I recently turned fifty, which is young for a tree, midlife for an elephant , and ancient for a sportsman, Fifty is a nice number for the states in the US or for a national speed limit but it is not a number that I was prepared to have hung on me. Fifty is supposed to be my father’s age. but now I am stuck with this number and everything it means.

A few days ago, a friend tried to cheer me up by saying,  “ Fifty is what forty used to be . ”He had made an inspirational point, Am I over the hill ?People keep telling me that the hill has been moved, and I keep telling them that he high-jump bar has dropped from the six feet I once easily cleared to the four feet that is impossible for me now.

“ Your are not getting older, you are getting better . ” says Dr. Joyce Brothers . This, however, is the kind of doctor who inspires a second opinion.

And so. as I approach the day when I cannot even jump over the tennis net. I am moves to share some thoughts on aging with you. I am moved to show how aging feels to me physically and mentally. Getting older. of course, is obviously a better change than the one that brings you eulogies(悼词). In fact , a poet named Robert Browning considered it the best change of all :

Grow old along with me!

The best is yet to me.

Whether or not Browning was right , most of my first fifty years have been golden ones, so I will settle for what is ahead being as good as what has gone by. I find myself moving toward what is ahead with a curious blend ( 混合) of both fighting and accepting my aging, hoping that the philosopher(哲学家) was right when he said . ”Old is always fifteen years from now. ”

44. The author seems to tell us in Paragraph I that      

A time alone will tell                                       B time goes by quickly

C time will show what is right                          D time makes one forget the past

45. When the author turned fifty , people around him      

A. tried to comfort him                                           B. got inspiration with him

C. were friendlier with him                             D. found him more talkative

46. The author considers his fifty years of life       

A peaceful                  B. ordinary                 C. satisfactory              D. regretful

47. We can infer from the passage that      

A. the old should led a simple life                            B. the old should face the fact of aging

C. the old should take more exercise                   D. the old should fill themselves with curiosity

One day a famous speaker gave a speech to a crowd of people. He held up a   21   bill. He asked, “Who would like this $20 bill ? ” Hands were   22  . Then he said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first let me do this.” He began to crumple（弄皱）the   23 . He then asked the audience, “   24  still wants it ?” Still the hands went  25  in the air.
“ What   26  I do this? ” He asked, and he  27  it on the ground, and started to step on it. He  28  it up. Now the bill was  29  and crumpled. “ Now who still wants it?” Still the hands went up.
“My friends,” He continued, “You have all  30   a good lesson . No matter   31  I did to the money, you still wanted it because the bill did not lose its  32 . It was still worth $20. Many times in our   33 , we are dropped, crumpled, and stepped on, because we sometimes  34  wrong decisions, or we may   35  with something we do not   36 .When that happens, we feel depressed and think we are   37 . But in fact no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. The worth of our life comes not   38  what we do or whom we know, but in who we are! Don’t forget ‘the worth of a thing does not depend on its outside   39  , but on its inner value.’ This is the   40  of life.

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同学写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（）,并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

      2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

I often quarrel about my mother over whether I can watch TV after school. She holds the view what Senior Three students have to make fully use of every minute to work hard at their lessons. It seems to her that once I am allowed to do that, I’ll be unable to control myself and forget all about my study. She also thinks it was bad for my eyes. But I really can’t accept his ideas. In my opinion, watch TV can set my mind at rest after a day’s hard works. Beside, it is important for us to know what has happened at home and at abroad. Thus, we shouldn’t forbidden to watch TV.

Tattoos and body piercings（穿孔）have moved up on the trend list in recent years. Around Western schools lots of teens are sporting new holes and “flesh ink”（纹身）. As with all other subjects, the Chinese will surely have to deal with this situation with respect to their children. To get a better view of what has happened in the West, 1et’s sit down and hear what they say.
Tiara from Indiana： 
I personally think body piercing is sickening. If there were supposed to be holes in your body，you would have been born with them. I do，however，think that ear piercing is not wrong. There is a difference between ear piercing and belly button piercing. Ear piercing is not nearly as dangerous. I would be sick if someone stuck a needle in my belly button.
Lee from Illinois:
Hi! I live in Illinois. I am 23. I have 12 tattoos and three piercings. I love my tattoos and consider myself an art collector. You would be surprised at who has given me the thumbs up on my art work. People on the street stop me to look at the tattoo on my leg. Most of them don’t know what it is. They just think the work itself is great.
Subotai from California:
I’m not forbidden of self-expression，but when I see high school students getting these piercings, I really wonder. In some cases, the drive is deeper and darker than mere fashion. A friend of mine tried piercing her own tongue with a safety pin. It got infected and she had a tongue the size of a cow’s.
Jackson from Ohio:
I don’t think it is wrong, but when people do it all over the place like their face and everything—I think that’s ridiculous. People who get the big “dragons that cover the whole body—I don’t think that’s necessary.” When I see naked chicks on guys, I think, “You have no respect for women.”
【小题1】Who doesn’t think tattoos and piercings except ear piercing are beautiful？

I recently turned fifty, which is young for a tree, midlife for an elephant, and ancient for a sportsman. Fifty is a nice number for the states in the US or for a national speed limit but it is not a number that I was prepared to have hung on me. Fifty is supposed to be my father’s age, but now I am stuck with this number and everything it means.
A few days ago, a friend tried to cheer me up by saying, “Fifty is what forty used to be.” He had made an inspirational (有灵感的) point. Am I over the hill ? People keep telling me that the hill has been moved, and I keep telling them that the high-jump bar has dropped from the six feet I once easily cleared to the four feet that is impossible for me now.
“You are not getting older, you are getting better.” Says Dr. Joyce Brothers. This, however, is the kind of doctor who inspires a second opinion.
And so as I approach the day when I cannot even jump over the tennis net, I am moved to share some thoughts on aging with you, I am moved to show how aging feels to me physically and mentally. Getting older, of course, is obviously a better change than the one that brings you eulogies(悼词). In fact, a poet name Robert Browning considered it the best change of all:
Grow old along with me !
The best is yet to me.
Whether or not Browning was right, most of my first fifty years have been golden ones, so I will settle for what is ahead being as good as what has gone by. I find myself moving toward what is ahead with a curious blend(混合) of both fighting and accepting my aging, hoping that the philosopher(哲学家) was right when he said , “old is always fifteen years from now.”
【小题1】The author seems to tell us in Paragraph 1 that ______.