There is a saying in French—“Si vieillesse pouvait, si jeunesse savait”—which means roughly “if age had the ability, if youth had the knowledge.” I was reminded of this saying the other day when I saw an interview with a distinguished Asian neurosurgeon(神经外科医生), now retired, about the impact of computer technology on modern surgery.

He was referring to the difficulty people of his age had in using the new techniques, but also to the fact that younger surgeons, who are more comfortable with the technology, lack some of the wisdom of experience.

It struck me that this problem is not just confined(局限于) to specialized fields such as medicine, but is widespread in modern life. There are many areas where the rapid growth of technology has widened the generation gap.

Young people are at ease with modern technology and propose all sorts of ways for using and developing it. But they often lack the experience needed to see further into the future to the possible dangers that a particular development may cause.

Older people see all sorts of difficulties and dangers, but are sometimes ignored, or even accused of being against progress, if they point out potential problems. Equally, they may see potential uses, but not have the technical skills to put them into practice themselves or the trust in the younger generation to do so.

Enthusiasm and inexperience come into conflict with caution and arrogance, usually with unsatisfactory results for both sides.

What is needed is the development of a partnership, based on mutual respect, which can deliver real progress by combining enthusiasm and caution in a constructive way, rather than in conflict with each other. The old need to give the younger generation the time, the resources and, above all, the authority to develop new ideas and use their skills. In exchange, the young need to turn more actively to the older generation to seek their advice and exploit their greater experience of the world in foreseeing and overcoming potential problems.

1.The passage is mainly about ________.

A．the impact of computer technology on modern surgery

B．an interview with a distinguished Asian neurosurgeon

C．new generation gap between the old and the young

D．a conflict between knowledge and experience

2.The French saying in the first paragraph is used to ________.

A．introduce the topic

B．show the difference between French and English

C．make readers confused

D．prove the writer’s wisdom

3.What did the retired neurosurgeon probably mention in his interview?

A．Old people’s enthusiasm in obtaining new technology.

B．Old people’s difficulty in using computers.

C．Young surgeons’ bad manners in working.

D．Young surgeons’ difficulty in getting experience.

4.In the writer’s view, what advantage do the older generation have?

A．They are happy with modern technology.

B．They are easy to learn new techniques.

C．They can foresee the future of the young generation.

D．They are rich in work experience.

5.What conclusion can be drawn from the last paragraph?

A．The young and the old should respect and learn from each other.

B．The young should teach the old modern technology.

C．The old should maintain their authority in every field.

D．The young and the old should work independently.

The prestigious (久负盛名) Peking University and Tsinghua University held graduation ceremonies on the same day this year. The presidents of the two universities delivered excellent speeches at the ceremonies as they used words, phrases or ways of expression that are very popular on the Internet currently. At the same time, graduation speeches by other university presidents were also under the spotlight for the same reason. Their speeches were warmly welcomed by students as they contained many fashionable words today, such as "floating clouds" ( meaning "too small and of little importance to mention") and "gelivable" (meaning " very helpful") . In the speeches , these university presidents recalled campus life together with students and finally moved all the audiences. They were very different from the usual run of lectures.
Many university presidents have changed their regular manner of addressing graduation ceremonies from an advising and preaching (说教) mode to a more fashionable and funny approach. They try to use those words popular among young people in their speeches.
In the past, university presidents' speeches were criticized for being too standard and lacking sentiment. Now , they quote fashionable words in their addresses, reflecting they are starting to adopt more everyday attitudes to students. The use of these new expressions has triggered a heated discussion. It focuses on the question of whether university presidents should speak in an informal way at graduation ceremonies.
Supporters agree with the new approach. They consider it good to build close ties with students by using the youth's own words. Opponents argue the new ways have no practical value or significance for education but are merely to please those leaving university.
【小题1】What would be the best title for this passage?

People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive carelessly up and down America’s main streets. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.

I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral which happened in a church. A teenage grandson stepped forward. Softly he began:“ I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would attack her, what would Nana say? ‘Oh, what beautiful markings that dog has.’ That was Nana.

“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for Grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling. “That was Nana’s way.”

Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up a fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”

There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled. When that boy rose to speak about the woman who had been his dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide. I was moved and learned a lot.

1.According to the first paragraph, ______.

2. From the boy’s speech, we know his grandmother ______.

3.We can infer from the passage that the boy ______.

4.The writer wanted to tell the readers ______.

Age has its special advantage in America. And one of the more impressive of them is the senior citizen discount. Anyone who has reached a certain age—in some cases as low as 55－is automatically entitled to plenty of price reductions at nearly every level of commercial life. Eligibility（资格）is determined not by one’s need but by the date on one’s birth certificate. Practically the discounts have become a routine part of many businesses-as common as color televisions in motel rooms and free coffee on airliners.
People with gray hair often are given the discounts without even asking for them；yet, millions of Americans above age 60 are healthy and solvent（有支付能力的）. Businesses that would never dare offer discounts to college students or anyone under 30 freely offer them to older Americans. The practice is acceptable because of the widespread belief that “elderly” and “needy” are synonymous（同义的）. Perhaps that once was true, but today, to be sure, there is economic variety within the elderly, and most of them aren’t poor.
It is impossible to determine the effect of the discounts on individual companies. For many firms, they are a stimulus to income. But in other cases the discounts are given at the expense, directly or indirectly, of younger Americans. Moreover, they directly annoy some politicians and scholars who consider it a coming conflict between the generations.
Generational tensions are being fueled by continuing debate over Social Security benefits, which mostly involves a transfer of resources from the young to the old. Employment is another point. Supported by laws and court decisions, more and more older Americans are refusing the retirement dinner in favor of staying on the job-thereby lessening employment and promotion opportunities for younger workers. Far from a kind of charity they once were, senior citizen discounts have become a powerful economic privilege（特权）to a group with millions of members who don’t need them.
It no longer makes sense to treat the elderly as a single group whose economic needs deserve priority over those of others. Senior citizen discounts only enrich the myth that older people can’t take care of themselves and need special treatment；and they threaten the creation of a new myth, that the elderly ale ungrateful and taking for themselves at the expense of children and other age groups. Senior citizen discounts are the heart of the very thing older Americans are fighting against－discrimination by age.
【小题1】We learn from the first paragraph that   .

Here are descriptions of four people. Choose the best information that can match from the second part.
【小题1】 ______Liu Xiang and some of the greatest athletes in the world will compete in the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix next month. Most of them have been competing against each other all summer in Europe and America.
【小题2】 ______Li Yuchun from Chengdu has won millions of female fans with her perfect mixture of boyish charm and a girly softness. She dresses like a boy, has a low voice and gentlemanly good manners.
【小题3】 ______Lee Young-ae was the youngest child and the only daughter in her family. Her parents and two brothers loved her much. Unlike other girls who like playing dolls, she was fond of wrestling.
【小题4】 ______Liu Yifei was born in Wuhan but moved to the US with her mother when she was 10. Things were not easy at first. But she tried her best and at last overcame the challenges and finally won.