Findings from a new study were presented at a recent meeting of the American Psychosomatic(身心的) Society. Researchers in the United States studied 100,000 women during an eight-year period, beginning in 1994. All of the women were fifty or older. The study was part of the Women’s Health Initiative organized by the National Institutes of Health.

The women were asked questions measuring their beliefs or ideas about the future. The researchers attempted to identify each woman’s personality eight years after gathering the information.

The study found that hopeful individuals were 14% less likely than other women to have died from any cause. The hopeful women were also 30% less likely to have died from heart disease after the eight years.

Hilary Tindle from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania was the lead author of the report. She said the study confirmed earlier research that linked optimistic feelings to longer life.

The researchers also gathered information about people’s education, financial earnings, physical activity and use of alcohol or cigarettes. Independent of those things, the findings still showed that optimists had less of a chance of dying during the eight-year period.

Some women who answered the questions were found to be hostile (懷敵意的), or highly untrusting of others. These women were 16% more likely to die than the others. They also were 23% more likely to die of cancer.

The study also found women who were not optimistic were more likely to smoke and have high blood pressure or diabetes. They were also more likely not to exercise.

Tindle says the study did not confirm whether optimism leads to healthier choices, or if it actually affects a person’s physical health. She also says the study does not prove that negative (消極的) emotions or distrust lead to bad health effects and shorter life. Yet there does appear to be a link that calls for more research.

In which part of a newspaper can you read the above passage?

   A. Nation                         B. Opinion

   C. Science                        D. Business

Researchers carry out the study to ________.

A. decide who is more likely to enjoy a happier life

B. find out the link between personality and health

C. gather information for the National Institutes of Health

D. compare each woman’s personality changes

What can be inferred from the text?

A. Negative emotions cause a shorter life indeed.

B. There may be some link between personality and health.

C. It’s uncertain whether optimism affects one’s health.

D. The more optimistic you are, the longer life you may enjoy.

Who is more likely to die of cancer according to the text?

A. A woman who always doubts what others say.

B. A woman who doesn’t exercise.

C. A woman with high blood pressure.

D. A woman with poor physical health.

What’s Hilary Tindle’s opinion of the study?

A. Unfair.         B. Useless.         C. Necessary.       D. Reliable.

Directions: Read the following passage．Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage and required words limit．Write your answers on your answer sheet．

Scientists have determined it's not advisable to hurry marriage．But what's the best age to wed?

When Avril Lavigne announced she was splitting from her husband, comments from her friends suggested that she was only 21 when she tied the knot and later she said that she realized she'd been too young to make such a life-altering decision．Could fellow young celebrity divorcées（離婚者） Reese Witherspoon, Kate Hudson, and Britney Spears have also hit the same age-related issue?

The Magic Number

       There are practical reasons for the mid-20s dividing line, and most of them boil down to two biggies: education and money．

It turns out that the more years of higher education a woman has under her belt on her wedding day, the lower the chances that she'll get divorced ．．．a(chǎn)nd by 25, you're more likely to have earned a degree or two．Educated women tend to be more confident about who they are and less willing to settle for a man who doesn't meet their standards．

Odds（可能性） are that by 25 you're also supporting yourself, so there's less incentive（刺激; 鼓勵(lì)）for you to rush into marriage because you're seeking financial security from him．But the marriage-related benefits of working and having money of your own go beyond feeling secure．Learning to budget your cash carefully when you're single will help you avoid financial problems-one of the main causes of couple fights-for the rest of your life．

Knowing the Real You

At 25, you've had time for some crucial life experiences, including a relationship or two that may have improved your Mr．Right radar．You've probably dated enough to have a better idea of what you don't want in a man, which makes it easier to know what you can live with and can't live without．

Perhaps the most important aspect of waiting is that you'll know what your goals and values really are．While you don't want to marry someone just like you, marriage is a lot easier if you two share a similar outlook on life．

Twenty-four and already married to the man of your dreams? Don't worry: Many young marriages survive．But given the choice, you might consider putting off the big day until your mid-20s or later．

What main factors influence the mid-20s dividing line? （No more than 3 words）

_________________________________________________________________

According to the author, why does a couple probably fight？（No more than 4 words）

_________________________________________________________________

How do you know what you don't want in a man? （No more than 5 words）

________________________________________________________________

What suggestion does the passage mainly give? （No more than 10 words）

A giant helium（氦） balloon is telling residents of Paris how good or bad the air quality is．When it's good, the balloon ----measuring 22 meters wide and 32 meters high---shines green．_________, it's red．

       A．Though terrible                      B．Whenever good           

       C．If worse                    D．When bad

--- Hello, I         to ask if I can book two tickets for tonight’s film.

    --- Sorry, we’ve already sold out.

       A．phone       B．will phone       C．a(chǎn)m phoning      D．have phoned

Don’t be so discouraged. If you ______ such feelings, you will do better next time.

A. carry on       B. get back       C. break down       D. put away

Tom, turn down the music. Why    you make such a big noise while your baby sister is sleeping? 

A．must               B．would                     C．should             D．may

By offering free access to a wide range of public facilities, out school now is a quite satisfying place for study,          is poor accommodation.

A．a(chǎn)part from       B．a(chǎn)s well as  C．in addition to   D．because of

Leave it to me! I feel much more _____ about myself and my abilities these days．

       A．confident           B．energetic     C．generous            D．curious

The young man lay on the sofa with his arms ________ and soon fell asleep．

A．folded             B．folding         C．being folded         D．to fold

They like using the Internet．They have lots of pocket money to spend．And they spend a higher proportion of it online than the rest of us．Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the things they want to buy－games, CDs and clothing－are easily sold on the Web.

But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit cards．Most have to use a parent’s card．They want a facility that allows them to spend money.

That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber (網(wǎng)絡(luò)的) space are coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic．If successful, these products can stimulate online sales.

In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and ￡20bn annually in the UK．Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school－88 percent in the US, 69 percent in the UK．According to the Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online－mainly CDs and books.

In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory for them and their children．Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street．They are more likely to ask “Why?” if you ask to spend some money online.

One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cybercast is through prepaid cards such as Internet Cash in the US and Smart cards in the UK．Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold in amounts such as￡20 or $50 with a concealed 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an online account.

What does the word “They” in paragraph 1 refer to?

       A．Sellers.     B．Buyers.     C．Teenagers.       D．Parents.

According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

       A．More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access．

       B．Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards.

       C．Most teenagers in the US and the UK have bought something online.

       D．Teenagers found it easier to persuade parents to buy online than in a shop.

A new way to help teenagers shop online is to use ______.

       A．a(chǎn) new machine B．special coins and notes

       C．prepaid cards    D．pay-as-you-go mobile phones

What is the passage mainly about?

       A．Online shopping traps.        B．Internet users in the US and the UK.

       C．New credit cards for parents.  D．The arrival of cyber pocket money.