Alzheimer's disease is a major national health problem. Nearly 2 million Americans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer's disease. It is a leading cause of death among the elderly. But Alzheimer's disease is not confined (限于) to the aged. There may be a million or more people under the age of 65 suffering from the disease.
At one time, people suffering from the disease were said to be "getting old". The disease was thought to be a natural part of growing old, but it is now known that Alzheimer's disease strikes young and old alike. It is an organic(器官的) disease that destroys brain cells.
Alzheimer's disease affects the patient's memory, speech, and movement. In the beginning stages of the disease, the patient may seem slightly confused. He may have trouble speaking. Then the patient's memory begins to fail. He may forget dates, telephone numbers, names and plans.
As the disease progresses, the patient may not recognize family and friends. These symptoms(症状) often cause terrible anxiety in the patient. He may feel lost and frightened. Sometimes the patient reacts with wild and bad behavior.
In the last stages of the disease, the patient may not be able to take care of himself. He may have lost the ability to speak and walk.
Some of the scientists think a virus causes Alzheimer's disease. At present, there is no cure for the disease. But there are ways to slow its progress. Exercise and physical treatment can help the patients of this disease.
50. Alzheimer's disease ____________.
A. a terrible part of the aging process B. is an organic disease that affects young and old
C. can be cured by physical treatment D. causes high fever
51. All of the following are symptoms of Alzheimer's disease EXCEPT ____________.
A. brain damage B. difficulty in speaking C. loss of sight D. loss of the ability to walk
52. According to the passage, which of the following may be a cause of Alzheimer's disease?
A. Poisons produced by the brain. B. Getting old. C. A virus. D. Lack of exercise.
For a 400-year-old art form，opera(歌剧) had a bad fame: overweight actresses singing the words which were hard to understand in one of those romance languages you were supposed to learn in high school. And with tickets costing as much as $145 a performance, opera goers also had a certain appearance in people's mind: rich, well-dressed and old.
But now opera companies around the country are loosening their ties and kicking off their shoes in an attempt to keep opera alive and take it to a younger and not so wealthy audience.
Opera producers have found that to attract this crowd, they need to make the opera closer to common people. Because young people don't or won't come to the opera, companies are bringing the opera to them, giving performances in such unusual places as parks, libraries and public schools.
The Houston Grand Opera's choice is the public library, where it performs “mobile operas”, shortened versions(剧本) of child-friendly operas. This summer's production is Hansel ＆Gretel. By performing smaller versions of large productions, producers are able to make people interested while keeping costs at a reasonable level. The San Francisco Opera, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary(周年) this year, is staging Cinderella free of charge, keeping costs down by employing students from its Young Artists' Training Program. Which is the main idea of this passage？
| A． Opera is famous for its long history. |
| B． Opera is only performed for rich people. |
| C． Opera companies are trying to keep opera alive. |
| D． Young people are not interested in opera. |
The underlined phrase in the second paragraph means __________.
| A． breaking up the old rules |
| B． changing the dresses |
| C． making the audience at ease |
| D． advertising themselves |
From the passage we can infer that __________.
| A． the tickets for operas are very expensive |
| B． operas are performed in a difficult language |
| C． operas are not so popular an art form today |
| D． students enjoy performing operas very much |
Angela Chang(张韶涵) didn’t know it would be so hard to turn singing into a career. She went to many different record companies. But she was always turned down for looking too young and small.
“I’d never had such difficulties before,” Chang said. But Chang’s talent was finally accepted in 2002. When she got a piece of work, she cried.
She soon became a star. Her first album Over the Rainbow sold very well. She won many awards.
“You wouldn’t believe such a beautiful voice could come from such a small body,” said one musician after hearing Chang sing. “She has a special voice. You can’t forget it.”
But the 25-year-old girl has other talents too. Chang is also an actress. She has played a role in the popular TV plays, My MVP Valentine and At Dolphin Bay. Many people remember her common-girl parts in the plays. But acting is difficult. Chang once acted so badly that she was nearly fired. Another time it took her 27 tries to get a scene right.
“I cried when I got back home,” Chang said. “But I knew that I wouldn’t always fail. You only fail when you give up.”
Now with four albums behind her - Over the Rainbow, Aurora, Pandora and Flower in the Wonderland, it’s clear that Chang and music were made for each other. As she sings in one song, “I have a pair of invisible wings. They fly me to the sky and give me hope.”The word “invisible” in the last paragraph means “________________”.
| A．难以相信的 | B．看不见的 | C．隐藏的 | D．暗的 |
Many record companies refused to co-operate(合作) with her because ______________.
| A．she looks very common | B．she is too young |
| C．she doesn’t sing very well | D．she looks young and small |
Which of the following is NOT right?
| A．She won many awards for the album Over the Rainbow. |
| B．She has made four films. |
| C．One musician spoke highly of her. |
| D．She is not only a singer but an actress. |
Although acting is difficult for her, she never gives up because ______________.
| A．she is strong-minded | B．people like her films |
| C．she is interested in acting | D．she acted in the popular TV plays |
Which do you think is the best title of the passage?
| A．The Small Girl. | B．Four Albums. |
| C．I have a Pair of Invisible Wings. | D．A Poor Actress. |
A jobless man wanted very much to have the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. “You have passed the test,” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the form to fill in and the date when you may start.” The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer, neither an e-mail.” “I’m sorry,” said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an e-mail, that means you are not living. And anyone who isn’t living cannot have the job.”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do with only $10 in his pocket. He thought and thought. Then he went to the supermarket and bought 10 kilos of tomatoes. He sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he had 20 dollars. He repeated the operation three times, and started to go early every day, and returned home late. Shortly, he bought a cart , then a truck, then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles(运货车队). Five years later, the man was one of the biggest food retailers (零售商) in the US.
