In many ways, our society doesn’t simply prepare for the kinds of lives that the elderly must lead. We have made medical advances that allow people to live longer than ever before, but we do not seem to know what to do with them after we have saved their lives. Too little allowance is made for the person who is no longer earning a living, who can not walk long distances or drive a car, or who may have physical or mental disabilities that keep him from communicating with others. The institutional (慈善机构的) care we give our older people is a good reflection of the overall attitude of our society toward the aged.

In the past few years, nursing homes have received wide attention as boring, meaningless places where old people often have little else to do but wait for the end of their lives. Elderly wards in mental hospitals are even worse. One of the most shocking things abort nursing homes has been the unwillingness of people on the outside to show real concern for what happens in these institutions. Even people who are entrusting (委托) a parent to the care of a home rarely ask about the nurse-parent ratio (比率), about the kinds of creative facilities or physical treatment equipment available, or about the frequency of doctors’ visits.

And the government has provided federal money without enforcing high standards of care. In fact federal standards were lowered in 1974. Therefore, in some sense our concern for the aged seems to be moving backwards, not forwards. This picture is in striking contrast to the treatment of respectable patriarchs (男长者) and matriarchs (女长者) in many societies.

What would be the most suitable title for this passage?

A. Failure of Care for the Elderly             B. The Elderly

C. Institutional Care                         D. A National Shame

We can conclude from this passage that the writer feels ____.

A. nursing homes should be got rid of

B. a country that can help people live longer should also be able to care for them better

C. people have no thanks toward their parents

D. our society’s institutions need to be reformed

The writer believes that people who place a parent in a nursing home should ____.

A. demand higher federal standards

B. consider the example set in other countries

C. be ashamed of not keeping the parents in their own homes

D. investigate it first

The writer complains ____.

A. about the indifference of some people towards nursing homes

B. about the shortage of equipment in nursing home

C. that nursing homes keep the aged from communicating with others

D. both A and B

“Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him，and let him know that you trust him.” These words are from the black American educator，Booker Washington. He was saying that，“If you want people to grow up，you have to stop treating them like children.”
In America，families are close but children are encouraged to be independent，to make their own decisions，even at a very early age. It’s not unusual for a child of seven to be given an allowance(津贴)every week. The child is encouraged to save some of the money but he or she can spend it on whatever they choose，for example，buying clothes，school supplies or CDs. Some teenagers even have their own credit cards! That’s a big responsibility since even adults are tempted to overspend when they have credit cards.
From an early age，American children are asked for their opinions and they are included in family decision making. At the dinner table，teenagers will be listened to on any topic，from politics to buying a new family car or where the family will go on vacation. In this way, teenagers are getting practice in becoming individuals：they are learning how to stand on their own two feet.
Many Chinese young people are becoming almost as interested as American teens in searching for independence. They want to express those qualities that make them unique human beings. You can see this in the way they dress, the music they listen to and the friends they choose. “Super Girl” Li Yuchun caught the imagination of Chinese teenagers on the “Super Girl” television contest. She was not the traditional “nice，young Chinese girl”. With her short，spiky hair and boy-like clothes, she was telling everyone that she was different. She had the courage to be her own person and to stand on her own two feet...and she won!
There is an old saying，“Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him and then choose that way with all his strength.” If you do this, step by step, over a period of time, you may find that you have become the person you always wanted to be.
【小题1】The passage is intended to encourage the youth to________.

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【小题1】The above page can most probably be read _________．

