A super drug that could remove Alzheimer’s (老年痴呆症)，heart disease and diabetes (糖尿病) and help people live to 100 is being developed by scientists. Their research is based on the identification of three genes that help prolong lives and prevent diseases which occur in old age. Medically controlling the proteins made by the “ longevity genes” will allow millions to live longer, predicts Dr Nir Barzilai.

    Those whose DNA strongly features the three genes are 80 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The genes also fight against the deadly impact of smoking, poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise.

    Already, several laboratories are working on a pill to imitate the benefits of the genes and Dr Barzilai thinks it could be tested within three years. The pill could remove some diseases that damage old age. “ The advantage of finding a gene that involves longevity is that we can develop a drug that will imitate exactly what this gene is doing,” he said.

    Of the three longevity genes, two genes increase the production of so-called good cholesterol(胆固醇), which reduces the risk of heart disease. The third prevents diabetes. They were discovered by Dr Barzilai’s team while studying the DNA of 500 Ashkenazi Jews with an average age of 100. The chances of living that long are one in 10,000 but the group, which shared relatively few common ancestors, was 20 times more likely to hit the entury. Dr Barzilai said: “ 30 percent of them were obese or overweight and 30 percent smoked two acks of cigarettes a day for more than 40 years, however they can live to 100.”

    But Andrew Ketteringham of the Alzheimer’s Society said: “Alzheimer’s disease, a most common disease, is likely to be caused by a combination of genetic disosition(遗传倾向), lifestyles and life events. Many genes are probably involved.

1.Some people are able to live to 100 years because of ______.

A. a magical medicine  B. three special genes   C. good living habits  D. longevity proteins

2.Why does the discovery of the longevity genes mean a lot?

A. Because it can bring great benefits to scientific labs.

B. Because it can help people change their unhealthy genes

C. Because it helps produce a drug that can make people live longer.

D. Because it will help scientists build up a new branch of biology.

3.From Paragraph 4 we can infer that ________.

A. longevity genes can create good cholesterol.

B. the volunteers share some common ancestors

C. bad habits are likely to have no effect on the volunteers

D. longevity genes protect the volunteers against bad habits

4.What is Andrew Ketteringham’s attitude toward the study?

A. Positive    B. Negative         C. Critical                 D. Cautious

I had to knock on the taxi to get his attention. Finally, the driver, a man about 60, looked up from behind the wheel and apologized, “I’m sorry, but I was reading a letter.” He sounded as if he had a cold or a cough.
Since I was in no hurry, I told him to finish his letter. He shook his head, explaining that he had already read it several times and almost knew it by heart. Curious, I asked whether it was from a child or maybe a grandchild. “This isn’t family,” he replied. “Though he might just as well have been a regular member of the family, Old Ed and I grew up together.”
They were always friends. But since he moved away from the neighborhood 30 years ago, it’d generally just been postcards at Christmas time between them. A couple of weeks ago, Ed died. “I should have kept in touch.” He repeated this, more to himself than to me. To comfort him, I said sometimes we just didn’t seem to find the time. “But we used to find the time,” he said. “Take a look.” He handed the letter over to me.
The first sentence “I’ve been meaning to write for some time, but I’ve always delayed it.” reminded me of myself. It went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together. When I read the part where it said “Your friendship really means a lot to me, more than I can say because I’m not good at saying things like that”, I found myself nodding in agreement.
We had gone several kilometers and were almost at my hotel, so I read the last paragraph: “So I thought you’d like to know that I was thinking of you.” And it was ended with “Your Old Friend, Tom.”
“I thought your friend’s name was Ed,” I said.
“I’m Tom,” he explained. “It’s a letter I wrote to Ed before I knew he’d died. I never put it in the mailbox. I guess I should have written it sooner.” His face was pale as he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.
When I got to my hotel room I didn’t unpack right away. I had to write a letter and post it.
【小题1】From Paragraph 4, we learn that the author _______.

Need to relax after a few stressful months? Perhaps you need to go to a spa.

First of all, what exactly is a spa? Traditionally, spas were places with a natural spring producing warm waters that could be used in hydrotherapy (水疗法) treatments. They were places where you “took the waters” --- meaning you drank some of the water or bathed in it.

But nowadays, a “spa” can mean a variety of things. In general, the term is often used to refer to commercial establishment that provides many services for health, fitness, weight loss, beauty and relaxation. This may include exercise classes, mud baths, body treatment, facials (美容), etc.

In Japan, traditional hot springs have attracted visitors for centuries. And thermal baths (温泉浴) have been found in the ruins of the Cretan Palace of Knossos (2000-1400 B.C.). It was the Romans who made spas popular in Europe. They established a number of towns around thermal waters. These include the English town of Aquae Sulis (which is called Bath today), and the Belgian town of Aquae Spadanae (which is known as Spa these days).

In the 18^th century, spas became the fashionable places to go on holiday. Bath and Harrogate in the UK were popular with British rich people. And in Europe Carsbad (now called Larlovy Vary), Marienbad and Franzensbsf were Europe’s most important holiday centers.

