In the Caucasus region of the Soviet Union, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100^th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100,000 reach 100. But these Soviet old people aren’t alone. The Pakistani Hunzas, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Vilacbambans of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador seem to share the secret of long too.
These peoples remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Soviet Georgians, aged 110 to 140, work in the fields beside their great- great- grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked, “At what age does youth end?”, most of these old people has no answer. Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80.” The very youngest estimate was age 60.
What accounts for this ability to survive to such old age, and to survive so well? First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-lived peoples. They begin their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. For example, Mr. Rustam Mamedov is 142 years of age. He remember his life experiences: the Grimean War of 1854; the Turkish War of 1878; the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. His wife is 116 years old. They have been married for 90 years. Mr. Mamedov has no intentions of retiring from his life as a farmer. “Why? What else would I do?” he asks. Oh, he has slowed down a bit. Now he might quit for the day after 6 hours in the field instead of 10.
All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. They live and work at elevations of 5,000 to 12,000 feet (1,660 to 4,000 meters) above sea level. The air has less oxygen and is pollutionfree. This reduced-oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel system stronger.
Another factor that may contribute to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent, they are separated from the pressures and worried of industrial society.
Inherited factors also play some role. Most of the longest-lived people had parents and grandparents who also reached very old ages. Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer.
Finally, although these three groups don’t eat exactly the same foods, their diets are similar. The Hunzas, Vilacbambans, and Soviets eat little animal meat. Their diets are full of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, cheese, and milk. They never eat more food than their bodies need.
It is clear that isolation from urban pressures and pollution, clean mountain air, daily hard work, moderate diets, good genes, and a youthful approach to life all contribute to the health and remarkable long life of all these people.
【小題1】 What kinds of things contribute to the remarkable long life of these peoples?

A．Moderate diets	B．Clean mountain air.
C．Daily hard work.	D．All the above factors（因素）.

【小題2】 How do you think the author feels about these long-lived people?

A．He is impressed with them	B．He doesn’t care.
C．He doesn’t like them.	D．He admires them.

【小題3】According to the passage, the phrase “the passage of time” means         .

A．have time to do what they want	B．being on time
C．time going by	D．limited time

【小題4】In the passage, why does the author describe Mr. Mamedov?

A．An example of a typical long life among these people.

B．An example of an unusual long life among these people.

C．An explanation of why he is still healthy.

D．An example of why his wife died early than him.

【小題5】What is the main subject of this article?

A．Mr. Mamedov’s life.

B．A description of several societies where people live a long time.

C．Suggestions for how you can live long life.

D．People are healthy in mountainous regions.

Changsha,
Hunan Province
May 6, 2010
Dear editor,
Under China’s current educational system, there are those who do nothing but study. They of course are thought to be model students.
But I feel that there is another type of student who, perhaps not as diligent (勤奮的) as the first type, uses his time more efficiently and achieves a lot academically.
Last year, a classmate of mine was accepted by a top university. It surprised all of us. It was because, unlike most of us, he didn’t spend too much of his time studying.
When I asked him the secret of his success, he said that the key was properly and scientifically arranging his time.
“ I spent a lot of time keeping fit and as a result, I was able to better concentrate (集中) on my class work.”
The moral of the story is: it isn’t necessary to sit at your desk all day long to get high academic (學(xué)術(shù)) grades.
Yours,
Zhang Zishu
【小題1】What does the letter-writer (a reader) think leads to the fact that many students do nothing but study?

A．The present educational system.	B． People’s old ideas.
C．The teaching methods.	D．The parents of these students.

【小題2】It seems that this reader thinks        .

A．the first type of student is our model

B．the second type of students is our model

C．both types of students are worth learning from

D．neither of the two types of students are good

【小題3】 The secret of his classmate’s success was        .

A．properly and scientifically arranging his time

B．spending a lot of time studying

C．doing nothing but studying

D．playing all the time

【小題4】 The reader wrote the letter in order to        .

A．call on us to work even harder

B．cause people to think about how to study more efficiently

C．a(chǎn)dvise people to do research into his classmate’s success

D．criticize (批評) China’s educational system

【小題5】What would be the best to stand for the letter-writer’s opinion?

A．Secret of success.

B．China’s educational system needs changing.

C．Work while you work and play while you play.

D．Keep fit first.