完形填空 (共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分)
请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Alice, my friend’s daughter, goes to an expensive private school where she has a friend, Jane, who is on a full scholarship at this school. Jane has  36   economic resources—her father has been dead for years and her mother works  37   a maid. Although her mother works very hard, she can  38   support the family. Jane is very bright and gifted at   39   and that’s how she has got the scholarship, which included a(n)  40   for things like lunch, school uniform and music lessons.
Alice became friends with Jane and would  41   talk to her at lunch. She did it that way in order to avoid the other kids  42   her. 
On her birthday last month, she  43  her new friend to her birthday party, but Jane said she couldn’t come. Alice wanted her to be  44   so much that she  45  on her coming. Eventually, the girl said, “I don’t have any   46   clothes that I could wear at your birthday party.” After a brief pause, the girl remembered, “I have a  47   from my piano performance,” and asked, “Could I  48  a skirt from you?”
Alice was happy that her friend would be  49  to come and hurried home to ask her Mum   50   she could lend her friend one of her skirts. To her surprise, her Mum said, “No.” The daughter was very   51   and angrily said to her Mum, “  52   I could, I would give my friend all my clothes.” The Mother didn’t understand why her daughter should have had such an outburst as she’s normally very well  53  . 
Finally, Alice explained to her Mother her friend’s  54  .  Her Mother immediately changed her mind and said, “Yes.” She also encouraged her daughter not to feel like she should secretly be friends with Jane but to feel proud of her  55  with her. 
So the true friendship seeks to give, not to take; to help, not to be helped; to minister, not to be ministered unto.
36. A. personal                  B. extra                     C. limited                     D. adequate[
37. A. for                           B. with                        C. like                      D. as 
38. A. hopefully                   B. obviously                 C. hardly                      D. temporarily
39. A. music                       B. drawing                   C. maths                       D. biology
40. A. bonus                       B. allowance                C. donation                   D. pension
41. A. secretly                     B. happily                    C. quietly                            D. eagerly
42. A. pointing at                B. shouting at               C. laughing at               D. glaring at
43. A. took                         B. invited                            C. accompanied             D. sent
44. A. happy                        B. independent              C. confident           D. present
45. A. depended                  B. insisted                    C. focused                    D. agreed
46. A. casual                        B. comfortable                     C. nice                         D. tight
47. A. shirt                         B. jeans                        C. handbag                   D. necklace[
48. A. get                          B. copy                      C. order                       D. borrow
49. A. free                        B. able                     C. glad                             D. willing
50. A. how                        B. when                     C. why                        D. whether
51. A. stubborn                  B. upset                     C. firm                     D. enthusiastic 
52. A. If                                    B. When                    C. Unless                   D. Though
53. A. treated                             B. controlled              C. educated                D. behaved
54. A. cleverness                B. character                C. circumstances           D. competences
55. A. study              B. friendship                C. sympathy               D. performance 

According to the United States government, people are classified as homeless if they have no place to stay and no expectation of finding a place for the next thirty days. Although technically accurate, that is an impersonal assessment of an enormous and very human problem.

    The homeless population represents all of us Americans. It includes men and women, the elderly, children, and infants. Its members are from all ethnic groups. What they have in common is poverty.

    Currently in the U.S., thirty-nine million people live in poverty. When money is really tight, paying the rent or buying food often becomes a choice. Government assistance in the form of food stamps does help but, as one homeless man explains, you can’t pay the rent with food stamps.

    With no money for rent, the streets and homeless shelters become the alternative.

    Although men make up the largest group within the homeless population, homeless women with children are rapidly joining them. In fact, one quarter of the homeless people in the U.S. are teenagers and young children.

    People may become homeless for numerous reasons. However, there are certain factors that many of these individuals have in common. They include a lack of adequate education and job skills. A majority of the teenagers and adults have not completed high school.

    The abuse of alcohol and drugs is also a common factor. One third of the adult homeless population abuses alcohol, while one quarter of the same group uses drugs.

    Some members of this population suffer mental health problems. Within the past several years many institutions for the mentally ill have been closed and their patients sent “home”. Unfortunately, a number of those people have no home to go to and they are unable to adequately look after themselves.

    Job loss in today’s economy has also become a real factor in the loss of people’s homes. The breakup of families through abandonment and divorce is also contributing factors, particularly when there are children involved. The parent who is left to care for the kids with inadequate income may be forced to depend on the homeless shelters to put a roof over their heads.

The writer thinks that the U.S. government’s definition for the homeless shows _________.

A. an insincere attitude toward the homeless

B. an unbearable attitude toward the homeless

C. an uncivilized attitude toward the homeless

D. an unsympathetic attitude toward the homeless

The U.S. government helps the homeless by _________.

A. giving them homeless allowance           B. giving them food stamps

C. finding jobs for them                        D. finding residence (a place to live) for them

People become homeless for all the following reasons EXCEPT _________.

A. the lack of adequate education

B. the abuse of alcohol and drugs

C. the closure of institutions for the mentally ill

D. the poor performance of economy

The breakup of families is likely to lead to homelessness because a parent with kids may _________.

A. lose his or her job in today’s economy

B. be unable to look after the kids

C. not have enough income

D. find residence at a homeless shelter