Famous centenarians (百岁老人) still active in arts, science are in no mood to retire. "Those who stand still, die," is one of Oliveira's favorite phrases. He knows from experience what it means, as the Portuguese film director has reached the age of 102 and is still active in his profession. Every year, Oliveira shoots a film and is currently working on his next project. "You have to work, work, work in order to forget that death is not far away," he said. When asked about his age, Oliveira said with some humility: "It's down to mother nature. It gave to me what it took from others."
Being both mentally and physically fit in old age is partly a matter of luck, but it also has something to do with character. Not every white-haired person is wise and social skills, openness and the ability to train the brain are essential for senior citizens.
Along with the architect Oscar Niemeyer (103), Nobel laureate Montalcini (101) and director Kurt Maetzig (100), Oliveira is one of those people of whom it would be very wrong to think as members of a listless elderly generation.
Another master in his profession is the architect Oscar Niemeyer. The 103-year-old Brazilian is best known for his futuristic-looking buildings in Brasilia, but he also speaks out on behalf of the poor. "The role of the architect is to struggle for a better world where we can develop a form of architecture that serves everyone and not just a privileged few," said Niemeyer recently. He spends almost every day working in his office in Copacabana, and even when he falls ill he keeps working on ideas: After a gallbladder (胆囊) operation he composed a samba tune (桑巴舞曲) in the clinic.
Another man who could sing a song about age is 107-year-old Heesters. The Dutch-born opera singer spent most of his life performing in Germany, where he still works. Recently Heesters said: "I want to be at least 108-years-old." He also plans to keep performing. "Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?" Heesters has not given up trying to add to his tally of awards and is looking for a "good stage role".
Italian scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini, who is 101-year-old and is still active in medical science, has described the force that keeps driving her on: "Progress is created through imperfection." In 1986 she and her lab colleague were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work on nerve growth factor. She's convinced that humans grow on challenges.
With so many brilliant examples given, we can see clearly that age is no barrier to some high achievers. From the first two paragraphs, we can see ______.
A.being active at 102 is achievable for everybody |
B.Oliveira owes his long life to his mother’s help |
C.being fit in old age is a matter of luck and character |
D.social skills and wisdom are difficult for the senior |
How many centenarians are mentioned in this passage?
A.4 | B.5 | C.6 | D.7 |
By saying "Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?” in Paragraph 5, Heesters shows us he ________.
A.wants to sit or lie in comfort |
B.is waiting for people to pick him up |
C.is willing to work till he dies |
D.prefers to give performance at home |
In the passage so many examples were given to show ________.
A.old age is a big problem if you want to succeed |
B.as a senior citizen, you have to be open-minded and optimistic |
C.old people should never think of themselves as old |
D.old age cannot prevent a great person from achieving a lot |
In the writer’s opinion, the architect Oscar Niemeyer is not ________.
A.intelligent | B.pessimistic | C.positive | D.Diligent |
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the numbered blanks by using the information from the passage. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Garlic (大蒜) is one of the most common spices of the kitchen, and the good news is that growing garlic indoors is simple. Garlic can be easily grown at home from individual cloves (瓣), which is the most commonly used form of cultivating garlic than growing garlic from seeds. Here are some useful tips on growing garlic indoors.
Autumn is the best time to plant garlic. Garlic requires enough time to develop strong roots. In warmer climate, it can be delayed to late winter or early spring.
Ensure the container used to grow garlic is large enough for the roots to have enough space to grow. The larger the size of the container, the healthier and bigger the garlic bulbs (鳞茎) will be. The container should also have holes at the bottom so that the water can drain (流走) out easily.
Sow each clove vertically into the soil at a depth of one inch. Ensure that the bluntend (平端) is facing downward. In case of container gardening, the number of cloves to be sowed in each container depends on the size of the container. In case you are planning to sow more than one clove in each container, make sure that each clove is at least 5 inches apart from others.
For the best growth of the garlic plant, choose a sunny spot where there is enough air circulation (流通). This will aid evaporation (蒸发) of too much amount of water and prevent the soil from becoming too damp in case too much watering does occur. Window sill (窗台) is a good place to put your container of garlic plant.
Once the clove has been sowed, cover the soil with a layer of mulch (覆盖物) to protect the roots from extreme cold. Provide fertilizer at the correct time in right amounts, and proper watering. Once the garlic tips start appearing in the spring season, pull back the layer of mulch. Feed the plants once or twice every month with fertilizer.
