Jeanne Calment took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age114．and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121 st birthday．
When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder．She lived to the ripe old age of 122．So is 122 the upper limit(限制)to the human life span(寿命)?If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
Researchers don't entirely agree on the answers．“Calment lived．to 122, SO it wouldn't sul33rise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135,”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas．
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees．“People can live longer than we think．”he says．“Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110．When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 1 20．So why can’t we go higher?”
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing．“Anyone can make up a number．”says Rich Miller at the University, of guessing
Michigan．“Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine．”
Won’t new anti－aging techniques keep us alive for centuries?Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of HS living until about 120．Researchers are working on treatments that make the life span of mice longer by 50 percent at most．
So, if the average(平均)human life span is about 80 years, says Miller,“adding another 50 percent would get you to 120．”
So what can we learn from this little disagreement among the researchers?That life span is flexible(有弹性的), but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington．“We can get flies to live 50 percent longer．”he says．“But a fly'snever going to live 150 years．”Of course, if you became a new species(物种), one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds．
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve(进化)their way to longer life?“It’s pretty cool to think about．”He says with a smile．
(1)
What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
[ ]
A．
People can live to 122．
B．
Old people are creative．
C．
Women are sporty at 85．
D．
Women live longer than men．
(2)
According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ________
[ ]
A．
the average human life span could be 110
B．
scientists cannot find ways to slow aging
C．
few people can expect to live to over 150
D．
experts aren’t sure how long one can live
(3)
Who thinks that a scientist will become famous if he makes longevity?
[ ]
A．
Jerry Shay．
B．
Steve Austad．
C．
Rich Miller．
D．
George Martin．
(4)
What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
[ ]
A．
Most of us could be good at sports even at 120．
B．
The average human life span cannot be doubled．
C．
Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before．
D．
New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species．
Ted liked all kinds of sports．He ran fast and jumped high．He was good at playing football and basketball．He often took part in the sports meetings and won some games．Last month, Ted broke his leg in an accident, so he had to stop running and jumping．Later Ted decided to take part in the horse race．He went to the market and wanted to buy a racehorse there．He didn't have enough money to buy a good racehorse．He had to buy an old one．But soon Ted found there was something wrong with the old horse．It ate less and got thinner．He had to send for a vet．An hour later the old vet came and looked the horse over carefully．
“Is my racehorse ill, sir?” asked Ted．
“Yes,” answered the old man．
“Can it take part in the horse race?”
“If you insist, it can,” said the vet．“But I'm sure you will run faster than it!”
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
(1)
Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ]
A．
Ted liked sports．
B．
Ted often held sports meetings．
C．
Ted won some games．
D．
Ted couldn't run or jump after an accident．
(2)
After Ted broke his leg, he ________．
[ ]
A．
stopped running and jumping
B．
didn't want to take part in any sports meetings
C．
watched some horse races
D．
wanted to be a vet
(3)
Ted bought an old horse, because ________．
[ ]
A．
it was a good horse
B．
he was not rich
C．
it was a race horse
D．
he liked it
(4)
The word “vet” means “________” in Chinese．
[ ]
A．
饲养员
B．
卖马人
C．
护士
D．
兽医
(5)
The meaning of the vet's words was that ________．
[ ]
A．
the horse could take part in the horse race
B．
the horse could not take part in the horse race
C．
he knew Ted was good at running
D．
he knew Ted was not good at running
阅读理解
(1)
The ________ was born in 1835．
[ ]
A．
inventor
B．
singer
C．
doctor
D．
writer
(2)
My Heart Will Go On is the name of a ________．
[ ]
A．
book
B．
song
C．
story
D．
film
(3)
Dr Bethune worked in China for about ________ years．
[ ]
A．
2
B．
4
C．
6
D．
8
(4)
Which of the following is true?
