What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology(生物技术). With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today's leading killers, such as heart diseases, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memory.

   In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells(细胞) are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs(器官). The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on---in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.

   It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic conditional human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.

1. According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by _______.

A. diseases and aging                B. accidents and war

C. accidents and aging               D. heart diseases and war

2. In the author's opinion, today's most important advance in technology lies in _____.

A. medicine      B. the internet     C. brain cells    D. human organs

3.Humans may live longer in the future because ______.

A. heart disease will be far away from us

B. human brains can decide the final death

C. the basic materials of cells will last forever

D. human organs can be repaired by new medicine

We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine. Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack. Sometimes it's an ingredient (配料) in the main course of a meal. Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices (香料) like chili peppers.

    Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say "Ugh!" and run away. Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste.

     The word "chocolate" comes from a Mayan word. The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico. They valued the cacao tree. Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink.

     When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too. Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine. No one had the idea of adding sugar. The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes. Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion.

     In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao. It quickly became a cheap and popular drink. Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate. Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together. People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better.

     Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie. Favorite desserts are chocolate cream pie and, of course, an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce.

1.The main topic of the passage is _________.    

A. the different tastes of chocolate        

B. the origin of the word “chocolate”

C.  the medical effects of chocolate                         

D. the production and development of chocolate

2.The Spaniards think that cacao was a medicine because_____   

A. it was strong and bitter.                          

B. it was good for digestion.

C. it cured man's diseases.                           

D. it was a kind of drink for good health.

3.Which is the right time order of the events regarding chocolate?_______

a. Chocolate became a cheap and popular drink in England.

 b. A factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate.

 c. The Spaniards started drinking cacao.

 d. It was found that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao.

 e. A factory mixed milk and chocolate together. 

A. a-b-c-d-e           B. c-d-e-b-a         C. c-d-a-b-e           D. c-d-b-e-a

4.It can be inferred from the passage that _____.    

A. Mexicans like chocolate very much

B. chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or a candy bar

C. chocolate is a product of the cacao tree

D. people liked the taste of chocolate mixed with milk

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and loved the boy very much. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. The mother, preoccupied in the kitchen, totally forgot the matter.

The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed, the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband.

When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words. The husband just said ‘I am with you, Darling’. The husband's totally unexpected reaction is proactive behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he have taken time to keep the bottle away, this will not have happened. No point in attaching blame. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.

If everyone can look at life with this kind of viewpoint, there would be much fewer problems in the world. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears and you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think. Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or whom to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By this way we miss out some warmth in human relationship.

56．The uncapped medical bottle was not put back into the cupboard because         .

A．the husband was careless                            B．the husband was busy

C．the wife wasn’t informed of the matter   D．the wife ignored the matter

57．What do we know about the bottle?          .

A．It contained poison only for adults             B．It appeared like a nice drink

C．It was broken by the child                             D．It was kept in the kitchen

58．The husband’s attitude towards his wife can be described as           .

A．optimistic                B．confident                 C．considerate            D．generous

59．What did the writer intend to tell us about life?          .

A．Let go the negative side and we can enjoy life.

B．It is always useless finding who is responsible

C．Think of nothing and life will be easy

D．Life should give way to responsibility

Your House Will Take Care of You In Old Age

Have you ever thought what your life would be like in old age? Everyone talks about the “aging” society with large numbers of elderly people needing home care. Now German researchers have set up a “smart” house, programmed to help the elderly live at home with dignity. Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute say the house combines existing technology with future-oriented technology.

For example, the “smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror that can remind people to take their medicine, wash their hands or brush their teeth. The hardware behind Fraunhofer’s electronic bathroom is not new, and the software runs on a regular personal computer.

When the medicine cabinet is opened, a display in the middle of the mirror tells the person how many pills to take. The mirror is linked to a care provider, who can remotely check whether a patient at home is actually taking medicine and brushing his or her teeth. As many elderly people have arthritic(关节炎的) conditions that make it difficult to operate water taps, the mirror also has displays that turn the water tap on or off or control the water temperature.

The bathroom is only the start. Kitchens, bedrooms and all other parts of the “intelligent” home will become “user-friendly” to meet all kinds of individual needs. Sensors in doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets detect every activity and record them electronically. Doctors or care staff can see from the computer records what personal hygiene tasks have been completed, how often the elderly person visits the bathroom or uses the toilet. In case of an emergency, the computer automatically alerts the chosen contact person or calls the care center.

1. The ‘smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror ________.

2. The underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

3.The house mentioned in the passage can be described as _________.

4. How is the passage mainly developed?

5.The author of the text mainly _________.

If a person forgets names , places or facts —and has trouble with everyday things like reading or shopping —it may not mean you are getting old . It could be Alzheimer’s disease . So it’s important to see a doctor as soon as you can .
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s . But a drug called ARICEPT has been used by millions of people to help their symptoms (症状).
In studies , ARICEPT has been proved to work for Alzheimer’s . It has helped people improve their memory over time . It has also helped them to keep doing everyday things on their own .
Ask your doctor if ARICEPT is right for you or your loved one . It is the Number One drug for Alzheimer’s in the world . The sooner you know it’s Alzheimer’s , the better ARICEPT can help .
ARICEPT is good for many but may not be good for everyone . Some people may experience not sleeping well , feeling very tired , or not wanting to eat . In studies , these side effects weren’t serious at all and went away over time . Some people taking ARICEPT may feel light-headed . In this case you should tell your doctors because your condition may get worse .
【小题1】 If one suffers from Alzheimer’s ,           .