In the Caucasus region of Russia, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100,000 reach 100. But these Russian old people aren’t alone. The Pakistanis, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Ecuadorans of the Andes Mountains seem to share the secret of long life, too.
These people remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Caucasians aged 100 to 140, work in the fields beside their great-great-grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked “at what age does youth end?”most of these old people had no answer. Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80.”
What accounts for this ability to survive to such old age, and to survive so well?First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-lived people. They begin their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. For example, Mr . Rustam Mamedov is 142 years of age. His wife is 116 years old. They have been married for 90 years. Mr. Mamedov has no intention of retiring from his life as a farmer. “Why?What else would I do?”he asks. All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. They live and work at elevations of 1,660 to 1,000 meters above sea level. The air has less oxygen and is pollution-free. This reduced-oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel(血管) system stronger.
Another factor that may contribute to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent, they are separated from the pressures and worries of industrial society. Inherited factors also play some role. Most of the longest-lived people had parents and grandparents who also reached very old ages. Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer.The example of Mr. and Mrs. Mamedov implies that some Caucasians aged 100 to 140 ____.
| A.become weak and hopeless |
| B.are too old to work in the fields |
| C.benefit from physical work |
| D.are still working in the fields |
What is the main way of life for all of these long-lived people?
| A.Retiring from their lives as farmers. |
| B.Having been married for 90 years. |
| C.Hard physical work. |
| D.Having no intentions. |
Which of the following factors isn’t helpful to people’s health and long life?
| A.Clean mountain air. | B.Daily hard work. |
| C.Good genes | D.Stress and pressure. |
Years ago while lying in my hammock(吊床)and drinking JD from the bottle, I noticed my dog dragging something under the fence. Upon inspection, to my disappointment, I realized it was the next door neighbor’s 10 – year – old daughter’s rabbit. For years I had watched her come home from school and head straight out to its cage, free it and play with it in the yard. I knew that day would be no different and fearing for our dog, I had to think fast.
The rabbit was quite dirty, as if it had put up quite a struggle, so I washed it, combed it with the dog
brush and blew it dry with the leaf blower. Upon finishing its grooming I jumped the fence and replaced it back in its cage hoping its death would be written off as “natural caused”.
Back to the hammock and JD. Within the hour the neighbor’s Volvo pulled in as usual and out popped the little girl, and as usual she headed straight for the cage. Only this time she stopped about six feet away and screamed: “D—A—D—D—Y!!!”.
Her father, panic stricken, stood looking at the cage. Being the good neighbor that I am,
I rushed to fence and asked if there was anything I could do.
Her father less than calmly shouted, “What kind of sick individual would dig up a little girl’s rabbit and put it back in its cage?”
The girl was shocked because .

A.the rabbit was killed by someone![]() |
B.the rabbit was too clean![]() |
C.the dead rabbit was cleaned and put back into the cage![]() |
D.the rabbit was asleep in the cage![]() |
That day the girl ran to the cage .

A.because her rabbit was there![]() |
B.because she had a habit of goin g there to see her rabbit![]() |
C.because she wanted to see her rabbit again![]() |
D.because the rabbit was dead![]() |
We can infer that the rabbit.