[ ]
A．
Celine Dion stopped singing in 1997．
B．
Bill Gates started working for Microsoft Company in 1955．
C．
Thomas Edison made over 1, 000 inventions．
D．
Mark Twain wrote Business @ the Speed of Thought．
阅读理解
A prairie is a type of grassland．Prairies are made up of a complete interdependent ecosystem．This means that all kinds of plants and animals in a prairie region depend on one another for survival(生存)．The members of a prairie ecosystem include grasses, flowering plants, animals, soil(土壤), sand, and fire．
You may look at a prairie and think there’s nothing there but grass, but that’s not true．Most of the prairie’s living things are below the ground．Underneath the prairie’s surface are roots and bulbs(根茎)．The roots of the prairie flowers and grasses run deep．Some of them are as deep as 3.5 metres below the ground．
It is important for the roots to run deep because fires are a part of the prairie ecosystem．When a fire burns through the prairie, plants with shallow(not deep)roots can not survive．Plants that have deep root systems are able to survive the fires．When fire burns across a prairie, it burns dead plants from the top and returns those nutrients(养料)to the soil．This adds to the richness of the prairie soil．Prairies have some of the richest soil in the United States．This cycle of growth and burning has been going on for thousands of years．
Big bluestem is the plant that gives parts of the prairie the name“tallgrass prairie”．Big bluestem has very deep roots, and its stems(茎)are often 2 metres tall．
The American bison(野牛)or buffalo, is the country’s largest land animal．Its home is on the prairies．In 1830, there were an estimated 30 million to 60 million bison in the United States．By 1889, Americans had made the bison population to fewer than 1,000 animals．Through great efforts, bison are being reintroduced to the prairies．They are also kept in zoos．The bison population has grown to several hundred thousand today．
Humans have put the prairie ecosystem in danger．Through constant farming, building, fire prevention, and ignorance(not knowing)of how the prairie works, the United States has lost much of its natural prairie．Through education and other work, we can hope to save some of it．
(1)
A prairie is a type of ________．
[ ]
A．
plants
B．
animals
C．
grassland
D．
soil
(2)
What is the meaning of“interdependent ecosystem．” in the first line?
[ ]
A．
All things in a prairie region depend on one another．
B．
Animals live on plants in a prairie region．
C．
Fire plays an important role in a prairie region．
D．
Soil has a close relationship with a prairie region．
(3)
By 1889, the bison population was ________．
[ ]
A．
about 30 million
B．
fewer than a thousand
C．
about 60 million
D．
several hundred thousand
(4)
We can learn from the article that ________．
[ ]
A．
fires may destroy a prairie and therefore must be prevented
B．
the interdependent ecosystem is both below and above ground
C．
the prairie ecosystem is in danger because of farming and building．
D．
people haven’t realized that they are losing their natural prairie
阅读理解
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are two big national holidays in many western countries．
And it’s interesting because they are not the same in every country．In England, Mothering Sunday is in March．In America and Germany and other countries, it’s one Sunday in May．Father’s Day is in the middle of June．How do you celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day?Let’s learn something more about it from the following introduction．
(1)
In ________, Mothering Sunday is in March．
[ ]
A．
Germany
B．
England
C．
America
D．
China
(2)
Ann remembered that her mother ________ in the morning on Mothering Sunday．
[ ]
A．
had a cup of tea
B．
got up late
C．
collected a daffodil
D．
had something to eat
(3)
What did Bill remember doing on Father’s Day?
[ ]
A．
Doing housework．
B．
Eating outside．
C．
Going to the church．
D．
Watching baseball games．
(4)
What’s the text mainly about?
