52．This passage talks mainly about_______________．

　　　　 A．when and how the umbrella was invented

　　　　 B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe

　　　　 C．the development of the umbrella　

　　　　 D．The history and use of the umbrella

D

Every kid wishes to be an adult． But now as grown-ups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind． They become "kidults" (kid+adult)． Being a kidult has become a lifestyle-choice among young people across Asia．

Some kidults collect toys they once played with．　 Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world． It is not unusual to see a 20-something woman with a big, Garfield-shaped cushion on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory．(配件)

Other kidults still enjoy children's stories and fairy tales． For example, Bloomsbury even published the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover． That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children's book!

"Kidults can be like vitamins to society． Adults who value their childhood and hold on to pure, child-like emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society," said Lee Sojung, professor of Foreign Studies at Hankuk University(韩国外国语大学)． He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap between adults and kids． It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together． He may be right．

Tim Greenhalgh,a professor,explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up． They value childhood because life in a busy and stressful city frightens them． Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood．

51．In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_______________．

　　　　 A． during the Middle Ages　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B． by the 18^th　 　　　 C． in Rome　 　 D．in Greece

50．A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________．

　　　　 A．protection against rain　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．a shade against the sun　

　　　　 C．a symbol of honor and power　　　　　　　　　　　 D．women’s decoration (装饰

49．Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?

　　　　 A．No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was

　　　　 B．The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun．

　　　　 C．The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century

　　　 D．In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade．

48．According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient_______．

　　　 A．China　　　 　　　 B．Egypt　 　　　　　　 C．Greece　　 　　　　 D．Rome

47．How many factors which decide our health are mentioned in the text?

　 　 A． Two　 　　　　　　 B． Four　 　　　　　　 C． Five　 　　　　　　　 D． Six

C

To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain, Its first use was as a shade against the sun!

Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient

times ． Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the 11th century B　　　　　　 C．

We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade． And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor． In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office．

In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade． And the umbrella was in commonly used in ancient Greece． But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans．

During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared． Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century． And again it was considered as a symbol of power． By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England．

By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe．

Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight． It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made , in a whole variety of colors．

46． Many consider the later part of life to be the best time of living because they__________．

　 　 A． consider their lives have been very successful

　 　 B． have come through the battle of life safely

　 　 C． know more about themselves and the outside world

　 　 D． can have a good rest and enjoy themselves

45．In order to make people live longer, scientists _______according to the text．

　 　 A． teach people how to eat properly

　 　 B． discover how important the exercise is to one’s health

　 　 C． study the ways to slow or stop the process of aging

　　　　 D． invent new medicine to slow down the process of aging

44．The underlined phrase “bounce back ”means “__________．”

　 　 A． jump backward　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B． run fast　　 　　　　 C． prevent　　 　　　 D． recover

43． The reason for scientists’ success is that _______．

　　　　 A． they read books that were not taught at school　

　　　　 B． they worked all their lives

　　　　 C． they wasted not a single moment　　　　　　

　　　　 D． they knew how to use their brains

　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B

No one really knows how and why people change as they get older． Also, no theory sufficiently(足够细心地) explains all the changes of the aging process． Aging is a complex and varied process that varies in how it affects(影响) different people and organs． In fact, even in one person , different organ systems “age “ at a different rate．

At a certain point in our lives, our body systems will begin to weaken ． It may become more difficult for us to see and hear． The slow change of aging causes our bodies to lose some of their ability to bounce back from disease and injury． In order to live longer , we have always tried to slow or stop this change that leads us toward the end of our lives．

Many factors(因素) decide our health ． A good diet plays an important role． The amount and the type of exercise we get are another two factors． Our living condition is yet another． But scientists studying the aging problem want to know: Why do people grow old? They hope that by studying the aging medical science they may be able to make the length of life longer．

There is nothing to be afraid of as the old age comes． Many consider the later part of life to be the best time for living． Physical activity may become less, but often we get better understanding of the world and ourselves．

What we consider the old age now may only be middle-aged some day soon． Who knows ,with so many advances in medical science happening so quickly, life length may one day be measured in centuries ,rather than in years!