She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder. 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（有弹性的）, 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 course, if you became a new species （物种）, 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 Miller | D．George Martin |
What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
| A．Most of us could be good at sports even at 120. |
| 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 |
Thinking
| Some scientists claim that we humans are the only living things that are conscious(有意识的)-we alone are aware that we are thinking. No one knows how consciousness works –it is one of science’s last great mysteries. All your thoughts take place in the cerebrum(大脑皮质),which is at the top of your brain, and different kinds of thought are linked to different areas, areas, called association areas. Each half of the cerebrum has four rounded ends called lobes(脑叶)-two at the front (frontal and temporal lobes)and two at the back (occipital and parietal lobes). The frontal lobe is linked to your personality and it is where you have your bright ideas. The temporal lobe is where you hear and understand what people say to you. The occipital lobe is where you work out what your eyes see. The parietal lobe is where you record touch, heat and cold, and pain. The left half of the brain controls the right side of the body. The right half controls the left side. One half of the brain is always dominant (in charge).Usually, the left brain is dominant, which is why 90% of people are right-handed. |
68.Which part of your cerebrum is most active when you are making a telephone call?
A. The frontal lobe. B. The temporal lobe. C. The occipital lobe. D. The parietal lobe.
69.Which of the following statements is true?
A. One’s personality has something to do with the frontal lobe.
B. Bright ideas come from the parietal lobe.
C. The occipital and temperal lobes are at the back of the cerebrum.
D. The occipital lobe is in charge of sound.
70.From the passage, we know the reason why around 10% of people are left-handed is that _______.
A.their frontal lobe is usually dominant B.their temporal lobe is usually dominant
C.their right brain is usually dominant D.their left brain is usually dominant
What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology(生物技术). With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today's leading killers, such as heart diseases, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memory.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells(细胞) are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs(器官). The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on---in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic conditional human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.
56. According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by _______.
A. diseases and aging B. accidents and war
C. accidents and agingD. heart diseases and war
57.In the author's opinon, today's most important advance in technology lies in _____.
A. medicineB. the internetC. brain cellsD. human organs
58. Humans may live longer in the future because ______.
A. heart disease will be far away from us B. human brains can decide the final death
C. the basic materials of cells will last forever D. human organs can be repaired by new medicine
59. We can learn from the passage that _____.
A. human life will not last more than 120 years in the future
B. human have to take medicine to build new skin cells now
C. much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life
D. we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells.
When we think of leadership, we often think of strength and power. But what are these really, and how do they operate?
Leadership today is not about forcing others to do things, If this is even possible. it is short-term , and tends to backfire. If you order someone to do something against their will. they may do it because they feel they must , but the anger they feel will do more harm in the long-term , They will also experience fear.
Fear causes the thinking brain to shut down, making the person unable to function at his or her best . If they associate you with this emotion of fear. They will become less functional around you , and you will have succeeded in not only shooting yourself in the foot . but possibly making a very good employee or partner unable to perform effectively . Fear has no place in leadership.
The way we influence people in a lasting way is by our own character, and our understanding and use of emotion. We can order someone to do something , which may be part of the work day; or we can employ them at the emotional level , so they became fully devoted to the projects and provide some of their own motivation(积极性)。Today’s work place is all about relationships as a human being as well as a worker. Everyone produces just a bit more for someone they like. Leaders understand the way things work. They know the pay check is not the single most motivating factor (因素) in the work life of most people.
The true strength of leadership is an inner strength that comes from the confidence of emotional intelligence---knowing your own emotions, and how to handle them, and those of others . Developing your emotional intelligence is the single best thing you can do if you want to develop your relationships with people around you, which is the key to the leadership skills .