[ ]
A．
The history ofsome national holidays．
B．
The stories of some interesting holidays．
C．
How to celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day．
D．
How to understand Mother’s Day and Father’s Day．
阅读理解
My teacher, Mrs．Palmquist, makes us do our homework every day．I always do my homework．I don’t want Mrs．Palmquist to be upset with me and I like to get good grades in school．
There is a student in our class who never does his homework．His name is Bobby．He always says that he forgot what to do．None of us understood why he didn’t do his homework．It wasn’t hard and it didn’t take long to complete．
The week before our winter break, Mrs．Palmquist gave us homework passes, so we did not have to do homework one night without any trouble．Some of us were surprised when Mrs．Palmquist gave Bobby a homework pass．Why would she give him one?Bobby didn’t do his homework and he was being rewarded(奖励)．That wasn’t fair．
The next day Bobby didn’t come to school．Mrs．Palmquist told us that Bobby had been very sick．He went to the doctors, but it didn’t work．Then he was put in the hospital so that they could help him get better．We were all very sad．
The class decided to help Bobby with his homework problem．During our free time we made Bobby cards．Each card had a special gift inside．Every student gave Bobby his or her homework pass．
Mrs．Palmquist had tears in her eyes when she realized what we had done．She told us that she was very proud of our actions and cancelled homework for one week．
A few months later, Bobby returned to school．He was better．The doctors helped cure Bobby of his illness．Every day after his return, Bobby completed his homework．He didn’t need our gifts after all．Mrs．Palmquist told us that he used our passes every day when he was sick．I learned a lot in Mrs．Palmquist’s class that year．My mom says I learned more than I realized．Adults sure are funny!
(1)
The writer does her homework every day ________．
[ ]
A．
to give a gift
B．
to learn from her teacher
C．
to help Bobby
D．
to get good grades
(2)
With the homework passes, the students ________
[ ]
A．
didn’t need to do their homework
B．
should do their homework at home
C．
could pass exams and get good grades
D．
didn’t get homework from Mrs．Palmquist
(3)
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
[ ]
A．
Bobby didn’t do his homework because of his illness．
B．
Bobby’s classmates were sad when they knew he was ill．
C．
Bobby used his own homework passes to get out of trouble．
D．
Mrs．Palmquist didn’t give her students homework for a week．
(4)
Which of the following is probably the best title for the passage?
[ ]
A．
A Sick Student
B．
The Special Gift
C．
A Funny Teacher
D．
Bobby’s Homework Passes
阅读理解
If you chat with pop singer Jacky Xue, you will be amazed at how good he is at telling jokes．He always makes you laugh．When he tells a joke, he really acts it out．
But his songs are full of sorrow and are quite unlike his personality．
“Perhaps I've already put all my sad feelings into writing songs,”said Jack．“So I don't have a heavy burden in mind and can stay happy．”
Recently, Jacky put out a new photo book“Qianqian Junzi(《谦谦君子》)”with his best friend Jun Jun．The two met in the“Lycra My Show(莱卡我形我秀)”contest．Fans love his personality as well as his handsome looks．His self-titled album(同名专辑)“Jacky”has an R＆B style and a strong Chinese flavour．
After he graduated from high school, Jacky's dad sent him to study in Switzerland．In that beautiful country, he had to live totally on his own．He had never been away from home before．Every little thing, from washing his socks to getting over loneliness, was a big task．Jacky said he left home as a boy but returned as a young man．
He told Teens he learnt to be light-hearted from his dad, who showed him in both words and action．
“Try to be cheerful and funny in life, but when you get down to work, try to be as serious as you can．Work hard on things you want to do．”
Jacky's personality makes him popular with friends and fans．“He's happy and fun even when we feel tired or down,”said Jun Jun．“Even if his jokes are not so funny, the lively way he tells them makes them interesting!”
(1)
We can tell from the second paragraph that ________．
[ ]
A．
Jacky is a man full of sadness
B．
Jacky always makes people laugh
C．
Jacky's songs are different from his personality
D．
Jacky's a happy man．
(2)
When Jacky studied in Switzerland, he ________.
