Buster Brown was a thief—and a good one，too，he thought. He’d never been caught by the police because he never took chances. He was always Prepared for any unforeseen event or emergency.

    Confidently，he stood outside the house of his intended victim(受害者)and read the sign on the front gate of the house. “Don't worry about the dog—be aware of the owner !” it said. Buster smiled and found his way in.

    The house looked quite normal outside，but inside it was very exotic with fascinating objects on display. As he began putting them into his bag，a dog came into the room. It stopped when it saw Buster，then wagged its tail madly and went over to him，licking his outstretched hand.  “Good boy，” Buster whispered.  “What a great guard dog you are—trying to lick me to death.”

    Satisfied he’d made friends with the dog，Buster began to wander round the house，choosing items to put in his bag. His skilled eye picked out only the best antiques(古董)：a pair of silver candleholders，a silver tea-and-coffee service，etc. His new friend，the dog，sat and watched，as if wondering what was happening.

    “Well，boy，”Buster whispered，finally. “That might do. Any more and I won’t be able to carry it!” He swung the heavy bag onto his shoulders, just as the lights came on, nearly blinding him. He shielded his eyes with his hand.

    “You’re a very silly person,” the figure in the doorway said, his voice dry as dust. As the man came closer, Buster could see he was well dressed. His face seemed familiar, but Buster couldn’t quite place where he had seen him before.

    “You should have taken more notice of the sign outside,” the man rasped. “I knew about this attempted robbery last week and I also know you will end up behind bars for 20 years. Fancy trying to rob the house of the world’s greatest fortune-teller!”

60. Why was Buster so confident?

   A. He was not afraid of dogs.                        B. He knew the owner of the house lived alone

   C. He had never been caught by the police.     D. The house had no security alarm.

61. Which of the definitions is closest in meaning to the word “exotic” in the third paragraph?

   A. Messy and untidy.                                           B. Rich and expensive.

   C. Comfortable and calming.                               D. Foreign and unusual.

62. How did Buster decide which objects to take?

   A. He took those that were easy to carry in his bag.

   B. He took only the best antiques.

   C. He took those that he knew he could sell easily.

   D. He looked for silver objects.

63. What punishment waits for Buster Brown?

   A. A prison sentence with hard labour.               B. A long prison sentence.

   C. A heavy fine.                                                  D. Community service for 20 years.

 

 

Buster Brown was a thief-and a good one，too，he thought . He’d never been caught by the police because he never took chances． He was always prepared for any unforeseen event or emergency.

Confidently，he stood outside the house of his intended victim(受害者)and read the sign on the front gate of the house．“Don't worry about the dog—be aware of the owner!”it said．Buster smiled and found his way in．

    The house looked quite normal outside，but inside it was very exotic with fascinating objects on display．As he began putting them into his bag，a dog came into the room．It stopped when it saw Buster，then wagged its tail madly and went over to him，licking his outstretched hand． 

"Good boy，”Buster whispered． “What a great guard dog you are—trying to lick me to death.”

  Satisfied he'd made friends with the dog，Bluster began to wander round the house，choosing items to put in his bag．His skilled eye picked out only the best antiques(古董)：a pair of silver candleholders，a silver tea-and-coffee service，etc．．His new friend，the dog，sat and watched，as if wondering what was happening．

  “Well，boy，”Buster whispered，finally．“That might do．Any more and I won't be able to carry it!”He swung the heavy bag onto his shoulders, just as the lights came on, nearly blinding him. He shielded his eyes with his hand.

   "You're a very silly person," the figure(身影) in the doorway said. As the man came closer, Buster could see he was well dressed. His face seemed familiar, but Buster couldn't quite be sure of the place where he had seen him before.

   "You should have taken more notice of the sign outside," the man rasped. "I knew about this attempted robbery last week and I also know you will end up behind bars for 20 years. Fancy trying to rob the house of the world's greatest fortune-teller(算命先生)!"

1. Why was Buster so confident?

   A. He was not afraid of dogs.            B. He knew the owner of the house lived alone

   C. He had never been caught by the police.  D. The house had no security alarm.

2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "exotic" in the third paragraph?

   A. Messy and untidy.                        B. Rich and expensive.

   C. Comfortable and calming.                  D. Foreign and unusual.

3. How did Buster decide which objects to take?

   A. He took those that were easy to carry in his bag.

   B. He took only the best antiques.

   C. He took those that he knew he could sell easily.

   D. He looked for silver objects.

4.What punishment waits for Buster Brown?

   A. A prison sentence with hard labour.        B. A long prison sentence.

  C. A heavy fine.                         D. Community service for 20 years.

 

 

 Is there a limit to the number of years that a person can expect to live? Can changes in life-style add years to one’s life? Throughout history people have sought answers to these questions and others.

