For as early as I could remember, my mother had been a bright, cheerful woman deeply interested and involved in the world around her. However, in the last fifteen years of her life, she had to live with senile dementia (老年痴呆). I would go to my home to pay her a visit in California and she would curiously look at me and then ask, “Who are you?” I would answer, “I’m your own son, of course.” “Where do you live?” She would ask. “In Virginia”, I would tell her. “Isn’t that interesting,” she would say, “I have a son in Virginia.”

Mother seemed only forgetful as well as confused at the beginning of that disease, but sometime later she would go through different time of intense anxiety. She would keep walk ing through the house she used to live in most of her life crying uneasily that she would like to go home. Or sometimes she left home and wandered away if she were unattended for a short time.

Hoping to make her happy and put her mind at ease I would take her in my car, visiting sites where she used to live when she was a child. In the yard of the hillside house in Shipman I sat in the car and admired the view of the old oaks and long green lawn(草坪). I pictured my mother there was a little girl playing with the pet lamb she had been so fond of. I looked to her for some response. She shook her head and said, “I want to go home.”

Over the years I have decided that what my mother was calling home was not a place, but a time. I think it was a time when she was much younger, when her children were still underfoot, when her husband was still energetic and attentive.

Watching my mother’s suffering set me wondering where I would have in mind if someday I couldn’t find home and wanted to go there. In this family we tend to be long-lived and we grow fuzzy (糊涂的) minded as the years go by. At eighty I have already noticed some alarming symptoms. My doctor says the forgetfulness is only natural and that it comes with age. Still the fear of senile dementia is haunting there. Someday if and when I become even more cloudy minded than I am now, unable to drive and unable to tell you where "home" is, my dear son, I expect I will ask you to take me home, I know you will do your best to find the place I need to be. I leave these notes for your guidance.

1.What’s the main idea of the first and second paragraphs?

A. The mother of the author could not find her home.  

B. The mother of the author could not remember who’s his son.

C. The author’s mother suffered with serious senile dementia.

D. The author didn’t know how to cure his mother.

2.Which of the following is NOT the symptom of the mother of the author?      

A. forgetful                         B. confused      C. cheerful       D. uneasy

3.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “picture”?

A. photograph                  B. describe                 C. appear                   D. paint

4.What can you infer from the third paragraph?

A. The author cared much about his mother.    

B. The mother of the author liked pet lambs very much.

C. The author found a very little girl who was playing with a pet lamb.

D. The mother of the author did not like her usual home.

5.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Where Is Home?                                              B. A story about a son and a mother.

C. Everyone will suffer with senile dementia.              D. Take Mother Home.

If you want to stay young, sit down and have agood think. This is the research finding of a team of Japanese doctors who say that most of our brains are not getting enough exercise and as a result, we are aging unnecessarily soon.

    Professor Taiju Matsuzawa wanted to find out why otherwise healthy farmers in northern Japan appeared to be losing their ability to think and reason at a relatively early age, and how the

process of aging could be slowed down.With a team of colleagues at Tokyo National University,

he set about measuring brain volumes of a thousand people of different ages and jobs.

Computer technology enabled the researchers to get right measurements of the volume of the front and side sections of the brain, which relate to intellect and emotion, and determine the human character. Contraction (收缩) of the front and side parts as cells died was observed in some subjects in their thirties, but it was still not clear in some sixty and seventy-year-olds.Matsuzawa concluded from his tests that there is a simple remedy (补救) to the contraction normally associated with age using the head.

    The findings show in general terms that contraction of the brain begins sooner in people in the country than in towns. Those least at risk, says Matsuzawa, are lawyers, followed by university professors and doctors. White collar workers doing routine work in government offices are, however, as likely to have shrinking (萎缩) brains as farm workers, bus drivers and shop assistants.

    Matsuzawa's findings show that thinking can prevent the brain from shrinking. Blood must circulate properly in the head to supply the fresh oxygen the brain cells need. "The best way to keep good blood circulation is through using the brain," he says, "Think hard and engage in conversation. Don't rely on pocket calculators."w

The team of doctors wanted to find out ______.

A. why certain people age sooner than others   B. how to make people live much longer

C. the size of certain people's brains          D. the people with more intelligence

On what are their research findings based?

A. A survey of farmers in northern Japan.

B. Tests performed on a thousand old people.

C. The study of brain volumes of different people.

D. The latest development of computer technology.

Matsuzawa thinks that _______.

A. our brains grow as we grow older

B. the front section of the brain does not shrink

C. sixty-year-old people have better brains than thirty-year-olds

D. the contraction of brains is connected with brain exercise

According to the passage, which people seem to age slower than others?