Items |
(1)on growing garlic indoors. |
Time |
● It’s best to plant garlic in (2) ● In warmer climate, it’s also suitable to plant garlic in late winter or early spring. |
Container |
● Be large enough to (3)with enough space to grow. ● Have holes at the bottom to (4)the water to drain out easily. |
Sowing |
● Sow each clove vertically into the soil one inch (5). ● Ensure that the blunt end is facing (6). ● Ensure that each clove is at least 5 inches apart from others in a container. |
Place |
●Choose a sunny spot like window sill having enough(7)to aid evaporation of too much amount of water. |
Care |
●Cover the soil with a layer of mulch to(8)from extreme cold after sowing the clove. ● Provide right amounts of fertilizer at the correct time. ● Water the clove (9). ● (10)the layer of mulch once the garlic tips start appearing. ● Use fertilizer to feed the plants once or twice a month. |
In China, many people are leaving the countryside to find jobs in the cities, because the countryside is much poorer than the city, and often there isn't much work there. Services such as hospital and transport are usually much better in the city than in the countryside. They hope that their lives will improve when they move to the city.
But in the big cities of Europe like London or Paris, people are moving out of the city. These rich families want to live a quieter life. They are tired of the noise and the dirt of the city, and they are tired of the crowded streets, crowded trains and buses. They don't want to live in the cities any more. They want a house with a garden in the countryside, and breathe the fresh air there.
So they move out of the cities. Some don't go very far, just a little way out of the city, to the towns near the cities, other people move to the real countryside with sheep, cows and green fields. There, they start new lives and try to make new friends.
Not all those who move from the city to the countryside are happy. After two or three years, many people who have done this feel that it was a big mistake. They don't make so much money and there isn't much work to do. People in the countryside are very different and aren't always very friendly.
As a result, quite a lot of people who have moved to the countryside move back to the city. “It’s wonderful to see crowds in the streets and cinema lights,” they say.Which is NOT the reason for people moving to the cities in China?
A.The countryside is much poorer than me city. |
B.People in the countryside have nothing to eat. |
C.People in the countryside don't have much work to do there. |
D.Services in cities are usually much better than those in the countryside. |
Why do some rich families in Europe move to the countryside?
A.Because they will find good jobs. |
B.Because they are tired of living in the city. |
C.Because they can make more money there. |
D.Because they like feeding sheep and cows in the green fields. |
After moving to the countryside, some people in Europe feel unhappy because .
A.they can’t make much money |
B.there isn’t much work for them to do in the countryside |
C.some people in the countryside aren’t always very friendly to them |
D.A, B and C |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph shows .
A.they are happy to move back to the city |
B.they will miss their friends in the countryside |
C.they still want to move to the countryside |
D.they are tired of the noise and the crowded streets in the city |
The best title of this passage may be “”.
A.A happy life! | B.Living in the city! |
C.Moving out or moving back? | D.Living in the countryside! |
Nick is a 14-year-old school boy. His life is full of exams and studies on weekdays. He has little free time. He thinks playing computer games is the best way to make him relax. When he has free time, he sits in front of the computer. Just like that way, he neither eats nor drinks for several hours.
Last weekend, he played games on the computer again. He was too excited and didn't want to move. He didn't have anything for six hours. When he had to go to the bathroom, he found he could not move. He was taken to the hospital. The doctor told him he should do some more different kinds of activities. In other words, he needs more exercise and outdoor activities to make him have a healthy body.
After coming back from the hospital, Nick follows the doctor's advice. He often plays soccer with his friends. Sometimes he still plays computer games on weekends, but he never does it for long. Now, he lives a happy and healthy life.How old is Nick?
A.13. | B.14. | C.15. | D.16. |
Nick likes in his free time.
A.riding a bike | B.playing the guitar |
C.playing computer games | D.having a school trip |
Why was Nick taken to the hospital?
A.Because he was too excited. |
B.Because he had a cold in the morning. |
C.Because he was too nervous of his studies. |
D.Because he couldn’t move after playing computer games so long. |
Nick should to follow the doctor’s advice.
A.go to a movie | B.listen to music |
C.take more exercise | D.play computer games |
Which of the following is True?
A.Nick is very busy with exams and studies on weekdays. |
B.Nick will never play computer games. |
C.Nick likes eating and drinking when he plays computer games. |
D.Nick has an unhappy and unhealthy life now. |
Expo 2010 Shanghai China
Duration: May 1 to Oct 31, 2010
Welcome to the World Expo 2010 Shanghai China. In order to ensure a safe and orderly visit, the organizer of Expo 2010 has formulated (制订) these rules.
Operation Time
The operation time of the Expo Site shall be 9:00~24:00. The opening hours of the pavilions shall be 9:30 ~ 22:30. Visitors shall enter the Expo Site before 21:00 and leave before 24:00 on the day of admission. Those with evening admission tickets may enter the Expo Site between 17:00 and 21:00.
