Three Days to See
I have often thought it would be
On these three days, I should not only want to see the people
2 . Jeanne Calment, a French woman, became record breaker on 17 October of 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days.
Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France; her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes her as being more like a 90-year-old in good health than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on her 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied: A very short one. She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her.
So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips. She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercise every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glasses of strong red wine a day, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86.
A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at the time, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jcanne Calment sends him a card saying: Sorry, I’m still alive!
1. Which of the following could best describe the word “longest-lived” in the first paragraph?A.Largest. | B.Highest-lived. | C.Living the longest. | D.Longest-recorded. |
A.Her giving up smoking and drinking. | B.She does exercise every day. |
C.She has a healthy diet. | D.The good genes from her parents. |
A.She is unhappy. | B.She feels she is going to die very soon. |
C.She is optimistic and humorous. | D.She wouldn’t like to live much longer. |
A.A trip guidebook. | B.Sport news. | C.A science magazine. | D.A biography. |
3 . Self-image is a mental blueprint or picture of ourselves - our own conception of the sort of person we are. Self-image is built up from our own beliefs about ourselves, the beliefs formed from our past experiences, successes, failures, relationships, etc.
Once a belief about ourselves is programmed into our minds, we act upon it as if it were true. Our positive beliefs are developed when we do something successfully or are recognized by people around us. Our negative beliefs are also developed when we give in to negative ideas. When we fail in something, some of us conclude that we are unsuccessful, unwanted, condemned, etc.
Thus, self-image is the key element in determining whether our internal guidance system functions for success or for failure. It sets the limits of our accomplishments, It determines what we can and cannot do. Self-image creates your character and your personality as well.
You may think the concept of self-image being an internal guidance system was got from the thought of a trained psychologist. In reality, the idea came from Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon who was more interested in helping people by giving them emotional facelifts, rather than just physical ones.
“Expand the self-image and you expand the ‘area of the possible’,” said Dr Maltz.
Maltz determined that the human brain and nervous system function as a kind of goal-seeking device similar to that used to guide airplanes on automatic pilot. Maltz’s idea is simple: each one of us is capable of taking control of our self-image and programming our automatic guidance system for success. According to Maltz, all behavior is defined by the self-image and no real behavioral change can take place unless the self-image is changed.
1. According the passage, our self-image is build up from the following except__________.A.experiences | B.successes | C.hope | D.failures |
A.The formation of self-image. | B.The function of self-image. |
C.The definition of self-image. | D.The advantages of self-image. |
A.A doctor. | B.A chemist. | C.A psychologist. | D.An environmentalist. |
A.It is used to guide airplanes. |
B.It has an effect on our behavior. |
C.It can be controlled by our nervous system. |
D.It can serve as a goal-setting device. |
4 . See if you can understand these words that have won an award for the funniest joke at a UK arts and culture festival: “I’m not a fan of the new pound coin, but then again, I hate all change.”
Did you get it? The UK started to use new one pound coins that year, so the joke contains a pun (一语双关) on the word “change”.
Britain is known for its dry sense of humour, so this is a classic British joke where you have to think about it to understand it.
When a British person tells a joke, they’ll probably say it without a laugh, or even a smile, and it’ll probably be said when you least expect it.
Americans, on the other hand, enjoy being more straightforward. In a country filled with people from so many backgrounds, jokes in the US tend to be about cultural, racial and gender differences. In the US, humour can be a way to help people overcome their differences.
A great example of this comes from an American comedian, Chris Rock, who once said, “You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese.” His words prove a point about stereotypes. After all, when it comes to humour, the best jokes are the ones where we can laugh at ourselves.
1. Why is the joke in the first paragraph funny?A.It has won an award at a UK arts and culture festival. |
B.It uses a pun on the word “change” |
C.You have to think about it first. |
D.It is a classic British joke. |
A.They may tell a joke about gender differences. |
B.They may tell a joke about their new coins. |
C.They may tell a joke showing a dry sense of humour. |
D.They may tell a joke when you least expect it. |
A.Good rappers are usually white. |
B.White people are good at playing golf. |
C.Chinese people are taller than Americans. |
D.Humour can help overcome cultural differences. |
A.The British don’t like all change. |
B.It is not difficult for us to understand a classic British joke. |
C.American humour helps people overcome their differences. |
D.Americans never laugh at themselves. |
5 . All over the world, animals and plants are in trouble. People are trying their best to help them.
Donate some money.
Many zoos and wildlife organizations have programs that let kids donate money to help a specific endangered animal.
Don’t release fish or pets onto the wild.
Chemicals used to kill garden weeds and bugs are a big problem for animals. Maybe if you offered to pull up the weeds instead, you could help people to use fewer poisons.
Speak up!
Share what you know and speak up for the animals. Write letters! Powerful people need to know that you care and that you’re keeping an eye on them to make sure they do their jobs right and protect the planet.
Make less trash.
Pollution and plastic trash are bad for animals and nature. How can you help?
Bring drinks from home in a refillable bottle.
A.Pull weeds. |
B.People have no choice but to worry. |
C.It might seem kind to set pets free, but it isn’t. |
D.Take your lunch in a lunchbox or reusable bag. |
E.Pulling weeds is a chore — but you said you want to help! |
F.Here are some useful ways to help plants and animals in our daily life. |
G.For your next birthday, why don’t you donate your pocket money? |
6 . As an
7 . He is a
8 . Have you tried to run or walk for exercise and then given up? If you answered yes, you should try a new kind of exercise: aquatic (水中的) exercise. Aquatic exercise is like exercise on land, but you do it in a swimming pool. More and more people are trying aquatic exercise now.
Aquatic exercise feels easier than exercising on land. Why? You weigh about 90% less in the pool. It is better for your knees than running or walking. Water is about 1,000 times thicker and heavier than air. To move through the water, your body has to work four times as hard. As a result, you can burn (燃烧) more calories (卡路里).
In fact, most people say they feel more relaxed in the water. They stop thinking about the things that make them worried. They feel in control (控制) of their bodies. The cool, quiet environment makes them feel good.
But what if you are afraid (害怕) of the water? No problem! There is nothing to worry about. Aquatic exercise is safe and easy to learn. It doesn’t require (需要) any special skills. You don’t even need to know how to swim. Aquatic exercise is fit for everyone.
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?A.The advantages (优点) of aquatic exercise. |
B.Weight change of one’s body. |
C.Difference between land and water. |
D.The ways to do exercise on land. |
A.Difficult | B.Dangerous (危险的) |
C.Relaxing. | D.Boring. |
A.done in groups | B.fit for everyone |
C.difficult to learn | D.done with special skills |
A.Culture. | B.Health. | C.Nature. | D.Travel. |
9 . The statue represents dancers with
10 . 听下面一段较长对话,回答以下小题。
1. What are the speakers mainly talking about?A.A story. | B.Latin America. | C.A famous speech (演讲). |
A.2,300. | B.1,700. | C.1,300. |
A.To understand poverty (贫穷). |
B.To help the poor. |
C.To find out the cause (原因) of human difficulties. |