Jeanne Calment, a French woman, became a record breaker on 17 October of 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days.
Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France; her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes her as being more like a 90-year-old in good health than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on her 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied: A very short one. She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her.
So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips. She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercises every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glasses of strong red wine a day, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86.
A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at that time, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying:
Sorry, I’m still alive! How does Jeanne Calment feel about her old age?
| A．She is miserable and unhappy. |
| B．She is cheerful and humorous. |
| C．She would like to live much longer. |
| D．She feels she is going to die very soon. |
Jeanne Calment has a long life because of _______.
| A．smoking only a little every day |
| B．her giving up smoking and drinking |
| C．drinking two glasses of strong red wine every day |
| D．the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercises |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The Japanese man died earlier than Jeanne Calment by one day. |
| B．Jeanne Calment is tired of living so long a life. |
| C．Jeanne Calment’s husband, children and grandchildren have all died. |
| D．One of Jeanne Calment’s legs was once broken. |
Which could best replace the underlined word “move” in the fourth paragraph?
| A．deal | B．trick | C．march | D．sport |
Why does Jeanne Calment say “Sorry, I’m still alive” to the local lawyer every year on her birthday?
| A．Because she had an agreement at 80 with the lawyer which was to her advantage. |
| B．Because she has asked the lawyer to pay her more rent than they first agreed. |
| C．Because the lawyer has paid her much more money than the value of the house. |
| D．Because the house she rented to the lawyer isn’t worth the money he has already paid. |
Giving Back
Fair Way
The Westborough High School golf team had taken the official photos with the state prize. The other teams, disappointed, were on the bus heading home. And the Westborough instructor Greg Rota noticed something wrong on one of the score cards. A 9 had been recorded as a 7. They were not the state prize winner; Wobum High had won. "No one would have known, said Wobum's instructor, Bob Doran. For Rota, it wasn’t a difficult decision: “The prize wasn’t ours to take.”
Coin Stars
"College students are lazy. but they also want to help," says University of Pennsylvania graduate. Dan Hork. So she made it easy, placing cups in rooms where students could leave their spare coins, and handing out cups to first-year students to keep in their rooms. Her "Change for Change" effort has collected$40,000 for charities, which were decided upon by students .
Never Forgotten
A school in Massachusetts received a $ 9. 5 million check from Jacques LeBermuth. But it took officials several days of digging to discover his connection to the school. Records showed the LeBermuth came from Belgium and studied in the school in the1920s. When his family fell on hard times, he was offered free room and board.LeBermuth became a trader, owned shares of AT&T and lived off the earnings until he died , at age 89.What did Greg Rota probably do in the end?
| A．Returned the prize to the organizer, |
| B．Apologized to Wobum High School. |
| C．Took photos of the state prize. |
| D．Had a meeting with Doran |
Greg Rota's decision shows that he was .
| A．polite | B．honest |
| C．careful | D．friendly |
The underlined word "Change" in the second paragraph means__________.
| A． Idea | B． Decision | C． Cups | D．Coins |
Jacques LeBermuth gave the money to the school because _________.
| A．the school asked for it |
| B．he had no need for that much money |
| C．the school had helped him in the past |
| D．he wanted to be remembered by the students |
Knowing how much her own children loved presents at Christmas, Ann Sutton always tried to seek help for one or two poor families. With a social worker mother, the Sutton children had inherited（继承）her commitment to service, and knew never to take their good fortune at Christmas for granted. This year, Kinzie, her seven-year-old daughter was thrilled that Santa Claus would make a special visit to a 22-year-old mother named Ashley who worked in a factory raising her 12-month-old son by herself.
The phone rang on Sunday. A representative from a local organization was calling to say that the aid Ann had requested for Ashley had fallen through. No Santa Claus, no presents, nothing.
Ann saw the cheer fade away from her children's faces at the news. Without a word, Kinzie ran into her bedroom. She returned, her face set with determination. Opening up her piggy bank, she put all the coins onto the table: $3.30. Everything she had.
“Mom," she told Ann, “I know it's not much. But maybe this will buy a present for the baby.”
At a breakfast meeting the next day, Ann told her coworkers about her daughter story. To her surprise, staff members began to open their purses. and empty their pockets to help Kinzie .
On Christmas Eve, Ann drove through the pouring rain to the small trailer where the Ashley’s lived. Then she began to unload the gifts from the car, handing them to Ashley one by one.
Ashley was very moved. Reflecting on a little girl's generosity, Ashley says she'll one day be able to do something similar for someone else in need. "Kinzie could have used that money for herself, but she gave it away," Ashley says. "She's the type of kid I'd like my son to grow up to be."According to the text, Ann Sutton .
| A．only cares about poor children |
| B．has possessed a good fortune |
| C．is warm-hearted and ready to help others |
| D．is a single mother with a 12-month-old boy |
When hearing the aid had fallen through, Kinzie .
| A．was not sad but cheerfu1 |
| B．put all her coins away immediately |
| C．told her mother to ask the coworkers for help |
| D．decided to buy a present for the baby with all her allowance |
From the text we can learn that _______. .
| A．Ann would act as Santa Claus to hand out the Christmas presents |
| B．the Sutton children always got lots of presents at Christmas |
| C．Kinzie's generosity influenced others and they did something similar |
| D．Ashley was moved and promised to return the money |
What does the text mainly talk about?
| A．How a warm-hearted mother shows her love to a poor family. |
| B．How a mother and her young daughter helped a poor family. |
| C．Many people make contributions to those in need. |
| D．What happened to a poor family on Christmas Eve. |
More than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed across the globe each day, and it’s likely that many taste bitter.
