America is growing older. Fifty - eight years ago, only 4 out of every 100 people in the United States were 65 or older. To day, 10 out of every 100 Americans are over 65. The aging of the population will affect（影响）American society in many ways—education, medicine, and business. Quietly, the graying of America has made us a very different society—one in which people have a quite different idea of what kind of behavior（行为） is suitable（合适）at various , ages.
　　A person s age no longer tells you anything about his/her social position, marriage or health. There’s no longer a particular year in which one goes to school or goes to work or gets married or starts a family. The social clock that kept us on time and told us when to go to school, get a job, or stop working isn’t as strong as it used to be. It doesn’t surprise us to hear of a 29 - year - old university president or a 35 - year -old grandmother, or a 70 year - old man who has become a father for the first time. Public ideas are changing.
　　Many people say, “I am much younger than my mother— or my father— was at my age. ”No one says“Act your age” any more. We’ve stopped looking with surprise at older people who act in youthful ways.
【小题1】It can be learnt from the text that the aging of the population in America ________ .

Reading Comprehension

Section B

Directions：Read the following passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.

　　Are organically grown foods the best food choices？The advantages claimed for such foods over conventionally (传统地) grown and marketed food products are now being debated. Supporters of organic foods—a term whose meaning varies greatly—frequently announce that such products are safer and more nutritious than others.

　　The growing interest of consumers in the safety and nutritional quality of the typical North American diet is a welcome development. However, much of this interest has been sparked by sweeping claims that the food supply is unsafe or inadequate in meeting nutritional needs.  Although most of these claims are not supported by scientific evidence, the flood of written material advancing such claims makes it difficult for the general public to separate fact from fiction. As a result, claims that eating a diet consisting entirely of organically grown foods prevents or cures disease or provides other benefits to health have become widely publicized.

　　Almost daily the public is besieged by claims for “no-aging” diets, new vitamins and other wonder foods. There are numerous unproved reports that natural vitamins are superior to synthetic ones, that fertilized eggs are nutritionally superior to unfertilized eggs, that untreated grains are better than fumigated grains and the like.

　　One thing that most organically grown food products seem to have in common is that they cost more than conventionally grown foods. But in many cases consumers are misled if they believe organic foods can maintain health and provide better nutritional quality than conventionally grown foods. So there is real cause for concern if consumers，particularly those with limited incomes, distrust the regular food supply and buy only expensive organic foods instead.

1.The “welcome development” mentioned in paragraph 2 is an increase in ______.

　　A. attention to food safety and nutrition among north Americans

　　B. the nutritional quality of the typical North American diet

　　C. the amount of healthy food grown in North America

　　D. the number of consumers in North America

2. The author implies that there is cause for concern if consumers buy organic foods instead of conventionally grown foods because ______.

　　A. organic foods can be more expensive but are often not better than conventionally grown foods

　　B. many organic foods are actually less nutritious than similar conventionally grown foods

　　C. conventionally grown foods are more readily available than organic foods

　　D. too many farmers will stop using conventional methods to grow food crops

3.What is the author’s attitude toward the claims made by advocates of health foods？

　　A. Enthusiastic.  B. Favorable.  C. Neutral.  D. Distrustful.

  阅读下面 短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项A、B、C、D中选出能填入相应空白处的最佳选项。

The Mullah couldn’t break his word. That would be    1   for an important person in the village. He certainly    2   to sell his donkey for a dollar. So he said, “    3   me at the donkey fair (集市) on 　　4   . I shall sell her at that time. I shall    5   my donkey to the one who will treat her most    6   .”

Everybody was kind to animals in the village. So the Mullah    7   out a plan. He wanted to　　 8  his word and also to keep his donkey.

On the night before the donkey fair, the Mullah bought a piece of 　　  9   .No one had any idea why the Mullah should want that.

On Saturday, man and boy in the village came to the donkey fair.

They found a 　　 10   tied with a piece of rope　　 11  the tail of the Mullah’s donkey! Beside them stood the Mullah, who looked　　 12   .

“It is    13   , I’ll sell my donkey for a dollar,” said the Mullah. “Just one    14   , though, my donkey and my cat are very good friends. They must not be　　 15   . The kind man who    16   my donkey must buy my cat also.”

“How much is your cat?” asked many    17   .

“Oh, my cat is a very    18   animal,” said the Mullah. “Her father    19   a mouse for a king. Her mother caught a mouse for 　　10  .She is one of the finest cats. For such a great cat I want one hundred dollars”.

The men laughed, and gave up the idea of owning the donkey.

1．A. right　　　　  B. wrong　　　　   C. impossible　　　　　　 D. strange

2. A. didn’t want　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. wanted

C. hadn’t decided　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. intended

3. A. Meet　　　　   B. Pay　　　　　　  C. Talk　　　　　　  D. Help

4. A. tomorrow afternoon

B. the day after tomorrow

C. the evening

D. Saturday

5. A. give　　　　   B. take　　　　　　 C. sell　　　　    　　  D. show

6. A. cruelly　　　　 B. warmly　　　　  C. kindly　　　　    D. carefully.

7. A. put　　　　　　 B. thought　　　　    C. carried　　　　　　 D. made

8．A. say　　　　　　 B. keep　　　　　　   C. break　　　　　　   D. send

9．A. bread　　　　   B. paper　　　　　　   C. cloth　　　　　　   D. rope

10．A. cat　　　　　　  B. dog　　　　　　    C. cock　　　　　　  D. rope

11．A. with　　　　　　 B. on　　 　　　　　　C. to　　　　　　　　 D. around

12．A sad　　　　　　   B happy　　　　　　 C tired　　　　　　    D fine

13．A. a lie　　　　　　 B. true　　　　　　　　 C. real　　　　　　    D. a pity

14．A. matter　　　　 B. problem　　　　　　 C. thing　　  　　   D. question

15．A. killed　　　　  B. sold　　　　　　  C. beaten　　　　　　  D. parted

16．A. sees　　　　    B. buys　　　　　　   C. likes　　　　　　  D. wants

17．A. voices　　　　   B. sounds　　　　　　 C. noises　　　　　　   D. cries

18．A. pretty　　　　　　 B. cruel　　　　　　  C. strong　　　　　　   D. important

19．A. looked after　　   B. caught　　　　　　 C. drove　　　　　　   D. grasped

20．A. me　　　　　　 B. her father　　　　    C. the Queen　　　　　　 D. her