mean happiness
Long ago, in days of the Roman Empire, people used to believe a god of farmings called “Saturn”. They believed that Saturn could make the weather good or bad, and that he had the power to control how much rain would fall.
Before a Roman farmer would plant his fields, he would try to get Saturn to give him good weather. He believed that if he killed an animal for Saturn, that would make Saturn happy. Then Saturn would make sure that the weather was good.
Not only did the people name a planet after Saturn but they also name a day of the week after him. They called this day “Saturni dies”, Latin words which mean “day of Saturn”. In English those words became Saturday.
6. What was Saturn believed to be in charge of?
A. Rainfall. B. The power of nature. C. Farming. D. Days in a week.
7. Why did a Roman farmer kill an animal before planting his fields?
Because .
A. killing an animal would bring him good luck
B. Saturn enjoyed eating animals
C. Saturn was happy to see animals being killed
D. he wanted to please Saturn so that Saturn would make the weather good for his planting
8. Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A. Saturn is also the name of planet.
B. The Roman people used to believe Saturn to be their god.
C. Saturn was named for the last day of the week.
D. Saturn had three meanings.
9. What’s the aim of the author in writing this passage?
A. How the Romans worshipped (崇拜) Saturn.
B. Why the Romans believed in Saturn.
C. The different meanings of the word Saturn.
D. How Saturday got its name.
The lower East Side is neither rich nor beautiful, but it can be a good place to shop.
On Sundays, its streets are crowded with visitors and shoppers like these. They are trying to find a coat or a pair of shoes at a good price.
Most people prefer to shop in the big department stores like Macy’s, Gimbel’s, or Bloomingdale’s because there they can find clothing, furniture, toys, and food in one store.
Some people like the smaller stores of Greenwich Village or other areas when they are looking for an unusual present.
Some streets have only one kind of stores. Bracelets (手镯) and rings shine in the windows of Canal Street, and wedding dresses fill the stores of Grant Street. There are streets for furs(皮大衣), and, in one.comarea, there are 600 shops for antiques (古玩)! Fifth Avenue is the most famous place to shop, and it is usually the most expensive. There you can find the latest styles from Paris, Italy, or New York. You can spend thousands of dollars on Fifth Avenue, or you can just window shop and admire the sights for free.
1. How many kinds of shops or stores on the lower East Side are mentioned in the passage?
A. Four. B. Five. C. Six. D. Seven.
2. If you want to buy something fashionable to wear, you’d better go to .
A. Grant Street B. the big department stores
C. Fifth Avenue D. the smaller stores of Greenwich Village
3. Why does the writer say that the lower East Side can be a good place to shop?
A. Because its streets are crowded with visitors.
B. Because there are latest style from Paris, Italy, or New York.
C. Because there are different goods in different stores they can meet the needs of the visitors and shoppers.
D. Because women want very much to go there and buy bracelets and rings.
4. The underlined words window shop in the sentence means “ ”.
A. put all one’s goods in the shop-window
B. look at goods displayed in shop-windows
C. not only look at goods displayed in shop-window but also want to buy something
D. take much interest in the goods and have the idea of buying something
5. The last five words “admire the sights for free” of the passage means “ ”.
A. get pleasure from the sight at no cost
B. buy and sell goods freely
C. look at the sights as much as you like
D. look at the sight with pleasure and buy something as you like