Our risk of cancer rises rapidly as we age.So it makes sense that the elderly should be routinely screened(拍片检查) for new tumors (肿瘤) or doesn’t it?

While such tracking of cancer is a good thing in general, researchers are increasingly questioning whether all of this testing is necessary for the elderly.With the percentage of people over age 65 expected to nearly double by 2050, it s important to weigh the health benefits of screening against the risks and costs of routine testing.

In many cases, screening can lead to additional examinations and operations to remove cancer, which can cause side effects, while the cancers themselves may be slow growing and may not cause serious health problems in patients’ remaining years.But the message that everyone must screen for cancer has become so ingrained (根深蒂固的) that when health care experts recommended that women under 50 and over 74 stop screening for breast cancer, it caused a noisy reaction among doctors, patients and social groups.

It’s hard to uproot deeply held beliefs about cancer screening with scientific data.Certainly, there are people over age 75 who have had cancers detected by routine screening, and gained several extra years of life because of treatment.And clearly, people over age 75 who have other risk factors for cancer, such as a family history or previous personal experience with the disease, should continue to get screened regularly.But for the rest, the risk of cancer, while increased at the end of life, must be balanced with other factors like remaining life expectancy.

A recent study suggests that doctors start to make more objective decisions about who will truly benefit from screening—especially considering the explosion of the elderly.

It’s not an easy calculation to make, but one that makes sense for patients.Dr.Otis Brawley said, “Many doctors are ordering these tests purely to cover themselves from medical disputes(争端).We need to think about the wise use of health care, which means making some difficult decisions with elderly patients, and going against the misguided belief that when it comes to health care, more is always better.”

1.Routine cancer screening for the elderly people makes sense because ______.

A.it is believed to contribute to a long life

B.it is part of their health care package

C.they are more sensitive about the health

D.they are in greater danger of tumor growth

2.How do some researchers now look at routine cancer screening for the elderly?

A.It adds too much to their medical bills.

B.They are doubtful about its necessity.

C.It helps increase their life expectancy.

D.They think it does more harm than good.

3.What is the traditional view about women screening for breast cancer?

A.It is a must for adult women.

B.It applies to women over 50.

C.It is intended for young women.

D.It doesn’t apply to women over 74.

4.What does the writer say is the general view about health care?

A.Better care, longer life.

B.Prevention is better than cure.

C.Better early than late.

D.The more, the better.

Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps. She had the grace of control to appear warm in the coldest weather, and on the Arkansas summer days it seemed she had a private breeze which swirled around, cooling her.

One summer afternoon, she stopped at the store to buy supplies. Another Negro woman of her health and age would have been expected to carry the paper sacks home in one hand, but Momma said, “Sister Flowers, I’ll send Bailey up to your house with these things.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Henderson. I’d prefer Marguerite, though.” My name sounded so beautiful when she said it. “I’ve been meaning to talk to her, anyway.” They gave each other age group looks.

There was a little path beside the rocky road, and Mrs. Flowers walked in front swinging her arms and picking her way over the stones.

Without turning her head, she spoke to me, “I hear you’re working very good school work, Marguerite, but that it’s all written. The teachers report that they have trouble getting you to talk in class.” We passed the triangular farm on our left and the path widened to allow us to walk together.

“Now no one is going to make you talk—possibly no one can. But bear in mind, language is man’s way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone which separates him from the lower animals.” That was a totally new idea to me, and I would need time to think about it.

“Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That’s good, but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper.

She said she was going to give me some books and that I not only must read them, I must read them aloud. She suggested that I try to make a sentence sound in as many different ways as possible.

“I’ll accept no excuse if you return a book to me that has been badly handled.” My imagination boggled(退缩) at the punishment I would deserve if in fact I did abuse a book of Mrs. Flowers’.

The odors in the house surprised me. The sweet scent of vanilla(香草) had met us as she opened the door.

“Have a seat, Marguerite. You see, I had planned to invite you for cookies and lemonade so we could have this little chat.” She carried a plate covered with a tea towel.

As I ate she began the first of what we later called “My lesson in living.” She said that I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and even more intelligent than college professors. She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations.

When I finished the cookies she brought a thick, small book from the bookcase. I had read A Tale of Two Cities and found it up to my standards as a romantic novel. She opened the first page and I heard poetry for the first time in my life.

