“I’m seventy years old,” says the gray-haired lady proudly to the entertainer at her Community Club dinner.
“Did you hear that, everyone?” says the entertainer. “This lovely lady is just seventy years young! And she doesn’t look a day over fifty.” He has been careful not to use the word “old”. In a society where youth is so admired, old age is often seen as something sad, something to fight against. Americans prefer not to say “old” people. They use the expression “senior citizens”. They do not talk about “old people’s” homes, but “retirement” homes.
In fact, the entertainer is not so wrong. Seventy is not very old these days. People in the US are living longer and longer. In1980, 12 percent of Americans were over sixty-five years old. By 2030, 21 percent will be over sixty-five. One reason for this is that families are getting smaller. The average couple now has only 1.8 children. At the same time, improved medical care means that people are living longer.
This change in the age of Americans is going to have serious results. For one thing, medical costs are rising. The government is unable to pay the elderly people’s medical bills that have gone up very much. Some old people have to leave hospital “sicker and quicker” than they should, before they are really better.
More fortunate senior citizens, though, who still have good health, want new laws to be passed to allow them to stay at work. In the past, the retirement age was sixty-five, but that is changing now. Older people are stronger and more energetic than ever before. Many of them refuse to stop working just because they have reached a certain age.
There is a change, too, in the way in which elderly people see themselves. Many are no longer happy to accept the gray hair, bald heads, and boring clothes of their own parents. They like to wear younger-looking clothes and bright makeup(化妝品).American women spend millions of dollars a year on operations to lift their faces and make those ugly wrinkles disappear. Men are prepared to spend even more on operations to plant new hair on their bald spots. It’s worth any money to look younger.
60. In America people try to avoid using the word “old” because    ____.
A. the old age is seen as something that isn’t admired
B. it is now believed to bring bad luck to elderly people
C. the standard of getting old has changed  
D. the change in the age has caused a healthy problem
61. According to the passage, which of the following does NOT describe the American society correctly?
A. People live longer because of improved medical care.
B. The government finds it difficult to afford the medical bills of the elderly.
C. People use polite expressions when talking about old age.
D. The old patients’ time in hospital is strictly limited.
62. Which of the following is not the result of the changing in the age of Americans?
A. Medical costs are rising.          
B. The family becomes smaller.
C. The retirement age needs changing. 
D. Elderly people spend a lot on keeping young.
63. This passage is most probably taken from        .
A. a travel booklet     B. a magazine   
C. an advertisement     D. a medical report 
練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:完形填空

Michel is a young girl who works for the police   36       a handwriting expert (專家). She has helped   37     many criminals (罪犯) by using her special talents (天才).
When she was fourteen, Michel was already       38    interested in the differences in her friends'   39      that she would spend hours    40     them. After   41    college she went to France for a   42    two-year class in handwriting at the School of Police Science.
Michel says that it is    43      for people to hide their handwriting. She can discover
44    of what she needs to know simply    45       looking at the writing with her own eyes,     46     she also has machines   47    help her make    48   different kinds of paper and ink. This knowledge is often    49      great help to the police.
Michel believes that handwriting is a good   50  of what kind of person the  51   is. "I wouldn't go out with a fellow    52   I didn't like his handwriting. " She says. But she      53  she fell in love with her future husband, a young policeman    54   she studied his handwriting. It is later proved to be  55   , however.
36. A. with                B.  by             C. like               D. as
37. A. search      B. follow           C. catch            D. judge
38. A. so          B. too               C. quite             D. extra
39. A. books      B. letter             C. tongues          D. handwriting
40. A. writing    B. studying         C. settling           D. uncovering
41 A. attending         B. finishing         C. starting             D. stepping into
42. A. powerful         B. natural           C. special            D. common
43. A .main      B. safe              C. easy              D. impossible
44 A. most         B. nothing          C. little              D. sight
45. A. with       B. by               C. of                D. about
46 A. so           B. for                C. thus              D. but
47 A. they         B. in which        C. that               D. those
48 A. up          B. out               C. for               D. Into
49 A. of           B. to                C. with             D. for
50 A. test          B. sign              C. means           D. habit(習(xí)慣)
51 A. thief         B. criminal          C. writer            D. policeman
52 A. whether     B. unless           C. if                 D. after
53 A. adds        B. tells              C. repeats           D. cries
54 A. before      B. after             C. shyly            D. and
55 A. necessary    B. all right          C. important               D. quite easy

