Old age，I decided，is a gift．The other day a young person asked me how l felt about being old．I was taken aback．for I do not think of myself as old．Upon seeing my reaction．he was immediately embarrassed（尴尬的），but I explained that it was an interesting question，and I would think it over，and let him know．

      Old age is a gift．I am now，probably for the first time in my life，the person I have always wanted to be．As I’ve aged．I’ve become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself．I don’t scold myself for eating that extra cookie，or for not making my bed…I am entitled to overeat，to be messy．I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging．

      I will walk along the beach in a swimming suit that is stretched over my fat body．and will dive into the waves freely if I choose to，in spite of the pitying glances from the bikini sets．They，too，will get old．

      Sure，over the years my heart has been broken．How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one，or when a child suffers，or even when a beloved pet is hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength，understanding and sympathy．A heart never broken will never know the joy of being imperfect．

      So，to answer your question, I like being old．It has set me flee．I like the person I have become．I am not going to live forever．but while I am still here．1 will not waste time feeling sorry for what could have been，or worrying about what will be．And I shall eat dessert every single day．

1．Which of the following may be the title of the text?

      A．The Aged．                                            B．Old age is a gift．

      C．Are you getting older?                                 D．Don’t be afraid of aging．

2．Why did the author like being old?

      A．Because he is actually not old．

      B．Because he becomes the person he really wanted to be．

      C．Because he can do everything now．

      D．Because being old can make him enjoy many special rights．

3．According to the text，he likes to do the following except __________．

      A．eat extra cookie if he likes                         B．dive into the waves freely

      C．leave things as he likes                                D．do what others like him to do

4．According to the text，we know that ___________．

      A．imperfection is never a good thing

      B．being forgetful will always cause trouble

      C．becoming aging is miserable

      D．aging sometimes means freedom

5．What does the underlined phrase refer to in the third paragraph?

    A．beautiful swimming suits                          B．short clothes used for swimming

    C．some younger persons                                D．couples of swimming lovers

 The winner of the race is tall and thin; he ___be my friend, Mike, who is short and fat.

Once an Englishman named Larry Belmont went to Russia for a holiday. After he got back some of his friends came. “I had a very dangerous trip while I was in Russia.” Larry said, “I went to see a friend in the country and when the sun went down, I was still traveling through a forest in a sleigh(雪橇). It was a long way from my friend’s house when about twenty wolves began to follow my sleigh.”
“It was very dark in the forest. There was thick snow on the ground. First I heard the wolves. The noise was terrible! Then I saw long, grey forms among the trees, and soon the wolves were near me. They were running very fast, and they didn’t seem to get tired like the horses.”
“What did you do?” one of Larry’s friends asked.
“When the wolves got very near,” Larry answered, “I put up my gun and shot the first wolf dead. Then all the other wolves stopped and ate it, so my sleigh got away from them for a few minutes. Then they finished their meal, and I heard them coming again. The moon was shining brightly on the snow now, and after a few minutes I saw them running among the trees once more. They came nearer again, and then I shot another one of them, and the others stopped once more to eat it. The same thing happened again, and my horses become more and more tired and ran slower and slower until, after two hours, only one wolf was still alive and following me.”
“Wasn’t it too fat to run?” one of Larry’s friends asked.
【小题1】The purpose of this passage is to ______.

It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I tore open the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word “congratulations. ”I don’t remember ever smiling so wide.
Then I looked at my financial（财政的）package.
The cost of Dream School’s tuition（学费）, room and board was around $ 40,000- an impossible sum! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were good, solid schools even if they weren’t as famous as my first choice.
In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how I felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial problem, I could go wherever I would be happiest. But as I was always careful with money, I wasn’t sure what to do.
One of the schools that offered me a full ride had an informational dinner one night in the spring. Considering my parents’ financial difficulties, I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was to smile politely, eat free food, listen quietly. But I surprised myself.
At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus （校园）including guest lectures and social gatherings. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed challenging yet caring.
As the president ended his speech, we clapped politely and pushed back our chairs. As I walked out that door, a feeling of comfort washed over me. Looking at the campus that night, I realized that I would be spending the next four years right there.
In all honesty, my university is not as well-known as my “dream”university. However, it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me.
【小题1】How did the author feel when he started to read the letter?

-- My cat’s really fat.

   --- You ______ have given her so much food.

  A. wouldn’t        B. couldn’t        C. shouldn’t        D. mustn’t