Does your pet have a slim figure? According to the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), about half of all dogs and nearly 60% of all indoor cats are overweight. Larry Kornegay, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, says he sees an overweight pet nearly every day, and unusually the owner is overweight. So talking about the topic can be touchy. “I talk about their pet’s health. Still, some clients take it personally.”
Here are some tips for pet weight loss:
See the vet(獸醫(yī)). Have your vet put together a plan and treat any existing medical problems. Pain relief and diet changes may be required for arthritic(患關(guān)節(jié)炎的) pets, which will allow for exercise to at least begin.
Skip the crash diet (an attempt to lose weight quickly by strictly limiting the diet). A special weight-loss diet may be suggested. For example, look for the supplement which burns fat and builds muscle mass in foods. Never place any pet on a crash diet, especially cats, which can suffer a potentially fatal liver disease as a result. There’s a safe weight-loss drug for dogs you can ask your vet about.
Dine alone. “Cut out treats and resist temptation by keeping pets out of the room you’re dining in,” says Chicago vet Sheldon Rubin. You can buy low-calorie treats for dogs and cats. Rubin also recommends mini carrots, small apple slices or blueberries for dogs. What’s important is finding other ways, aside from food, to show your love. Play with your cat using an interactive toy, and take your dog for walks. Walks are great for bonding, and good for you. Studies show people are actually more willing to lose weight themselves if it also will help their pet.
Feed pets at special times. Pre-measure food carefully—don’t give them a larger meal than ever—and leave it in various places, so pets sniff it out and use the stairs. It’s fun, and it’s good exercise.
【小題1】The underlined word “touchy” in Paragraph 1 probably means__________

A．sensitive

B．exciting

C．moving

D．pleasant

【小題2】What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Overweight people usually like overweight pets.

B．Pets’ weight is easier to lose than humans’.

C．Cats have a greater chance of serious liver disease.

D．Overweight people often ignore their pets’ weight.

【小題3】Which of the following methods is healthy for your pets?

A．Providing them with mini carrots or blueberries.

B．Keeping them with you when you’re dining.

C．Supplying them with larger meals or drinks.

D．Leaving the food in a fixed place for your pets.

【小題4】What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．How to feed pets without a crash diet.

B．The importance of pet weight loss.

C．How to help pets lose weight.

D．The problems that pets will meet.

If you plan on visiting to Fiji, you are probably looking for some fun things to do. Below are four unusual places.
The Poseidon Resort
The Poseidon resort is an underwater resort that gives visitors a beautiful view of sea life. This resort covers 255 acres. It’s covered and surrounded by a lagoon (咸水湖) that covers 5,000 acres and is about 90 feet under water, giving you a beautiful view of sea life right before your eyes. This resort even has a hotel for those who would prefer to have the unusual experience of sleeping and waking up to the beautiful scenery all around them.
The Sabeto Mud Pool
If you’re looking for something unusual to do, you can’t pass up the mud pool at Sabeto. It is located in a mountain range with a huge group of Geothermal (地?zé)岬? pools full of nice, warm mud. Getting down and into the mud in the pool is believed to have benefits for healthy skin. This is unusual, but adults and especially kids will love it.
Fire Walking
Fire walking in Fiji is believed to have originated on the island of Beau. Fire walking is when you walk on white-hot stones barefoot. To do this, you have to be mentally prepared for it. Trust me; there is a lot of preparation and strict rules that travelers follow in order to do this safely.
The Fiji Museum
The Fiji museum is unusual due to all the amazing artifacts you’ll see dating back 3,000-4,000 years. This museum has a certain attraction that makes it funny—a shoe. It’s been said that a man named Thomas Baker was eaten by the locals several centuries ago and the only thing left was his shoe. This unusual museum is a great idea if you bring the whole family to Fiji.
【小題1】Visitors who have the unusual experience of sleeping at the Poseidon resort can _________.

A．enjoy the excellent service in the hotel

B．open windows to see sea life swimming

C．see sea life around them in the room

D．only watch videos about sea life

【小題2】Why do adults like to get down into the mud pool?

A．To float on the warm mud

B．To make them strong

C．To play with the warm mud

D．To keep their skin healthy

【小題3】 Which of the following things needs more courage and stricter rules?

A．Trying fire walking

B．Visiting the Poseidon resort

C．Getting into the Sabeto Mud Pool

D．Visiting the Fiji museum

【小題4】The underlined word “artifacts” in Paragraph 5 means__________.