One day, one of his friends asked him for his e-mail. He said, “I haven’t got one.” His friend couldn’t believe his ears. “Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail?” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”What did the man do for the test?
| A．He sent e-mails. | B．He did the cleaning |
| C．He sold computers. | D．He filled in forms. |
The man didn’t get the job because he_____________.
| A．disliked such a job | B．didn’t pass the test |
| C．didn’t have an e-mail | D．knew nothing about computers |
The man ______after he left Microsoft.
| A．went to look for another job | B．asked for food from door to door |
| C．thought of an idea to make money | D．bought a computer and got an e-mail |
Why could the man become one of the biggest food retailers in the US?
| A．Because he had many friends to help him. |
| B．Because he was smart and worked very hard. |
| C．Because he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. |
| D．Because he wanted to show Microsoft he was living. |
What does the story want to tell us?
| A．Computers are very important in our daily life. |
| B．Everyone can make a lot of money with only$10. |
| C．The HR manager didn’t find the ability of the man. |
| D．Nothing in the world is impossible if we work hard. |
It was not a good day today. Everything went wrong. First, I slept late and Mom shouted at me to wake up. When I went to the kitchen for breakfast, there was no cereal. I decided to have some toast instead, but I burned it. I had to eat it anyway because there was no more bread. There was no juice, either. I just had a glass of water.
When I was almost at the bus stop, I realized that I had forgotten my wallet, so I had to go back home and get it. Of course, I missed the bus and had to wait for the next bus.
I was late for school and the teacher told me to stay in the classroom at lunchtime to catch up on（弥补）the schoolwork I had missed.
After lunch, it was the time to give the teacher our homework. I reached into my bag to get it but it wasn’t there. I had left it at home. I was in trouble again.
When I got home, I went straight to my room to catch up on my homework. Mom cooked fish for dinner. She knows I don’t like fish, but she thinks it is good for her son. It was a horrible day. I hope tomorrow will be better.What happened to the writer on this bad day?
| A．The writer argued with his parents. | B．The writer heard some terrible news. |
| C．Many small things went wrong. | D．Part of the writer’s house was on fire. |
When did the writer’s bad day begin?
| A．At night | B．In the morning. |
| C．At lunchtime. | D．In the afternoon. |
What did the writer do after he went home?
| A．He did some homework. | B．He made a telephone call. |
| C．He made fun with his friend. | D．He was tired, so he went to bed. |
When you “burn” something, you ___________________.
| A．give it away | B．eat it too fast |
| C．cook it too long | D．make it very well |
According to the passage, we can know _______________.
| A．the writer fell off from his bike | B．the writer went to school |
| C．the writer got up early in the morning | D．the writer doesn’t like eating fish |
In the UK, most children have their lunches at school, but in some schools, parents can choose what their children eat. The children can have a school dinner — a hot, cooked meal; or they can take a packed （包装的）lunch with them, which usually includes cold food like sandwiches.
Often parents know what their children want. Cath, a mother of three children, told us, “My children have packed lunches because they say they hate school dinners. So I make three packed lunches every morning.”
However, another mother, Susan, made a different choice. She said, “My daughters have always had school dinners. I think they probably get healthier food at school than a few sandwiches I make for them.”
But how healthy are school dinners? Kaz, a father, thought poorly of them. He said, “Fizzy (起泡的) drinks were offered and I think there were lots of chips.”
Jamie Oliver spent a year working in a school kitchen. He was worried about the unhealthy food which included burgers, pizzas and chips. So he tried to cook healthy food such as good stews(炖肉) and curries (咖喱菜肴) for the children instead.
So Jamie improved the school dinners, and trained the dinner ladies to cook healthy food in that school. Then he advised the government to improve school food across the country. And it seems that the changes have begun.
Anna, a pupil, told us, “we used to have a fast food window where you got chips and coke, but they stopped that this year. There’s salad restaurant, which is good, so it’s healthier than it was.”How many meals do most children in the UK have at school?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
_______ would like the children to have the school meals.
| A．Cath | B．Susan | C．Kaz | D．Jamie |
Jamie thought ______ were healthy food
| A．stews and curries | B．burgers and pizzas |
| C．chips and fizzy drinks | D．sandwiches and coke |
The last two paragraphs show that________.
| A．There’s a salad restaurant in every school |
| B．salad is the only healthy food for students |
| C．schools have begun to cook healthier food |
| D．the government doesn’t care about school dinners |
What is the best title for this text?
| A．Healthy Food | B．Unhealthy Food |
| C．Packed Lunches | D．School Dinners |