Allovertheworld,andformanydiff-优题课

“I’m seventy years old,” says the gray-haired lady proudly to the entertainer at her Community Club dinner.
“Did you hear that, everyone?” says the entertainer. “This lovely lady is just seventy years young! And she doesn’t look a day over fifty.” He has been careful not to use the word “old”. In a society where youth is so admired, old age is often seen as something sad, something to fight against. Americans prefer not to say “old” people. They use the expression “senior citizens”. They do not talk about “old people’s” homes, but “retirement” homes.
In fact, the entertainer is not so wrong. Seventy is not very old these days. People in the US are living longer and longer. In1980, 12 percent of Americans were over sixty-five years old. By 2030, 21 percent will be over sixty-five. One reason for this is that families are getting smaller. The average couple now has only 1.8 children. At the same time, improved medical care means that people are living longer.
This change in the age of Americans is going to have serious results. For one thing, medical costs are rising. The government is unable to pay the elderly people’s medical bills that have gone up very much. Some old people have to leave hospital “sicker and quicker” than they should, before they are really better.
More fortunate senior citizens, though, who still have good health, want new laws to be passed to allow them to stay at work. In the past, the retirement age was sixty-five, but that is changing now. Older people are stronger and more energetic than ever before. Many of them refuse to stop working just because they have reached a certain age.
There is a change, too, in the way in which elderly people see themselves. Many are no longer happy to accept the gray hair, bald heads, and boring clothes of their own parents. They like to wear younger-looking clothes and bright makeup（化妆品）.American women spend millions of dollars a year on operations to lift their faces and make those ugly wrinkles disappear. Men are prepared to spend even more on operations to plant new hair on their bald spots. It’s worth any money to look younger.
60. In America people try to avoid using the word “old” because ____.
A. the old age is seen as something that isn’t admired
B. it is now believed to bring bad luck to elderly people
C. the standard of getting old has changed
D. the change in the age has caused a healthy problem
61. According to the passage, which of the following does NOT describe the American society correctly?
A. People live longer because of improved medical care.
B. The government finds it difficult to afford the medical bills of the elderly.
C. People use polite expressions when talking about old age.
D. The old patients’ time in hospital is strictly limited.
62. Which of the following is not the result of the changing in the age of Americans?
A. Medical costs are rising.
B. The family becomes smaller.
C. The retirement age needs changing.
D. Elderly people spend a lot on keeping young.
63. This passage is most probably taken from .
A. a travel booklet B. a magazine
C. an advertisement D. a medical report

FOR many young people, having to attend school with a parent would be their worst nightmare. However, Senior 1 student Li Qinmei is happy taking her father with her as long as she can go to classes. He is disabled and unable to take care of himself.
The 16-year-old country girl in Zhucheng, Shandong Province has experienced one disaster after another in her short life. Li lost her mother at three. Four years later, her father became paralyzed after a tractor accident. At 12, her misfortune returned with the death of her grandma. Since then she has been forced to shoulder all the responsibility for her broken family.
Li learnt to cook and managed to live a life with an allowance of only 24 yuan per month. The most difficult thing she had to deal with was helping her father bathe, dress and use the toilet as he could hardly move.
"I felt embarrassed, and so did my dad. It was really hard at the beginning," she recalled.
During most of her junior school years, Li went to classes only once a month as her father was seriously ill at the time. "I taught myself at home and asked teachers for help on my school days," she explained. Li's hard work paid off this fall. She was admitted by Zhucheng No 1 High School, a local key school, based on her good performance in the entrance exams. The school offered Li and her father a room on campus to live in so she could look after him during breaks.
Once in a while, Li felt sad when she saw her classmates going shopping or hanging out with friends. "I envy them sometimes because they have both mum and dad to look after them. However, I soon feel relieved as I still have my dear dad with me," she said.
Li admitted that the difficulties in life had taught her to be strong. "I believe I will go on and continue my studies at a good university," she said, in a confident tone.
Her teacher Mr. Wang has the same belief. Li made great progress in the recent monthly exams. "She works hard and is always eager to excel (好强的). It's not easy for her never to be late for school, but she has managed to make it work," Wang said.
56. Li Qinmei has to shoulder the family because ________.
A. her father was badly injured in a car accident
B. her grandma died when she was 12
C. her mother passed away when she was 3
D. misfortune in her life forced her to do so
57. From the passage we can infer that _________.
A. Li Qinmei doesn’t like others talking about her father
B. many young students hate going to school with their parents
C. Li Qinmei has made great progress in her study
D. Li Qinmei has lost three relatives and has to take care of her father
58. What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “hanging out” in the passage?_________.
A. playing outside B. working hard
C. exchanging ideas D. talking happily
59. According to the passage, which statement is Not True? __________.
A. Li Qinmei was admitted to a local key school because of his good scores in the exams
B. Li Qinmei is very embarrassed when she helps her father bathe
C. Li Qinmei often goes to attend her father after class
D. Li Qinmei is able to go to class on time though she has to attend her father

