Is there a limit to the number of years that a person can expect to live? Can changes in life-style add years to one’s life? Throughout history people have sought answers to these questions and others.
Various myths offer the hope of great longevity. In the imaginary land of Shangri-La, for example, people are said to lead a charmed existence for a thousand years. The Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon was convinced that he would find the Foundation of Youth in what is now the state of Florida. According to the Bible, Methuselah lived to be more than 900 years old.
The subject of longevity is fascinating, and scientists study individuals such as Jeanne Calment to learn about the aging process. Calment died in 1997 in Arles, France, at the age of 122. She never married, and she lived in her own apartment until moving to a retirement community when she was 109.
Most scientists agree that bodies will last, at best, about 125 years. This potential has changed little since modern human beings appeared more than 100 thousand years age. Recent improvements in medicine and the environment have extended life expectancy, especially for those from poorer parts of the world. It is not clear, however, whether such improvements will lengthen life expectancy beyond a certain point.
Life expectancy is the number of years an infant can be expected to live, given the conditions into which it is born. Life expectancy, therefore, is affected by nutrition, medical care, and social and political circumstances. An individual’s genetic makeup is also an important factor. Children from long-lived families can hope to enjoy long lives themselves. According to recent data, the average life expectancy worldwide in 1998 was 67 years. This can be compared with an average life expectancy of 77 in the United States.
In 1970 the average life expectancy worldwide was 61 years, or 6 years less than it was in 1998. This same period saw a drop in infant mortality -— the death of a child before the first birthday-—from 80 births out of 1,000 to 54 births out of 1,000. According to some researchers, the rise in the average life expectancy is due primarily to the drop in infant mortality. It is not so much that adults are living to an older age. It is, rather, that more people are living into adulthood because more children are surviving beyond their first birthdays.
1.Infant mortality is defined as ________ .
A. the number of children born alive
B. the kinds of behavior typical of very young children
C. the number of children, out of 1,000 births, who die before their first birthday
D. the typical and obvious thoughts of very young children
2.Although it may be possible to improve the life expectancy of a particular group of people, ________ .
A. it is more difficult to affect the rate of infant mortality
B. it is unlikely that one will be able to extend the potential life span of human beings in general
C. the process of evolution is extending the potential life span beyond 125 years
D. the potential that bodies will last, at best, about 125 years has changed much since modern human beings appeared
3.One can infer that people have at times imagined that ________ .
A. people live longer in the state of Florida
B. a long life is a burden rather than a blessing
C. it is possible to find a way to live for centuries
D. life expectancy is affected by a couple of factors
4.One can conclude that ________ .
A. the aging process can be stopped.
B. the aging process is inevitable.
C. life expectancy in the United States will soon reach 125 years.
D. the average life expectancy worldwide is decreasing
Today is National Bike-to-Work Day. And on New York City’s jammed streets, people are cycling on hundreds of miles of new bike lanes. But New York’s widespread efforts to make streets safer for bikes have also left some locals complaining about the loss of parking spots and lanes for cars.
When the weather is good, Aaron Naparstek likes to pedal（用踏板踩）his two young kids to school on a special Dutch-made bicycle. Naparstek supports the new lane.
Aaron: The bike lane on Prospect Park West is really introducing a lot of new people to the idea that it’s possible to use a bike in New York City for transportation or to travel around. This is what 21st century New York City looks like.
Prospect Park West is still a one-way road, but where it used to have three lanes of car traffic, now it has two, plus a protected bike lane. Supporters say that makes the road safer for everyone, including pedestrians, by slowing down cars and taking bikes off the sidewalk. But some longtime residents disagree. Lois Carswell is president of a group called Seniors for Safety. She says the two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents who are used to one-way traffic.
Lois: We wanted a lane — the right kind of lane that would keep everybody safe, that would keep the bikers safe. But we want it to be done the right way. And it has not been done the right way.
Craig Palmer builds bars and restaurants in Manhattan. I was interviewing him for a different story when he brought up the bike lanes all on his own.
Craig: I think the biggest problem is that Bloomberg put all these bike lanes in. You took what used to be a full street and you’re shrinking it.
Then there are the Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who forced the city to remove a bike lane through their neighborhood. But polls show that the majority of New Yorkers support bike lanes by a margin of 56% to 39%. Bicycle advocate Caroline Samponaro of Transportation Alternatives calls that a mandate.
Caroline: If this was an election, we would have already had our victory. The public has spoken and they keep speaking. And I think, more importantly, the public is starting to vote with their pedals.
1.What does Aaron mean by saying “This is what 21st century New York City looks like.”?
