When asked about happiness, we usually think of something extraordinary, an absolute delight, which seems to get rarer the older we get．
For kids, happiness has a magical quality．Their delight at winning a race or getting a new bike is unreserved(毫不掩饰的)．
In the teenage years the concept of happiness changes．Suddenly it's conditional on such things as excitement, love and popularity．I can still recall the excitement of being invited to dance with the most attractive boy at the school party．
In adulthood the things that bring deep joy-love, marriage, birth-also bring responsibility and the risk of loss．For adults, happiness is complicated(复杂的)
My definition fo happiness is “the capacity for enjoyment”．The more we can enjoy what we have, the happier we are．It's easy to overlook the pleasure we get from the company of friends, the freedom to live where we please, and even goo health．
I experienced my little moments of pleasure yesterday．First I was overjoyed when I shut the last lunch-box and had the house to myself．Then I spent an uninterrupted morning writing, which I love．When the kids and my husband came home, I enjoyed their noise after the quiet of the day．
Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a mix of enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work．I don't think that my grandmother, who raised 14 children, had much of either．She did have a network of close friends and family, and maybe this is what satisfied her．
We, however, with so many choices and such pressure to succeed in every area, have turned happiness into one more thing we’ve got to have．We’ve so self-conscious about our “right” to it that it's making us miserable．So we chase it and equal it with wealth and success, without noticing that the people who have those things aren't necessarily happier
Happiness isn't about what happens to us-it's about how we see what happens to us．It's the skillful way of finding a positive for every negative．It's not wishing for what we don't have, but enjoying what we do possess．
(1)
As people grow older, they
[ ]
A．
feel it harder to experience happiness
B．
associate their happiness less with others
C．
will take fewer risks in pursuing happiness
D．
tend to believe responsibility means happiness
(2)
What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 5 and 6?
[ ]
A．
She cares little about her own health
B．
She enjoys the freedom of traveling
C．
She is easily pleased by things in daily life
D．
She prefers getting pleasure from housework
(3)
What can b informed from Paragraph 7?
[ ]
A．
Psychologists think satisfying work is key to happiness
B．
Psychologists’opinion is well proved by Grandma’case
C．
Grandma often found time for social gatherings
D．
Grandma's happiness came from modest expectations of life
(4)
People who equal happiness with wealth and success
[ ]
A．
consider pressure something blocking their way
B．
stress then right to happiness too much
C．
are at a loss to make correct choices
D．
are more likely to be happy
(5)
What can be concluded from the passage?
[ ]
A．
Happiness lies between the positive and the negative
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．
