阅读理解

　　Happy birthday! Do birthdays really make people happy? Of course they do. Birthdays celebrate the day we were born. What's more, that extra candle on the cake represents another year of growth and maturity (成熟)—or so we hope. We all like to imagine that we're getting wiser and not just alder. Most of us enjoy observing the miracle of growth in others as well. For instance, seeing our children develop and learn new things makes us feel proud. For Americans, like people in most cultures, growing up is a wonderful process. But growing old? That's a different story. Growing old is not exactly pleasant for people in youth-oriented American . Most Americans like to look young, act young and feel young. As the old saying goes, “You're as young as you feel . ” Older people joke about how many years young they are ,rather than how many years old. People in sane countries value the aged as a source of experience and wisdom. But Americana seem to favor those that are young, or at least “young at heart”. Many older Americans find the“golden years” to be anything but golden. Economically, “senior citizens”often struggle just to get by. Retirement — typically at age 65—brings a sharp decrease in personal income. Social Security Benefits usually cannot make up the difference. Older people may suffer from poor nutrition(营养) , medical care and housing. Some even experience age discrimination.

　　Ironically, the elderly population in America is expanding fast. Why? People are living longer. Fewer babies ere being born. The middle-aged “baby boomers” are rapidly entering the ranks of the elderly, so America may soon be a place where wrinkles(皱纹) are “in” . Marketing experts are already focusing on this growing group of consumers. And even now the elderly have a great deal of political power.

　　A common stereotype(模式化的形象) of older Americana is that they are usually “put away” in nursing homes and forgotten about. Actually, only about 5 percent live on acme type of institution(慈善机构).

　　More than half of those 65 or older live with or near at least one of their children. The vast majority ad the elderly live alone and take care of themselves.

　　In spite of challenges they face, Americans in their “twilight years (暮年)” generally refuse to we up on life. They find a variety of ways to keep themselves active. To help them stay in shape, they may join mall (商业区) walkers club, fitness programs and even the “Senior Olympics” .They can enjoy hours of entertainment at senior centers and adult amusement parks. Many enroll in continuing education programs to maintain their mental skills. For Americans, if you're going to grow old, you might as well do it gracefully.

1．Older people in America ________.

[　　]

A．think it sad to enter the golden age

B．are not popular in the society

C．are respected by all

D．find it happy to have another year of growth

2．Which of the following is NOT the reason why there are more and more older people in America?

[　　]

A．The birthrate is lower.

B．The older people are taken good care of.

C．There are many more middle-aged people than before.

D．The average life-span becomes longer.

3．The underlined part in Paragraph 2 refers to ________.

[　　]

A．the babies

B．baby-boomers

C．the middle-aged

D．the elderly

4．It can be seen from the passage that older people in America ________ .

[　　]

A．are content with their life now

B．are faced with challenges throughout their life

C．have chances to remain active in the society

D．receive continuing education programs to hunt for life

( D )
Your body works 24 hours a day. It’s always building and repairing, feeding and cleansing itself. Its goal is to be ready for your every movement, breath, and thought. The quality of your life depends on how well your body works. And how well your body works depends on how much energy it gets. Energy comes from the food you eat. Food contains nutrients that your body needs for growth and energy.
By eating a balanced diet, your body gets the six important nutrients it needs. Minerals（矿物质） are nutrients that build bones and teeth. Minerals also form red blood cells and other substances. Water aids digestion and waste removal. Carbohydrates（碳水化合物） give your body its main source of energy. Two carbohydrates are sugars from foods such as fruits and vegetables and starches found in rice, potatoes, and bread. Fats help build cell membranes（膜）. Proteins repair and grow body tissues（组织）. Finally, vitamins help your body use carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
The United States Department of Agriculture（USDA） has created a nutritional food pyramid（金字塔）. It shows the daily number of servings you should eat from five food groups. The food pyramid has four levels. The base of the pyramid is the largest level. It contains the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group from which you need six to eleven servings. The next level has two food groups: vegetables and fruits. The USDA recommends three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit. The third level also has two groups: the milk, yogurt, and cheese group and the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts group. You need two to three servings from each of these groups. The top of the pyramid is the smallest level. It contains fats, oils, and sweets. These foods have few nutrients, so eat them sparingly（有节制地）.
【小题1】What is the main idea for this passage_________?

A．Eating a balanced diet gives your body the energy it needs.

B．The top of the pyramid is the smallest level.

C．Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts are on the third level.

D．We should have a nutrition food pyramid.

【小题2】The first paragraph suggests that __________?

A． food is something that cleanses your body.

B．food can improve the quality of your life.

C．food should be eaten at night as well as during the day.

D．food will make it easier for you to exercise.

【小题3】By eating a balanced diet, your body gets the      important nutrients it needs.