“It was the best of times and worst of times...”

Her voice slid in and curved down through and over the words. She was nearly singing. I wanted to look at the pages. Were they the same that I had read? Or were there notes, music, lined on the pages? Her sounds began cascading(瀑布般落下) gently. I knew that she was nearing the end of her reading.

“How do you like that?”

It occurred to me that she expected a response. The sweet vanilla flavor was still on my tongue and her reading was a magic to my ears. I had to speak.

I said, “Yes, ma’am.” It was the least I could do, but it was the most also.

“There’s one more thing. Take this book of poems and memorize one for me. Next time you pay me a visit, I want to recite.”

I have often tried hard to search for the enchantment(着迷) I so easily found in those gifts. To be allowed, no, invited, into the private lives of strangers, to share their joys and fears, was a chance to exchange the Southern bitter wormwood(苦艾) for a cup of mead(蜂蜜酒) with Beowulf or a hot cup of tea and milk with Oliver Twist. When I said aloud, “It is a far, far better thing than anything I have ever done...” tears of love filled my eyes at my selflessness.

I was liked, and what a difference it made, I was respected not as Mr Henderson’s grandchild or Bailey’s sister but for just being Marguerite Johnson.

1.What does Mrs. Flowers mean by saying “Words mean more than what is set down on paper” (paragraph 7)?

A. Besides reading, Marguerite should talk more.

B. The content of books may have different meanings.

C. How one speaks adds extra meaning to words.

D. It is language that distinguishes humans from animals.

2. Marguerite’s opinion of A Tale of Two Cities before and after Mrs. Flowers’ reading can be described as _______.

A. poetic … musical B. satisfactory … informative

C. romantic … dramatic D. common … extraordinary

3.It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A. Mrs. Flowers was born in a noble family.

B. The meeting between Mrs. Flowers and Marguerite was probably an intentional arrangement.

C. Marguerite hadn’t read poetry before her visit to Mrs. Flowers’ home.

D. Mrs. Flowers would recite new poems on Marguerite’s later visits.

4.Which can be the best title for the passage?

A. The Power of Language

B. A Lesson in Living

C. A Respectable Lady

D. My Initial Access to Charles Dickens

A few years ago, I felt like a true failure.I was doing Weight Watchers for the third time in order to lose weight but not making progress.

At that time, I spent hours every day working out to my videos and was still overweight.I decided that there was no point in fighting it.I thought I was meant to be fat forever.I needed a change of heart and mind.That change came in the most unexpected way.It came with running.

After dinner on Thanksgiving, I went out for a walk with my family.I had turned my little MP3 player on and was enjoying the music when my favorite song came on.I felt like dancing, but that was out of the question (I had two teenagers with me).So I caught the speed a bit and started to run slowly.I was quite pleased with my burst of activity.

What was more surprising was that I got up the next morning and went out again.After running, I felt strong and calm at the same time.I recalled the good feelings I felt when I used to run 20 years ago and decided that I wanted more of that.I signed up for a spring race and practiced hard for it.

Even though my weight is still heavier than what I would like, I no longer care about it.I try to stay more focused on my life.Most importantly, my workouts are less than an hour per day and I take Sundays off completely.My goal is to keep exercising in my life but not let it take over my life.After all, I am so much more than my weight.

1.What was troubling the author according to the first two paragraphs?

A.That she was considered to be a failure by others.

B.That she had too little time to work out.

C.That she couldn't enjoy the food she liked.

D.That she failed to lose weight.

2.According to Paragraph 3, the author started running instead of dancing because .

A.she thought running would help her more.

B.she didn't want to dance at that moment.

C.it was inconvenient for her to dance at that moment.

D.she considered it useless to dance.

3.In Paragraph 4 the author mainly wants to tell us that ____.

A.she was a good runner 20 years ago

B.she had strong will-power

C.she often surprised others

D.she really liked running

4.What was the author's biggest change after she started running?

A.That she changed her attitude towards losing weight.

B.That she no longer wanted to lose weight.

C.That she spent more time in working out.

D.That she lost more weight than expected.

Nowadays, studying abroad gains popularity in China. Many parents would rather send their children abroad to receive education than let them be educated in China.