A. Farmers.     B. Lawyers.     C. Government workers.     D. Shop assistants.w

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know.

I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled，little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said，“Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I' m eighty－seven years old. Can I give you a hug？”I laughed and enthusiastically responded，“Of course you may.”and she gave me a giant squeeze. “Why are you in college at such a young，innocent age？”I asked. She jokingly replied，“I'm here to meet a rich husband，get married，have a couple of children，and then retire and travel.”“No，seriously？”I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

 “I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one. ”she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milk- shake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always attracted listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

 Over the course of the year，Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she enjoyed the attention from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium(讲台). As she began to deliver her prepared speech，she dropped her 3x5 cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed, she leaned into the microphone and simply said，“I'm sorry I'm so nervous. I gave up beer for Lent(一种威士忌的牌子)  and this whisky is killing me. I'll never get my speech back in order to let me just tell you what I know.”

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began：“We do not stop playing because we are old；we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young，being happy，and achieving success.” “You have to laugh and find humor every day.” You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams，you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it.” “There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing，you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty－seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything, I will turn eighty－eight. Anybody can grow older. It’s non-optional but that doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.” “Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did，but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.” She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.” She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in honor of the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be. When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it! These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

1.The writer provides the details about Rose in Paragraph 2 to show that_______.

A. she was an innocent and enthusiastic person

B. she was an optimistic and humorous person

C. she was an aggressive person with a strong sense of honor

D. she was an intelligent person with highly motivated personality

2.Why does the writer compare Rose to “time machine” in Paragraph 3?

A. To describe the friendship between Rose and her young schoolmates.

B. To stress her old age and rich wisdom and experience.

C. To show that she enjoyed dressing up in spite of her old age.

D. To emphasize that she took on the challenge at such an old age.

3.Which of the following best explains the sentence ”We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing”(Paragraph 6)?

A. “If we lose our dreams, we will regret for what we did when young.”

B. “If we don’t laugh every day, we will easily get old.”

C. “Once we stop seeking and working for our dreams, we will really become old.”

D. “Once we stop exercising, we will get weaker physically and mentally.”

4.It can be inferred from Paragraph 6 that________.

A. those who don’t have dreams are as good as dead

B. growing old is uncontrollable but growing up is optional

C. the elderly usually feel regretful for what they did

D. our talent and ability decline with age

5.The method the writer uses to describe the character of Rose is________.

A. making comments               B. making comparisons

C. providing arguments             D. giving examples

6.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Meeting challenges            B. Secrets to success

C. Dream in heart                D. My best friend

During the last fifteen years of my mother's life she suffered with Alzheimer's disease (老年性痴呆). Until then she had been a bright, 1 woman deeply interested and involved in the world around her. I would go home to visit her in Virginia and she would look at me in a(an) 2 way and ask, "Who are you?" I would answer, "I'm your son." "Where do you live?" She would ask. "In California," I would tell her. "Isn't that interesting," she would say, "I have a son in California."
She seemed 3 forgetful and confused at the beginning of the disease, 4 later on she would go 5 periods of intense anxiety. She would pace through the house she had lived in most of her life 6 uneasily that she wanted to go home. Or she would leave home and wander away if she were 7 for a short time.   
Hoping to please her and put her mind 8 I would take her for a drive, visiting sites where she had lived as a 9. In the yard of the hillside house in Shipman I sat in the car and admired the view of the old oaks and long green lawn. I 10 my mother there was a little girl playing with the pet lamb she had been so fond of. I looked to her for some 11. She shook her head and said, "I want to go home."
Over the years I have decided that what my mother was calling home was not a 12, but a time. I suspect it was a time when she was much 13, when her children were still underfoot, when her husband was still vigorous and attentive.
Watching my mother's suffering set me wondering 14 I would have in mind if someday I couldn't find 15 and wanted to go there. In this family we tend to be long-lived and we grow fuzzy (糊涂的) minded as the years go by. At eighty I have already noticed some 16 symptoms. My doctor says the forgetfulness is only 17 and that it comes with age. Still the fear of Alzheimer's is haunting there. Someday 18 and when I become even more 19 minded than I am now, unable to drive and unable to tell you where "home" is, my dear son, I expect I will ask you to take me home, I know you will do your best to find the place I need to be. I leave these notes for your 20.