52. An employee may have a feeling of fear in the work place when___.
A. he is forced to do things B. be cannot work at his best
C. . he feels his brain shut down D. he thinks of his work as too heavy
53. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. People tend to associate leadership with fear
B. Working conditions affect people’s physical health
C. Good relationship is the key to business success
D. Smart people are more functional in the work place.
54. To positively influence employees a leader should first of all __
A. provide better suggestions B. develop his own personality
C. five his employees a pay raise D. hide his own emotion of fear
55.Good leadership is mainly seen in a leader’s ability to___
A . provide a variety of project for employees B. help raise employee’s living standards
C. give employees specific instructions D. deal wisely with employees’ emotions
In meditation(冥想)，people sit quietly and focus their attention on their breath . As they breathe in and out , they attend to their feelings . As thoughts go through their minds. they let them go. Breathe . Let go . Breathe . Let go
According to a recent study at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. Three months of training in this kind of meditation causes a market change in how the brain allocates(分配) attention. It appears that the ability to let go thoughts that come into mind frees the brain to attend to more rapidly changing things and events in the outside world. Expert mediators are better than other people at catching such fast-changing stimuli( 刺激), like facial expressions.
The study provides evidence for changes in the workings of the brain with mental training. People can learn and improve abilities of all sorts with practice. everything from driving to playing the piano. The study has shown that meditation is good for the brain, It appears to reduce pressure and promote a sense of well-being.
In an experiment , 17 volunteers with no meditation experience in the experimental group spent three months meditating 10 to 12 hours a day . A control group also with no meditation experience meditated for 20 minutes a day over the same period . Both groups were then given the tests with two numbers in a group of letters. As both group looked for the numbers , their brain activity was recorded.
Everyone could catch the first number. But the brain recordings showed that the less experienced mediators tended to grasp the first number and hang onto it, so they missed the second number . Those with more experience gave less attention to the first number . as if letting it go , which led to an increased ability to grasp the second number , This shows that attention can change with practice.
Just ask Daniel Levision , who meditated for three months as part of the study . ”I am a much better listener, ” he said. “ I do not get lost in my own personal reaction to what people are saying. ”
48. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refers to
A. feelingsB. minds C. peopleD. thoughts
49. Meditations manage their daily tasks better because they
A. are given less pressure B. allocate their attention better
C. have more stimuli for life D. practice them more frequently
50. In the experiment, volunteers doing meditation for longer hours
A. were more likely to catch both of the members
B. were used to memorizing numbers in groups
C. usually ignored the first number observed
D. paid more attention to numbers than to letters
51. The study proves that
A. meditation improves one’s health B. brain activity can be recorded
C. human attention can be trained D. mediators have a good sense of hearing
The Book of Life
So far, scientists have named about 1.8 million living species（物种）, and that’s just a small number of what probably exists on Earth. With so many plants, animals, and other living things coveting the planet, it can be tough to figure out what type of grass is growing by the roadside or what kind of bird just flew by.
A soon-to-be-started Web site might help. An international team of researchers has announced the creation of Web-based Encyclopedia （百科全书）of Life（EoL）. The project aims to list every species on Earth in a single, easy-to-use reference guide.
To get the encyclopedia started, the creators will use information from scientific databases （数据库） that already exist. And eventually, in special sections of the site, non-scientists with specialized knowledge will come to help. Bird-watchers, for example, will be able to input what birds they’ve seen and where. To make sure the encyclopedia is accurate, scientists will review much of the information added to it.
As the EoL develops, you might find it useful for school projects. The site will feature （以……为特色）special pages for kids who are studying ecosystems in their neighborhoods. Another convenient feature of the EoL is that you’ll be able to pick the level of detail you want to see to match your interests, age, and knowledge.
It now takes years for scientists to collect all the data they need to describe and analyze species. The creators of the Encyclopedia of Life hope that their new tool will speed up that Process.
60. The Web-based EoL aims to__________ .
A. find out what covers the earth B. list all living things on Earth
C. work out the number of birds D. save the existing plants
61. One characteristic of the EoL is that__________ .
A. it is run by school students B. it focuses on different types of grass
C. it provides different levels of information D. it allows non-scientists to review its data
62. In the last paragraph, "that process" means__________ .
A. analyzing species B. creating a new tool C. collecting data D. describing species