Old age may not sound exciting. But recent findings offer good news for older people and for people who worried about getting older.
Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of 50. In fact, they say by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were when they were 18 years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the US. The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008. At that time, the people were between the ages of 18 and 85.
The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of 22 and 25.
The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties. Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.
The findings appeared in the Proceedings of the National Acadamy of Science.
Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.What does the underlined word “negative” mean?
| A．负面的 | B．积极的 |
| C．平和的 | D．激烈的 |
What kind of people has the highest stress levels?
| A．People were between the ages of 18 and 85. |
| B．Those in their seventies and eighties. |
| C．People reached their fifties. |
| D．Adults between the ages of 22 and 25. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older. |
| B．Researchers know exactly why happiness increases as people get older. |
| C．Women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men. |
| D．Levels of stress were highest among adults between the age of 22 and 25. |
Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
| A．The older, the happier. |
| B．Why elder people feel happier than young men? |
| C．Different emotional patterns between men and women. |
| D．What makes the elder happy? |
第三部分阅读 ( 共两节，满分40分)
第一节阅读理解(共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When I walked into the house after school, the first thing I noticed was a box with items I recognized from my dad’s office.
“What are you doing home already?” I asked casually.
“Andrew, I was laid off today,” he answered, quietly.
I was sure he was joking. “No, you weren’t. Why are you really home?”
Then I noticed his seriousness and realized he was telling the truth. My father has always been a hard worker and prided himself on his career. Providing for our family has been his joy, and I guess I had taken his work for granted.
My father’s unemployment created many changes in our lives. For starters, he was home all the time, which meant my bed had to be made, my room cleaned up, and my homework done right after school. I would come home every day to find him at the computer searching for jobs. I began to notice how down he seemed, and how losing his job had affected his self-esteem, though he tried to be optimistic. For the first time, I saw my dad as vulnerable. He asked my brother and me to spend less. I gave up my allowance, which even though it wasn’t much, felt like the right thing to do. I also found a part-time job.
After several difficult months of searching, my dad decided to go in a totally different direction. He explained that he never wanted to be laid off again, so he was going to start his own business. Day by day, I watched him build it, and I admired how much time and energy he expended.
One evening I asked if he needed help.
“Only if it doesn’t interfere with school,” he said.
I showed up at his office the next afternoon, and most afternoons after that for two months. I always knew he was a hard worker, but watching him in action really impacted me. Although this was one of the worst experiences for our family, it taught me a lot about dealing with adversity. Now I know that through creative problem-solving, I can always find Plan B, ask for help, and take risks. What I have learned from my dad’s understanding of business and his work ethic are two of the most important lessons I will ever learn, and will be my foundations for success.
41. The author’s father stayed at home because __________.
A. he had to help with the author’s lessons
B. his boss had stopped employing him
C. heavy house work was waiting for him to do
D. he wanted to search for new jobs on line
42. What made the author know the truth?
A. The box from his dad’s office. B. His father’s words.
C. His father’s expression. D. Being informed by his family.
43. The author’s attitude toward his father’s former job was __________.
A. unconcerned B. sympathetic C. doubtful D. tolerant
44. By saying “Only if it doesn’t interfere with school,” the author’s father seemed ____________.
A. to refuse the author’s advice on the new business
B. to show his discontent with the author’s schoolwork
C. to have said yes to the author’s offer of help
D. to be looking forward to the author’s good behavior at school
45. It can be inferred from the text that ___________.
A. the author’s father was more optimistic to stay at home
B. the author couldn’t put up with his dad’s own business
C. the author’s father offered little allowance to the author
D. the author benefited from his father on how to deal with adversity
Without most people realizing it, there has been a revolution in office work over the last ten years．Before that time, large computers were only, used by large, rich companies that could afford the investment．With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market, which are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them
The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processors (处理器) , or WPS as they are often called．40% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast．
There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager．The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as re-typing letters and storing papers．He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss．From a manager's point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hors．
But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed．Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units (显示器)．The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly．It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed．Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them．
Whatever the arguments for and against word processor, they are a key feature (特征) of this revolution in office practice．Then years ago, smaller companies did not use large computers because_________．
| A．these companies had not enough money to buy such expensive computers |
| B．these computers could not do the work that small computers can do today |
| C．these computers did not come onto the market |
| D．these companies did not need to use this new technology |
According to the writer, the main feature of the revolution in office work
over the last ten years is __________．
| A．the saving of time and money | B．the use of computers in small companies |
| C．the wide use of word processors | D．the decreasing number of secretaries |
It is implied but not directly stated in the passage that with the use of word
processors _________．
| A．some secretaries will lose their jobs |
| B．daily jobs can be done automatically outside office hours |
| C．medical problems related to work with a VDU have increased |
| D．the British companies will make less money |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor |
| B．The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors． |
| C．The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years． |
| D．Using word processors , secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses． |
It can be concluded from the passage that ________．
| A．safety screens are of poor quality |
| B．working at a VDU for a long time is good for one's health |
| C．more and more British offices will use word processors |
| D．British companies will need fewer and fewer manages |
Excused from recycling（回收利用） because you live in a high rise with a rubbish chute（垃圾道）? You won't be for long. Miami's Mark Shantzis has made it simple for those living in tall buildings to use the chute and recycle too .
