A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this  problem.

First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.

Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.

In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.

One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.

To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.

66．What is the passage mainly about?

       A．The problems faced by the old in society.

       B．Why we should take responsibility for the old.

       C．How we can improve the lives of the old.

       D．Where the old can go to get their pensions.

67．What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this article?

       A．To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem.

       B．To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people.

       C．To point out the need for government support for old people.

       D．To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life.

68．What does the underlined word “vialble” most probably mean?

       A．Impossible.          B．Practical.             C．Useful.                D．Successful.

69．According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?

       A．Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire.

       B．Increase savings levels of people during their working years.

       C．Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old.

       D．Make available pensions for those who have retired.

70．What can be concluded from the passage?

       A．Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money.

       B．Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age.

       C．Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people.

       D．There is no single solution to the problems of the old.

Mistakes are a part of life. To err is human. Failure is also a part of life, not the end of life. Be happy facing life’s challenges. When you make the effort to be happy and to improve your life, you are actually rewarded along the way.

Life is like a game and maybe you can award points for every effort that has been a success for you. Try it. Add ten points for every achievement. And when you have reached 50 points, just yell, “Hey, I’ve won!” and give yourself a reward. If you happen to have missed your points for whatever reason, tell yourself, “Well, I tried!” which is better than not trying at all. Don’t let it be said you didn’t try.

What is it that you want to make yourself happy? Actually happiness means different things to different people. For example, an athlete will be happy winning his first race. For a new mother happiness would be seeing her baby’s first steps. Happiness for a poor person would mean having a meal just for today. So happiness for you is really something simple that you want for yourself.

It really doesn’t have to be big. As a matter of fact, you should be always realistic(现实的). Make the best out of every given situation. If you expect a certain result from a situation and it does not happen, don’t get despondent. This just means trying harder next time. We all have in us the power to succeed. Don’t let “give up” be a part of your vocabulary.

1.By saying “To err is human”, the author means that____________.

A．human beings should try to avoid making mistakes

B．no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes

C．mistakes and failures make up our life

D．human beings make mistakes easily

2.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．Try to reach 50 points.                   B．Try to get as many points as you can.

C．Award yourself for your success            D．Don’t be afraid of missing your points.

3.The author proves his idea in Paragraph 3 through____________.

A．examples         B．numbers          C．experiments       D．stories

4.The underlined word “despondent” in the last paragraph means____________.

A．frightened         B．disappointed       C．surprised          D．excited

Mistakes are a part of life. To err is human. Failure is also a part of life, not the end of life. Be happy facing life’s challenges. When you make the effort to be happy and to improve your life, you are actually rewarded along the way.

　 Life is like a game and maybe you can award(奖励) points for every effort that has been a success for you. Try it. Add ten points for every achievement. And when you have reached 50 points, just yell, “ Hey, I’ve won!” and give yourself a reward. If you happen to have missed your points for whatever reason, tell yourself, “Well, I tried!” which is better than not trying at all. Don’t let it be said you didn’t try.

　 What is it that you want to make yourself happy? Actually happiness means different things to different people. For example, an athlete will be happy winning his first race. For a new mother happiness would be seeing her baby’s first steps. Happiness for a poor person would mean having a meal just for today. So happiness for you is really something simple that you want for yourself.

　 It really doesn’t have to be big. As a matter of fact you should always have realistic expectations. Make the best out of every given situation. If you expect a certain result from a situation and it does not happen, don’t get despondent. This just means trying harder next time. We all have in us the power to succeed. Don’t let “ give up ” be a part of your vocabulary.

1.By saying “To err is human”, the author means that________.

　 A. human beings should try to avoid(避免) making mistakes

　 B. no one is perfect(完美的) and everyone makes mistakes

　 C. mistakes and failures make up our lif

　 D. human beings make mistakes easily

2. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?

