Ronald Reagan was the only actor to become president of the United States, but other movie stars have
also been successful in public office. One of them was Shirley Temple, who is remembered throughout the
world as a little girl. She danced and sang in many movies.
     Shirley began to make movies at the age of five, and she was only nine years old when she played the
role of Heidi. In almost every part of the world where movies are seen on television, children and their
parents still enjoy Heidi and the other movies of Shirley Temple. Although she has not appeared in a film for
over thirty years, her name is still familiar to old and young alike.
     When Shirley Temple was twenty-one years old, she was already retired from her career as an actress.
Twenty years later, many people still thought her as a little girl that Americans had always loved in the
movies, but others knew her as an intelligent woman with knowledge of world problems. One of the people
who recognized these important abilities was President Richard M. Nixon. In 1969, he appointed (委派) her
as a representative (代表) to the United Nations, and this marked the beginning of a new career for the
former child star of the movies. 
     One of Shirley's most popular dancing and singing partners was George Murphy, who was twenty-six
years older than Shirley. He stopped making movies at about the same time as his young partner. In 1969,
he was elected United States senator (参议员) from California, and he served in this office for six years.

1. Some of the American actors or actresses like Ronald Reagan, Shirley Temple and George 
    Murphy           .

A. were later elected senators
B. later became more successful in the movie circle (电影界)
C. were later active in politics
D. later became presidents of the United States

2. Shirley Temple spent ______ years on her career as an actress.

A. 21
B. 9
C. 11
D. 16

3. Quite a lot of people throughout the world as well as Americans remember Shirley Temple all the
    time            .

A. as a little girl
B. as a pretty actress
C. as an attractive woman
D. as a young politician

4. Why did Richard M. Nixon appoint Shirley Temple as representative to the United Nations?

5. George Murphy retired from making movies ______.

A. in 1969
B. at the age of 47
C. when he was 26
D. in 1975

                                                             How Long Can People Live?
       She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the
neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
        When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world's recordholder. She lived to the ripe old age
of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span (寿命)? If scientists come up with some sort of pill
or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150-or beyond?
        Researchers don't entirely agree on the answers. "Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn't surprise me if
someone alive today reaches 130 or 135," says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
        Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees. "People can live much longer than we think," he says.
"Experts used to say that humans couldn't live past 110. When Calment blew past that age, they raised the
number to 120. So why can't we go higher?"
        The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it's all just guessing. "Anyone can make
up a number," says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan. "Usually the scientist who picks the highest
number gets his name in Time magazine."
       Won't new anti - aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would
probably keep most of us kicking until about 120. Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the
life span of mice by 50 percent at most. So, if the average human life span is about 80 year, says Miller,
"adding another 50 percent would get you to 120." 
       So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible
(有弹性的), but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington. "We can get flies to
live 50 percent longer," he says. "But a fly's never going to live 150 years." Of course, if you became a new
species (物种), one that ages at a lower speed, that would be a different story, he adds. 
       Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve (进化) their way to longer life? "It's pretty cool to
think about," he says with a smile.