A．historic things made by man

B．things invented not long ago

C．things that look very strange

D．useful things in people’s daily life

It is football time again．Currently, the qualifying rounds are being played to decide which countries will send teams to the next World Cup．Some Soccer is becoming more and more popular on a worldwide scale and these qualifying legs are causing much excitement．
The game is popular at club level as well．Many fans go every week to support their teams, whether the event is a home or away one, hoping to get a result．They all hope an attacking game, with a lot of goals being scored．Obviously, they do not want to see a boring, defensive match where the players are aimlessly passing the ball to each other．
Sadly, not all the action always takes place on the ground．All too frequently, there is action in the stands, too．Football supporters, most of whom declare their loyalty , by wearing their team colors, in the form of shirts, are not known for their quiet behavior．They are often very noisy, shouting noisy encouragement to their team and singing deafening songs．
There is much rivalry between supporters．Mostly, this is good-natured, but trouble can easily arise．Fans get angry if they feel that a referee has made a wrong decision, perhaps giving one of their team a red or yellow card unfairly, or perhaps failing to notice a foul committed by a member of the other team．
When trouble breaks out in a football crowd, it can be difficult to control．Stadium officials often seat the opposing fans in separate parts of the ground as a precaution against fighting． However, preventing trouble is more difficult outside the ground．In the worst cases, riot （暴亂）police have to be called in．
Unfortunately, there are some fans who enjoy this violent aspect of football．These football hooligans （流氓） really enjoy a running battle with the police, and call up other people to throw stones and bottles at them．They regard football not only as a sport, but as an excuse for trouble makings．Inevitably, their behavior spoils the reputation of the game．
【小題1】The qualifying rounds are played to ______．

A．make the game more exciting	B．a(chǎn)ttract soccer fans at club level
C．raise funds for the organization	D．select the teams for the next rounds

【小題2】What do football fans hope to see?

A．A home game．	B．A defensive game．
C．An exciting game．	D．An evenly matched game．

【小題3】Riot police are called in ______．

A．to stop lighting occurring outside the ground

B．to separate the opposing fans inside the ground

C．a(chǎn)s a precaution against trouble inside the ground

D．a(chǎn)s a precaution against lighting outside the ground

【小題4】It is implied in the last paragraph that ______．

A．football has a poor reputation

B．football hooligans are crazy about the games

C．football fans enjoy spoiling games

D．football can be an excuse for troublemaking

To whom it may concern,
This letter describes the worst travel experience I have ever had．The problems we had were the result of poor management and thoughtless employees．Your airline should be ashamed of treating its  customers so poorly．
On January 5, we arrived in Denver from Houston and checked in for our next flight．It wasn’t long before the agent announced that our flight would be delayed because of a mechanical problem． The equipment was in Aspen, and they expected it to be repaired soon．
Soon shortly turned to much later, and during the delay, weather temporarily closed the Aspen airport．The weather cleared in Aspen and the plane took off very late for Denver．While it was in the air, the agent announced that the plane would be used for the next flight and that our flight was being cancelled．
This cancellation struck me as being unfair．There was a mad scramble （爭先恐后） as the 50 or so passengers scheduled for our flight fought for seats on later flights．When the dust settled, we were wait-listed on the 9’-00 flight the next morning．We had to spend the night in the airport．
Coming home was no better．Because of a mechanical problem, it looked like we would miss our connection in Denver．The agent assured us they would hold the Newark flight for us．Needless to say, the flight to Houston taxied out as we pulled into the gate．Arrangements were made for us to take the next flight, so we sat in the airport for 5 hours．When we finally arrived in Houston, our skis were missing．As of this writing, the skis have not been found．
Nothing you can do will make us feel better about our flights．If you are a responsible business, however, you will do what you can to see that passengers in the future are treated better．
With great displeasure,
Phyllis Dooley
【小題1】When Phyllis wrote her letter, she felt ______．

A．tired

B．fooled

C．a(chǎn)nnoyed

D．a(chǎn)shamed

【小題2】What was Phyllis’ destination when she left home on January 5?

A．Denver．

B．Houston．

C．Aspen．

D．Not mentioned

【小題3】What happened to Phyllis on her day coming home?

A．She took a taxi to Houston airport．

B．Her flight to Houston was cancelled．

C．Her flight was delayed for five hours．

D．She missed her connection in Denver．