Jeanne Calment, a French woman, became a record breaker on 17 October of 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days.

Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France; her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes her as being more like a 90-year-old in good health than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on her 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied: A very short one. She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her. 

So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips. She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercises every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glasses of strong red wine a day, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86. 

A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at that time, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying:

Sorry, I’m still alive!

1. How does Jeanne Calment feel about her old age?

A. She is miserable and unhappy.

B. She is cheerful and humorous.

C. She would like to live much longer.

D. She feels she is going to die very soon.

2. Jeanne Calment has a long life because of _______.

A. smoking only a little every day

B. her giving up smoking and drinking

C. drinking two glasses of strong red wine every day

D. the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercises

3. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

  A. The Japanese man died earlier than Jeanne Calment by one day.

  B. Jeanne Calment is tired of living so long a life.

  C. Jeanne Calment’s husband, children and grandchildren have all died.

  D. One of Jeanne Calment’s legs was once broken.

4.Which could best replace the underlined word “move” in the fourth paragraph?

A. deal         B. trick            C. march        D. sport

5. Why does Jeanne Calment say “Sorry, I’m still alive” to the local lawyer every year on her birthday?

A. Because she had an agreement at 80 with the lawyer which was to her advantage.

B. Because she has asked the lawyer to pay her more rent than they first agreed.

C. Because the lawyer has paid her much more money than the value of the house.

D. Because the house she rented to the lawyer isn’t worth the money he has already paid.

Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.

Born in September, 1897, Irene Curies was the first of the Curies’ two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sevigne in Paris.

Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities (设备) to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military Medal by the French government.

In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.

Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity (辐射能). Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.

1.Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?

A．Because she received a degree in mathematics.

B．Because she contributed to saving the wounded.

C．Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic

D．Because she worked as a helper to her mother.

2.Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederic Joliot?

A．At the Curie Institute.                    B．At the University of Paris.

C．At a military hospital.                     D．At the College of Sevigne.

3.When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born?

A．In 1932.           B．In 1927.           C．In 1897.           D．In 1926.

4.In which of the following aspects（方面）was Irene Curie different from her mother?

A．Irene worked with radioactivity.

B．Irene combined family and career.

C．Irene won the Nobel Prize once.

D．Irene died from leukemia.

When Alice started to cycle home from Jenny’s house, she wasn’t nervous. She was certainly not afraid of the dark. __21___, it was only a 15-minute ride home. But halfway there, she began to wish that she hadn’t been so ___22___.

As she rounded a sharp bend, it suddenly___23__ cold — very cold. Alice’s breath became puffs of white cloud and her legs were so cold that it became hard to ride.

With her heart beating fast, she struggled so hard to move __24__ that she didn’t hear the car which suddenly appeared beside her. She stopped by the road. The big black car also ___25___. Slowly, the passenger-window began to slide down. Alice held her breath. In the soft light inside the car, something _26__. Then, the light brightened and Alice was staring at a sweet, grey-haired old lady. “Hello, dear,” said the old lady. “I need ___27___. I’m afraid I’m lost. I need to find the nearest airport. I must be there in the next five minutes. ”

“Airport? You ___28___ are lost,” Alice said. “You need to go back five kilometers ___29___ you reach the T-junction. Turn left and ___20___ for about another 10 kilometers to the main highway. From there, just follow the ___31___ to the airport. But I’m afraid there’s no ___32__ you’ll get there in five minutes!”

“Thank you very much, dear,” replied the old lady. “Don’t worry — I’ll _33__ in time.”

The ___34___ moved up and the car started off. A little way ahead, it ___35___ and with headlights flashing, it drove past Alice. But then, something ___36___ happened. The car began changing. First, its color __37___from black to silvery-grey. Then, the wheels began disappearing, but the car continued to move forward, __38___ just above the ground. As the car ___39___ into the dark sky, the big red tail-lights grew larger and larger and glowed more and more brightly. With a faint whistling ___40___, the car was gone in seconds, leaving Alice shaking her head in disbelief…

1.

A. However        B. Besides        C. Therefore      D. Otherwise

2.

. A. brave        B. excited        C. curious        D. stubborn

3.

A. fell           B. seemed         C. proved         D. grew

4.

A. aside          B. around         C. forward        D. backward

5.

 A. arrived       B. stopped        C. stayed         D. started

6.

 A. gathered      B. existed        C. dropped        D. moved

7.

A. help           B. gas            C. rest           D. water

8.

A. necessarily    B. normally       C. basically      D. certainly

9.

 A. if            B. until          C. unless         D. as

10.

A. drive          B. walk           C. follow         D. march

11.

. A. address      B. signs          C. notices        D. guidance

12.

 A. doubt         B. room           C. time           D. way

13.

 A. have it       B. get it        C. make it     D. finish it

14.

 A. door          B. window         C. headlight      D. wheel

15.

. A. passed       B. rushed         C. turned         D. continued

16.

A. strange        B. sensitive      C. imaginable     D. horrible

17.

A. developed      B. appeared       C. spread         D. changed

18.

 A. rolling       B. floating       C. drawing        D. flashing

19.

A. pointed        B. returned       C. broke          D. rose

20.

 A. tune          B. voice          C. sound          D. tone

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“Happy New Year!” Everyone will greet each other with these words as they meet each other on New Year’s Day. But it wasn’t always January 1 that marked the New Year.

    At least 4,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians marked the changing of the year. In Egypt, the year started when the Nile River flooded, enriching farmers’ fields. This happened at the end of September.

    The Babylonians held a festival in the spring, on March 23, to kick off the next farming cycle. The Babylonian celebration lasted for 11 days.

    The date January 1 was picked by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar as the change of the year when he established his own calendar in 46 BC. The month of January originates from the Roman god, Janus. He is pictured with two heads. One head looks forward and the other back. They represent a break between the old and new. The new calendar was in time with the sun and it has been used until the present day.

    In Vietnam, the New Year holiday happens in February. They buy fresh flowers and a peach blossom to put in their house, following the Vietnamese custom.

Thailand has its specific New Year’s date; it’s different from the normal calendar. The Thai New Year is celebrated on April 13. On this day, Thai people play with water, throwing it on each other. It is intended to bring good luck during the New Year ahead.

    In China, the more favorable New Year is usually celebrated in February according to lunar calendar (阴历). On New Year’s Eve, all family members sit together at table, enjoying lots of auspicious foods such as dumplings, chicken to bring good luck.

Title:  New Year traditions all around the world

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   71   But science may have just proved them right – because beautiful women are more likely to have daughters than their plainer counterparts, according to a study.

As parents tend to pass on genes that determine looks, this could result in handsome men becoming rather thin on the ground.    72   For example, Yasmin Le Bon is signed to the same modelling agency as daughter Amber, and Jerry Hall’s daughters Elizabeth and Georgia Jagger have both taken to the catwalk.  

Dr Satoshi Kanazawa, of the London School of Economics, analysed data from a survey of 17,000 babies born in Britain in March 1958 and tracked them throughout their lives.    73     When they reached 45, they were asked about the gender of any children they had.

Those rated as attractive were equally likely to have a son or daughter as their first child – but the unattractive sorts were more likely to have a son.    74  

Dr Kanazawa believes that parents tend to produce children who benefit from their own features.   75   So it pays for attractive women to have daughters. But couples blessed with strength and aggression rather than looks are better off having boys, as these characteristics are of more use to males.

E. Put another way, the beautiful women were more likely to have daughters.

F. And it may also explain why many models have daughters who follow in their fascinating footsteps.

G. Famously good-looking parents like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are more likely to have girls than uglier couples.