In the Caucasus region（高加索地区）, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100^th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100,000 reach 100. But these Caucasus people aren’t alone. The Pakistani Hunzas, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Vilcabambans of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador seem to share the secret of long life too.

　　These peoples remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Caucasus people aged 110-140, work in the fields beside their great-great-grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked, “At what age does youth end?” most of these old people had no answer. Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80.” The very youngest estimate was age 60.

　　What accounts for this ability to survive (live) to such old age, and to survive so well? First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-lived peoples. They began their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. For example, Mr. Rustam is 142 years of age. He remembers his life experience: the Crimean War of 1854; the Turkish War of 1878; the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. His wife is 116 years old. They have been married for 90 years. Mr. Rustam has no plan of retiring from his life as a farmer. “Why? What else would I do?” he asks. Oh, he’s slowed down a bit. Now he might quit (stop working) for the day after 6 hours in the field instead of 10.

　　All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. They live and work at elevations（海拔）of 5,000 to 12, 000 feet(1,660 to 4,000meters) above sea level. The air has less oxygen and is pollution-free. This reduced oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel（血管）system stronger.

　　Another factor（因素）that may lead to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent, they are separated from the pressure（压力）and worries of industrial society.

　　Inherited（遗传的） factors also play some role. Most of the longest-lived peoples had parents and grandparents who also reached very old age. Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer.

　　Finally, although these three groups don’t eat exactly the same foods, their diets are similar. All of them eat little animal meat. Their diets are full of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, cheese and milk. They never eat more food than their bodies need.

　　It is clear that isolation from urban pressure and pollution, clean mountain air, daily hard work, moderate diets, good genes, and a youthful approach to life all lead to the health and remarkable long life of all these people.

1. What is the main idea of this article?

A．Cause and effect of long-lived life.

B．People in the world enjoying a longer life.

C．Factors leading to the health and long life of people.

D．A description of several societies where people living a long life.

2. “The idea of aging is foreign to them” means that _________.

A．they don’t care much about their age

B．they have no idea of how old they are

C．they won’t say anything about their age until they are asked to

D．the idea of getting old has never come into their mind

3. How do you think the writer feels about these long-lived people?

A．He is much impressed with them.

B．He doesn’t care a bit about them.

C．He hopes that they will live a still longer life.

D．He doesn’t think their life is full of pressure and worries.

 

Many people think sports are just for winning and honor, but there is a lot more you can gain from (get out of) them. I have learned over the past years that sometimes when I lose, I get a lot more out of it than winning. Also, I find a lot of times in sports, people are getting too caught up in the game instead of just having fun. The real purpose of sports is to have fun and learn life lessons along the way.
I greatly encourage you to be a part of the school sports. Even if you are not the best, you can still have fun. Sports give people a great and healthy way of spending an afternoon, instead of lying around playing video games or even getting into bad things. Sports also give us a sense of achievement. There isn’t a better feeling than to have done something fun and productive for my day.
I think that we all need sports to give us courage. If we try hard in sports, we usually do well. If we did the same in study, we would all be champions. Another reason why I encourage you to play sports is that it’s just fun. Without sports, our lives would just be boring. So as you may be able to tell, sports are amazing!
Our coaches not only teach us to play sports, but show class and good sportsmanship while playing them. It’s never fun when you lose to have the competitor rub it in your face. That’s why our coaches teach us to show class when we lose; also, when coaches get onto you, don’t get down. They only want to see you improve and learn from what they say. When you do badly and they don’t shout loudly is when you should start worrying because they are giving up on you.
Overall, sports are great! They bring out the best and worst of a lot of us. However, we can’ t let sports get too serious to where it brings down all the fun. So to have the most fun in sports, you just need try your best and not worry so much about the winning or losing.
【小题1】The underlined phrase “get onto you” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.

A．point out your mistakes	B．take up your time
C．worry about your future	D．look into your privacy

【小题2】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Sports bring us great fun only if we have the talent.

B．Sports give us the best way of spending free time.

C．We can get more out of winning than losing.

D．We should take pleasure in doing sports.

【小题3】What is the best title of this passage?

A．Are we too caught up?	B．To win or to gain?
C．Are sports really great?	D．For honor or for health?

Many people think sports are just for winning and honor, but there is a lot more you can gain from (get out of) them. I have learned over the past years that sometimes when I lose, I get a lot more out of it than winning. Also, I find a lot of times in sports, people are getting too caught up in the game instead of just having fun. The real purpose of sports is to have fun and learn life lessons along the way.
I greatly encourage you to be a part of the school sports. Even if you are not the best, you can still have fun. Sports give people a great and healthy way of spending an afternoon, instead of lying around playing video games or even getting into bad things. Sports also give us a sense of achievement. There isn’t a better feeling than to have done something fun and productive for my day.
I think that we all need sports to give us courage. If we try hard in sports, we usually do well. If we did the same in study, we would all be champions. Another reason why I encourage you to play sports is that it’s just fun. Without sports, our lives would just be boring. So as you may be able to tell, sports are amazing!
Our coaches not only teach us to play sports, but show class and good sportsmanship while playing them. It’s never fun when you lose to have the competitor rub it in your face. That’s why our coaches teach us to show class when we lose; also, when coaches get onto you, don’t get down. They only want to see you improve and learn from what they say. When you do badly and they don’t shout loudly is when you should start worrying because they are giving up on you.
Overall, sports are great! They bring out the best and worst of a lot of us. However, we can’ t let sports get too serious to where it brings down all the fun. So to have the most fun in sports, you just need try your best and not worry so much about the winning or losing.
【小题1】The underlined phrase “get onto you” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.

A．point out your mistakes	B．take up your time
C．worry about your future	D．look into your privacy

【小题2】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Sports bring us great fun only if we have the talent.

B．Sports give us the best way of spending free time.

C．We can get more out of winning than losing.

D．We should take pleasure in doing sports.

【小题3】What is the best title of this passage?

A．Are we too caught up?	B．To win or to gain?
C．Are sports really great?	D．For honor or for health?