A German study suggests that people who were too optimistic about their future actually faced greater risk of disability or death within 10 years than those pessimists who expected their future to be worse.

　　The paper, published this March in Psychology and Aging, examined health and welfare surveys from roughly 40,000 Germans between ages 18 and 96. The surveys were conducted every year from 1993 to 2003.

　　Survey respondents (受访者) were asked to estimate their present and future life satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10, among other questions.

　　The researchers found that young adults (age 18 to 39) routinely overestimated their future life satisfaction, while middle-aged adults (age 40 to 64) more accurately predicted how they would feel in the future. Adults of 65 and older, however, were far more likely to underestimate their future life satisfaction. Not only did they feel more satisfied than they thought they would, the older pessimists seemed to suffer a lower ratio (比率) of disability and death for the study period.

　　“We observed that being too optimistic in predicting a better future than actually observed was associated with a greater risk of disability and a greater risk of death within the following decade,” wrote Frieder R. Lang, a professor at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.

　　Lang and his colleagues believed that people who were pessimistic about their future may be more careful about their actions than people who expected a rosy future.

　　“Seeing a dark future may encourage positive evaluations of the actual self and may contribute to taking improved precautions (预防措施),” the authors wrote.

　　Surprisingly, compared with those in poor health or who had low incomes, respondents who enjoyed good health or income were associated with expecting a greater decline. Also, the researchers said that higher income was related to a greater risk of disability.

　　T  Pessimism gurantees chances of survival.he authors of the study noted that there were limitations to their conclusions. Illness, medical treatment and personal loss could also have driven health outcomes.

　　However, the researchers said a pattern was clear. “We found that from early to late adulthood, individuals adapt their expectations of future life satisfaction from optimistic, to accurate, to pessimistic,” the authors concluded.

　　67. According to the study, who made the most accurate prediction of their future life satisfaction?

　　A. Optimistic adults.

　　B. Middle-aged adults.

　　C. Adults in poor health.

　　D. Adults of lower income.

　　68. Pessimism may be positive in some way because it causes people ______.

　　A. to fully enjoy their present life

　　B. to estimate their contribution accurately

　　C. to take measures against potential risks

　　D. to value health more highly than wealth

　　69. How do people of higher income see their future?

　　A. They will earn less money.

　　B. They will become pessimistic.

　　C. They will suffer mental illness.

　　D. They will have less time to enjoy life.

　　70. What is the clear conclusion of the study?

　　A. Pessimism guarantees chances of survival.

　　B. Good financial condition leads to good health.

　　C. Medical treatment determines health outcomes.

　　D. Expectations of future life satisfaction decline with age.

Friendship is one of the basic bonds (纽带) between human beings. While the characteristics of friendship might vary from one country to another, people from all cultures not only enjoy friends but need them.

　　Many studies have shown that teenagers who have no friends often suffer from psychological disorders. It has been shown that teenagers, perhaps more than any other age group, need companionship and a sense of belonging. The negative consequences of loneliness have also been observed among the elderly. The death of a spouse often leaves a widow or a widower totally bereft (失去). If, however, they are surrounded by friends and relatives and if they are able to articulate（清楚表达） their feelings, they are more likely to recover from their grief.

　　“No man is an island.” In other words, we are all parts of society. We all need the love, admiration, respect and moral support of other people. If we are fortunate, our friends will provide us with all of these necessary aspects of life.

　　As most people observe, there are many levels of friendship. The degree or intensity of friendship varies depending on the personality of the individuals involved and the context of the relationships. Extroverts (性格外向者) enjoy being surrounded by many people whereas introverts（性格内向者）are perhaps content with fewer but more intense friendships.

　　Everyone is not equally open with all their friends. The degree of intimacy (密切) is determined by many factors. Close friends can be formed at any stage in one’s life but they are usually very rare. Not very many people have more than a few really close friends. Irrespective of the level of intimacy, all friendships are based on reciprocity（相互性）, honesty and a certain amount of love and affection.

53. The second paragraph implies that _____..

　 A. teenagers without friends will suffer from psychological problems

　 B. a widow or a widower will die very soon without companionship

　 C. human beings need companionship and a sense of belonging

　 D. both A and B

54. The degree of intimacy of friendship mainly depends on _____ .

　 A. age 　　　　　　　　　 B. belonging　　　　 C. personality 　　　　　　 D. culture

55. The author thinks that close friends _____ .

　 A. can be easily formed when one is young 　　　　 B. cannot be long-lasting

　 C. are not rare for everyone 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. are rare for most people

56. The word “irrespective”(Last sentence, Para. 5) means _____ .

　 A. not respecting 　 　B. dishonoring 　　　 C. regardless 　 D. considering

　　　   such heavy loss in the hurricane, the farmer didn’t expect to have a good harvest.

　　Dear editor,

　　In the past my hometown was used to be beautiful place.　　　　　　　　　　　　   1．________

Thick trees and green grass could be seen in everywhere. In　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 2．________

order to build house and grow more crops, people cut down　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 3．________

more and more trees. With time went on, the whole forest was　　　　　　　　　　　　  4．________

almost destroyed. Gradually the green hills have changed into　　　　　　　　　　　　    5．________

wasteland. As a result, sandstorms struck us now and then, from　　　　　　　　　　  6．________

which we suffer a lot. However, I do hope all the people should　　　　　　　　　　　　 7．________

realize the terribly result of not caring about our environment.　　　　　　　　　　　　    8．________

What’s more, they should take good care of the forests and plant　　　　　　　　　　   9．________

trees instead cutting them down to improve our living conditions.　　　　　　　　　　  10．________

　　　   such heavy loss in the hurricane, the farmer didn’t expect to have a good harvest.

A．Suffered　        B．Having suffered     C．Suffering　　      D．To suffer