In Shantzis' Hi-Rise Recycling System, a chute leads to a pie-shaped container with six boxes that can turn around when operated. The system, which fits in the same space as the chute and container now in use, enables glass, plastic, paper, metal, and other rubbish to go into separate boxes.
The system is controlled from a board next to the chute door. The board has a button for each class of recycling materials （as well as for unrecyclables）. At the press of a button, a microcomputer locks all other floors' chute door and sets the recycling container turning until the right box comes under the chute. The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal by phone when the box is full. And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables
Sorting（分类） recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materials recovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting. Such equipment often makes recycled materials very expensive, so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted. Shantzis believes his system could help recycled materials become more cost-effective.
57．The purpose in writing this text is _________.
A．to encourage people to recycle their rubbish
B．to introduce a recycling system for high rises
C．to describe the use of computer technology in recycling
D．to explain the need for rubbish collection in high rises
58．When he says "You won't be for long" the writer means that _______.
A．you'll soon be living in a cleaner building
B．rubbish chutes will become out of date before long
C．you won't wait long for your turn to recycle rubbish
D．it won't be long before you'll have to recycle your rubbish
59．Before dropping rubbish into the chute you have to ___________
A．lock the other floors' chute doors
B．check if the container is full
C．press the correct button
D．break up the rubbish
60．The biggest advantage of this new system is that _________
A．it readuces the cost of recycling
B．it saves time and space
C．it saves money for people living in high rises
D．it makes better use of the existing recovery equipment
Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilisations（文明）, broken up by long 'dark ages' in between. In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2,000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth or Last Men.
However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short-sighted. Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred ? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult.
When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modern life? Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive（原始的）in our ideas as the Stone-Age hunters do to us. Perhaps through the spundels and ballalators, these words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can't think of .
So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future ? Here are two reasons. First unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live because. we are careless or greedy（贪婪） or quarrelsome,our grand-children will not bother to think of excuses for us.
Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future .
53．A particular mention made of Stapledon's book in the opening paragraph ____________
A．serves as a description of human history
B．serves an introduction to the discussion
C．shows a disagreement of views
D． Shows the popularity of the book
54．The text discusses men and women 50,000 years ago and 50,000 years from now in order to show that _________.
A．human history is extremely long B．life has changed a great deal
C．it is useless to plan for the next 50 years
D．it is difficult to tell what will happen in the future
55．Spundels and ballalators are used in the text to refer to _________.
A．tools used in farming B．ideas about modern life
C．unknown things in the future D．hunting skills in the Stone Age
56．According to the writer of the text, imagining the future will _________.
A．serve the interests of the present and future generations
B．enable us to better understand human history
C．help us to improve farming
D．make life worth living
Decision-thinking is not unlike. It often matters not only what you think, but also what others think you think and what you think they think you think. The mental process（过程） is similar. Naturally, this card game has often been of considerable interest to people who are, by any standards, good thinkers.
The great mathematician John von Neumann was one of the founders of game theory. In particular, he showed that all games fall into two classes; there are what he called games of 'perfect information', games like chess where the players can't hide anything or play tricks; they don't win by chance, but by means of logic and skills. Then there are games of 'imperfect information', like poker, in which it is impossible to know in advance that one course of action is better than another.
One mistaken idea about business is that it can be treated as a game of perfect information. Quite the reverse, business and life itself are games which we must normally play with very imperfect information. Business decisions are often made with many unknown and unknowable factors（因素）, as best poker players. But few business people find it comfortable to admit that they are taking a chance, and many still prefer to believe that they are playing chess, not poker.
49．The subject discussed in this text is _________.
A．the process of reaching decisions
B．the difference between poker and chess.
C．the secret of making good business plans
D．the value of information in winning games
50．An important factor in a game of imperfect information is ___________.
A．rules B．luck C．time D．ideas
51．Which of the following can be used in place of "Quite the reverse"?
A．Quite right. B．True enough.
C．Most unlikely. D．Just the opposite.
52．In the writer's opinion, when making business decisions one should ___________ .
A．put perfect information before imperfect information
B．accept the existence of unknown factors
C．regard business as a game of chess
D．mix known and unknown factors