A．four

B．five

C．six

D．seven

【小题4】A balanced diet________.

A．is made up of foods from five food groups.

B．includes many foods containing fat.

C．includes six to eleven servings of fruit.

D．can be got by taking vitamins.

【小题5】To help the reader understand the six nutrients needed by the body, the author________.

A．describes the five basic food groups.

B．explains what a balanced diet is.

C．writes the details of each nutrient.

D．tells the number of daily servings needed from each food group.

Reading Comprehension

Section B

Directions：Read the following passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.

　　Are organically grown foods the best food choices？The advantages claimed for such foods over conventionally (传统地) grown and marketed food products are now being debated. Supporters of organic foods—a term whose meaning varies greatly—frequently announce that such products are safer and more nutritious than others.

　　The growing interest of consumers in the safety and nutritional quality of the typical North American diet is a welcome development. However, much of this interest has been sparked by sweeping claims that the food supply is unsafe or inadequate in meeting nutritional needs.  Although most of these claims are not supported by scientific evidence, the flood of written material advancing such claims makes it difficult for the general public to separate fact from fiction. As a result, claims that eating a diet consisting entirely of organically grown foods prevents or cures disease or provides other benefits to health have become widely publicized.

　　Almost daily the public is besieged by claims for “no-aging” diets, new vitamins and other wonder foods. There are numerous unproved reports that natural vitamins are superior to synthetic ones, that fertilized eggs are nutritionally superior to unfertilized eggs, that untreated grains are better than fumigated grains and the like.

　　One thing that most organically grown food products seem to have in common is that they cost more than conventionally grown foods. But in many cases consumers are misled if they believe organic foods can maintain health and provide better nutritional quality than conventionally grown foods. So there is real cause for concern if consumers，particularly those with limited incomes, distrust the regular food supply and buy only expensive organic foods instead.

1.The “welcome development” mentioned in paragraph 2 is an increase in ______.

　　A. attention to food safety and nutrition among north Americans

　　B. the nutritional quality of the typical North American diet

　　C. the amount of healthy food grown in North America

　　D. the number of consumers in North America

2. The author implies that there is cause for concern if consumers buy organic foods instead of conventionally grown foods because ______.

　　A. organic foods can be more expensive but are often not better than conventionally grown foods

　　B. many organic foods are actually less nutritious than similar conventionally grown foods

　　C. conventionally grown foods are more readily available than organic foods

　　D. too many farmers will stop using conventional methods to grow food crops

3.What is the author’s attitude toward the claims made by advocates of health foods？

　　A. Enthusiastic.  B. Favorable.  C. Neutral.  D. Distrustful.

 

Work your brain!

Between 2 and 3 pounds of wonder，it controls everything we say，do or think，who we are and what we care about. The way we walk or laugh or figure out things. What we like and the talents we possess. How we see and talk and run and jump and process our food.

The brain uses 20 percent of our body's oxygen and 20 percent of its blood. Somewhere within its protein，fat, 100,000 miles of blood vessels and 100 billion nerve cells，it helps us remember where we put our gym shoes. Change our temperature so we don't die because of the heat or cold. Speed us up or slow us down. Help us choose between orange juice or orange­flavored drinks.

Its intricacies(复杂性)are stunning，far beyond anything most of us can imagine. To keep this work of art as polished(有光泽的) as possible we need to eat right，exercise and keep mentally stimulated(刺激)．

Good nutrition helps brain cells communicate with each other. Exercise stimulates a hormone(荷尔蒙)in our brain that improves memory. Mental stimulation keeps you sharp even as you age.

“It's very important that we tell people to be physically active and mentally active，” said neurologist Malcolm Stewart.

“People cannot stop aging，but you're able to reduce the damage；you're able to keep the function up.”

Following are Dr.Stewart's advice for improving brain health：

Nutrition	Avoid fast food. Follow the old adage(格言，谚语)：For breakfast，eat like a king；for lunch，like a queen；for supper，like a beggar.
Exercise	Do a combination of stretching aerobic and muscle­strengthening every day.
Mental games	Try to have a sense of hope about the future. Do puzzles. Listen to music. Reach out to others to make their lives better.

1.The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to ______.

A. inform us how the brain works

B. give us advice on how to keep the brain healthy

C. tell us that the brain plays an important role in our lives

D. show how special the brain is to us

2.The word “stunning” in Paragraph 5 means ______.

A. interesting 　       B. strange              C. significant　        D. amazing

3. According to the text，more exercise ______.

A. keeps our mind sharp 　　 

B. helps improve our memory

C. gives our brain a rest 　　 

D. is good for brain cells communicating with each other

4. In order to keep brain healthy，we should avoid ______.

A. eating a good lunch                      B. doing puzzles

C. eating a large supper                    D. taking aerobic exercise