Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.
"I think we are knocking at the door of immortality(永生)," said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. "I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate".
At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology(纳米技术)make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. "There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years," he said. "Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years."
However, many scientists who specialize in ageing are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. "It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?" said Leonard Pooh, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology(老龄学) Center. "At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all."By saying "we are knocking at the door of immortality", Michael Zey means ________.
| A.they believe that there is no limit of living |
| B.they are sure to find the truth about long living |
| C.they have got some ideas about living forever |
| D.they are able to make people live past the present life span |
Donald Louria's attitude towards long living is that ________.
| A.people can live from 120 to 180 years |
| B.it is still doubtful how long humans can live |
| C.the human body is designed to last about 120 years |
| D.it is possible for humans to live longer in the future |
The underlined "it"(paragraph 4)refers to ________.
| A.a great push |
| B.the idea of living beyond the present life span |
| C.the idea of living from 200 to 300 years |
| D.the conservative estimate |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A.Living Longer or Not |
| B.Science, Technology and Long Living |
| C.No Limit for Human Life |
| D.Healthy Lifestyle and Long Living |
The Writers' Strike:Making the Best of the Worst
By now you are probably feeling the effects of the TV writers’ strike---the decision of television writers to stop working.With few new TV shows, I present to you a list of shows available on DVD worth your viewing time to keep you going during this painful period.
Arrested Development is one of the funniest and most clever shows ever to have appeared on network TV.With a most perfect cast(全体演员), the show sets out to cover the daily happenings of the Bluth family, a group of selfish staff who manage to still put family first.
For more comedy goodness, I recommend one of the sharpest comedies to have ever broadcast, 30 Rock.Starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, two stars with impressive comic timing, the show gives you a glimpse into the making of a sketch show (幽默短剧),similar to Saturday Nigth Live, from the funny writers to the self-centered cast all the way up to the boss.
If you are looking for something more serious, or perhaps Friday Night lights might be more to your liking.If you are a fan of football, this show is probably for you.If you are a fan of great drama, both soapy and serious, this show is probably for you, If you are a fan of good-looking people, this show is definitely for you .
If those shows were not enough for you, might I recommend a show with a more heart-pounding excitement? The Amazing Race, after twelve seasons, still remains one of the most exciting shows on TV.Teams of two travel the globe with little to no money and experience far-out adventures in an attempt to remain the last team standing.If you are fond of soapy TV shows, you will probably choose to watch .
| A.Friday Night Lights | B.30 Rock |
| C.the Amazing Race | D.Saturday Night Live |
From the DVD shows listed above, we can learn that .
| A.two teams won the amazing race |
| B.football fans enjoy the Amazing Race |
| C.the Bluths care about their family though selfish |
| D.30 Rock and Saturday Night Live have nothing in common |
The author writes the passage to tell us that .
| A.the effects of the TV writers’ strike are great |
| B.the strike puts TV shows in the worst situation |
| C.watching DVD is a good choice during the strike |
| D.we should choose DVD shows according to our tastes |
The passage is most probably taken from .
| A.a book review | B.a newspaper |
| C.a film poster | D.a DVD menu |
Dior was born in Normandy in 1905, and his family’s original plans for him included a career in the diplomatic service, but by the time he was twenty-three, with his parents’ money , he opened a small art gallery in Paris.By 1931, the money had been used up.Dior’s friends in the art gallery, asked him to draw and he took his first step at designing and drawing.His first job was with Lucien Lelong from whom Dior learned his craft(手艺).
In February,1947, Dior started the New Look in his first major Paris collection.He was backed by a famous textile producer, Boussac, who looked after the dollars, while Dior looked after the fashions.Dior knew nothing about cutting and sewing, but he was good at fashion design.
The New Look started an entirely different look to costume, with a tiny waist, a rounded shoulder and a shapely bust(胸围), usually with a low-cut neckline and a long full skirt.To women who had lived through the war years, the femaleness of the New look was a great success, for people were tired of tile extremely plain, wartime restrictive fashions.
It is said that dresses by Dior were “constructed like buildings”, but young people were attracted to his design, and all over the western world, manufacturers plunged(投入) into the production of his new style.Dior’s revolutionary designs lighted up a whole cycle of fashion, rounded, gentle, feminine, a delight in elegance.A New Look House of Dior opened in 1948, followed by one in London.Considered as King of Couture(women’s clothing)for years, the Dior empire grew until it covered every country in the western world, and included furs, hosiery, jewelry, perfumes, men’s wear and on and on.More than 1,000 people worked at the Paris headquarters then.
His sudden death in 1957 when he was 53 years old did not stop the growth of the House of Dior.Even now, so many years after his death, his name is closely connected with fashion throughout the world, and indeed is one of the most recognized names in the world, His first, great New Look, with its long skirts was an expression of freedom in the late 1940s.Which of the following designs is close to Dior’s?

| A. | B. | C. | D. |
According to the passage.in Dior’s life, he did NOT___________.
| A.make creative fashion designs |
| B.work in a diplomatic service |
| C.1earn craft as his first job |
| D.open a New Look House |
We can infer from the passage that _________.
| A.Dior and his supporter had different interests in business |
| B.Dior’s New Look had little influence on people then |
| C.Dior is only a brand of women’s fashion |
| D.Dior’s fashion was not accepted at first |
What is probably the best title for the passage?.
| A.The History of the New Look |
| B.The Growth of the Dior Empire |
| C.An Expression of Freedom—Dior |
| D.The Founder of the New Look—Dior |
共5小题;每小题2分,满分10分(请把此题的答案涂在答题纸上相应的位置)
根据短文内容,从下边的A-F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一些为多余项。
| A. Drug overuse and its consequence B. The problem of drug overuse in America C. Benefits of medicine and its wise use D Female drug overuse with reference to that of males E Misuse of medicine among the young generation F. Improper use of medicine among senior citizens |
Nowadays. millions of people misuse and even overuse pain medications and other drugs. Research by the American National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, 1999) shows that around 2% of the population over age 12 were using drugs non-medically.
