Jeanne Calment, a French woman, become a record breaker on 17 October 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 here 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 the 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 say, 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 the 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 feels upset and unhappy. |
| B．She is cheerful and humorous. |
| C．She likes to live much longer. |
| D．She feels she is going to die very soon. |
The text seems to suggest that Jeanne Calment owes her good health and long life to______.
| A．smoking only little every day |
| B．neither smoking nor drinking |
| C．always drinking two glasses of strong red wine a day and never smoking |
| D．the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercises |
Which of the following could best explain the underlined word “genes” in the third paragraph?
| A．good habits of body-building. |
| B．Some materials that control the development of a living thing. |
| C．Comfortable living conditions. |
| D．Something necessary for a person to keep his life. |
Why did Jeanne Calment say “Sorry, I’m still alive!” to the local lawyer?
| A．She had an agreement with the lawyer when she was 80. |
| B．The lawyer has not paid her enough rent yet. |
| C．The lawyer has paid her more money than the value of the house. |
| D．The house she sold to the lawyer was worth the money already paid. |
More and more often we heard of people talking about Karaoke（卡拉OK）。 But what on earth it is about， still remains a question for many people. Karaoke is a sort of acoustic equipment which was invented in Japan around the middle of the 1970's. It means "a band without people" in Japanese. In fact， it is just a music tape without words. This equipment first appeared in some public houses and snack bars， and mainly for the customers to enjoy themselves. Most of the music in Karaoke was popular music. Therefore， at times， when anyone felt like it， he might sing songs to the accompaniment of the music that came from the equipment. Shortly after its invention， Karaoke was spread to the whole world. It was introduced to China and was welcomed by many people. Although you are not a good singer， or even sometimes you may sing out of tune， you can always enjoy yourself by singing Karaoke.In this passage "band" means "group of persons ________."
| A．who play games on the sports ground |
| B．who play music together |
| C．living in the same neighborhood |
| D．doing things together under a leader and with a common purpose |
Karaoke is just a ______.
| A．cassette tape with only music |
| B．cassette tape recorder |
| C．band from Japan |
| D．voice recording equipment |
People went to public houses and snack bars ______when Karaoke appeared.
| A．to have a good time |
| B．to have something to drink |
| C．to get something to eat |
| D．to buy the equipment |
Karaoke was spread to the whole world ________.
| A．as soon as it was invented |
| B．long before |
| C．not long after it was invented |
| D．before long |
The main idea of this passage is ______.
| A．all persons like to play Karaoke |
| B．to introduce Karaoke to the people |
| C．Karaoke is a wonderful equipment |
| D．Karaoke is used everywhere including snack bars |
Mr. King lived with six hundred wild animals on the Greek Island of Kyklos. Ever since he left school, he had traveled all over the word collecting animals for his own zoo. He hoped to collect two examples of every kind of animal on his island. But he was afraid that people would find him someday.
He wrote books about his travels and about his animals that he collected. The money from the books helped to pay for all the food that these animals ate.
One day, when Mr. King was out looking for drinking water, he found oil. He needed money for his travels and for his zoo, and a little oil would buy enough water for what he needed all his life, but he knew that if he told anyone else about it, it would be the end of his zoo and his life’s work. So he decided not to tell anyone else about what he had found, because oil and water couldn’t mix. Mr. King traveled all over the world for collecting ______.
| A．oil | B．water | C．animals | D．money |
What Mr. King needed for his travels and his zoo was_______.
| A．water | B．money | C．support | D．friends |
Mr. King was afraid that people would find him someday because ________.
| A．he hadn’t got enough money for them |
| B．that would be the end of his zoo |
| C．he hadn’t got enough water and oil |
| D．they would buy his animals |
Mr. King wrote books to _______.
| A．tell people about his story |
| B．tell people how to find oil |
| C．get enough money for his animals |
| D．make money for his travels |
In the passage, “oil and water couldn’t mix” means that “_________”.
