How old is “old”? The answer has changed over the years. Two hundred years ago you were old at 35．That was the average life expectancy then. As medical knowledge advanced, the average life span increased to 45 at the turn of last century. In 1950, 70-year-olds were really old. Today, a healthy 70-year-old is looking forward to many more active years.

So, how old is old? The answer is one you’ve heard many times, from all sorts of people. “You are as old (or young) as you feel.” The calendar simply tells you how many years you have lived. Your body tells you how well you’ve lived.

“Youth,” wrote an author, “is not a time of life—it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by living a number of years; people grow old by deserting their ideals.”

Old is a point of view. Alice Brophy, when she was with the New York City Commission for the Aging, said, “It annoys me when people say, ‘Gee, you look young for your age.’ What does that mean? Is there some model that you’re supposed to look a certain way at 65 and 75 and 85?   You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80.”

Here are some of the more common myths—and the facts.

Myth: Most older people are in poor health.

Fact: Not so. There are neither biological nor physiological reasons to connect poor health with growing older. Older people are more likely to be affected with illness and physical disabilities than you are, but old age itself is not a disease. It is possible to remain physically fit throughout your life.

Myth: When you get old, you become senile（衰老的）.

Fact: Older minds can be as bright as young minds. Senility is a sign of disease; it is not part of the normal aging process. No evidence was found to show that aging was associated with a decline in intellectual performance, in generally healthy people.

Myth: Older people are rigid, unable to change.

Fact: Older people are as diverse in their life-styles and flexibility as are young and middle-aged people. Despite the many stresses they deal with—death of loved ones or job, financial, and domestic problems—they cope miraculously well. Older people give up smoking and break other bad habits just as successfully as younger people.

1．This passage is mainly about           .

       A．the average life span                          B．old people’s life-styles

       C．aging                                            D．senility

2．According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?         

       A．Aging does not mean you become unhealthy.

       B．Older people are not as smart as young people.

       C．Most older people are physically fit.

       D．Older people are unwilling to change their ideas.

3．Which question is NOT answered in the passage?           

       A．What is the average life span today?

       B．Is senility a normal part of aging?

       C．Do older people have more trouble breaking bad habits?

       D．How long can a person remain physically fit?              

4．The underlined word “rigid” can be explained by        .           

       A．flexible              B．considerate   C．strict           D．fixed

So, how old is old? The answer is one you heard many times, from all sorts of people. You are as old (or young) as you feel. The calendar simply tells you how many years you have lived. Your body tells you how well you lived.

Old is a point of view. Alice Brophy said, “It makes me angry when people say, ’Gee, you look young for your age. ’What does that mean? Is there some model that you are supposed to look a certain way at 65 and 75 and 85? You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80. ”

There are many myths about aging. Here are some of the more common myths—and the facts.

Myth 1: Most older people are in poor health.

Fact 1: Not so. There are neither biological nor physiological reasons to connect poor health with growing older. Older people are more likely to be affected by illness but old age itself is not a disease. It is possible to remain physically healthy throughout your life.

Myth 2: Older people are unable to change.

Fact 2: Older people are as easily changed in their life-styles as young and middle-aged people. Though sometimes they deal with the very big pressures—death of loved ones or jobs, financial or family problems—they deal wonderfully well. Older people give up smoking and break other bad habits just as successfully as younger people.

1. The article is mainly about ______.

A. the average life span

B. aging

C. people’s health

D. life myths

2. According to the article, which statement is true?

A. Aging does not mean you become unhealthy.

B. Older people are not as smart as young people.

C. Most older people are physically healthy.

D. Your health can tell you how many years you have lived.

3. Which questions is NOT answered in the article?

A. Do older people have more trouble breaking bad habits?

B. Is old age a disease?

C. How old is old?

D. What is the average life span today?

4. The reason why Alice Brophy got angry was that ______.

A. she didn’t think she looked young for her age

B. she didn’t like to be thought old

C. she was 65, but people thought she was 85

D. there wasn’t a model to follow to judge one’s age

5. Which of the following does the second fact support?

A. Older people have more pressures than younger people.

B. Younger people break old habit more easily.

C. Old people are not too fixed to change for new needs.

D. Younger and middle-aged people have the same problems as old people.

How old is old? The answer has changed over the years. Two hundred years ago, you were 35. That was the average life span(跨度) then. At the turn of this century, as medical knowledge advanced, the average life span increased to 45. In 1950, 70-year-olds were really old. Today, a healthy 70-year-old is looking forward to many more active years.