Orderly Entry
Visitors shall go through ticket check and security check before entering the Expo Site. Those who refuse to cooperate may be denied entry. Children eligible (有资格的) for free admission and other visitors with walking difficulties may only enter the Expo Site when accompanied by adults.
Codes of Conduct
Visitors are required to observe public order within the Expo Site, and shall queue up to enter the pavilions or event venues (场馆). In the Expo Site, visitors are prohibited from:
(1) damaging any buildings, facilities or exhibits.
(2) climbing over any buildings or fences
(3) conducting any exhibitions or promotional or fundraising activities without permission.
Special Management Measures
In case of bad weather, too many visitors and technical problems, the organizer may restrict the entry of visitors into the Expo Site, pavilions or event venues.
___________________
Visitors Service Centers are available in the Expo Site, providing visitors with such services as inquiries, rental, lost and found, first aid, mother-baby service, and assistance for lost persons. The centers also accept and process visitors’ complaints. Free rental of wheelchairs are available for the disabled.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A.The 2010 Shanghai World Expo is expected to last about half a year. |
B.The disabled people will be forbidden to enter the Expo Site. |
C.Visitors without tickets can enter the Expo Site if they accept security check. |
D.Children and people with walking difficulties will be banned from entering the Expo Site. |
If you have evening admission tickets, you are allowed to enter the Expo Site at ______.
A.4 p.m. | B.10 a.m. | C.6 p.m. | D.10 p.m. |
Before entering the Expo Sites, visitors are required to ______.
A.have a physical examination | B.have a security check |
C.buy some food | D.show their ID cards |
Which of the following can be filled in the blank in the last part?
A.Visitor Service | B.Visitor Complains |
C.Reservation | D.Exhibitions and Performances |
We can infer that the organizer is intended to help _______.
A.parents with children under 5 | B.foreigners | C.women | D.the disabled |
Before Nicholas Clapp got there, he had half hoped that he might run into some of Ubar’s ruins sticking(凸出) out of the sand. But finding the city wasn’t that easy. During the summer, he and his 40 helpers dug at 35 different spots. The only things they found were ground spiders, giant ticks, and deadly snakes.
Just before Thanksgiving says Clapp, “We were within a whisker of total failure.”
But then Clapp’s team looked at the high-tech maps again and saw something surprising. Many of the caravan routes(沙漠商队路线)on the high-tech maps came together on the same spot marked “Omani Marketplace” on Ptolomy’s map. Two maps, made almost 2000 years apart, pointed the team toward the same area!
In December 1991, Clapp arrived at the spot where, according to the maps, the caravans met. Clapp had a handheld instrument that could detect(探测) objects below the ground. It showed ruins under the sand! He and his team started digging. And then they found it! A tower buried in the sand. They slowly unearthed a giant, eight-sided fortress(堡垒). It had nine towers and many rooms. People had lived in this fortress 2000 years ago. Outside its walls, they had found buried remains of nearly 40 campsites. They seemed to be camping areas for traders(商人).
More digging found shards, or pieces of pottery(陶瓷) from ancient Rome, Greece, China, Egypt, and Syria. Diggers and scientists agree that people were here for about 5000 years. Clapp and his team were excited as they continued to discover more pieces of the past that seemed to prove that it was the lost city of Ubar.
“We started with this hopeless myth(神秘),” says Clapp, “and then finally found the truth behind the myth.” But is this unearthed site really the once-great Ubar? Experts aren’t totally persuaded.
Donald Whitcomb is an archeologist(考古学家) at the University of Chicago. He doubts that Clapp really discovered Ubar. “There’s probably some truth to this myth,” he says. “But Ubar is described as a place with walls all made of gold, and the rubies and emeralds(宝石).” No gold or precious stones have been found by Clapp.
“I’m not sure whether they discovered Ubar because I’m not sure if Ubar really existed,” Whitcomb says.The following statements are true according to the reading EXCEPT_____.
A.Clapp made this discovery with the help of caravan routes on the maps |
B.Clapp made this discovery with the help of some high technology |
C.Clapp was not sure that he had found Ubar |
D.Donald Whitcomb was not sure if Clapp had found Ubar |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined part?
A.We were ready for any failure |
B.We were on the point of giving up hopes |
C.We would never stop digging though there was difficulty. |
D.We decided that we had failed to find Ubar. |
It can be inferred from the reading that Nicholas Clapp is _____
A.a person of courage |
B.a person of determination |
C.a very young person |
D.a person who is good for nothing |