A typical day in Carsbad in the 19^th century went as follows. Visitors got up at 6:00 a.m. to take the waters and listen to music by a band. Next, came a light breakfast, a bath in the waters, and then lunch. In the afternoon, visitors went sightseeing, walked or attended concerts. After dinner, there were theatrical performances. Guests returned to their hotels at about 9 p.m. to rest until six the following morning. Visitors would stay for as long as a month. Some of the more famous patients at these spas included the composers Beethoven and Chopin, and the Russian writer Turgnev.

Marienbad was the best spa town. It was popular with the inventor Thomas Edison, the writer Johann Goethe, and many famous people and European emperors.

Today, although taking the waters isn’t as common as it used to be, spa treatments are more popular than ever.

1.What can we learn about a spa?

A．It makes profits mainly on facials.

B．It is a center for rich people to relax.

C．It provides more services than before.

D．It is where one can get medical treatment.

2. From Paragraph 4, we can infer that ___________.

A．spas have a history of about 200 years

B．Japan has more spas than any other countries

C．the Romans played a positive part in the popularity of spas

D．ordinary people could enjoy thermal baths in 18^th-century UK

3. At the spas in Carlsbad, ____________.

A．many visitors had facials

B．guests often stayed for at least a month

C．Thomas Edison was a regular guest

D．guests had a bath between breakfast and lunch

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．The former name of Larlovy Vary was Carlsbad.

B．Spa treatments are not so popular as before.

C．Chopin visited Marienbad frequently.

D．Marienbad is located in the UK.

Welcome to Ontario Parks, a new body set up to manage Ontario’s most treasured special places, the parks in our area.
    We are entering a very exciting year for Ontario Parks. Last season we asked some 15,000 visitors in 45 parks how we could improve our programs and services. We also looked at the thousands of comment cards we received. As a result, new comfort stations have been added, the number of campsites has been increased, and we’ve made other facility（设施） improvements. In addition, we’ll be providing more educational programs. This year, for example, more than 40 parks will offer special day and evening activities to excite your curiosity about nature and history.
    Through the Internet, you’ll be happy to know that you can now explore all 270 parks on line. Let your family plan your park vacation, study a map of canoe routes, listen to the call of a loon or find up-to-date information about programs, services and facilities.

  So come and discover what Ontario Parks has to offer. Our parks are places to go with families and friends, for relaxation and fun, or simply to get away from it all. They are places where we can enrich our souls and “recharge our internal（内部的） batteries”. They provide chances to explore nature, see wildlife, swim, canoe, camp, hike, picnic, ride a bike… You’ll enjoy some of the best outdoor experiences available anywhere in the world.

We urge you to make 2006 the year that you come out and have an Ontario Parks experience!

59.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to        .

A. tell more people the improvements in Ontario Parks

B. attract more people to explore the parks on line

C. praise the beauty of nature in Ontario Parks

D. have more people visit the parks
60.The facility improvements of Ontario Parks include         .

A. new programs and services

B. new comfort stations and campsites

C. comfort stations and special activities

D. new campsites and educational programs

61.From paragraph 4, we know that Ontario Parks offers visitors         .

A. the world’s new sports and games

B. the most exciting adventures in the world

C. many choices to relax and refresh themselves

D. chances to experience all the outdoor activities

62. According to the text, we can safely say that          .

A. some visitors suggested more campsites

B. about 15,000 people visited 45 parks last season

C. many more people will visit Ontario Parks in 2006

D. the manager of Ontario Parks worries they will have fewer visitors

In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition（试镜）for My Kind of People, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn’t perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Susan was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.

Susan suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death, Susan put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother, Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan’s possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britain’s Got Talent. We used to watch it together,” Susan later told reporters. “She thought I would win.”

In 1999, Susan used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo（样本唱片）tape, which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Susan began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O’Neil.

In 2007, her mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn’t come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone”. She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O’Neil urged her to try out for Britain’s Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Susan auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sang I Dreamed A Dream, a hit song from the musical Les Miserables（《悲惨世界》）, in the first round of the show, which was aired on April 11, 2009.

The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast（对比）to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final of Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.

Bridget Boyle’s attitude towards her daughter’s musical talent can be described as ___.

   A. critical    B. doubtful     C. indifferent     D. confident

From Paragraph 4, we can learn that Susan _____.

A. was slightly discouraged by her voice coac B. entered Britain’s Got Talent to prove her ability

C. decided to give up her singing career    D. was deeply affected by her mother’s death

Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?

A. Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008. B. Her audition for My Kind of People failed.

C. She has never stopped singing since 1995.  D. She was the winner of Britain’s Got Talent. 

We can infer from the passage that ______.

A. Susan Boyle was convinced by her brother that her plain looks were disadvantageous to her success

B. It was at the age of forty that Susan Boyle established a student-teacher relationship with O’Neil.

C. Susan Boyle was so struck by her father’s death that she shut herself out from the neighborhood.

D. The online views of Les Miserables numbered over 40 million within a week in 2009.

In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to ______.

A. tell us how Susan’s dream come true       B. let us know more about Susan’s personal life

C. show how Susan was influenced by her family D. explain how to enter and win a talent show