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

任務(wù)性閱讀(共10小題;每小題1分,滿分10分)
認(rèn)真閱讀下面短文,并根據(jù)所讀內(nèi)容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~。(注意:每空填1個(gè)單詞。)
You could fill a store with all the energy drinks now available. They promise to make people feel more energetic and think more clearly. These products have names like Red Bull, Monster, Ripped Force, Speed Stack and 5-Hour Energy. They appeal mainly to young people and are fueled mainly by caffeine.
Chad Reissig at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, is a medical researcher who studies drug dependence. He says the team he works on got interested in studying energy drinks because of the explosion in their popularity in the last few years.
He says the researchers found three major things. One: there are hundreds of brands of energy drinks in most major countries. Two: the drinks are not clearly labeled with enough information. And three: the amount of caffeine varies greatly. Some contain as little as fifty milligrams, others as much as five hundred.
By comparison, a cup of Starbucks brewed coffee contains 330 milligrams in 473 milliliters.
Some energy drinks contain a mixture of ingredients listed as an “energy blend(混合物)”. Ingredients like taurine, guarana and inositol are natural substances. But Chad Reissig says scientists do not know a lot about them and how they interact with each other and caffeine. And worse, he says, there is no listing of the amount  of each ingredient.
Some people combine energy drinks with alcohol. They think they can drink more alcohol that way and not be affected. Studies, however, suggest that they are still under the influence of the alcohol even if they do not feel that way.
Some makers of energy drinks do provide warnings. For example, a popular energy shot warns against use by people who are pregnant, nursing a baby or under the age of twelve. Energy shots are small bottles of liquid. The directions also advise people to limit caffeine products and drink only half the bottle if they want a moderate (適度的) amount of energy.
The team at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine published a report in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. They suggested better labeling with the amount of caffeine and other ingredients clearly listed on the drink. The researchers are continuing to study energy drinks. They are currently seeking young people who have had a bad experience after drinking them.
Research on energy drinks
Brands of energy drinks
Red Bull, Monster, Ripped Force, Speed Stack and 5-Hour Energy and so on.
(71)____ of energy drinks
Young people would feel more energetic and drink more clearly after drinking them.
(72)_____ for research
Why energy drinks are extremely(73)_____ with young people?
Researchers’(74) _____
?Hundreds of energy drinks in most major countries are not clearly labeled with ingredients.
?The amount of caffeine is(75)_____ from one kind to another.
Problems of energy drinks
?How “energy blends” interact with each other and caffeine and the amount of each ingredient are(76)_____ to scientists.
?Some people drink energy drinks together with alcohol, (77)_____ they won’t be affected.
(78)_____ of the researchers
List exact amount of caffeine and other ingredients on the bottle.
Researchers’ (79)_____ job
To find young people with a bad experience after drinking energy drinks for(80)_____ research.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