Now, a new study suggests that coffee fans can make their drink taste sweeter by simply changing the colour of their cups.
Scientists claim that blue and glass mugs, which are popular in some coffee shops, can reduce coffee’s bitterness, without any need for sugar, and that coffee drunk from white cups tastes the bitterest.
To prove their claims, the researchers invited 36 volunteers and used three different colored cups -- blue, white and transparent glass -- to do an experiment.
In the experiment, coffee consumed from the white cup was found to taste less sweet when compared to the other two colored cups, while the blue cup made the coffee taste the sweetest.
The scientists believe that the colour brown may be associated with coffee’s bitterness because coffee in a white cup appears the brownest and tastes the bitterest.
“Our study clearly shows that the colour of a coffee cup does influence the perceived (感受到的) taste and flavor of coffee,” said Dr George Doorn of Federation University Australia, “but the potential effects may be different between a one-time purchase and a return customer.”
“Anyhow, the effect of the colour of the cup on the flavor of the coffee suggests that café owners, baristas (服务员), as well as coffee cup manufacturers should carefully consider the colour of their cups, ” he added.
However, the idea that colour can alter the taste of food and drink is not new.
A study published last year revealed that red, strawberry-flavored mousse (慕斯蛋糕) served on a white plate was rated as 10 percent sweeter and 15 percent more flavorous than the same food presented on a black plate. What color of the cup can best reduce coffee’s bitterness without adding sugar?
| A．Blue. | B．Brown. | C．White. | D．Transparent. |
The scientists used ________ to do the experiment to prove their claims.
① different brands of coffee
② different colored coffee cups
③ several volunteers
④ several manufactures
| A．① ② | B．② ③ | C．② ④ | D．③ ④ |
Why does coffee in white cups taste the least sweet?
| A．Because white cups are not as beautiful as other cups. |
| B．Because white cups make coffee appear the brownest. |
| C．Because white cups reduce the sugar in them. |
| D．Because white cups are better used to serve cakes. |
According to the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Black plates increase the sweetness of food and drink. |
| B．Strawberry-flavored mousse is 10 percent sweeter than coffee. |
| C．People consume more than 2.5 billion cups of coffee across the globe every year. |
| D．People can make coffee taste sweeter by changing the color of their coffee cups. |
An African proverb says that a single hand cannot tie a bundle. Everyone needs companions to help them sail through the rough seas of life. Even the strongest and richest person still needs friends. Our money and strength would have no value if we had no friends to share with us. The best friendship is a give-and-take relationship. We need the support of our family, friends and the community. In turn we also give support to the society, our friends and our family.
The word “friend” has many meanings. It could be the bus driver who takes you to and from work every day. It could be a parent, a colleague, a wife or husband, a brother or sister, or even the unknown person who helped you just once when you could not find your way. Real friends share not only our happiness but our sorrows as well. This may explain why we have the expression “a friend in need is a friend indeed”.
Friendship is like the sunshine that keeps us warm. It is like the refreshing raindrops on the fields that give the farmers hope of a good planting season. Without friends our life would be like a desert where our only friend would be loneliness and sadness. The most fortunate person is the one who has friends from all levels in the society. A driver might find friends not only among his colleagues but among farmers, bankers, traders, students, politicians or teachers. We should never forget our old friends when we make new ones. We should treasure each of our friends whether poor or rich, beautiful or not. Each friend is unique in his or her own way. And all together, they enrich life and make it very colourful. What is the main topic of the passage?
| A．How to sail through the sea of life. |
| B．Friends and friendship. |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| D．Never forget old friends when making new ones. |
What is the correct understanding of friends according to the writer?
| A．Friends who share our happiness are not real friends. |
| B．Friends will take us through rough seas. |
| C．Friends never expect anything from others. |
| D．Friends can be different people around us. |
An unknown person can be a friend as well when .
| A．he helps you with what you need |
| B．he is told how to find his way |
| C．he becomes one of your family |
| D．he is a driver taking you from and to work |
The underlined word “unique” in the last paragraph most probably means “ ”.
| A．special | B．poor | C．rich | D．Valuable |
It’s summer movie time again. Check out our list of four films.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Release Date: November 4
Story: It’s the summer before Harry Potter’s third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A dangerous murderer, Sirius Black, has escaped from the Wizards’ Prison. And he was ordered to kill Harry Potter.
Around the World in 80 Days
Release Date: November 16
Story: This version of the classic novel set in 1872 focuses on Passepartout ( Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan), a Chinese thief who seeks refuge (庇护) with a strange London adventurer, Phileas Fogg. Passepartout uses his martial art skills to defend Fogg from danger as he travels around the world in 80 days.
Spider-Man 2
Release Date: November 30
Story: Peter Parker is still coming to accept his dual identity (双重身份) as the crime superhero Spider-Man. He wants to reveal his secret identity to Mary Jane, meanwhile, his Aunt May is in trouble. This is Dr Otto Octavius who has appeared to bring her a lot of troubles.
King Arthur
Release Date: November 7
Story: King Arthur is presented as a clever ruler who manages to unite all the knights in Britain. Under the guidance of Merlin and the beautiful, brave Guinevere, Arthur will struggle to realize his dreams. When can you see the film acted by Jackie Chan?
| A．November 4. | B．November 30. |
| C．November 16. | D．November 7. |
In Spider-Man 2, Aunt May’s trouble is caused by______.
| A．Spider-Man | B．Peter Parker |
| C．Mary Jane | D．Dr Otto Octavius |
What kind of article of this passage?
| A．A news report. | B．A funny diary. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．A composition. |