A. There are hundreds of miles of new bike lanes in 21 st century New York City.
B. Drivers slow down their cars and bikes are taken off the sidewalk in New York.
C. Bikes are used as a means of transport in 21 st century New York City.
D. It’s possible to make the streets safe for pedestrians in New York.
2.According to the passage, which of the following CANNOT support the opponents of these new bike lanes?
A. Drivers lose parking spots and lanes for cars.
B. The two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents.
C. We took what used to be a full street so the road is broader than before.
D. The removal of one bike lane through a neighbourhood in Brooklyn was not supported by the majority of New Yorkers.
3.“A mandate” in Paragraph 8 was referred to a demand or command from _______.
A. the authority B. the public C. the supporters D. the government
4.What of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. Ride on National Bike-to-Work Day
B. A New Bike Lane Appears in New York
C. A Bike Lane Divides New Yorkers
D. Who Wins an Election
ASK LASKAS
YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS. SHE'S GOT ANSWERS
Q: My problem is computer gaming. I do it day and night, averaging four hours of sleep. I can't control of this, and I don't know where to go for help. Do you? —Player
A: Dear Player,
You have an addiction. For some people playing video games releases dopamine, a powerful brain chemical that makes you feel good. You'd toss your cigarettes if you were ready to quit, right? To kick the habit, get help from a health professional. And don't look for help on line; that would be like an alcoholic going to the bar for advice.
Q: My brother's wife just had triplets(三胞胎). This is such a joy! Yet every time I share the news with co-workers, they ask me if she was on fertility pills. I think this is rude—or has society just become so talk-show numbed (麻木的)that you can ask anyone anything? —No Show Host
A: Dear Host,
Yes. Our society has become increasingly disrespectful of privacy. But don't blame it all on the talk-shows. Continue to celebrate and greet impolite questions with stony silence. Their fertility history is nobody's business but their own.
Q: I work at an amusement park, and my manager steals supplies. She has a catering business on the side, and we've seen her load up her van at the back gates. The big bosses think she is the best thing since buttered bread, and we're all afraid that if we say anything, we'll lose our jobs. What can we do? —Righteous
A: Dear Righteous,
Be sure you're right. You must have evidence about what and why things are going out the back gates. Once you know for certain, it's time to go to the bosses and report what you have seen.
Q: My stepson's wife sometimes leaves their eight-year-old home alone for "a short run to the store." That may be an hour or so. I believe by law we should report it. What do you think?
—The In-laws
A: Dear Laws,
I don't know what the child-protection laws in your state are, but I do know that children need care and attention. This child may be able and unafraid, but kids aren't always careful. It also sounds like there is stress in your family relationship. One thing you can do to help this situation is offer to baby-sit when Mom needs to step out.
1.Which of the following statements is true?
A. Dopamine is a powerful brain chemical good to our health.
B. Looking for help on line is like getting help from a health professional.
C. Player is a video game addict who smokes and sleeps few hours.
D. Player is advised to stay clear of the screen.
2.According to the Q&A, .
A. Host's colleagues are insensitive
B. The talk-show is to blame
C. Somebody's business is everybody's
D. Host's sister-in-law was on fertility pills
3.What we can infer from the Q&A is .
A. The Mom is not to blame because she needs a short run to the store
B. Children need care and attention, though not for all of them
C. Laws, the old lady, wants to report what she sees to the child's father
D. Laskas doesn't seem to approve of Laws' trying to report what she sees
4.Which Q&A mentioned transport?
A. The first B. The second. C. The third. D. None.
The twentieth century saw greater changes than any century before. Changes for the better, changes for the worse, changes that brought a lot of benefits to human beings, changes that put man in danger. Many things caused the changes, but, in my opinion, the most important was the progress in science.
Scientific research in physics and biology has vastly broadened our views. It has given us a deeper knowledge of the structure of matter and of the universe. It has brought us a better understanding of the nature of life and of its continuous development. Technology in the application of science has made big advances that have benefited us in nearly every part of life.
The continuation of such activities in the twenty-first century will result in even greater advantages to human beings; in pure science—a wider and deeper knowledge in all fields of learning; in applied science--- a more reasonable sharing of material benefits, and better protection of the environment.
Sadly, however, there is another side to the picture. The creativity of science has been employed in doing damage to mankind. The application of science and technology to the development and production of weapons of mass destruction has created a real danger to the continued existence of the human race on this planet. We have seen this happen in the case of nuclear weapons. Although their actual use has so far occurred only in the Second World War, the number of nuclear weapons that were produced and made ready for use was so large that if the weapons had actually been used, the result could have been the ruin of the human race, as well as of many kinds of animals.
William Shakespeare said, “The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.” The above brief review the application of only one part of human activities—science seems to prove what Shakespeare said. But does it have to be so? Must the ill always go together with the good? Are we biologically programmed for war?
1.Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?