| A．Mr. King needed not only water but also oil |
| B．oil and water were rather difficult to be mixed together |
| C．Mr. King’s animals only needed water, not oil |
| D．if he told the others he found oil, his life’s work would be stopped |
One day in the early March of 1993, Pauline and Tom Nichter and their 11-year-old son, Jason, were shopping for a toy in Buena Park, CA. Suddenly, Pauline saw a wallet lying on the floor. When she looked inside, she found $200. The family, homeless and without work, knew that could change their lives. But they took the wallet to the nearby police station and turned it in. The wallet was found to have some other pockets, and more money in them—over $2,000! The police called the man who lost the wallet to pick it up. The man thanked the Nichters and shook their hands, but did not reward them. Luckily for the family, a TV news reporter filmed the story. People from all over the world heard the story and sent them letters, money, and even offered them jobs. A businessman even let them live in his house for free for six months. So far, the family has received over $100,000. Now the Nichters’ future is bright.The best title for the passage would be “________”.
| A．Money Is Everything | B．A Lost Wallet and a Family |
| C．A Kind Businessman | D．A Lost Wallet and the Police |
Who found more money in the wallet?
| A．The police | B．Jason |
| C．Someone else in the shop | D．The man who lost the wallet |
The underlined words “reward them” mean “________”.
| A．speak to the Nichters | B．give something to the Nichters in return |
| C．pay the police | D．meet the news reporters |
People from all over the world help the Nichters do lots of things except _______
| A．offere them jobs | B．sent them letters |
| C．sent them money | D．offere them clothes |
Which of the following is TRUE about the Nichters?
| A．They got lots of money from a reporter |
| B．They made friends with the wallet loser |
| C．They posted letters to people all over the world |
| D．They became known to many people |
Guangzhou （Xinhua）——12 people were killed and 20 injured early yesterday morning when they jumped from a burning train car into the path of an oncoming goods train in Southern China. When No. 247 Wuchang——Guangzhou passenger train was passing the Dayaoshan Tunnel in Guangdong Province， South China at 00 ：17 hours yesterday， a fire caused by passengers' smoking broke out on No. 17 car. They wanted to extinguish fire. As the train stopped some frightened passengers jumped from windows. 12 people were crushed to death and 20 others injured by a northward passing goods train（No. 1766).In which direction did the passenger train travel？
| A．Northward. | B．Southward. | C．Eastward. | D．Westward. |
When did the accident happen？
| A．At 00：17 am. | B．At 00：17 pm. |
| C．At seventeen past one. | D．At seventeen to one. |
Where did the accident happen？
| A．In Wuchang. | B．In Guangzhou. |
| C．In Hubei. | D．In Guangdong. |
For what did the passenger train stop？
| A．To put out the fire. |
| B．To let the passengers jump out. |
| C．To let the other train pass. |
| D．To pick up some other passengers. |
What was the cause of the fire？
| A．A heavy rain. |
| B．High temperature. |
| C．Carelessness. |
| D．Fear. |
“Creativity is the key to a brighter future,” say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.
If Dick had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as of great importance: a new type of tape. Dick worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Dick improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking about and developing new ideas.
Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily a character of high intelligence. The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.
Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situation. They may know the rules correctly but they are unable to use them to Work out practical problems.
It is important to give children choices. From the earlier age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money. This is because the most important character of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.What did the company where Dick once worked learn from its mistake?
| A．They encouraged people to work a longer time. |
| B．They discouraged people to think freely. |
| C．They asked people to spend all their work time developing new ideas. |
| D．They encouraged people to spend some of their work time considering and improving new ideas. |
Creativity is something __
| A．that people are born with |
| B．that depends on intelligence |
| C．that is a way of using what one has learnt to work out new problems |
| D．that is not important at all |
Why don’t schools try to encourage creativity?
| A．They don’t understand the importance of education. |
| B．They don’t want their students to make mistakes. |
| C．They pay too much attention to exam marks, language and mathematical skills. |
| D．They think it more important to remember some information. |
What should the parents do when their children decide how to spend their money?
| A．Try to help them as much as possible. | B．Take no notice of whatever they do. |
| C．Leave them as they are. | D．Help them if their decision is wrong, but not too much.. |