任务性阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。(注意：每空填1个单词。)
You could fill a store with all the energy drinks now available. They promise to make people feel more energetic and think more clearly. These products have names like Red Bull, Monster, Ripped Force, Speed Stack and 5-Hour Energy. They appeal mainly to young people and are fueled mainly by caffeine.
Chad Reissig at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, is a medical researcher who studies drug dependence. He says the team he works on got interested in studying energy drinks because of the explosion in their popularity in the last few years.
He says the researchers found three major things. One: there are hundreds of brands of energy drinks in most major countries. Two: the drinks are not clearly labeled with enough information. And three: the amount of caffeine varies greatly. Some contain as little as fifty milligrams, others as much as five hundred.
By comparison, a cup of Starbucks brewed coffee contains 330 milligrams in 473 milliliters.
Some energy drinks contain a mixture of ingredients listed as an “energy blend(混合物)”. Ingredients like taurine, guarana and inositol are natural substances. But Chad Reissig says scientists do not know a lot about them and how they interact with each other and caffeine. And worse, he says, there is no listing of the amount of each ingredient.
Some people combine energy drinks with alcohol. They think they can drink more alcohol that way and not be affected. Studies, however, suggest that they are still under the influence of the alcohol even if they do not feel that way.
Some makers of energy drinks do provide warnings. For example, a popular energy shot warns against use by people who are pregnant, nursing a baby or under the age of twelve. Energy shots are small bottles of liquid. The directions also advise people to limit caffeine products and drink only half the bottle if they want a moderate (适度的) amount of energy.
The team at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine published a report in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. They suggested better labeling with the amount of caffeine and other ingredients clearly listed on the drink. The researchers are continuing to study energy drinks. They are currently seeking young people who have had a bad experience after drinking them.

Research on energy drinks
Brands of energy drinks	Red Bull, Monster, Ripped Force, Speed Stack and 5-Hour Energy and so on.
(71)____ of energy drinks	Young people would feel more energetic and drink more clearly after drinking them.
(72)_____ for research	Why energy drinks are extremely(73)_____ with young people?
Researchers’(74) _____	•Hundreds of energy drinks in most major countries are not clearly labeled with ingredients. •The amount of caffeine is(75)_____ from one kind to another.
Problems of energy drinks	•How “energy blends” interact with each other and caffeine and the amount of each ingredient are(76)_____ to scientists. •Some people drink energy drinks together with alcohol, (77)_____ they won’t be affected.
(78)_____ of the researchers	List exact amount of caffeine and other ingredients on the bottle.
Researchers’ (79)_____ job	To find young people with a bad experience after drinking energy drinks for(80)_____ research.

There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The one most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved from ritual. The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the world, even the seasonal changes, as unpredictable, and they sought through various means, to control these unknown and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then retained and repeated until they hardened into fixed rituals. Eventually stories arose which explained or veiled the mysteries of the rites. As time passed some rituals were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths, persisted and provided material for art and drama.
Those who believed that drama evolved out of ritual also argue that those rites contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used. Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances, and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the “acting area” and the “auditorium”. In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task. Wearing masks and costumes, they often impersonated other people, animals, or super natural beings, and mimed the desired effect －success in hunt or battle, the coming rain, the revival of the Sun －as an actor might. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.
Another story traces the theater’s origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this view, tales (about the hunt, war, or other feats) are gradually elaborated, at first through the use of impersonation, action and dialogue by a narrator and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.
67. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. The origins of theater. B. The role of ritual in modern dance.
C. The importance of storytelling. D. The variety of early religious activities.
68. What aspect of drama does the author discuss in the first paragraph?
A. The reason drama is often unpredictable.
B. The seasons in which dramas were performed.
C. The connection between myths and dramatic plots.
D. The importance of costumes in early drama.
69. According to the passage, what is the main difference between ritual and drama?
A. Ritual uses music whereas drama does not.
B. Ritual is shorter than drama.
C. Ritual requires fewer performers than drama.
D. Ritual has a religious purpose and drama does not.
70. The passage supports which of the following statements?
A. No one really knows how the theater began.
B. Myths are no longer represented dramatically.
C. Storytelling is an important part of dialogue.
D. Dramatic activities require the use of costumes.

Do Dogs Understand Us?
Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee.
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico was supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four test, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn’t see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.
The correct object was chosen in seven out of 10 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked out the answer by process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed(品牌) known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.
It’s hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can’t talk back. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
63. From Paragragh2 we know that______.
A. animals are as clever as human beings
B. dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees
C. chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills
D. dogs have similar learning abilities as 3-year-old children
64. Both experiments show that_____.
A. Rico is smart enough to get all commands right.
B. Rico can recognize different things including toys
C. Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics
D. Rico won’t forget the names of objects once recognizing them.
65. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie’s mental abilities.
B. Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training.
C. The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects.
D. Rico is born to understand its owner’s commands.
66. What does the writer want to tell us?
A. To train your dog. B. To talk to your dog.
C. To be kind to your dog. D. To be careful with your dog.