There are two dangers to be guarded against in old age. One of these is undue absorption in the past. It does not do to live in memories, in regrets for the good old days, or in sadness about friends who are dead. One’s thoughts must be directed to the future and to things about which there is something to be done.

It is unwise to be too attached to the youth in the hope of sucking vigor from its vitality. When your children are grown up they want to live their own lives, and if you continue to be as interested in them as you were when they were young, you are likely to become a burden to them, unless they are cold to you.

I think that a successful old age is easiest for those who have strong impersonal interests involving appropriate activities. It is in this sphere that long experience is really fruitful, and it is in this sphere that the wisdom born of experience can be exercised without being oppressive. It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe you, and because mistakes are an essential part of education. But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal interests, you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with you children and grandchildren. In that case you must realize that while you can still render them material services, such as making them an allowance or knitting them jumpers, you must not expect that they will enjoy your company.

 Some old people are afraid of death. But in fact the best way is to make your interests gradually wider and ore impersonal. An individual human existence should be like a river-small at fist, rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider and the banks move back and in the end they become mixed in the sea without any visible break.

   The old man who can see life in this way will not suffer from the fear of growing old and death.

1.The author suggests that old people should_______.

A. develop impersonal interests with proper activities.

B. tell their children not to make mistakes

C. concern themselves with their children

D. not give their children an allowance

2.The underlined word “render” in Paragraph 3 is close to the meaning of  “_____”.

A. return            B. reward           C. offer               D. demand

3.The author compares an individual human existence to a river because _____.

A. Life is like a river, first small, and then it becomes wide

B. life is like a river finally flowing into the sea

C. old age and death are both natural just like a river

D. old people will be mixed in the crowd like a river mixed in the sea

4.What’s the best title of this passage?

A. Setting Sun Is Beautiful           B. Growing Old Successfully

C. Why Fear Getting Old             D. Caring for Olds More

    Most astronomers now believe that what these people saw was almost certainly the planet Venus．At that time of year it is very bright and easy to see．And from a moving aeroplane it can appear to be moving fast．So far there is no proof that UFOs or spaceships from other planets do exist．In 6 years government investigators of UFOs investigated 1,631 sightings or occasions when people say they saw a UFO ．Ninety percent of these turned out to have simple explanation.

    However, it’s good idea to keep an open mind, like the air traffic controller．Scientists in the USA are trying to persuade their government to help them study UFOs．They want two million dollars to spend on detecting radio messages from outer space．And a British politician wants governments to cooperate internationally on reporting and investigating sightings of UFOs.

    After all, it is quite possible that there is life out there in the universe．And if something is alive, it is quite possible that it may come to visit US.

1．“I’ve got an open mind on them.” In the sentence, the phrase “got an open mind” means ________.

A．paid attention to

B．neither believed nor disbelieved

C．been troubled about something

D．been in agreement

2．Who saw that mysterious light one night? ________.

A．The pilot.

B．People all over the world.

C．Everyone on board and the air traffic controller.

D．Visitors in a spaceship.

3．Who wants their government to help them to study UFOs?

A．Scientists in the USA

B．An English politician.

C．The air traffic controller.

D．A television camera crew.

4．It took the government investigators of UFOs ________ to investigate 1,631 sightings.

A．6 years

B．1 year

C．half a year

D．6 months

5．They want two million dollars to spend on detecting radio messages from outer space．In the sentence the word “detecting” means ________.

A．studying

B．studying for

C．looking

D．looking for

    Early this year, Captain Startup was flying an aeroplane over New Zealand．There was a television camera crew on board．Suddenly, out in the night sky, a bright sphere (球) came into view．Everyone on board saw it and everyone thought, “UFO”— Unidentified Flying Object．Many people believe that a UFO is a visiting craft from outer space．The camera crew went into ACTION AND STARTED FILMING．That week people all over the world saw the film of this mysterious light on their television screens．Someone described the object as “an illuminated ping pong ball.” What was it? Was it a spaceship full of visitors from another planet? The Captain and the film crew believed it was．Other observers had many different explanations．Some say it was Venus (金星)．Some say it was just a trick of light．The people on the aeroplane were not the only ones who saw the “UFO”．An air traffic controller also saw it on his radar screen．When a reporter asked him if he believed in UFOs, he said, “I don’ t know what they are but I’ve got an open mind on them．” Like many scientists, he thought that a flock of birds caused dots on his radar screen when the “UFO” appeared.

    Most astronomers now believe that what these people saw was almost certainly the planet Venus．At that time of year it is very bright and easy to see．And from a moving aeroplane it can appear to be moving fast．So far there is no proof that UFOs or spaceships from other planets do exist．In 6 years government investigators of UFOs investigated 1,631 sightings or occasions when people say they saw a UFO ．Ninety percent of these turned out to have simple explanation.

    However, it’s good idea to keep an open mind, like the air traffic controller．Scientists in the USA are trying to persuade their government to help them study UFOs．They want two million dollars to spend on detecting radio messages from outer space．And a British politician wants governments to cooperate internationally on reporting and investigating sightings of UFOs.

    After all, it is quite possible that there is life out there in the universe．And if something is alive, it is quite possible that it may come to visit US.

1．“I’ve got an open mind on them.” In the sentence, the phrase “got an open mind” means ________.

A．paid attention to

B．neither believed nor disbelieved

C．been troubled about something

D．been in agreement

2．Who saw that mysterious light one night? ________.

A．The pilot.

B．People all over the world.

C．Everyone on board and the air traffic controller.

D．Visitors in a spaceship.

3．Who wants their government to help them to study UFOs?

A．Scientists in the USA

B．An English politician.

C．The air traffic controller.

D．A television camera crew.

4．It took the government investigators of UFOs ________ to investigate 1,631 sightings.

A．6 years

B．1 year

C．half a year

D．6 months

5．They want two million dollars to spend on detecting radio messages from outer space．In the sentence the word “detecting” means ________.

A．studying

B．studying for

C．looking

D．looking for