When my father married my mother in 1943, he gave my mother a 1937 crown coin and told her to keep it in the back of her purse and not spend it．This would mean that she always felt that she was protected and would always have money if she really needed it．
When I was married in 1970 my husband who had heard this story, obtained a 1937 crownfor me and I have always kept it in my wallet, and I have always had enough for my needs．
A friend recently fell on hard times, partly through external(外部的)circumstances and partly through poor planning．Friends and I have loaned her money, paid her bills, even given her food．tried to teach her budget techniques, and none of them has been a solution．She has just slipped deeper and deeper into financial trouble and depression．
Last week she looked pale and unwell, very depressed and hopeless．I then thought about how the crown．a reminder of another's care and love, had protected me, so 1 went to the bank for a＄100 dollar bill．I told my friend the story and asked her to keep the＄100 in the back of her wallet．It turned out that she didn't have a wallet, so she put the money in a little pencil case where she kept her coins．She immediately felt better．“I feel rich, and thank you for being a good friend”, she said, and we were both a bit teary．
The reason for passing this on is not to praise any generosity on my part, but to show the power of“random acts of kindness”．I went home and remembered a little wallet I had that I'd never used, and thought,“I'II give that to my friend”．I opened it, and inside, found ＄100．
The universe is very just and if your heart is open the reward always comes．
(1)
The writer's husband gave her a crown coin when they married because ________．
[ ]
A．
it was specially made of pure gold
B．
it was a reminder of care and love
C．
it was passed down from her parents
D．
it was a magic coin which can protect her．
(2)
The writer and her friends did the following to help the friend in trouble except ________．
[ ]
A．
paying her bills
B．
giving her food
C．
teaching her budget techniques
D．
working for her
(3)
Which of the following is true of the writer's friend?
[ ]
A．
Her trouble was partly due to her poor planning．
B．
She needed the＄100 badly in face of trouble．
C．
She refused our loan in spite of difficulty．
D．
Her friend's financial generosity helped her out finally．
(4)
The writer's friend immediately felt better after she got the＄100 because ________．
[ ]
A．
she had a rich and generous friend
B．
the ＄100 helped her a lot financially
C．
she felt rich from the heart
D．
she got what she wanted at last
(5)
What is the writer's purpose in writing this text?
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday．
Whe n 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 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 surprise 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 much 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 120．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 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 us kicking until about 120．Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most．So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller,“adding another 50 percent would get you to 120．”
So what can we conclude 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’s never 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 it,”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．
researchers are not sure how long people can live
(3)
Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at 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．
