How Long Can People Live?
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121at birthday.
When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s record holder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span(寿命)? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150 or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it”
wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135," says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees."People can live much longer than we think," he says."Experts used to say that humans couldn't live past 110.When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120.So why can't we go higher? "
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it's all just guessing."Anyone can make up a number," says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan."Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine."
Won't new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120.Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most.So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, "adding another 50 percent would get you to 120."
So what can.we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible, but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington."We can get flies to live 50 percent longer," he says."But a fly's never going to live 150 years." Of co
urse, if you became a new species, one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds.
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve (进化) their way to longer life? "It's pretty cool to think about," he says with.a smile.What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
| A.People can live to 122. |
| B.Old people are creative,, |
| C.Women are sporty at 85. |
| D.Women live longer than men. |
According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, _____.
| A.the average human life span could be 110 |
| B.scientists cannot find ways to slow aging |
| C.few people can expect to live to over 150 |
| D.researchers are not sure how long people can live |
Who would agree that a scientist, will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?
| A.Jerry Shay. | B.Steve Austad | C.Rich Miler | D.George Martin |
What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
A
.Most of us could be good at sports even at 150.
B.The average human life span cannot be doubled
C.Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before.
D.New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
A
When I worked in Swaziland, one day we went to an orphanage. There we found a beautiful little girl named Tanzile. I gave her a sweet and she said something back to me in Si-swati, which the nurse next to me translated, “She wants another one — to give to her little sister.” I said “of course”. When we were going to leave, we passed by Tanzile’s house to say goodbye. To our surprise she seemed to be holding on to that extra sweet I had given her. I remember saying to the nurse “this little darling is clever — she has taken two for herself.”
But the nurse told us, “Tanzile is 7 now. Two years ago her mum and dad both died of AIDS. She was separated from her sister who was three at the time. Tanzile has not laid eyes on her since. But from then on whenever Tanzile receives anything from anyone, including food — she refuses to accept it, unless they give her two.” In fact, in the little mud hut where she lives, we find a pile of old things which she has been collecting to give to her sister one day.
People sometimes look at faces of African children and think that they are somehow different from our kids — that somehow they don’t feel pain or love. But that is not true. Their pain is deep. And so is their love. I can still remember the nurse trying to convince her that “if someone gives you food, you must accept it — even if it is only one piece and not two — for your own health.” And it was so hard for us to keep the tears from our eyes as she shook her head. Her hope and her love was all that she had. It mattered more than anything else. When I returned home that day, I was shocked to find that this was not an isolated story but others in the hospital knew of orphans just like Tanzile — waiting with a little pile of things in their hut, for their lovers who they haven’t seen so long.
I think of that old song — “when we’re hungry, love will keep us alive.”
56. From the passage we can learn Tanzile__________.
A. is very clever B. knows her sister has died
C. has stored a lot for her sister D. doesn’t like sweets
57. How old was her sister when the author met with Tanzile?
A. Three years old. B. Four years old.
C. Five years old. D. Six years old.
58. What has the author learned from her experience in Africa?
A. Love is more important in life than anything else.
B. African children are different in a way.
C. African children should be treated fairly.
D. We should express our love in time.
59. The best title for the passage would be __________
A. Give every child two sweets B. Tanzile’s love for her sister
C. One for my sister D. Change your attitude to African children
D
FOREIGNEXCHANGE
ACLASSOFTHEIROWN
| Name:SusanLane Age:22 Place:Reykjavik,Iceland,1994. Cost:$7,000Organization:AFS Experience:“Ithinkitwasaturningpointinmylife.Ibegantounderstandmoreabout myownculturebyexperiencinganothercultureandseeinghowotherpeoplelive.” |
| Name:SaraSmall Age:23Place:Crivitz,Germany,1996. Cost:$8,000 Organization:EFFoundation Experience:“IlovethetravelingandImadealotoffriends.IfoundtheEuropeanschool systemtobehardbutIamfluentnowinGermansoitwasworthit.Ididmissmyfamily andfriendsinAustraliabutIwouldlovetodoitagain.” |
| Name:LeanneSmythe Age:20 Place:Minnesota,America,1994. Cost:$6,000 Organization:SouthernCrossCultureExchange Experience:“Ilearnthowtobereallyresponsible.ItwasgreattobeonmyownandIgot onreallywellwiththefamilyIwaswith.Iwilldefinitelygobacksomeday.” |
| Name:DavidLinks Age:16 Place:Stuttgart,Germany,1996 Cost:$6,000 Organization:SouthernCrossCulturalExchange Experience:“IwantedtotrysomethingthatwasverydifferentfromAustraliainculture. InGermanyeverythingwasdifferentbutIsoongotsettled.ThefamilyIwaswithwere greatandIreallyfeelasthoughIhaveasecondfamily.” |
| Name:TomJennings Age:21 Place:Conflans,France,1995. Cost:$7,000 Organization:SouthernCrossCulturalExchange Experience:“ThereweretimeswhenitwasdifficultbutIlikedit,experiencingadifferent culture.Youjusthavetoplayeachsituationasitcomes.Ifthereisonethingyoulearn whenyouareonastudent-exchangeprogramitishowtotakecareofyourself.” |
| Name:LindaMarks Age:19 Place:ChonburiProvince,Thailand,1994 Cost:$3,500 Organization:RotaryInternational Experience:“It’slikearoller-coasterride,therearelotsofupsanddowns,butyoualways comebackformore.Ihadafewproblemsbuttherewasalwayssomeonetoturntoand thatwasgreat.” |
67.Thestudentswhorefertoboththegoodtimeandthebadtimeinclude______.