A.was alive before the writer saw his dog dragging it![]() |
B.was already d ead before the writer saw his dog dragging it |
| C.was in the cage playing with the dog |
| D.was at the fence seeking out for food before it was killed by the dog |
According to the story, the writer .
| A.was helpful to his neighbor | B.did a smart thing |
| C.was honest | D.made a mistake |
At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents (文件) because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.
It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. "I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down," says Ted S
mith of the Earth Village Organization.
Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several Internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet the greater demand for printers.
Does all this mean environmental concerns (环境问题) have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. " I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling (回收利用) " said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful that high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste. The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to ________.
| A.the rapid development of small businesses |
| B.the opening up of new markets |
| C.the printing of high quality copies |
| D.the increased use of the Internet |
Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is ________.
| A.to encourage printing more quality documents |
| B.to develop new printers using recycled paper |
| C.to find new materials for making paper |
| D.to plant more fast-growing trees |
Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because _______.
| A.people are concerned about the environment |
| B.printers in many offices are working overtime |
| C.small companies need more hard copies |
| D.they see a growing market for printers |
The Americans believe that anybody can become President of the United States. In a recent Hollywood comedy(喜剧), that is exactly what happens.
Dave Kovic, played by Kevin Kline, is a kind-hearted man who runs a business that finds people jobs. He leads a typical(典型的) American way of life, except for one thing-he looks exactly like the President, Bill Mitchell. In fact, the only thing that makes him different from the nation’s leader is that he is very nice!
The president has started using look-alikes during some public appearances. Dave is offered a chance to “serve his country” by becoming one. However, things go wrong. The President becomes very ill and Dave ends up acting as the President forever.
Director Ivan Reitman, who made the popular and successful comedies like Twins, Ghostbusters and Legal Eagles, could have gone for easy laughs by making fun of the American government. Instead, Dave is an attractive comedy about an ordinary man in extraordinary situations. Kevin Kline gives a double performance as Dave and the President, and Sigourney Weaver is at her best as his First Lady. The love story that develops between her role and Dave is a real classic(经典).
The film is 100% American. However, if you’ve ever felt that anybody could do a better job running the country than the people in power, then you’ll enjoy Dave!What is the purpose of the text?
| A.To tell the reader about the American government. |
| B.To discus the Americans’ ideas about the President. |
| C.To make a comparison between Dave and other films. |
| D.To introduce a new film to the reader. |
Who plays the role of the President in the film?
| A.Sigourney Weaver. | B.Kevin Kline. |
C.Bi ll Mitchell. |
D.Ivan Reitman. |
The underlined word “one” in the 3rd paragraph refers to _____.
| A.the President | B.the director | C.an actor | D.a look-alike |
Which of the following is best supported by the text?
| A.The author makes fun of the President. |
B.The author thinks highly of the fi lm. |
| C.The author is a fan of Hollywood comedies. |
| D.The author wishes to become the American President. |
Photographs are everywhere. They decorate the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. They can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories.
Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojourn
alists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change.
Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine’s pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children.
Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture.
As historical and artistic documents(文献), photos can become more important over time. Today photojournali
sts still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish them in books and on the Internet.The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to.

| A.beauties | B.photos | C.goods | D.events |
The photos of the small children by Hine show us that photos.
| A.are also works of art | B.are popular ways of reporting news |
| C.often shock the public | D.can serve as a force for social change |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A.News with pictures is encouraging. |
| B.Photos help people improve their life. |
| C.News photos mean history in a sense. |
| D.People prefer reading news with pictures. |
The text is mainly about.
| A.telling the story through picture | B.decorating the walls of homes |
| C.publishing historical papers | D.expressing feeling through pictures |
In the 1930s, a lot of people in the USA were out of work. Among these people was a man named Alfred Butts. He always had an interest in word games and so, to fill his time, he planned a game which he called ‘Lexico’. However, he was not completely satisfied with the game, so he made a number of changes to it and, in time, changed its name from ‘Lexico’ to ‘Alph’ and then to ‘Criss Cross’. He wanted to make some money from his new ga
me but he didn't have any real commercial success.
In 1939, Butts happened to meet a man called Jim Brunot who showed an interest in the new game. The two men worked together on developing the game and in 1948 it was offered for sale in the United States under its new name —‘Scrabble’.
At first, it didn't sell very well. In the first year it sold just 2,250 sets and by 1951 it had only reached 8,500 sets a year.
Then, in 1952 the manager of Macy's department store in New York, Jack Strauss, happened to play ‘Scrabble’ while he was on holiday. He thought it was a wonderful game and, when he went back to work after his holiday, he insisted that Macy's should stock(储备)the game and make an effort to call the public's attention to it.
As a result, ‘scrabble’ became a big success in the United States
and it soon spread to Australia and then to other English-speaking countries.The text is mainly about.
| A.‘Lexico’ | B.three men | C.a word game | D.Alfred Butts |
Alfred Butts invented the game ‘Lexico’.
| A.to make himself famous |
| B.to make spelling simpler |
| C.when he was out of work and looking for a job |
| D.when he was playing word games to pass the time |
Who made ‘Scrabble’ popular?
| A.Alfred Butts. | B.Jack Strauss. |
| C.Alfred Butts and Jim Brunot. | D.Jack Strauss and Jim Brunot. |
When did Alfred Butts first put his game on the market?
| A.In 1939. | B.In 1948. |
| C.Before 1939. | D.Between 1939 and 1948. |