When Ray was about seven, he had a very close friend Mike．They lived near each other, traveled to and from school together, played together, were together in school, and spent time in each other's homes．
Once, in school, Ray got bad marks(分数)and was very down．He just walked round and round the school playground．Mike followed Ray．Far enough not to stifle him, but near enough never to let Ray out of his sight．Ray was very angry at that time．He just wanted to be alone．At one point, he got so angry that he even shouted out,“Just leave me alone!”But Mike just silently walked on behind Ray, still never saying a word．
It was only after many years, almost twenty years later, that Ray truly began to understand the lesson on friendship which had been shown to him that day, Ray and Mike had already separated by then, only seeing each other a couple of times every year．But Ray still remembered that thing with gratitude(感激), a warm feeling in his heart and sometimes tears in his eyes．
Mike had taught him that true friendship does not only show up when one wants or needs it．A true friend will be around when he thinks you need him, regardless of(不管)whether you want it or not or whether you would admit it or not．He will be there even when you drive(赶走)him away, as long as he feels his presence will help you．But he will not speak if you do not want him to, and he will give you the peace that you expect．
The true friend will do what Mike did, following a distance behind, giving you space and peace, but always nearby, casting(投)a silent eye on you to make sure that you do not do anything silly, making sure he is around if you need him, and being ready to pick you if you fall anytime, to wipe your tears if they flow．
Appreciate your true friends．And be a true friend to others．
(1)
The underlined word“stifle”in the second paragraph can be replaced by“________”．
[ ]
A．
upset
B．
follow
C．
pick
D．
surprise
(2)
When Ray got angry with him, Mike ________．
[ ]
A．
walked away angrily
B．
said some words of comfort to him
C．
just came along with him silently
D．
turned away and wept
(3)
Twenty years later, each time Ray remembered that thing, he felt ________．
[ ]
A．
sad
B．
angry
C．
grateful
D．
funny
(4)
Ray learned from that thing that ________．
[ ]
A．
a true friend will be there whether you need him or not
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．
