Until late in the 20th century most Americans spent time with people of different generations. Now middle-aged Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves.

That's because we group people by age. We put our three-year-olds together in day-care centers, our 13-year-olds in schools and sport activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior citizen homes. Why?

We live far away from the old for many reasons. Young people sometimes avoid the old to get rid of fears of aging and dying. It is much harder to watch someone we love disappear before our eyes. Sometimes it`s got hard that we stay away from the people who need us the most.

Fortunately, some of us have found our way to the old. And we have discovered that they often save the young.

A reporter moved her family into a block filled with old people. At first her children were disappointed. But the reporter baked banana bread for the neighbors and had her children deliver it and visit them. Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects. "My children have never been lonely, "the reporter said.

The young, in turn, save the old. Once I was in a rest home (?????)when a visitor showed up with a baby, she was immediately surrounded. People who hadn't gotten out of bed in a week suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair. Even those who had seemed asleep woke up to watch the child. Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure.

Grandparents are a special case. They give their grandchildren a feeling of security and continuity. As my husband put it "My grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end." Grandchildren speak of attention they don't get from worried parents. "My parents were always telling me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down," one friend said. A teacher told me she can tell which pupils have relationships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer and more trusting.

67. Now in an American family, people can find that___________.

A. children never live with their parents                            

B. not all working people live with their parents

C. aged people are supported by their grandchildren    

D. grandchildren are supported by their grandparents

68. Seeing a baby, the old people got excited because _______.

A. they had never seen a baby before                        B. the baby was clever and beautiful                   

C. the baby brought them the image of life              D. the baby's mother would take care of them           

69. Why are some children quieter, calmer and more trusting ?

A. Because they have relationships with their grandparents.                 

B. Because their worried parents ask them to act like that.

C . Because they have nothing to worry about.                                 

D. Because their teachers ask them to act like that.

70. Which of the following can show the fact that the old often save the young?

A. The old can become friends of the children and the children may not feel lonely.

B. The old get excited when they see a baby.

C. The old can cure the young when they are sick.

D. Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure.

BCAA

 

How often one hears children wishing they were grown up, and the old wishing they were young again! Each age has its pleasure and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting any time in useless regrets.

Children is a time when there are few duties to make life hard. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after, and loved whatever he may do. It’s impossible for him to be given so much again in his life without having to do anything in return. Besides, life is always giving new things to the child. A child finds pleasure in playing in the rain, or in the snow. His first visit to the seaside makes him wild. But a child has his pains; he is not so free to do as he wishes. He is continually being told not to do this, not to do that, or being punished for what he has done wrong. His life is therefore not perfectly happy.

When the young man starts to make his own living, he becomes free from the rules of school and parents; but at the time he is forced to accept duties. He can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes and his room, but has to work for them if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry and suffer. And if he breaks the law of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison, lf, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble, and has good health, he can have the great happiness of seeing himself make steady progress in his job and of building up his own position in society and enjoy success and good reputation..

Old age has always been thought of as the worst age to be, but it is not necessary for the old to be unhappy. Old age has its own happiness. They can have the joy of seeing their children making progress in life; they can watch their grandchildren growing up around them and, perhaps, best of all, they can, if their life has been a useful one, feel the happiness of having come through the battle of life safely and of having reached a time when they can lie back and rest, leaving others to continue the fight.

1.The main reason children wish they were grown up, and the old wish they were young again is that ______.

A. both aren’t satisfied with the weak points at their ages

B. both enjoy the strong points at the other age by looking back or looking forward

C. the human beings should be like this

D. they don’t think both ages are acceptable

2.“Enjoy what each age gives him without wasting time in useless regrets” means ______. 

A. Enjoy what is given to him by people at his age, feeling regrets

B. Enjoy himself at his own age, feeling regrets for a waste of time

C. Make full use of the time he is given at his age instead of regretting having no achievements

D. Enjoy his own age and look down on the people at other ages

3.“Children is a time when there are few duties to make life hard” means “______”. 

A. Children shouldn’t be made to live a hard life

B. All the children won’t have to work for their own living

C. Children shouldn’t answer for the hard life they are leading

D. A child bas few duties to try hard to make a living for himself or for his seniors

4.According to the passage, what is a child’s greatest dissatisfaction? 

A. He thinks he has not got the equal freedom as his seniors.

B. He thinks he knows less about things than the older do.

C. He thinks it easy for him to do something wrong.

D. He thinks the society doesn’t believe in him.

 

 When studying in a middle school，I read a quote that went something like：“If you live each day as if it were your last，someday you’ll most certainly be right. ”It made a deep   36 on me, and since then, for the past 33 years，I have  37 in the mirror every morning and asked myself：“If today were the last day of my life，  3 8 I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a  39 ，I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be  40 soon is the most important tool I’ve ever known to help me make the big  41 in life because almost everything falls away in the face of death，  42 only what is truly important.

About a year ago I was  43 with cancer. My doctor even advised me to go home and get my affairs   44 order，which is a doctor’s way of telling people to prepare to die. I  45 with that diagnosis all day.   46 ，at last an advanced test showed that it was a very rare cancer that is  47 with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.

 48 wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all  49 . No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be，because death is very likely the single best invention of  50 . It is life's change agent. It clears out the old to  51 for the new. Right now the new is you. But someday not too  52 from now，you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic，but it is quite true.