A.SusanLaneandSaraSmall B.LindaMarksandDavidLinks
C.TomJenningsandLindaMarks D.LeanneSmytheandTomJennings
68.Thewritingabovewouldprobablybe______.
A.therecordsofstudents’activities
B.theforeignstudents’namecards
C.thenoticeaboutavisittoforeigncountries
D.theadvertisementfromaninternationaltravelservice
69.Thestudentwhovalueslearninganotherlanguageis______.
A.LindaMarks B.SaraSmall C.TomJennings D.LeanneSmythe
70.Howmanystudentsmentiontheculturedifferencetheyhaveexperienced?
A. Three. B.Four. C.Five. D.Six.
C
Reading about history is nice, but finding ties to long-ago historical events in your own backyard is really exciting.
In their heavily populated area, neighbors Adam Giles,13, and Derek Hann.12, uncovered pieces of glass that looked quite different from what’s used today. “After digging about two feet down, I came across an interesting bottle,” Derek said. The bottle had a “pontil scar” on the bottle, an indication that it was hand-blown rather than machine made. It also had the name “Fraser” on one side.
Adam found remains of a green bottle and some very thick brown glass—again, far different from today’s.
After doing research on the computer, the boys contacted Aimee Wells of the county’s Cultural Resources office. She showed them a computer program that digitally puts old maps over modern satellite photographs.
Bingo! Their back yards were once part of a military(军事的) encampment(营地) called Camp Alger used by Ohio soldiers on their way to fight in the Spanish-American War in 1898.
So how do a few bottles get connected to a brief war that was more than a century ago? “We get there by good judgment,” Wells said. “We know the time period of the bottles and what happened in that area.” Anyone can dig a hole, but archaeologists seek a deeper understanding. How do objects found relate to things around them?
When Derek and Adam realized that a solider might have held that Fraser bottle 110 years ago, they wondered what he might have been thinking. What did he see as he looked around him? How did he pass the time waiting to go into battle?
Historical records show that while waiting for orders, the soldiers in and around Camp Alger played baseball, played instruments and walked seven miles to the Potomac River once a week for baths. A spread of strange fever forced the closing of the camp, and there are no buildings to study. “What’s left is only what’s in the ground,” said Wells.
Derek’s and Adam’s back yards have joined the 3,400 places listed on the county’s register of archaeological sites. The boys were given tips on how to dig effectively and safely, and on how to document the location of items found.
The official record of their finds serves as another piece of the puzzle for historians seeking to form a more complete story of what happened.
“Not everyone is going to have historical objects in their own yard,” Wells said. “That’s okay. Make your own time capsule and bury it. What would you want people to know about your life years from now?”