　 A. Try to reach 50 points.

　 B. Never stop trying in your life.

　 C. Award yourself for your success

　 D. Don’t be afraid of missing your points.

3. The author proves his idea in Paragraph 3 through_________.

　 A. exampes　 B. numbers　　 C. experiments　　 D. stories

4. The underlined word “ despondent ” in the last paragraph means________.

　 A. frightened　 B. disappointed　 C. surprised　 D. excited

Charlie Boswell has always been a great hero. He has inspired thousands of people to rise above circumstances and live out true meaning of life.
He was blinded during World War II while rescuing his friend from a tank that was under fire. He was a great athlete before the accident. In order to prove his talent and determination, he decided to try a brand new sport, a sport he never imagined playing, even with his eyesight – golf! Through determination and a deep love for the game he became the National Blind Golf Champion! He won that honor 13 times.
One of his heroes was the great golfer Ben Hogan, so it truly was an honor for Charlie to win the Ben Hogan Award in 1958.
Upon meeting Ben Hogan, Charlie was respectful and stated that he had one wish and it was to have one round of golf with the great Ben Hogan. Mr. Hogan agreed that playing a round together would be an honor for him as well, as he had heard about all of Charlie’s accomplishments and truly admired his skills.
“Would you like to play for money, Mr. Hogan?” asked out Charlie.
“I can’t play you for money, it wouldn’t be fair!” said Mr. Hogan.
“Aw, come on Mr. Hogan…$ 1,000 per hole!”
“I can’t, what would people think of me, taking advantage of you and your circumstance?” replied the sighted golfer.
“Chicken, Mr. Hogan?”
“Okay,” replied the embarrassed Hogan, “but I am going to play my best!”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” said the confident Boswell.
“Now that you’re on. Mr. Boswell, you name the time and the place!”
The very self – assured Boswell responded, “10 o’clock … tonight!”
【小题1】Why didn’t Mr. Hogan want to play Charlie for money?

Charlie Boswell has always been a great hero. He has inspired thousands of people to rise above circumstances and live out true meaning of life.

He was blinded during World War II while rescuing his friend from a tank that was under fire. He was a great athlete before the accident. In order to prove his talent and determination, he decided to try a brand new sport, a sport he never imagined playing, even with his eyesight – golf! Through determination and a deep love for the game he became the National Blind Golf Champion! He won that honor 13 times.

One of his heroes was the great golfer Ben Hogan, so it truly was an honor for Charlie to win the Ben Hogan Award in 1958.

Upon meeting Ben Hogan, Charlie was respectful and stated that he had one wish and it was to have one round of golf with the great Ben Hogan. Mr. Hogan agreed that playing a round together would be an honor for him as well, as he had heard about all of Charlie’s accomplishments and truly admired his skills.

“Would you like to play for money, Mr. Hogan?” asked out Charlie.

“I can’t play you for money, it wouldn’t be fair!” said Mr. Hogan.

“Aw, come on Mr. Hogan…$ 1,000 per hole!”

“I can’t, what would people think of me, taking advantage of you and your circumstance?” replied the sighted golfer.

“Chicken, Mr. Hogan?”

“Okay,” replied the embarrassed Hogan, “but I am going to play my best!”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” said the confident Boswell.

“Now that you’re on. Mr. Boswell, you name the time and the place!”

The very self – assured Boswell responded, “10 o’clock … tonight!”

1.Why didn’t Mr. Hogan want to play Charlie for money?

    A．He was worried he would lose the match.

    B．He thought it was unfair for Charlie.

    C．He didn’t care about money.

    D．He preferred chicken to money.

2.According to the text, what does the underlined word “self - assured” probably mean?

    A．ignorant B．selfless C．confident    D．sincere

3.It can be inferred from the text that         .

    A．Mr. Hogan was not good at playing golf

    B．Charlie did well in other sports before playing golf

    C．Mr. Hogan didn’t try his best to play

    D．Charlie Boswell was born blind

4.What would be the result of the match?

    A．Charlie won.         B．Hogan won.

    C．Neither of them won. D．Not mentioned.

5.Which of the following can best describe Charlie?

    A．Competitive and generous B．Energetic and reliable

    C．Careful and considerate      D．Confident and smart