When the sun is up in Amsterdam, the largest city in the Netherlands sits quietly on the Amstel River．You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi．
But when the sun goes down, the partying begins．In the big clubs and in coffee shops, tourists gather to hang out, talk politics and smoke．
Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam．And they are all within a short cab ride of each other．
For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events．Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there．And there is the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall．
But as evening descends on Dam Square so do the party-seeker, hip pop or funk music begins blaring from Club Paradiso and Club Melkweg．These are two of the most popular clubs in Europe．So if you come, be ready to dance．The clubs don’t shut down until 4 am．
And while you are there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city．Don’t worry about getting lost．Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions．
And you will notice that half the people in streets are on bicycles．They rent for US ＄17 to ＄20 for a whole day．
Amsterdam also has a good canal system．From anywhere between US ＄2 and ＄9.50, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise the “Venice of the North”．
You can take in the picturesque canal house architecture：The rows of neat, narrow sour-story dwellings of brownstone with large windows are well worth seeing．Many of them are several centuries old．
You might also want to jump out of the canal bus at the Museum Quarter and start walking．Masterpieces by Dutch artists such as Rembrandt, Bruegel, Van Gogh and others are on display at the Van Gogh Museum, Rembrandt House and others．
The city has an appreciation of its historic post．One place to visit is the Anne Frank House in Nine Streets．It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II．Visitors can view Anne’s original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years．
(1)
At the beginning of the passage, the author indicates that ________．
[ ]
A．
Parties go on all day long in Amsterdam
B．
Amsterdam attracts many daytime visitors
C．
Amsterdam is generally known as a quiet city
D．
Amsterdam presents two different pictures
(2)
Which tourist attraction is mentioned in detail in Paragraphs Four and five?
[ ]
A．
Royal palace．
B．
Dam Square．
C．
Club Paradiso．
D．
Magns Plaza．
(3)
What the author's purpose in writing the passage?
[ ]
A．
To attract people to visit Amsterdam
B．
To share his experiences with readers
C．
To list the places of interest in Amsterdam
D．
To introduce the residents life in Amsterdam
(4)
According to the passage, the local people have all the following characteristics EXCEPT ________．
[ ]
A．
they show hospitality
B．
they can speak English
C．
they are party goers
D．
they are fond of cycling
(5)
Which of the following words can best describe Amsterdam as a tourist city?
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．