So, how old is old? The answer is one you heard many times, from all sorts of people. You are as old (or young) as you feel. The calendar simply tells you how many years you have lived. Your body tells you how well you lived.

Old is a point of view. Alice Brophy said, “It makes me angry when people say, ’Gee, you look young for your age. ’What does that mean? Is there some model that you are supposed to look a certain way at 65 and 75 and 85? You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80. ”

There are many myths about aging. Here are some of the more common myths—and the facts.

Myth 1: Most older people are in poor health.

Fact 1: Not so. There are neither biological nor physiological reasons to connect poor health with growing older. Older people are more likely to be affected by illness but old age itself is not a disease. It is possible to remain physically healthy throughout your life.

Myth 2: Older people are unable to change.

Fact 2: Older people are as easily changed in their life-styles as young and middle-aged people. Though sometimes they deal with the very big pressures—death of loved ones or jobs, financial or family problems—they deal wonderfully well. Older people give up smoking and break other bad habits just as successfully as younger people.

1. The article is mainly about ______.

A. the average life span

B. aging

C. people’s health

D. life myths

2. According to the article, which statement is true?

A. Aging does not mean you become unhealthy.

B. Older people are not as smart as young people.

C. Most older people are physically healthy.

D. Your health can tell you how many years you have lived.

3. Which questions is NOT answered in the article?

A. Do older people have more trouble breaking bad habits?

B. Is old age a disease?

C. How old is old?

D. What is the average life span today?

4. The reason why Alice Brophy got angry was that ______.

A. she didn’t think she looked young for her age

B. she didn’t like to be thought old

C. she was 65, but people thought she was 85

D. there wasn’t a model to follow to judge one’s age

5. Which of the following does the second fact support?

A. Older people have more pressures than younger people.

B. Younger people break old habit more easily.

C. Old people are not too fixed to change for new needs.

D. Younger and middle-aged people have the same problems as old people.

(February 17, 2012)

What a week it’s been for Jeremy Lin.

With five breakout games, the Taiwanese-American has become the NBA’s newest playmaking sensation.
　 In the New York Knicks’ 92-85 win over the Los Angles Lakers last Saturday, Lin had a career-high 38 points. And a day later, he led the Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, to Minnesota Timberwolves.
　 In his previous games, Lin, 23, had 23 points against the Washington, 25 points against New Jersey and 28 more against Utah in his first start.
　 No doubt, Lin fever is starting to spread. If you haven’t already caught “Linsanity” (林疯狂), get ready because it’s coming, as the Knicks pin their championship hopes on the rising star.
　 If you want to know more about Lin, here are five facts about him from the Associated Press (AP):
　 1. He is smart. Before graduating from high school in Palo Alto, California, Lin sent his resume to all the Ivy League schools. He only got into Harvard and Brown, and he chose Harvard. In 2010, Lin graduated with a degree in economics.
　 2. He is the first American player in the NBA of Chinese descent (血统). Lin was born in the US and his family is Asian. Despite not being born in China, Lin has co-opted Yao Ming’s old fan base of Asian-American’s who see him as a powerful role model.
　 3. He wasn’t drafted (选拔). After graduating from Harvard, Lin wasn’t drafted by any NBA team, which would have made him the first Ivy League alumni(校友) to be drafted since 1955.