[ ]
A．
had to do everything by himself
B．
never left his home
C．
learned to be light-hearted
D．
did nothing
(3)
Perhaps I've already put all my sad feelings into writing songs, ________ I don't have a heavy burden in mind and can stay happy．
[ ]
A．
and
B．
but
C．
or
D．
so
(4)
________ his jokes are not so funny, the lively way he tells them makes them interesting．
[ ]
A．
As if
B．
Since
C．
Even if
D．
Unless
(5)
Fans love his personality ________ well ________ his handsome looks．
[ ]
A．
both…and
B．
as…as
C．
either…or
D．
so…that
根据短文内容选择最佳答案。
The word“day”has two meanings．When we talk about the number of days in a year, we are using“day”to mean 24 hours．But when we talk about day and night, we are using“day”to mean the time between sunrise and sunset．Since the earth looks like a ball, the sun can shine on only half of it at a time．Always one half of the earth is having day and the other half night．A place is moved from day into night and from night into day over and over by the spinning(旋转)of the earth．At the equator(赤道)day and night are sometimes the same length(长度)．They are each twelve hours long．The sun rises at 6 o'clock in the morning and sets at 6 o'clock in the evening．For six months the North Pole is tilted(倾斜)toward the sun．In those months the Northern Hemisphere (半球)gets more hours of sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere．Days are longer than nights．South of the equator nights are longer than days．For the other six months the North Pole is tilted away from the sun．Then the Southern Hemisphere gets more sunlight．Days are longer than nights．North of the equator nights are longer than days．Winter is the season of long nights．Summer is the season of long days．
(1)
When the Westen Hemisphere is having day, the Eastern Hemisphere is having ________．
[ ]
A．
both day and night
B．
day
C．
neither day nor night
D．
night
(2)
A place is moved from day into night and from night into day over and over by ________ of the earth．
[ ]
A．
the pushing
B．
the pulling
C．
the spinning
D．
the passing
(3)
At the equator day is as long as night ________．
[ ]
A．
sometimes
B．
never
C．
usually
D．
always
(4)
When the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, the Northern Hemisphere gets ________ sunlight．
[ ]
A．
less
B．
more
C．
all
D．
no
(5)
When it is winter in China, ________．
[ ]
A．
the USA is tilted toward the sun
B．
the South Pole is tilted away from the sun
C．
the North Pole is tilted toward the sun
D．
the North Pole is tilted away from the sun
阅读理解
Homework is a big part of going to school．Unluckily, homework has to be done, outside class－during the time when you would rather be doing something else, for example, you prefer going to a birthday party to copying out a whole Chinese text．Luckily, there are several things you can do to make homework less work．
First, be sure you understand the task．Write it down in your notebook if you need to, and don't be afraid to ask questions about your task．If you want, you can also ask how long the special homework task should take to finish, so you can budget your time．
Second, go over your lessons before you start your homework．Many students think they don't have enough time to finish their homework．So they begin to do it at once without reviewing their lessons．In fact, they will have to spend more time looking up now and then when they do their homework．
Third, use any small pieces of time you have in school to work on your homework．The more work you can get done in school means the less you'll have to do that night．
What if you don't have time in school to get homework done?You'll need to think about how much homework you have for a given night and what else is going on that day, and then budget your time．Most high school students have between 1 and 3 hours of homework a night．If it's a heavy homework day, you'll need to spend more time on homework．It's a good idea to come up with some kind of homework timetable, especially when you want to enjoy sports or other activities．
(1)
According to the passage, students don't like ________ very much outside class．
[ ]
A．
playing sports
B．
having birthday parties
C．
asking any questions
D．
copying out a text
(2)
It's very ________ to go over the lessons before you do your homework．
[ ]
A．
silly
B．
important
C．
boring
D．
interesting
(3)
The underlined word“budget”in the passage means“________”
[ ]
A．
plan
B．
save
C．
waste
D．
kill
(4)
The writer advises you to ________ if the homework is heavy．
[ ]
A．
do less homework at night
B．
finish other activities first
C．
come up with special sports
D．
make a homework timetable
(5)
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
[ ]
A．
Most students like copying a text better than going to a party．
B．
You can save much time by doing your homework without reviewing．
C．
You can finish your homework in school or at home．
D．
It's OK to enjoy sports before you finish your homework．
