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 (保守的估计).”
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 effort 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 aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last past 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 Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Centre. “At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”
1.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
2.Donald Louria’s attitude towards long living is that .
A. people can live from 120 to 180
B. it is still doubtful how long humans can live
C. the human body is designed to last past about 120 years
D. it is possible for humans to live longer in the future
3.The underlined “it” (in paragraph 4) refers to .
A. a great effort
B. the idea of living beyond the present life span
C. the idea of living from 200 to 300 years
D. the conservative estimate
4.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
Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English ruler tried to conquer(征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result in that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland, in the south is an independent country.
In the 1840s the main crop, was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage(短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.
For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people will work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.
The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Creeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived(复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.
1.What does the author tell us in Paragraph 1?
A. How the Irish fought against the English.
B. How Ireland gained independence.
C. How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland.
D. How two “Irelands” came into being.
2.We learn from the text that in Ireland ________.
A. food shortages in the 1840s led to a decrease in population
B. people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside
C. it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker
D. different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments
3.The last paragraph is mainly about_________.
A. the Irish character B. Irish culture
C. Irish musical instruments D. a famous Irish writer
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Life in Ireland B. A Very Difficult History
C. Ireland, past and present D. The independence of Ireland
Murcia
I have spent about 8 months living in Murcia and I feel that I should put it as number one on my list. On my return from exploring other cities, I always feel like I’m returning home when I set foot in Murcia. The city centre is full of life and energy and has an incredible atmosphere all year round. Although the accent takes you a little time to get used to at first, you will adjust to it. Murcia is also home to some gorgeous(壮丽的) beaches and amazing coastal views. So it really does have the best of both worlds!
Gibraltar
I visited Gibraltar during the Easter holidays and I was totally surprised by the beauty of Gibraltar! From a short cable car riding up to the top of the rock you are met with splendid views over the coast and the adorable monkeys which curiously come to greet you on your arrival. Make sure to hide all your food because they think it’s a gift for them!
Valencia
Valencia is beautiful. It’s as simple as that! The river-area is so exciting and full of life, all the way up to the science museum and beaches. However, I was a little confused by the fact that the river had long been filled in and turned into a park, yet people still referred to it as The River.
Alicante
I have spent many a weekend in Alicante, making the most of the beautiful beach in low season, before all the tourists arrive. May is the high season here, so I’d definitely recommend a visit in April, September, or October, just before or after the holiday season.
1.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 refer to?
A. Murcia and other cities.
B. The city centre and beautiful coasts.
C. Gorgeous beaches and amazing coastal views.
D. The incredible atmosphere and lovely homes of the city.
2.Actually the adorable monkeys come to visitors to .
A. welcome them B. send them gifts
C. attract them D. get something to eat
3.The River is now .
A. a park B. a river
C. beautiful beaches D. the science museum
4.When did the author visit Alicante?
A. In May. B. In October.
C. In April. D. In September.
Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest thinkers in the world, began his career as an artist. Very little is known about Leonardo’s early life. He was born in 1452 in the town of Vinci. As a boy, Leonardo showed a great interest in drawing, sculpting and observing nature.
However, because Leonardo was born to parents who were not married to each other, he was barred from some studies and professions. He trained as an artist after moving to Florence with his father in the 1460s. It was an exciting time to be in Florence, one of the cultural capitals of Europe. Leonardo trained with one of the city’s very successful artists, Andrea del Verrocchio. He was a painter, sculptor and gold worker. Verrocchio told his students that they needed to understand the body’s bones and muscles when drawing people.
Leonardo took the teacher’s advice very seriously. He spent several periods of his life studying the human body by taking apart and examining dead bodies. While training as an artist, Leonardo also learned about and improved on relatively new painting methods at the time. One was the use of perspective(透视) to show depth. A method called “sfumato” helped to create a cloudy effect to suggest distance. “Chiaroscuro” is a method using light and shade as a painterly effect.
Leonardo’s first known portrait now hangs in the National Gallery in Washington, D. C. He made this painting of a young woman named Ginevra de’ Benci around 1474. The woman has a pale face with dark hair. In the distance, Leonardo painted the Italian countryside.
He soon received attention for his extraordinary artistic skills. Around 1475 he was asked to draw an angel in Verrocchio’s painting “Baptism of Christ.” One story says that when Verrocchio saw Leonardo’s addition to the painting, he was so amazed by his student’s skill that he said he would never paint again.
1.Which of the following words can be used to describe Leonardo according to the third paragraph?
A. Stubborn. B. Creative.
C. Pessimistic. D. Determined.
2.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Verrocchio felt shame at his own work.
B. Verrocchio thought Leonardo’s work terrible.
C. Verrocchio thought highly of Leonardo’s work.
D. Verrocchio didn’t believe Leonardo could paint well.
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Leonardo was prevented from some studies because of his parents.
B. Leonardo thought his teacher’s advice was unreasonable.
C. “Sfumato” is a method to show depth by using light and shade.
D. “Baptism of Christ” made Leonardo known across the world.
假如你是李华，是红星外国语学校的学生会主席，根据双方约定，你们打算今年夏天去英国Studio School进行四个星期的学习和旅游。请你写信给Studio School，就下面事宜进行通告:
1. 你们一行有30人,其中2位教师,18个男生,10位女生，希望他们安排home-stay家庭；
2. 你们计划上午上课，下午到图书馆学习，晚上自由活动，周末安排旅游。
3. 盼望对方尽早发出正式邀请，以便办理正式手续。
注意：
1. 可以适当增减细节，使其连贯完整；
2. 字数在100左右，信的开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇： 办理手续 go through all the procedures 正式邀请函 formal invitation
Dear Sir,
I'm Li Hua, chairman of the Students' Union of Hongxing Foreign language School.
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Li Hua, who will graduate from high school soon, have a talk with his father yesterday about what he should learn at a university. His father, who was proud his son's success in maths, advised Li Hua to learn economics. He said it would be easily to find out a good job whether Li Hua chose to learn economics. Li Hua, determined to became an astronaut, didn't agree with his father at all.
He told her father that since he had a strong body and a good knowledges of science, he would like to be an astronaut instead of an economist. Heard this, his father said nothing but to agree to his son, for he thought interest was very important for a person.