4. He started off on the Golden State Warriors. Lin first signed with the Warriors in July, 2010, but rarely played in games before the start of the fourth quarter. His first time on the court for the Worriers earned him seven points, three rebounds(篮板) and two assists (助攻)in just 11 minutes.
　 5. He is a perfect fit for the Knicks. New York Knicks has been in need of a reliable point guard and to Mike D’Antoni, the Knicks coach who is going through a tough season, Lin is a most unexpected asset (有价值的人). “Lin just does everything easy and the rest of the guys around him are playing the way we want to play,” D’Antoni said. “I think it’s for real, and it can only get better.”
44. How many victories did Jeremy Lin get before beating Minnesota Timberwolves?

A. 3　　　　　　　　　　 B. 4　　　　　　　　　 C. 5　　　　　　　　 D. 6

45. We can learn from the passage that_________.

A. Jeremy Lin is the first Chinese player in the NBA.

B. Jeremy Lin was highly spoken of by the Knicks coach, Mike D’Antoni.

C. Without doubt the New York Knicks will win championship with the help of Jeremy Lin.

D.After graduating from Harvard, Jeremy Lin became the leading player on the Golden State Warriors.

46. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Wonderful Start for Jeremy Lin in the NBA　　　　B. Jeremy Lin’s Easy Road to the NBA

C. Jeremy Lin’s Unusual Life in the NBA　　　　　　　　D. Jeremy Lin, A talent in the NBA

It is understandable that many of today’s college graduates view themselves as the generation that opportunity forgot.

This fall, I interviewed 85 recent graduates of various colleges to discuss their success in finding a job. Of those I interviewed---many from famous schools ---only five are in the career fields they prepared for; the rest are unemployed or in jobs that are temporary. Graduates with once-marketable degrees in accounting and computer science, for example, now compete with applicants who have five years of experience and will accept the same entry-level salary.

　 Mainly because there are too many applicants for too few jobs, employers are ignoring resumes that once commanded interviews. But in my work as a management consultant, I find that many executives also feel that recent graduates have contributed to a problem: that young people have been so pampered (纵容) by their parents and are so untested academically that they bring little value to today’s demanding workplace.

　 Some of the least judgmental, most supportive managers I know are criticizing recent graduates for poor quality in their written and oral reports, and for difficulty in drawing essential facts from masses of data. Earlier generations faced this criticism as well, but employees flooded with resumes have now become far more selective than their predecessors (前人).

　 Among all the cruel talks about unemployment, little is said about the impact on the nation’s future of a generation convinced that the workplace has little use for it. This generation must regain its confidence if they are to remain the birthplace of ideas, products and services that shape world.

The quickest way to rebuild that confidence is to form partnerships between recent graduates and the companies that will employ them.

　 Corporations, in turn, should consider investing in training and developing a generation they will eventually need. High-potential graduates for whom there isn’t an immediate opening could be hired, not as unpaid interns(实习生) but as salaried trainees given three to six months to prove their value in a series of assignments. Those who don’t seize the opportunity can quickly be dismissed. Trainees should be given guidance to help them avoid the small missteps that can damage a career before it starts.

61. Why do today’s college graduates consider themselves as being forgotten by opportunity?

A. There are fewer jobs than they expected.

B. Many of them are not employed or in steady jobs that they want.

C. They are not as confident as the previous graduates.

　 D. They don’t know how to seize opportunities.

62. What is the attitude of the employers towards so many resumes?

　 A. Careful　　 B. Favored　　 C. Positive　　 D. Ignoring.

63. Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?

　 A. College graduates bring no value to a demanding workplace because of their lack of experience.

　 B. The young generation can be the birthplace of ideas, products and services that shape the world.

　 C. Graduates with higher degrees are more competent than those who have rich work experience.

　 D. Most high-potential graduates can immediately bring benefit to companies.

64. What is the quickest way that recent graduates can deal with their awkward condition?

　 A. Form partnerships between recent graduates and the companies.

　 B. Act as mentors for the older generation in order to improve their abilities.

　 C. Ask their managers more questions and learn more from them.

　 D. Make every effort to get training and practice.

65. What should corporations do to help graduates in their careers?

　 A. Dismiss them if they find graduates incompetent.

　 B. Hire them as unpaid or low-paid interns.

　 C. Invest in training and develop their potential.

　 D. Persuade the older generation to tolerate their missteps.