63. What is the passage mainly about?
A. How Adam Giles and Derek Hann dug out the remains of an ancient military encampment.
B. What Adam Giles and Derek Hann found in their back yard and its relationship with an encampment.
C. The great contribution Adam Giles and Derek Hann made to the cause of archaeology.
D. The tips on how to dig out ancient objects buried under the ground safely and effectively.
64. From the passage, we can see that the boy’s discovery _______.
A. includes all kinds of hand-made and machine- made glass.
B. has helped historians find out what happened in 1898.
C. couldn’t have been meaningful without Aimee Wells’ help.
D. has added the county to the list of archaeologist sites.
65. When Wells said “We get there by good judgment.” (Paragraph 6), she meant that_______.
A. they have established the ties to Camp Alger by finding out the time period of the bottles.
B. they have figured out how to get to the place where the brief war happened.
C. they have managed to dig out the bottles in the back yard safely with common sense.
D. they were able to locate the soldiers who used the Fraser bottles 110 years ago.
66. Which of the following fits the description of historical records?
A. The soldiers in and around Camp Alger delighted in playing basketball in their spare time.
B. When Camp Alger was forced to close, all the buildings there were destroyed.
C. The soldiers in and around Camp Alger often buried some bottles underground as time capsules.
D. Camp Alger was forced to close because of a spread of a strange fever.
B
This is a dangerous world we live in. The number of murders goes up every year, people are dying of cancer, more people contract HIV, more teens are using drugs, etc. You know this because you have heard all the statistics on the news and in the paper. But do you really have an accurate idea what they mean? The numbers are growing up, but how do they compare to the growth in population? Are more cases of these diseases being reported because of better testing techniques, or are the diseases more common? The fact is that without knowing the background statistics mean very little.
This growing trend of reporting only part of the information is becoming dangerous. For example, several years ago a high school student reported the dangers of the chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide. This chemical, found in most cancerous tumors(肿瘤), is often found in the blood of people drunk on alcohol, and causes complete physical and mental dependence for those who take the chemical even once. After reading his report, more than 75% of his Advanced Placement Chemistry class voted to forbid this dangerous chemical! Every one of the above statements is true, yet this chemical is necessary to all life on earth. The students made the mistake be
cause they voted knowing only a few statements and statistics, rather than the chemical’s full background.
The point of this article is that one should be aware of what is and is not being said. When one finds a new fact or number, one should try to consider other important information before forming an opinion with only half-truths. Always remember that the author is trying to convince you of his or her own view, and will leave out information that is different to his view. For example, look again at the statistics that suggest skiing is safe. Only 32 people may die each year when skiing, while 897 die from lightning strikes, but which is really the most dangerous? If you think about it, you realize far fewer people go skiing each year than the number of people who are in danger of a lightning strike. When you think about it, skiing is more dangerous than you might at first think when looking at statistics. If we teenagers are to be left in this world, we had better be able to think critically, and form our own views, rather than be easily persuaded by another’s. To be warned is to be prepared.
59. In the first paragraph, what problem does the writer want to warn us?
A. We are now living in a dangerous world.
B. We get a lot of false statistics from the media.
C. Statistics alone without full background doesn’t give us an accurate pictures of things.
D. There are around us more and more murders, diseases, etc.
60. Why does the writer use the example in the second paragraph?
A. To argue that high school students are easily persuaded.
B. To show the danger of reporting only part of the information.
C. To prove what is necessary to us might be dangerous.
D. To warn us of the harmful substance around us.
61. Relative information is often left out because__________.
A. Relative information is not that important.
B. too much information will make readers feel confused.
C. the author is trying to show what he or she says is true.
D. readers are not able to analyze so much information at once.
62. What can we learn from the passage?
A. We should learn to think critically and look at problems from all sides.
B. Some measures must be taken to protect our dangerous world.
C. The growing trend of reporting only half-truths is getting out of control.
D. Teenagers ought to improve their ability of telling right from wrong.
Ⅳ 阅读理解(共两节,满分40分)
第一节(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
A
The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card fraud.Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal Website. Websites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with card.On line, shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought.
The thieves then go shopping with your card number — or sell the information over the Internet. Computer hackers have broken down security system, raise questions about the safety of card-holder information.
Several months ago, 25,000 customers of CD universe, an on-line music retailer (零售商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Website after the retailer refused to pay US $157,828 to get back the information.
Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud.Master-card is working on plans for Web-only credit-card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping on-line. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.
Ask about your credit-card firm’s on-line rules: Under British law, cardholders are responsible for the first US $78 of any fraudulent spending.
And shop only at secure sites: Send your credit-card information only if the Website offers advanced secure system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Website address may also start the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.
Keep your password safe: Most on-line sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your password with care.
56.The underlined word “fraud” in the first paragraph probably means _____.
A.cheating B.sale C.payment D.use
57.Thieves usually get the information of the credit-card _____.
A.because many customers lost their cards
B.by paying money for people working in the information companies
C.because of the carelessness of the customers
D.by stealing the information from Websites
58.The best title for the passage might be _____.
A.How to Beat On-line Credit-card Thieves
B.How to Shop on the Internet
C.Never Use Credit Cards without an Advanced Computer
D.Why Thieves Steal Credit-Card Information