During my high school years, the most important thing was what I was wearing to the Friday night dance and who I was taking.Although college was talked about, it was the least of my worries.
When I was graduating eighth grade and starting high school, my elder brother was graduating twelfth grade and going onto college.For my graduation, he gave me a card in which he wrote, “Enjoy your four years…they go by fast.” I remember not believing him then, but looking back…h(huán)e was right.Those four years shaped who I was as a person, pushed me to my limit and encouraged me to become an adult.
However, I was so completely absorbed in my junior and senior years of high school, that when someone spoke of college I brushed it off.I wasn't ready to leave my comfort zone of having all of my closest friends together and knowing what every single day was going to be like.Studying was something I did only AFTER I nailed my half-time dance performance.I knew my parents wanted me to go to college, so I told them I would go to community college (社區(qū)學(xué)院) and I didn’t worry about my SAT(美國大學(xué)入學(xué)考試)scores.
When my senior year passed and everyone graduated and went off to their own college, I started to wish I had done the same.My friends were living away, meeting new people, discovering new places, and I was living at home and driving to and from class every day.It seemed exactly like high school.I hated it! I thought college was supposed to be different! Why didn’t I take more time to research colleges and do the same? I ended up loving college and wishing I had four years to enjoy the campus atmosphere instead of two.
My advice to anyone thinking about attending college is to think about it very seriously and look into all of your choices well ahead of time.Now I have graduate and I am working full time and I would do anything to go back to my high school days for a second chance!
小題1:Why didn’t the author worry about his SAT scores?
A.He wanted to go to community college.
B.He had been admitted for his gift in dance.
C.He was well prepared for the exam.
D.He believed his brother would help him.
小題2:When in high school, the author          
A.drove to and from class every day.
B.buried himself in his study all the time.
C.enjoyed talking about future college life.
D.lived in the school except on holidays.
小題3:What did the author’s brother mean by “Enjoy your four years…they go by fast”?
A.He wished the author to have more dance.
B.He advised the author to value the years.
C.He encouraged the author to leave his comfort zone.
D.He suggested the author aim at a community college.
小題4:Talking of his high school years, the author feels     
A.regretfulB.lonelyC.a(chǎn)ngryD.pleased

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


第三部分閱讀理解(共15小題;每小題2分,滿分30分)
第一節(jié)閱讀下面兩篇語言材料,然后按要求做題。(共10小題;每小題2分,滿分20分)
A
Molly Wilson had been a dancer and a mother for many years when she decided to sail round the world to raise money for charity.
As a child she had trained as a ballet dancer, but at l5 she had grown too tall for classical ballet, so she became a member of a pop dance team.
She got married, and after she had children she retired from show business to bring them up. They grew up, and when they were 18 they left home.
She says, “When I decided to do the round-the-world race, my husband thought I was bored because the children had left home. He was also worried because I had never sailed before. I was not bored, but I had met some people who told me about the race. They had taken part in it, but they had only done one section, say, from New Zealand to Australia. I wanted to do the whole ten-month journey. ”
Before Molly left she did a lot of training, but it hadn’t prepared her for the worst weather which they experienced. By the end of October last year, she had raised more than $50,000 for charity.
She says, “Sometimes I ask myself, what did I do? How did I do it? But then I think, it’s the same as being a dancer. Before I left on trip, I had trained hard. I had got very fit and had prepared myself completely. Then on the trip I was simply a good team member.”
51. Why did Molly Wilson decide to do the round-the-world race?
A. She had never sailed before.           B. She was bored.
C. She wanted to raise money for charity.   D. She wanted to earn money.
52. She joined the pop dance team because___________.
A. she was 15              B. she hadn’t trained hard
C. she had been too fat.       D. she had been too tall
53. What is the proper order of the following statements?
a. She got married.     b. She became the member of a pop dance team.
c. She retired.         d. She sailed around the world.
e. She trained as a ballet dancer.
A. e—b—a—c—d    B.b—a—c—d—e  
C.e—b—c—a—d    D.c—a—b—d—e
54. The underlined “section” in the fourth paragraph probably means________.
A. part     B. department     C. unit    D. city
55. We can conclude from the passage that________
A. she once wanted to give up on the journey  
B. her husband didn’t support her in the beginning
C. she didn’t love her children
D. she didn’t raise any money at last