Your time is  53 ，so don’t waste it living someone else’s 1ife. Don’t be  54 by dogma(教條) —which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner  55 . And most importantly，have the courage to follow your heart.

1.	A．joke B．impression C．curse D．decision

 

2.	A．1ost B．seen C．looked D．found

 

3.	A．could B．would C．should D．might

 

4.	A．row B．hurry C．1ine D．moment

 

5.	A．frustrated B．successful C．rich D．dead

 

6.	A．choices B．a(chǎn)pologies C．fortune D．impressions

 

7.	A．telling B．proving C．leaving D．confirming

 

8.	A．round B．diagnosed C．cured D．treated

 

9.	A．a(chǎn)t B．on C．for D．in

 

10.	A．1ived B．met C．got D．did

 

11.	A．So B．However C．But D．Therefore

 

12.	A．changeable B．incurable C．curable D．fatal

 

13.	A．Everyone B．Anyone C．Someone D．No one

 

14.	A．escape B．want C．a(chǎn)void D．share

 

15.	A．disease B．destination C．1ife D．science

 

16.	A．make way B．make up C．make for D．make our

 

17.	A．a(chǎn)way B．distant C．short D．long

 

18.	A．1ost B．1imited C．rare D．enough

 

19.	A．trapped B．wasted C．cheated D．excited

 

20.	A．confusion B．voice C．love D．direction

 

Your House Will Take Care of You In Old Age

Have you ever thought what your life would be like in old age? Everyone talks about the “aging” society with large numbers of elderly people needing home care. Now German researchers have set up a “smart” house, programmed to help the elderly live at home with dignity. Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute say the house combines existing technology with future-oriented technology.

For example, the “smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror that can remind people to take their medicine, wash their hands or brush their teeth. The hardware behind Fraunhofer’s electronic bathroom is not new, and the software runs on a regular personal computer.

When the medicine cabinet is opened, a display in the middle of the mirror tells the person how many pills to take. The mirror is linked to a care provider, who can remotely check whether a patient at home is actually taking medicine and brushing his or her teeth. As many elderly people have arthritic(關(guān)節(jié)炎的) conditions that make it difficult to operate water taps, the mirror also has displays that turn the water tap on or off or control the water temperature.

The bathroom is only the start. Kitchens, bedrooms and all other parts of the “intelligent” home will become “user-friendly” to meet all kinds of individual needs. Sensors in doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets detect every activity and record them electronically. Doctors or care staff can see from the computer records what personal hygiene tasks have been completed, how often the elderly person visits the bathroom or uses the toilet. In case of an emergency, the computer automatically alerts the chosen contact person or calls the care center.

1. The ‘smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror ________.

A．that can help the elderly brush their teeth	B．which is linked to a nursing house
C．behind which is a medicine cabinet	D．that can remind people to do many things

2. The underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A．every activity

B．doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets

C．individual needs

D．sensors

3.The house mentioned in the passage can be described as _________.

A．smart but expensive	B．intelligent and convenient
C．smart and environmentally-friendly	D．fashionable and energy-saving

4. How is the passage mainly developed?

A．By inferring

B．By listing examples.

C．By comparing.

D．By introducing a practical method.

5.The author of the text mainly _________.

A．calls on people to care for the old	B．encourages the old to live with dignity
C．introduces a new house	D．promotes a new house

 

Your House Will Take Care of You In Old Age
Have you ever thought what your life would be like in old age? Everyone talks about the “aging” society with large numbers of elderly people needing home care. Now German researchers have set up a “smart” house, programmed to help the elderly live at home with dignity. Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute say the house combines existing technology with future-oriented technology.
For example, the “smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror that can remind people to take their medicine, wash their hands or brush their teeth. The hardware behind Fraunhofer’s electronic bathroom is not new, and the software runs on a regular personal computer.
When the medicine cabinet is opened, a display in the middle of the mirror tells the person how many pills to take. The mirror is linked to a care provider, who can remotely check whether a patient at home is actually taking medicine and brushing his or her teeth. As many elderly people have arthritic(關(guān)節(jié)炎的) conditions that make it difficult to operate water taps, the mirror also has displays that turn the water tap on or off or control the water temperature.
The bathroom is only the start. Kitchens, bedrooms and all other parts of the “intelligent” home will become “user-friendly” to meet all kinds of individual needs. Sensors in doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets detect every activity and record them electronically. Doctors or care staff can see from the computer records what personal hygiene tasks have been completed, how often the elderly person visits the bathroom or uses the toilet. In case of an emergency, the computer automatically alerts the chosen contact person or calls the care center.
【小題1】 The ‘smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror ________.

A．that can help the elderly brush their teeth	B．which is linked to a nursing house
C．behind which is a medicine cabinet	D．that can remind people to do many things

【小題2】 The underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A．every activity

B．doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets

C．individual needs

D．sensors

【小題3】The house mentioned in the passage can be described as _________.

A．smart but expensive	B．intelligent and convenient
C．smart and environmentally-friendly	D．fashionable and energy-saving

【小題4】 How is the passage mainly developed?

A．By inferring

B．By listing examples.

C．By comparing.

D．By introducing a practical method.

【小題5】The author of the text mainly _________.

A．calls on people to care for the old	B．encourages the old to live with dignity
C．introduces a new house	D．promotes a new house