Every coin has two sides and studying abroad is no exception(例外). There are advantages for people to attend school abroad. In the first place, he can use the foreign language in his daily life so that his ability in the second language may be greatly improved, as it is obvious that there is no better opportunity to improve second language skills than living in the country where it is spoken. While studying in a foreign country, he will mostly meet many others from overseas and it is possible to make friends with people from all over the world. This is not only exciting on the social level, but could lead to important overseas contacts in his career as well. He can learn the latest knowledge in science and make use of the first-rate facilities(设备) available. In this way, there are many chances for him to widen his horizons and broaden his mind.

Of course, attending school abroad may bring about a series of problems as well. The most serious problem is language barrier(障碍). Not all of the students who plan to go abroad are good at the language spoken there. As a result, on arriving there, they will find it difficult to understand what the teachers say. Besides, for lack of knowledge of the customs of the local people, they may constantly(不断地) run into trouble in dealing with various situations. Furthermore, the tuition and the cost of living are much higher than those in our country, which may add more burdens to their family.

Therefore, given an opportunity to attend a school abroad, one must consider both its advantages and its disadvantages carefully before making up his mind.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Students? life in the foreign countries.

B. The advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad.

C. Problems that will be met when we study abroad.

D. The reasons why many parents sent their children abroad.

2.All the following are the advantages of studying abroad EXCEPT______

A. the ability in the second language may be greatly improved

B. you may make friends from all over the world

C. you can learn to live an independent life

D. you can get to know the latest knowledge in science.

3.The writer?s attitude towards studying abroad is ________

A. Positive(肯定的) B. Negative(否定的)

C. Neutral(中立的) D. Not clear

As we grow old, we realize that we have so little time to read and there are so many great books that we’ve yet to get around to. Ye re-readers are everywhere around us. For certain fans, re-reading The Lord of the Rings is a conventional practice annually. One friend told me that Jane Austen’s Emma can still surprise him, despite his having read it over 50 times.

New sudden clear understandings can be gained from the process of re-reading. Journalist Rebacca Mead, a long-time Englishwoman in New York, first came across George Eliot’s Middlemarch at 17. Since then, she has read it again every five years. With each re-reading, it has opened up further; in each chapter of her life, it has resonated (引起共鸣) differently. Mead evidenced the large number of ways in which really good books not only stand the test of repeat reads, but also offer fresh gifts each time we crack their spines. These kinds of books grow with us.

Scientists have also recognized the mental health benefits of re-reading. Research conducted with readers in the US found that on our first reading, we are concerned with the “what” and the “why”. Second time round, we’re able to better appreciate the emotions that the plot continues to express. As researcher Cristel Russell of the American University explained, returning to a book “brings new or renewed appreciation of both the great book and its readers.”

It’s true that we often find former selves on the pages of old books (if we’re fond of making notes on the pages). These texts can carry us back to a time and place, and remind us of the kind of person that we were then. We’re changed not only by lived experience but also by read experience – by the books that we’ve discovered since last reading the one in our hand.

More so than the movie director or the musician, the writer calls upon our imaginations, using words to lead us to picture this declaration of love or that unfaithfulness in life. A book is a joint project between writers and readers, and we must pour so much of ourselves into reading that our own life story can become connected with the story in the book.

Perhaps what’s really strange is that we don’t re-read more often. After all, we watch our favourite films again and we wouldn’t think of listening to an album only once. We treasure messy old paintings as objects, yet of all art forms, literature alone is a largely one-time delight. A book, of course, takes up more time, but as Mead confirms, the rewards make it adequately worthwhile.

1.The two books are mentioned in Paragraph 1 mainly to __________.

A. attract the attention of readers

B. introduce the topic of the passage

C. provide some background information

D. show the similarity between re-readers

2.The underlined expression “crack their spines” in Paragraph 2 refers to ________.

A. recite them B. re-read them

C. recall them D. retell them

3.It can be learned from the passage that __________.

A. reading benefits people both mentally and physically

B. readers mainly focus on feelings on their first reading

C. we know ourselves better through re-reading experience

D. writers inspire the same imaginations as film directors do

4.The purpose of the passage is to __________.

A. call on different understandings of old books

B. focus on the mental health benefits of reading

C. bring awareness to the significance of re-reading

D. introduce the effective ways of re-reading old books

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