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


B
Until I started my Happiness Project, I didn’t think much about rituals and whether they made me happy. But when I reflected on them, I realized that I found rituals both calming and energizing.
For example, in my high school, exams were taken very seriously. When everyone was steeled at a desk, the teacher would pass out the papers, and we would lay them face down. She would return to the front of the classroom, look at the clock, and say quietly, “It is 9:10 now. You have two hours. Be sure to read all the instructions carefully”—then a pause —“you may turn over your test paper and begin now.” This familiar, quiet formula made the start of an exam into a little ritual that put me in the right frame of mind to  face a tense exam.
In kindergarten, after singing a good-bye song, the children stand in a circle in the classroom, while the grown-ups wait in a line outside the door. The teacher calls the children’s names, one by one, and the child comes to the door to get a big hug and to leave. The orderliness of this process keeps everyone calm and cheerful.
So think about rituals in your life. Take a moment to taste the enjoyable ones. Think about opportunities to heighten the experience of an ordinary occasion by treating it with special consideration. This is particularly useful if it’s a stressful or emotional experience, discussing a child’s report card, giving a performance review. Packing for a trip, or getting ready for a date.
Studies show that family traditions and family rituals encourage children’s social development and improve feeling of family. They’re not just important for children but for the whole society. 
61.From the passage we know that__________.
A.rituals can make the whole society happy and peaceful
B.the author felt nervous when he took exams in high school
C.the exams in high school was a mess
D.the children are nervous as the adults wait to watch their performance
62.The author mentions all of the ritual items in paragraph 3 EXCEPT _________ .
A.singing a good-bye song
B.standing in a circle in the classroom
C.children getting a big hug
D.grown-ups shaking hand with the teacher
63.Studies show that one way to encourage child’s social development is to___________.
A.train their parents for rituals
B.communicate with children
C.form family rituals
D.praise their good actions

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


第二部分 閱讀理解(共25小題。第一節(jié)每小題2分,第二節(jié)每小題1分;滿分45分)
閱讀下列短文,從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)(A、B、C和D)中,選出最佳選項(xiàng),并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
A
If I were writing a history of my family, some of the darkest moments recorded would be those surrounding Christmas trees.One would certainly think otherwise; selecting and putting up our trees have always been filled with risk.For example, one afternoon dangerously close to Christmas Eve my mother bought what she thought to be a bargain, a glorious tree that was so full and tall that we could hardly get it onto the house.Once we did, my father immediately realized that we would have to hire a carpenter to build a stand for it.Another December, perhaps the very next one, we bought a tree earlier than we ever had before.We were happy with its shape and delighted that its size was manageable.We easily placed it in a stand, decorated(裝飾)it from top to bottom, and then self-satisfiedly sat back by the fire in its soft light.Two or three days passed and the truth could not be hidden; we had bought a tree cut so long ago that its needles were coming off.There was nothing to do undecorated it, take it down, and begin treeshopping again.Our most recent Christmas tree offered still another difficult task.When we brought it home, once again it seemed larger than it had in the great outdoors.To complicate matters, we had bought a new stand, one whose nuts and bolts worked more mysteriously than those of our old stand.I persuaded two young neighbors to stop playing basketball and to help us get the tree into the house and set it correctly in the stand.Unfortunately, no one noticed the mud on our helpers’ shoes, so only after removing several reddish brown spots from the carpet were we able to discuss the question of where the lights and ornaments(裝飾)were stored.Perhaps those who cut their own trees have tales more painful than these.I don’t care to hear them, as my family’s experiences are enough to cause me to make the following suggestion:“Let’s forget the tree next Christmas.Let’s simply hang some flowers on the front door and over the mirror in the hall.”
41.The darkest moments in the writer’s family were with the fact that________.
A.the family bought big Christmas trees
B.they had problems decorating their Christmas trees
C.they had problems picking suitable Christmas trees
D.they had problems finding carpenters for putting up Christmas trees.
42.We can learn from the passage that the writer would like to________.
A.forget about Christmas
B.get the neighbors to put up their trees
C.buy a better tree
D.make some other decorations to celebrate Christmas rather than the tree
43.When the writer said“mother bought what she thought to be a bargain”, he means________.
A.she bought the tree at a cheap price
B.she didn’t really want to buy it
C.she had to bargain hard with the salesman
D.she couldn’t afford a more expensive one
44.Which of the following can be the best for the passage?
A.How to Select a Christmas Tree     B.No More Christmas Tree for US
C.Dark Moments of Life            D.Christmas without Trees