1. 1.
   1. A.
      accessible
   2. B.
      cheerful
   3. C.
      hopeful
   4. D.
      considerate
2. 2.
   1. A.
      excited
   2. B.
      doubtful
   3. C.
      puzzled
   4. D.
      amazed
3. 3.
   1. A.
      greatly
   2. B.
      hardly
   3. C.
      totally
   4. D.
      simply
4. 4.
   1. A.
      but
   2. B.
      so
   3. C.
      and
   4. D.
      though
5. 5.
   1. A.
      with
   2. B.
      through
   3. C.
      by
   4. D.
      over
6. 6.
   1. A.
      declaring
   2. B.
      suggesting
   3. C.
      crying
   4. D.
      commenting
7. 7.
   1. A.
      unsettled
   2. B.
      unattended
   3. C.
      unconcerned
   4. D.
      uninspired
8. 8.
   1. A.
      in place
   2. B.
      under control
   3. C.
      in order
   4. D.
      at ease
9. 9.
   1. A.
      lady
   2. B.
      student
   3. C.
      child
   4. D.
      mother
10. 10.
    1. A.
       told
    2. B.
       pictured
    3. C.
       stated
    4. D.
       encouraged
11. 11.
    1. A.
       response
    2. B.
       smile
    3. C.
       reasons
    4. D.
       answers
12. 12.
    1. A.
       name
    2. B.
       dream
    3. C.
       symbol
    4. D.
       place
13. 13.
    1. A.
       prettier
    2. B.
       younger
    3. C.
       happier
    4. D.
       healthier
14. 14.
    1. A.
       that
    2. B.
       where
    3. C.
       which
    4. D.
       when
15. 15.
    1. A.
       memory
    2. B.
       passion
    3. C.
       home
    4. D.
       way
16. 16.
    1. A.
       deadly
    2. B.
       alarming
    3. C.
       interesting
    4. D.
       allergic
17. 17.
    1. A.
       natural
    2. B.
       special
    3. C.
       rare
    4. D.
       unique
18. 18.
    1. A.
       if
    2. B.
       what
    3. C.
       until
    4. D.
       whether
19. 19.
    1. A.
       mechanical
    2. B.
       cloudy
    3. C.
       clear
    4. D.
       stubborn
20. 20.
    1. A.
       appreciation
    2. B.
       satisfaction
    3. C.
       guidance
    4. D.
       convenience

  If you want to stay young, sit down and have a good think. This is the research finding of a team of Japanese doctors, who say that most of our brains are not getting enough exercise—and as a result, we are ageing unnecessarily soon.
　　Professor Taiju Matsuzawa wanted to find out why otherwise healthy farmers in northern Japan appeared to be losing their ability to think and reason at a relatively early age, and how the process of ageing could be slowed down.
　　With a team of colleagues at Tokyo National University, he set about measuring brain volumes of a thousand people of different ages and varying occupations.
　　Computer technology enabled the researchers to obtain precise measurements of the volume of the front and side sections of the brain, which relate to intellect (智能) and emotion, and determine the human character. (The rear section of the brain, which controls functions like eating and breathing, does not contract with age, and one can continue living without intellectual or emotional faculties.)
　　Contraction of front and side parts—as cells die off—was observed I some subjects in their thirties, but it was still not evident in some sixty- and seventy-year-olds.
　　Matsuzawa concluded from his tests that there is a simple remedy to the contraction normally associated with age—using the head.
　　The findings show in general terms that contraction of the brain begins sooner in people in the country than in the towns. Those least at risk, says Matsuzawa, are lawyers, followed by university professors and doctors. White collar workers doing routine work in government offices are, however, as likely to have shrinking brains as the farm worker, bus driver and shop assistant.
　　Matsuzawa’s findings show that thinking can prevent the brain from shrinking. Blood must circulate properly in the head to supply the fresh oxygen the brain cells need. “The best way to maintain good blood circulation is through using the brain,” he says, “Think hard and engage in conversation. Don’t rely on pocket calculators.”
36. The team of doctors wanted to find out ________.
　　A. why certain people age sooner than others   B. how to make people live longer
　　C. the size of certain people’s brains          D. which people are most intelligent
37. On what are their research findings based?
　　A. A survey of farmers in northern Japan.      B. Tests performed on a thousand old people.
　　C. The study of brain volumes of different people  D. The latest development of computer technology.
38. The doctor’s test show that ________.
　　A. our brains shrink as we grow older         B. the front section of the brain does not shrink
　　C. sixty-year-olds have the better brains than thirty-year-olds
　　D. some people’s brains have contracted more than other people’s.
39. The word “subjects” in Paragraph 5 means ________.
　　A. something to be considered               B. branches of knowledge studied
　　C. persons chosen to be studied in an experiment
　　D. any member of a state except the supreme ruler.
40. According to the passage, which people seem to age slower than the others?
　　A. Lawyers.          B. Farmers.         C. Clerks.         D. Shop assistants.