American author Mark Twain once noted that “life would be surely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.” Twain’s words were only one of many complaints about aging. The ancient Greek poet Homer called old age “hateful”, and William Shakespeare termed it “terrible winter”.
Alexander the Great, who conquered most of the known world before he died around 323 B.C., may have been looking for a river that healed the ravages of age. During the 12th century A.D., a king called Prester John ruled a land that had a river of gold and a fountain of youth.
But the name linked most closely to the search for a fountain of youth is 16th-century Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. He thought it would be found in Florida. In St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S., there’s a tourist attraction. It is said to be the fountain of youth that Ponce de Leon discovered soon after he arrived in what is now Florida in 1513. However, elderly visitors who drink the spring’s water don’t turn into teenagers.
But the tale of the search for a fountain of youth is so appealing(有吸引力的) that it survives anyway, says Ryan K. Smith, a professor of history. “People are more attracted by the story of looking and not finding than they are by the idea that the fountain might be out there somewhere.”
Still, a few grains of truth have helped to support the story. Kathleen Deagan, a professor of archaeology, says a graveyard and the remains of a Spanish mission dating back to St. Augustine’s founding in 1565 have been discovered near the so-called fountain of youth. Michelle Reyna, a spokesperson for the Fountain of Youth Arc
haeological Park in St. Augustine, says the fountain has been a tourist attraction since at least 1901 and may have been attracting visitors since 1860. According to the passage, who searched for a fountain of youth?
| A．Ponce de Leon | B．William Shakespeare. | C．Kathleen Deagan | D．Michelle Reyna |
What does the underlined word “ravages” in the second paragraph probably mean?
| A．Growth. | B．Limits. | C．Damages. | D．Benefits. |
What is the attitude of people towards the fountain of youth?
| A．People find much pleasure in looking for it. |
| B．People believe the existence of it somewhere. |
| C．People have no interest in searching for it. |
| D．People consider the idea of the fountain of youth absurd(荒谬的). |
The passage mainly tells us _____.
| A．how the fountain of youth came into being |
| B．why some famous people hate becoming old |
| C．how to remain young forever |
| D．whether the fountain of youth exists |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The underlined words “the story” refers to Alexander the Great ruling a land that had a river of gold and a fountain of youth. |
| B．Augustine, which is the oldest city in the U.S, lies in Florida. |
| C．Some elderly visitors find themselves younger after drinking the water from the fountain of youth. |
| D．Kathleen Deagan is the spokesperson for the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. |
Everyone knows that exercise is important. We all need to exercise. Doctors say it is good for us. It makes your heart and body strong. Children who often exercise are more alert (灵活). This means they do better in tests and schoolwork than those who don’t exercise.
There are many ways to exercise. You can walk, run, swim, skate, or play ball games. Make sure you exercise in the following ways; you have to like what you’re doing. Exercise enough— but not too much. It’s best to exercise twice each week, Thirty minutes each time is enough. Try all kinds of things until you find one, two or even three sports that feel right for you.
You can exercise at fitness centers. They have a lot of equipment（设备）there. The equipment will help to exercise your arms, legs and other parts of your body to make you fit. Some people buy equipment for their homes. But it is very expensive.
Exercising can be fun. Friends can exercise together at a fitness center or they can play sports together. How do you exercise?In the text, the writer tells us that we all need to .
| A．drink | B．sleep | C．exercise | D．work |
Which of the following sports is not mentioned (提到) in the next?
| A．Fishing | B．Running | C．Swimming | D．Walking |
The words “fitness centers” in the next mean .
| A．商务中心 | B．健身中心 | C．购物中心 | D．医疗中心 |
The sentence, Children who often exercise are more alert, tells us that people who often exercise can do better in .
| A．running | B．skate | C．swim | D．studies |
Exercising can be fun, because .
| A．it makes your heart and body strong |
| B．it makes you study better |
| C．people can buy equipment for their home |
| D．friends can play sports together |
English is spoken as a first language by most people in the USA, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Canada. However, English is spoken all over the world. It is the main language in over 60 countries, such as India, Singapore and in many of the Caribbean and Pacific islands. In those places English is often a second language.
English is also as an important international language in many other countries, like China and Japan. People in these countries use it for business, and travelers to these countries use English when they get there. Other people may learn English because they enjoy reading books in English, listening to British or American music or watching American films.
English has changed a lot these years and still goes on changing. It is no longer right to talk about British English or American English if the speaker doesn’t come from those countries. People in Japan or Korea, for example, may use the American spelling but may not sound like Americans.
English will be the most widely used language in the world in the 21st century. This language no longer belongs to British, American or Australian speakers. It belongs to anyone who can use this language. After you leave school, you will almost certainly need it.In how many countries is English spoken as a first language in the world?
| A．Five. | B．Four. | C．Three. | D．Six. |
In which other countries is English spoken as a main language?
| A．Britain, USA and Australia. |
| B．India, Singapore and many of Caribbean and Pacific islands. |
| C．China and Japan. |
| D．New Zealand, Ireland and Canada. |
People from other countries learn English for .
| A．passing exams |
| B．business and traveling |
| C．reading English books, enjoying English music or watching films |
| D．Both B and C |
If people in Japan or Korea use the American spelling, they .
| A．will speak the same as Americans |
| B．may not sound like Americans |
| C．will speak British English |
| D．will speak English much better |
Which topic is the best for the passage?
| A．A first language in the world. |
| B．A second language in the world. |
| C．English around the world. |
| D．A useful language. |
Most people look forward to retirement as a time when they can finally take up activities that they never had the time or energy to pursue before. Bust some recent studies on people in their golden years are disturbing: they suggest that retirees are more likely to suffer from depression and possibly higher rates of other diseases such as heart disease and high blood pressure. That’s why a new study of French workers is welcome news.
