Old age may not sound exciting. But recent findings offer good news for older people and for people worried about getting older. Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of 50. In fact, they say by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were when they were 18 years old.

The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States. The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008. At that time, the people were between the ages of 18 and 85. The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.

Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of 24 and 25. The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.

The study also showed that men and women have similar feeling patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.

Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their feelings. They so spend less time thinking about bad experiences.

Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.

The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.

1.According to the survey of the Gallup Organization people are most likely to become happier      .

A．when they are between the ages of 18 and 85 B．when they come to their old age

C．when they are in their twenties             D．when they are 18 years old

2.You may have the highest level of stress when you are at the age of      .

A．20               B．25               C．35               D．40

3.According to Arthur Stone, old people may      .

A．have a positive attitude towards their life     B．know how to spend money wisely

C．dream about good things every day          D．control their behaviors better

4.Who would probably show the greatest interest in the passage?

A．Those who are worried about getting old     B．Those who are single and unemployed

C．Those who feel unhappy all the time         D．Those who suffer from mental stress

5.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Getting Older Means Getting Happier        B．The Young Are Happier Than the Old

C．Women Are Easier to Be Happy in Life        D．The Younger, the Happier

Helping your children to read and write at home will improve their skills and confidence—it will also make them get ready for learning in the classroom environment.
　    　 are needed by every child in every subject in every year of their life in or outside school. Students who improve their reading and writing skills will increase their vocabulary and their ability（能力）to use the English language correctly. As parents, you can play an important role in improving your children’s literacy（读写能力）. You can make a difference by listening, asking questions, giving information, and reading with your children outside school hours.
Here are 8 tips on how to help your children to read and write:
²  having everyday conversations with your children
²  trying to ask more “wh-” questions instead of easy “yes” or “no” questions
²  encouraging your children to talk about events you don’t know
²  reading to your children each night
²  listening to your children read
²  teaching your children how to use dictionaries
²  talking about your children’s writings
²  practicing filling in forms, writing letters, sending cards or emails
You can also encourage your children to join the Reading Challenge Club and discuss the books they are reading together. In the club, children must read 15 books from the Challenge book list and 5 more books chosen by themselves. There are over 1,000 books on the list. The reading must be done in one year. What’s more, it is a wonderful way to help your children to write. For example, you can encourage them to write diaries or book reviews. Remember to make positive comments as much as possible.
【小题1】This passage is mainly written for __________.

Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening. 
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one's own.
Then, in the country one can really get away from the noise and hurry of busy working lives. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one's free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has got the reward together with those who have shared the secret of nature.
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional (偶尔的) walk in one of the parks and a fortnight's (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest of the country they are quite prepared to spend with those who are glad to get away from London every night.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is NOT true?

用方框中所给单词的适当形式填空，使短文通顺、正确、连贯。

On a ___1.___ evening, a rich lady was standing by the road. She was very worried. Her car had broken down. Just then a poor man, Robert, came. He was on his way back home from work as usual.

The lady thought, “Is the man going to help me? He looks very cold and hungry. ” But to her surprise, he stopped and said __2.___ a smile, “What’s wrong, madam?” The lady told him what was happening.

After forty minutes, the car was at last fixed by Robert. The lady wanted to pay him. “No, that’s ___3.___, madam. ” he said, “I was just helping someone in need. If you really want to pay me back, I hope ___4.___ you see someone in trouble, you can give him a hand. ” A few minutes later, the lady saw a shabby (破旧的)house by the road. She ___5.___ Robert’s words, so she stopped. The hostess(女主人) warmly asked her in. The lady could see that was not a ___6.___ family and they needed help. When the hostess was making tea in the kitchen, the lady ___7.___ 500 dollars on the table and went away quietly. Robert came home later than before, thinking how hard their life was. Their ___8.___ was to be born the next month but there wasn’t enough money. His wife went up to him, gave him a kiss and ___9.___softly, “Don’t worry, dear! Everything’s going to be all right. A stranger has helped us out. ”

Let’s always be ready to help others because helping others is helping ___10.____.

Do you have any foreign friends? Do you know their characteristics(特征)?

The Germans are very quiet and they always keep calm. They don’t like to speak more words. They look very serious. They like different kinds of amusements. The Germans are very hard—working. They like tidiness, especially the women, who always keep their home clean.

In some ways, the Englishmen look the same as the Germans. They are very quiet and never talk too much with the strangers. They are really polite, so we often hear they say “Thank you.” Or “Sorry.” The gentlemen are also the Englishmen.

The French’s holidays are very long. They like traveling and usually spend their long time staying in other countries. The Frenchmen are more outgoing than the Germans. It is very easy to make friends with them.

Compared to the Frenchmen, the Americans are more outgoing. And they are even opener than all of the Europeans. They don’t like to depend on others. So it is very common that the students do part-time jobs in their free time. And in Americans’ eyes, success is an important part in their life.

1.According to the passage, ______are very quiet.

2.In the writer’s eyes, the gentlemen are______.

3.What can we learn about the Frenchmen from the passage?

4.Which is the best title of the passage?