When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called“Brownie”, My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her．One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games．Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us．One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them．We always felt better when she was around．
One days, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破)one of Dad's shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end．I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was Wrong．When I looked at her and said,“Bad girl．”She looked down at the ground and then went and hid．I saw a tear in her eyes．
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet．She went everywhere with us．
People would stop and ask if they could pet her．Of course she'd let anyone pet her．She was just the most lovable dog．There were many dines when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair．She never barked(吠)or tried to get away．Funny thing is she would smile．This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth．Far from the truth, she loved everyone．
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age．I still miss the days when she was with us．
(1)
What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?
[ ]
A．
Look at them sadly．
B．
Keep them company．
C．
Play games with them．
D．
Touch them gently．
(2)
We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie ________
[ ]
A．
would eat anything when hungry
B．
felt scary for her mistake
C．
loved playing hide-and-seek
D．
disliked the author's dad
(3)
Why does the author say that Browrnie was more than just a family pet?
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．