Led by Hugo Westerlund, a professor of psychology at Stockholm University, the study of more than 14,000 workers found lower rates of depression and fatigue(疲劳) in people after they got tired while they were still employed.
The scientists followed the employees of the French national gas and electric company for 14 years. They found in the year immediately after retirement, the volunteers reported 40% fewer depressive symptoms than they had in the year before their retirement. The researchers also found an 81% drop in reports of both mental and physical fatigue over the same time period.
Clearly, said Westerlund, much of these decrease in physical and mental fatigue can be traced back to relief from the stresses of work. The decline in depressive symptoms suggests that retirement may be having a positive mental effect, too, which may have a lot to do with the generous pensions(养老金) that French workers enjoy. Most retirees in that country still benefit from about 80% of their yearly salaries.
“The economic or financial situation in retirement is very important,” Westerlund says. “We don’t know if the decrease in fatigue and depressive symptoms is because of the removal of something bad while in work or the addition of something good while in retirement. But no matter the reason, if life in retirement is not comfortable, then we won’t see the improvements we did.”
However, in European nations like France, governments are considering changes to pension plans, which may affect retirees’ health after they leave their jobs—with less of a financial safety net, workers may no longer seem so mentally and physically happy to be out of work.
(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS)According to some recent studies, retired people may have depression and higher rates of other disease like ____________________________________.
Westerlund’s group found that in the year just after the retirement most retired French workers felt much less tired both __________________________________.
What dies the word “improvements” in paragraph 5 refer to?
_______________________________________________________________Retirement may make people happier with ___________________________________
LONDON—Life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to permanent(永久的) fast-forward.
Their full school day and her job as a lawyer's assistant are busy enough. But Hagner also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club.
Often, the exhausted family doesn't get home until 7 pm. There is just time for a quick supper before homework. In today's world, middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line.
Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child.
"Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress," says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota.
Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It's a very serious problem. Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include sports, language, music and math classes for children as young as four.
"There is a new parenting trend under way which says that you have to tap all your child's potential at a young age; otherwise you will let him down,” says Terry Alter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist （青少年精神病专家）
"It isn't entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously seen as strange behaviour is now well accepted."From the second paragraph of this passage we can find that ______.
| A．Hagner wastes much time helping her children's lessons |
| B．Hagner doesn't spend much time on her full-time job |
| C．Hagner is interested in spots and music |
| D．Hagner busies herself by following a trend |
British parents, as the writer described in this passage, _____.
| A．treat their children as spots players |
| B．pay no attention to their children's lessons |
| C．bring up their children in a simple way |
| D．give their children little time to develop freely |
The writer's opinion about after-school clubs is that ______.
| A．activities in the country are too competitive |
| B．children should attend four clubs at a time |
| C．some clubs result in competitive pressures |
| D．clubs should have more subjects for school children |
The last paragraph tells us that in Britain ______.
| A．parents used to take their children to every club |
| B．parents used to be wise on how to raise children |
| C．parents have all benefited from children's clubs |
| D．parents have come to know the standard of education |
Have you ever wondered why the roots of the plants always know which way to grow—into the soil but not above it? Some British scientists have recently solved this mystery.
It turns out that roots have special hairs that tie them into the soil and help them grow their way past obstacles, a team at the John Inners Center in Norwich reports in the February 29 issue of Journal Science.
“The key is in the fuzzy(有绒毛的)coat of hairs on the roots of plants,” says professor Liam Dolan. “We have found a growth control system that enables these hairs to find their way and to become longer when their path is clear.”
Root hairs explore the soil in much the same way a person would feel their way in the dark. If they come across an obstacle, they make their way around until they can continue growing in an opening. In the meantime, the plant is held in place as the hairs grip(紧紧抓住)the soil.
The hairs are guided by a clever chemical trick. A protein(蛋白质) at the tip of the root hairs called RHD2 helps them to take calcium(钙) from the soil. Calcium makes the hairs grow, and produce more RHD2, and take more calcium.
But when an obstacle blocks the hair’s path, or the hair reaches the surface of the soil, the cycle is broken and growth starts in another direction.
This system gives plants the flexibility to explore a complex environment and to live in even the most unpromising soils, says Dolan.
In poor soils such as in parts of Australia and Africa, native plants have adapted by producing enormous numbers of root hairs. A better understanding of this adaptation will allow scientists to develop hairy rooted crops that can grow in unfriendly environments.
According to Dolan, “Research in the John Inners Center is taking a breeding approach to increase hair length in wheat but it will be some time before new cultivars(栽培变种) are developed.”The passage is mainly about _______.
| A．why the roots of plants grow into the soil but not above it |
| B．how the roots of plants grow into the soil but not above it |
| C．the process of plants growth |
| D．a growth control system of plants |
How does the circle work?
| A．RHD2 takes calcium from the soil, which makes hairs grow, and produce RHD2 and take more calcium |
| B．Roots take RHD2 and calcium from the soil and produce RHD2 |
| C．Roots make hairs grow, and produce RHD2, and take more calcium |
| D．RHD2 takes protein, which makes hairs grow, and produce RHD2, and take more calcium |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
| A．hairy rooted crops can grow better in unfriendly environments |
| B．a new cultivar of wheat with long hair has been developed by scientists |
| C．a new cultivar of wheat with long hair is still on test |
| D．the roots of plants always know which way to grow |