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


B
Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn’t in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren: correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent “Book of the Month Club” topic. Mom made learning fun.
It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her ailing in her later years. At eighty-five, she suffered a stroke and she went steadily downhill after that.
Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her limp body back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.
After several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.
“Whirr,” she said weakly.
“Where?” I asked. “Mom, is there something you want?” “Whirr,” she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly.
Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could muster said, “Not was, say were!”
It suddenly occurred to us that Mom was correcting brother Jim’s last sentence. “If it was up to me…”
Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads…this time in awe of a remarkable teacher.
44.When Mom said, “Whirr”, what did she really want to do?
A. She wanted to tell her sons her will.
B. She wanted to have something to eat before she died.
C. She wanted to correct the mistakes Jim made while talking.
D. She wanted to teach her sons more because she was dying.
45. Which of the following statements is NOT right?
A.    Mom was a good teacher and never wanted to stop her teaching.
B.    Mom was always making her teaching fun.
C.    Mom didn’t forget her teaching until she died.
D.    Mom was no longer a teacher when she was at home.
46. What does the writer think of his mother?
A.    He loved her but was tired of his mother’s teaching at home.
B.    His mother should forget her teaching and enjoyed the rest of her life.
C.    His mother was great because she devoted herself to teaching.
D.    His mother was an excellent teacher before she was retired.
47. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A. Once a teacher, always…  B. Mom’s will  C. A teacher’s life  D. A teacher’s devotion

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

    Andrew Carnegie was a 19th century steel tycoon(大亨)who became one of the 20th century’s most famous philanthropists(慈善家)His life story is one of the most famous rags-to-riches accounts in United States history.
Carnegie was born in Dunfermlined, Scotland, on November 25,1835. The son of a weaver, he came with his family to the United States in 1848 and settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. At age thirteen, Carnegie went to work as a bobbin(線軸)boy in a cotton mill. He then moved rapidly through a series of jobs with Western Union and the Pnnsylvania Railroad. In 1865, he resigned to establish his own business and eventually organized the Carnegie Steel Company, which started the steel industry in Pittsburgh. At age sixty-five, he sold the company to J. P. Morgan for $480 million and devoted the rest of his life to his philanthropic activities and writing, including his autobiography(自傳).
Many persons of wealth have contributed to charity, but Carnegie was perhaps the first to state publicly that the rich have a moral responsibility to donate their fortune. In 1889 he wrote The Gospe(福音)of Wealth, in which he stated that all personal wealth beyond what was required to supply the needs of one’s family should be regarded as a trust fund to be managed for the benefit of the company.
Carnegie set about giving away his fortune through countless personal gifts and through the establishment of various trusts. In his thirties, Carnegie had already begun to give away some of his fast-accumulating funds. His first large gifts were made to his native town. Later he created seven philanthropic and educational organizations in the United States, including Carnegie Corporation of New York, and several more in Europe.
One of Carnegie’s lifelong interests was the establishment of free public libraries to make available to everyone a means of self-education. There were only a few public libraries in the world when, in 1881, Carnegie began to promote his idea. He and the Corporation subsequently(隨后)spent over $56 million to build 2,509 libraries throughout the English-speaking world.
After this program was ended in 1917, the Corporation continued for about forty years an interest in the improvement of library services. Other major program in the Corporation’s early history included adult education and education in the fine arts.
During his lifetime, Carnegie gave away over $350 million. He died in Lenox, Massachusetts on August 11,1919.
53.Carnegie became wealthy by         .
A.his investment in weaving industry B.his father’s financial support
C.starting his steel business from nothing  D.his philanthropic activities
54.What is the correct order of events related to Carnegie?
a.He sold his company.
b.He organized the Carnegie Steel Company.
c.He worked in a cotton mill.
d.He came to the United States.
e.He wrote The Gospel of Wealth.
A.c-d-e-b-a  B.c-b-a-d-e  C.d-c-b-e-a  D.d-b-a-e-c
55.What can we learn about Carnegie according to the passage?
A.He was the first wealthy person who contributed to charity.
B.He believed that it was the duty of the wealthy to help society.
C.He called on the wealthy to give away all of their fortune to help the poor.
D.He was willing to give personal gifts only to his friends and relatives.
56.Carnegie established public libraries in order to         .
A.win a good reputation for his company
B.collect money for his educational organizations
C.improve library services
D.help people educate themselves

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案