“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（化妆品）.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 

I first met Sean one summer day. He carried a bag    36 with four clubs(球杆)  and some balls. He was a lot   37  than other kids of his age. I heard he was   38   from cancer. Still , he always seemed to be smiling whenever I would see him with his friends, trying to  39  as far as he did.

A year or so passed and I hadn’t   40  Sean .I had heard that his cancer was   41      him. Still, his friends said he was going to come here before long.

  42  enough , he was there the following week. I   43  that one of his friends was carrying Sean’s bag. I saw Sean was having a(n)  44  time trying to drive the ball. Sean hit his last ball as hard as his fragile body would   45  .It flew up to the green and was out of sight. One of his friends   46  Sean walk up to the green. It was a(n)  47 walk because the green was higher than the tee(发球区).

Suddenly I saw one boy pick up Sean’s ball and    48  it in the hole. Then he ran and   49  to look for his own ball.

When Sean finally got to the green, he looked   50  because he thought he hit it over .

Then he glanced in the hole. A smile   51  his face! The boys looked at each other and said , “You can’t tell me it’s a hole-in-one!”

“No, really ! Look !” he said . They all acted    52  and as I watched , I thought Sean looked like the   53   guy I had ever seen. I never saw Sean or his friends after that day.   54   it was then that I learned just what golf should be .

It’s not about what   55  you get or how far you drive. It is about caring for the friends you play with and enjoying the time you have with them.

1.                A．covered        B．filled           C．equipped D．connected

2.                A．smaller         B．taller           C．stronger  D．cleverer

3.                A．recovering      B．suffering        C．benefiting D．curing

4.                A．send           B．play            C．hit   D．walk

5.                A．promised       B．cared          C．heard    D．seen

6.                                  A．getting the best of    B．losing control of

C．taking advantage of                 D．getting rid of

7.                A．Effective        B．Active          C．Sure D．Lucky

8.                A．guessed        B．learned         C．hoped    D．noticed

9.                A．weak          B．awful           C．meaningful    D．comfortable

10.               A．allow          B．provide        C．bear  D．control

11.               A．let            B．suggested       C．helped    D．ordered

12.               A．quick          B．tough          C．energetic  D．unwise

13.               A．break          B．lift            C．move D．drop

14.               A．pretended      B．forgot          C．tried  D．disliked

15.               A．calm           B．astonished      C．disappointed   D．excited

16.               A．got on         B．came out       C．took on   D．lit up

17.               A．doubtful        B．surprised       C．curious    D．delighted

18.               A．happiest        B．busiest         C．coolest    D．funniest

19.               A．And           B．Or            C．But   D．So

20.               A．ball            B．disease         C．friendship D．score

“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（化妆品）.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 

I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice. “Mom, come here! There’s a lady here my size!”

The mother rushed to her son, then she turned to me to   21  .

I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then I   22   the boy, “Hi, I’m Darryl Kramer. How are you?”

He studied me   23  , and asked, “Are you a little mommy?”

“Yes, I have a son,” I answered.

“   24   are you so little?” he asked in curiosity.

“It’s   25   I was born,” I said. “Some people are little. Some are tall. I’m just not going to grow any   26  .” After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy’s hand and left.

My life as a little person is   27   with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look   28   from their parents.

It takes only one glance to see my   29  . I stand three feet nine inches tall. I was a born dwarf (侏儒).   30   this, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.

I didn’t realize how short I was   31   I started school.   32   kids picked on me, calling me names (嘲笑我). Then I knew, I began to   33   the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to   34   the school bus stairs.

But I learned to smile and accept the   35   that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness and advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I make up for in   36  .

It’s the children’s questions that make my life   37  . I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will   38   them to accept their peers （同龄人） whatever   39   and shape they come in, and treat them   40  .

I'm usually fairly doubtful about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today's children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children aged 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.

  Why are America's kids so stressed? According to the report there are two main causes: increasing loneliness ─ brought on by high divorce rates and little communication with society, among other things ─ and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.

  Given that we can't turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation handle such difficulties. At the top of the list is giving children a better appreciation of the limits of individualism (个人主义). No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps protect individuals against stress. To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.

  Limit the amount of virtual  violence your children are exposed to. It's not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news. Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale. Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you deal with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn't have to ruin your life.

1.The author thinks that the conclusions of any research comparing people's state of mind today with people’s state of mind in the past are______.

  A. surprising   B. confusing      C. interesting        D. questionable

2.What does the author mean when he says, “we can't turn the clock back” (Paragraph 3)?

  A. It's impossible to slow down the pace of change.

  B. The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.

  C. Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.

  D. It's impossible to forget the past.

3.According to the analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago____.

  A. had little communication with friends 

  B. were probably less self-centered  

  C. probably suffered less from anxiety

  D. were considered less individualistic

4.The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ____.

  A. to provide the children with a safer environment

  B. to lower their expectations for the children

  C. to get the children more active socially

  D. to set an example for the children to follow

5.What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

  A. Anxiety, though unavoidable, can be dealt with.

  B. Children's anxiety has been taken too seriously.

  C. Children's anxiety can disappear with more parental care.

  D. Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.