NIDA views medications as a powerful force for good in the contemporary world. They reduce and remove pain for millions of people suffering from illness and disease. They make it possible for doctors to perform complicated surgery to save lives. Many people afflicted by serious medical conditions are able to control their symptoms and become active, contributing citizens. NIDA points out that most individuals who take these drugs use them in a responsible.
Nevertheless, overuse of drugs such as opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants and stimulants does lead to harmful reliance in some people and is therefore becoming a serious public health concern. Although this abuse affects many people worldwide, particular trends of concern to the medical profession in the US appear among older adults, teenagers arid women.
64.
Though it may be a surprise to many, the misuse of medications may be the most common form of drug abuse among the elderly. Dr Kenneth Schrader of Duke University, North Carolina states that although the elderly represent about 13% of the US population, those aged 65 and over account for the consumption of one third of all drugs. People in this age group use medications roughly three times more than the general population and have poorer compliance with instruction for use. In another study of elderly patients admitted to treatment programs, 70% were women who had overused medicines.
Unfortunately, this trend among women does not only affect those aged over 65. In general, among women and men who are using either an anti-anxiety drug or a sedative, women are twice as likely to become addicted. In addition, statistics compiled for 12-17 year olds show that teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to begin overusing psychotherapeutic medication such as painkillers, tranquillizers, stimulants and sedatives.
For many men and women today ,the image that a watch communicates is more important than the time it tells. “Complications”-----features that go beyond simple timekeeping-----are an important part of a watch’s image. Today’s watches offer a host of complications that suit almost any personality. These features include altitude trackers ,compasses, lunar calendars, USB drivers ,and even devices that measure the effectiveness of golf swings!
Creativity is also a key element in today’s watches ,for men as well as women. The Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash makes watches that don’t even look like watches .The company’s popular Shinshoku model uses different color lights to tell the time .It looks more like a futuristic bracelet than a watch .Another Japanese watchmaker , EleeNo, makes a “handless” watch .Using a ring of circles to keep time, this watch makes an excellent conversation piece.
In the past, the image of a man’s watch was quite different from that of a woman’s. Men’s watches tend to be bolder, larger, and more complicated than women’s watches, which were more likely to look like jewelry. Today, the differences between men’s and women’s watches are disappearing. Watchmakers are adding diamonds to their fine watches for man. And for women, they’re designing larger watches that contain complications. For example, some women’s watches now have calendars that show the phrases of the moon. Others show the time in two different cities, a handy function for business travelers. However, women still pay more attention than most men to the external beauty of a watch. And unlike men, women are still more likely to purchase watches that suit particular items in their wardrobes. According to the passage, one type of watch complications can show you ___________.
| A.appointments for the day | B.which direction is north |
| C.how much weight you’ve put on | D.a list of telephone numbers |
What is the true information about the watch made by EleeNo?
A. It uses different hands to keep time. B It’s rather popular
C. It doesn’t look like a watch D. It’s much fun to talk aboutWhat is the main topic of this article?
| A.Why women are likely to buy more watches than men? |
| B.The differences between men’s and women’s watches. |
| C.Current trends in the watch industry. |
| D.Useful tips for purchasing watches. |
The summer beach season is prime time for shark attacks. It seems like sharks are attacking all the time .But that is something of an illusion. The number of attacks is very small.
How does a shark hunt? Muscles and fins (鳍)give the shark its speed and maneuverability(灵活)in the water. A shark’s front fins act like the wings of a plane and let it “fly” through the water. The tail acts like a high-power propeller(推进器).
But the big thing that gives the shark its edge in the ocean is its sensory package. The package includes the shark’ eyes ,ears ,skin, nose and mouth, as well as electric sensing.
A shark' nose is probably its most important sense. If you were to put a single drop of blood in a swimming pool ,a great white shark could smell that. And they can tell the direction that the smell is coming from.
Sharks handle their electric sensing using cell located in the head .Whenever something moves using its muscles , a shark can detect the electrical impulses(脉冲)flowing to those muscles. A shark can electrically “see” anything that has muscles even if it is hiding or the water is not clear.
Sharks even have vibration sensors in their skin. Even something moves near the shark ,tubes pick up the pressure changes and hairs inside the tubes send signals to the brain . This extra sense allows a shark to turn quickly and attack again.
When you put all these different senses together ,it makes the shark a nearly ideal hunter. A shark can detect prey from miles away and then use eyes ,electrosensing and movement sensing to home in .
Strangely, sharks do not seem to use these senses to home in on people. The very low number of sharks tells us that sharks do not hunt people on a regular basis. On the other hand , people love to hunt sharks. Millions of sharks die every year. Without protection ,extinction is a definite possibility.From the text ,we can know that____________________.
| A.it is true that sharks are attacking all the time . |
| B.a shark can see anything that has muscles even if it is hiding |
| C.sharks deal with their electric sensing using cell located in the skin . |
| D.what gives the shark its speed and maneuverability is fins and muscles. |
What gives the shark its edge in the ocean according to the text?
| A.its muscles | B.its nose | C.Its sensory package | D.Its fins |
The underlined phrase “home in on ”means_________.
| A.swim | B.move | C.hunt | D.smell |
In this text ,the writer implies that ________________.
| A.there are many shark attacks. | B.humans beings should protect sharks |
| C.human beings dislike hunting sharks. | D.shark’s nose is very important. |