=Paragraph 1,②=Paragraph 2, ③=Paragraph 3, ④=Paragraph 4,⑤=Paragraph 5）
2. From the fourth paragraph, we can infer that ______.
A. a great many nuclear weapons were actually used for war
B. a large number of nuclear weapons should have been used for war
C. the author is doubtful about the ruin of human beings by nuclear war
D. the author is anxious about the huge number of nuclear weapons on the earth
3. The underlined word “mingled” most probably means______
A. simple B. mixed C. sad D. happy
4.What do you think the author is most likely to suggest if he continues to write?
A. Further application of science to war.
B. More reading of William Shakespeare.
C. Proper use of science in the new century.
D. Effective ways to separate the good from the ill.
Students who work during term time to support themselves at university are far more likely to graduate with a poor degree, according to a government-funded study published yesterday.
Undergraduates with part-time jobs are a third less likely to get a first or upper second-class degree than other students, harming their career chances. Students from the poorest backgrounds were most likely to take jobs during term because they could not depend on help from their parents.
The report, commissioned (委托) by the Department for Education and Skills, also found a clear relation between fear of debt and employment in non-graduate jobs. Students from poorer backgrounds are known to be more unwilling to be in debt than those from middle class families.
The study of 8,600 people who graduated in 1999 was made by Peter Elias, of Warwick University, and Kate Purcell, from Bristol Business School. They found that twice as many first-class degrees were awarded to students who did not work during term compared with those who did. Between 35 and 38 percent who worked during term achieved a lower second, compared with about 28 percent of those who did not.
Professor Elias said that the increase in school fees next year to ￡3,000 would have to be monitored (监控) carefully for its effect on poorer students. "Higher education is going to be a harder struggle for those who do not come with all the advantages," he said.
He suggested that universities could get in touch with employers to provide work experience on good salaries to choose students during holidays, so that they did not have to work during term.
1.What's the main idea of the passage?
A. Students at university like to take part-time jobs to support themselves,
B. Term-time jobs at university lead to poorer examination results.
C. The school fees are becoming higher and higher at university.
D. Students at university have much difficulty getting first-class degrees.
2.Why did lots of students take term-jobs at university?
A. No one would lend them money to continue their study.
B. They wanted to improve themselves by taking part-time jobs,
C. Their families were poor and couldn't afford the high expense.
D. They thought earning money was more important than studying.
3.Students who took term-jobs at university ____.
A. had no possibility to study better than those who didn't
B. couldn't graduate from school normally in the future
C. might have trouble in finding a job in the future
D. were more independent than those who didn't in the future
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Poor students can't take part-time jobs all the time at university.
B. Employers have the duty to help poor students solve the money problem.
C. First class degrees couldn't be given to the students whose families were poor.
D. High school fees are one of the important reasons why students have to take term-jobs.
A programmer and an engineer are sitting next to each other on a long flight from Los Angeles to New York．The programmer leans over to the engineer and asks if he would like to play a fun game．The engineer just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks．
The programmer persists and explains that the game is really easy and has a lot of fun．He explains, "I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me $5．Then you ask me a question, and if I don't know the answer, I'll pay you $5．" Again, the engineer politely refuses and tries to get to sleep．
The programmer, now somewhat anxious, says, "OK, if you don't know the answer you pay me $5, and if I don't know the answer, I'll pay you $50!" This catches the engineer's attention, and he sees no end to this torment（折磨） unless he plays, so he agrees to the game．
The programmer asks the first question．"What's the distance from the earth to the moon?'' The engineer doesn't say a word, but reaches into his wallet, pulls out a five dollar bill and hands it to the programmer．Now, it's the engineer's turn．He asks the programmer, "What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down on four?" The programmer looks up at him with a puzzled look．He takes out his laptop computer and searches all of his references．After about an hour, he wakes the engineer and hands him $50．The engineer politely takes the $50 and turns away to try to get back to sleep．The programmer, more than a little angry, shakes the engineer and asks, "Well, so what's the answer?" Without a word, the engineer reaches into his wallet, hands the programmer $5, and turns away and goes back to sleep．
1.What's the best title for the passage?
A．A Boring Conversation B．A Fun Game
C．A Trick During The Flight D．A Question Without Answer
2.What kind of person is the programmer according to what he said?
A．Confident． B．Selfish． C．Greedy． D．Generous．
3.What can we infer according to the last sentence?
A．The engineer has little money with him．
B．Actually the engineer doesn't know the answer, either．
C．The engineer is bored with programmer．
D．The engineer beats the programmer at last．
4.Which is NOT true according to the passage?
A．In the beginning the engineer is not interested in the game．
B．The engineer is too sleepy to want to play the game．
C．At last the engineer gains $45 from the programmer．
D．Nobody knows the answer to the engineer's question．