Various myths offer the hope of great longevity. In the imaginary land of Shangri-La, for example, people are said to lead a charmed existence for a thousand years. The Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon was convinced that he would find the Foundation of Youth in what is now the state of Florida. According to the Bible, Methuselah lived to be more than 900 years old.

The subject of longevity is fascinating, and scientists study individuals such as Jeanne Calment to learn about the aging process. Calment died in 1997 in Arles, France, at the age of 122. She never married, and she lived in her own apartment until moving to a retirement community when she was 109.

Most scientists agree that bodies will last, at best, about 125 years. This potential has changed little since modern human beings appeared more than 100 thousand years age. Recent improvements in medicine and the environment have extended life expectancy, especially for those from poorer parts of the world. It is not clear, however, whether such improvements will lengthen life expectancy beyond a certain point.

Life expectancy is the number of years an infant can be expected to live, given the conditions into which it is born. Life expectancy, therefore, is affected by nutrition, medical care, and social and political circumstances. An individual’s genetic makeup is also an important factor. Children from long-lived families can hope to enjoy long lives themselves. According to recent data, the average life expectancy worldwide in 1998 was 67 years. This can be compared with an average life expectancy of 77 in the United States.

In 1970 the average life expectancy worldwide was 61 years, or 6 years less than it was in 1998. This same period saw a drop in infant mortality -— the death of a child before the first birthday-—from 80 births out of 1,000 to 54 births out of 1,000. According to some researchers, the rise in the average life expectancy is due primarily to the drop in infant mortality. It is not so much that adults are living to an older age. It is, rather, that more people are living into adulthood because more children are surviving beyond their first birthdays.

1.Infant mortality is defined as ________ .

A. the number of children born alive

B. the kinds of behavior typical of very young children

C. the number of children, out of 1,000 births, who die before their first birthday

D. the typical and obvious thoughts of very young children

2.Although it may be possible to improve the life expectancy of a particular group of people, ________ .

A. it is more difficult to affect the rate of infant mortality

B. it is unlikely that one will be able to extend the potential life span of human beings in general

C. the process of evolution is extending the potential life span beyond 125 years

D. the potential that bodies will last, at best, about 125 years has changed much since modern human beings appeared

3.One can infer that people have at times imagined that ________ .

A. people live longer in the state of Florida

B. a long life is a burden rather than a blessing

C. it is possible to find a way to live for centuries

D. life expectancy is affected by a couple of factors

4.One can conclude that  ________ .

A. the aging process can be stopped.

B. the aging process is inevitable.

C. life expectancy in the United States will soon reach 125 years.

D. the average life expectancy worldwide is decreasing

 

Most people are worried about the health of economy. But does the economy also affect your body health?

It does, but not always the ways you might expect. The data(数据) on how an economic downturn influences an individual’s health is mixed.

It’s clear that a long-term economic rise leads to improvements in a population’s overall health, in developing and developed societies alike.

But whether the short-term economic fall will damage your own health depends on your health habits when times are good. And economic studies suggest that people usually do not take care of themselves in good times—drinking too much, dining on fattier restaurant meals and skipping exercises.

“The value of time is higher during good economic times,” said Grant Miller, a professor of medicine at Stanford. “so people work more and do less of the things that are good for them, like cooking at home and exercising. ”

Similar patterns have been seen in some developing nations. Dr. Miller, who is studying the effects of fluctuating coffee prices on health in Colombia where coffee plays an important role in economy development, says that although falling prices are bad for the economy, they appear to improve the population’s overall health. When prices are low, laborers have time to enjoy their own life such as doing housework, exercising and taking care of their children, etc.

“When coffee prices suddenly rise, people work harder on their coffee fields and spend less time doing things around the home, including things that are good for their children,” he said.

Christopher J. Rohm, professor of economics at University of North Carolina. US shares similar ideas.

57. What would be the best title?

A. Does the economy affect your body health?

B. Does your life habit play an important role in economy development?

C. Economic rise leads to improvement in people’s health.

D. Coffee prices affect people’s health.

58. According to Grant Miller, it is implied that_______.

A. a long-term economic rise can damage your body health

B. a long-term economic fall can damage people’s body health

C. a short-term economic rise can improve people’s body health

D. a short-term economic fall can improve your body health

59. What does the underlined word “fluctuating” in the sixth paragraph mean?

A. lasting         B. changing        C. rising       D. falling\

60. Professor Christopher J. Rohm thinks that_________.

A. people work harder when it is in long-term good economy times

B. people work less when it is in short-term good economy times

C. people have more time to enjoy their own life in short-term bad economy times

D. people do less of the things around the home in long-term bad economy times

 

Well, we have been waiting here＿＿＿＿＿for the guest.

A.long time     B.a long time  C.the long time     D.some long time