When we say older people shrink, we don’t mean they become tiny enough to fit in your pocket! We just mean that it’s common for older people to become a little shorter over time. This kind of shrinking can’t be reversed, although people can slow or stop this process. But why does shrinking happen at all?
Because of gravity (that force that keeps your feet on the ground) , cushions between the bones in the spine (脊骨), get compressed (压缩), which makes a person lose a little height and become shorter.
Another reason why some older people shrink is because of osteoporosis (骨质疏松). Osteoporosis occurs when bone is broken down and not enough new bone material is made. Over time, bone is said to be lost because it’s not being replaced. Bones become smaller and weaker and can easily break if someone with osteoporosis is injured.
Older people — especially women, who generally have smaller and lighter bones to begin with — are more likely to develop osteoporosis. As years go by, a person with osteoporosis can get small breaks in bones that are called compression fractures. These breaks cause collapse of the spine and over time the person with osteoporosis can become hunched over (驼背).
Did you know that every day you shrink a little, too? You aren’t as tall at the end of the day as you are at the beginning. That’s because as the day goes on, water in the disks of the spine gets compressed due to gravity, making you just a tiny bit shorter. Don’t worry, though. Once you get a good night’s rest, your body recovers, and the next morning, you’re standing tall again!
Smoking and drinking alcohol can make this problem worse. Want to do something right now to build strong bones? I believe what I say will help you.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is true?

When we say older people shrink, we don’t mean they become tiny enough to fit in your pocket! We just mean that it’s common for older people to become a little shorter over time. This kind of shrinking can’t be reversed, although people can slow or stop this process. But why does shrinking happen at all?

Because of gravity (that force that keeps your feet on the ground) , cushions between the bones in the spine (脊骨), get compressed (压缩), which makes a person lose a little height and become shorter.

Another reason why some older people shrink is because of osteoporosis (骨质疏松). Osteoporosis occurs when bone is broken down and not enough new bone material is made. Over time, bone is said to be lost because it’s not being replaced. Bones become smaller and weaker and can easily break if someone with osteoporosis is injured.

Older people — especially women, who generally have smaller and lighter bones to begin with — are more likely to develop osteoporosis. As years go by, a person with osteoporosis can get small breaks in bones that are called compression fractures. These breaks cause collapse of the spine and over time the person with osteoporosis can become hunched over (驼背).

Did you know that every day you shrink a little, too? You aren’t as tall at the end of the day as you are at the beginning. That’s because as the day goes on, water in the disks of the spine gets compressed due to gravity, making you just a tiny bit shorter. Don’t worry, though. Once you get a good night’s rest, your body recovers, and the next morning, you’re standing tall again!

Smoking and drinking alcohol can make this problem worse. Want to do something right now to build strong bones? I believe what I say will help you.

1.Which of the following statements is true?

A．For shrinking, people can do nothing about it.

B．If someone is injured, he will become shorter.

C．Women have smaller and lighter bones than men.

D．We aren’t as tall at the end of the day as we are at the beginning.

2.What should we do if we don’t want to shrink faster?

A．We should try to reduce gravity.

B．We should be careful not to be hurt by others.

C．We should sleep as long as possible.

D．We should keep away from smoking and drinking alcohol.

3.What is the topic of the passage?

A．How can we stop shrinking?

B．Why do we shrink?

C．Some tips on how to keep tall.

D．How to live a healthy life.

4.About osteoporosis we know that _______.

A．gravity is one of the causes of osteoporosis

B．once our bone is broken down, osteoporosis will occur

C．women are more likely to develop osteoporosis

D．if we develop osteoporosis, we are more likely to be shorter

5.What will the author talk about in the paragraph to be followed?

A．Tell us how to grow taller.

B．Tell us how to become healthier.

C．Tell us how to avoid being shrinking.

D．Tell us what to do to have strong bones.

There was a park near my home. But I didn’t go there very often. Many people said there was nothing special. One afternoon I went into the park and found it was really small. I walked quickly because there wasn’t much to see. I walked for some time and found myself standing in front of two paths. 71  I found that the two paths were different from each other.
The left one was wide and clean. There were lots of flowers on both sides of the path. Though the flowers weren’t very beautiful, they made me feel good. I decided to take this path. But wait! I looked at the right one. The path didn’t look nice.  72  Grass grew everywhere. For a long time I couldn’t make up my mind.
  73  It wasn’t nice , but I didn’t want to give up. At last, I came to the end of the path. Ah! There was a small garden there. It was beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful garden I had ever seen.  74  
Many people told me that there was nothing much to see in the park. Now I’d like to tell them that if they had followed the right way, they would have felt differently. But when I told them about what I had seen in the park, they just smiled at me without saying a word. I knew they didn’t believe me. They couldn’t even remember that path because it was so small.
  75  Don’t be afraid to choose a different path. You may get a big surprise!

There was a park near my home. But I didn’t go there very often. Many people said there was nothing special. One afternoon I went into the park and found it was really small. I walked quickly because there wasn’t much to see. I walked for some time and found myself standing in front of two paths. 71  I found that the two paths were different from each other.

The left one was wide and clean. There were lots of flowers on both sides of the path. Though the flowers weren’t very beautiful, they made me feel good. I decided to take this path. But wait! I looked at the right one. The path didn’t look nice.  72   Grass grew everywhere. For a long time I couldn’t make up my mind.

  73  It wasn’t nice , but I didn’t want to give up. At last, I came to the end of the path. Ah! There was a small garden there. It was beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful garden I had ever seen.  74   

Many people told me that there was nothing much to see in the park. Now I’d like to tell them that if they had followed the right way, they would have felt differently. But when I told them about what I had seen in the park, they just smiled at me without saying a word. I knew they didn’t believe me. They couldn’t even remember that path because it was so small.

  75  Don’t be afraid to choose a different path. You may get a big surprise!

A. There is nothing that I want to see.

B. It looked like it had not been cleaned for months.

C. After a while a strange feeling made me follow the dirty path.

D. “ Which way should I go?” I asked myself. I looked at one way, then the other.

E. I told them what happened.

F. My trip to the park that day made me understand something about life.

G. There were trees, flowers and chairs. I thought it was the nicest part of the park.

There was a park near my home.But I didn't go there very often.Many people said there was nothing special.One afternoon I went into the park and found it was really small.I walked quickly because there wasn't much to see.I walked for some time and found myself standing in front of two paths.__1__I found that the two paths were different from each other.

The left one was wide and clean.There were lots of flowers on both sides of the path.Though the flowers weren't very beautiful, they made me feel good.I decided to take this path.But wait！I looked at the right one.The path didn't look nice.__2__Grass grew everywhere.For a long time I couldn't make up my mind.

__3__It wasn't nice，but I didn't want to give up.At last，I came to the end of the path.Ah！There was a small garden there.It was beautiful，perhaps the most beautiful garden I had ever seen.__4__

Many people told me that there was nothing much to see in the park.Now I'd like to tell them that if they had followed the right way，they would have felt differently.But when I told them about what I had seen in the park，they just smiled at me without saying a word.I knew they didn't believe me.They couldn't even remember that path because it was so small.

__5__ Don't be afraid to choose a different path.You may get a big surprise!

A．There is nothing that I want to see.

B．It looked like it had not been cleaned for months.

C．After a while a strange feeling made me follow the dirty path.

D．“Which way should I go？”I asked myself.I looked at one way，then the other.

E．I told them what happened.

F．My trip to the park that day made me understand something about life.

G．There were trees，flowers and chairs.I thought it was the nicest part of the park.