Old age may not sound exciting. But recent findings offer good news for older people and for people worried about getting older. Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of 50. In fact, they say by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were when they were 18 years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States. The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008. At that time, the people were between the ages of 18 and 85. The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of 24 and 25. The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.
The study also showed that men and women have similar feeling patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.
Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their feelings. They so spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.According to the survey of the Gallup Organization people are most likely to become happier .
| A．when they are between the ages of 18 and 85 | B．when they come to their old age |
| C．when they are in their twenties | D．when they are 18 years old |
You may have the highest level of stress when you are at the age of .
| A．20 | B．25 | C．35 | D．40 |
According to Arthur Stone, old people may .
| A．have a positive attitude towards their life | B．know how to spend money wisely |
| C．dream about good things every day | D．control their behaviors better |
Who would probably show the greatest interest in the passage?
| A．Those who are worried about getting old | B．Those who are single and unemployed |
| C．Those who feel unhappy all the time | D．Those who suffer from mental stress |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Getting Older Means Getting Happier | B．The Young Are Happier Than the Old |
| C．Women Are Easier to Be Happy in Life | D．The Younger, the Happier |
We live in a noisy world. Young and old alike are troubled by sounds over which we may have little or no control: car and house alarms, motorcycles, loudspeakers, even movie previews.
We attend rock concerts, weddings, parties and sports events at which the music is so loud that you can hardly hear the person sitting next to you. At home, televisions, stereos and computer games are often turned up so loud that listeners cannot hear a doorbell or a telephone.
As if environmental noise were not enough, now we surround children with noisy toys and personal listening devices that can permanently damage their hearing. A series of studies conducted in 2002 indicated that even moderate (缓和的) background noise can interfere with how they learn language. In fact, children in classrooms on the noisy side of a school had lower reading scores than those whose classes were on the quiet side.
Noise-induced (噪音诱发的) hearing loss can come about in two ways: from a brief exposure to a very loud noise or from consistent exposure to moderate-level noise. Thus, there is much concern about the lasting effects of MP3 players that are turned up loud enough to block out surrounding sound, like street noise. An MP3 player at maximum volume produces about 105 decibels（分贝）— 100 times as severe as 85 decibels, where hearing damage begins.
So, before buying noise-making toys, parents would do well to listen to how loud they are. If the item comes with a volume control, monitor its use to make sure it is kept near the lowest level. Consider returning gifts that make loud noises, or disable the noise-making function. Children who play computer games and stereo equipment should be warned to keep the volume down. Most iPads have a control that allows parents to set a maximum volume.
Avoid taking children to loud action movies. If you do go and the sound seems deafening, ask the management to turn down the volume or insist on your money back.
The League for the Hard of Hearing urges parents to encourage participation in quiet activities, like reading, doing puzzles, making things with construction toys, playing educational computer games, drawing and painting, and visiting libraries and museums.
| Noise And Children’s Hearing |
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| Fact about noise |
We live in a world of noise which |
| The |
We find it hard to hear others in a noisy |
| Noisy toys and personal listening devices can permanently |
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| Two |
People are |
| Advice for parents |
They should pay attention to how |
| They shouldn’t |
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| They should encourage their children to |
The size and shape（外形）of your ears show your character（性格）more than any other part of the face. Other parts of the face change shapes as we get older，but ears do not change their shapes. They only change in size.
Reading people’s character from their ears is a very old science. In the past people thought that a person’s ears with colour was dangerous. They also thought that the shape of the ears showed if a person was musical or not. Today, too many people believe that the size and shape of the ears help you know if a person is musical.
Ears are all different，and each different thing has a meaning. Next time you look at a person，see if his or her ears are large，medium-size，or small. Look at the lobes（耳垂). Do they stick to the face? Ears that are always red mean that a person may get angry easily. Ears that are always cold and nearly white colour mean that a person has a nervous（神经质）character.When a baby is born, .
| A．his / her ears are red |
| B．his / her ears will not change all the life |
| C．his / her ears will not change in shape |
| D．he / she will get large ears |
Reading people’s character from their ears is .
| A．only for music | B．an old idea |
| C．very new | D．a good way to talk with others |
When one’s ears are red，it means .
| A．he is a kind man | B．he is very happy |
| C．he may get angry easily | D．he drinks too much |
If you look at someone’s ears，the right way is .
| A．to look at his face ,ears and nose |
| B．to look at the size , colour , and shape |
| C．to look at his mouth, eyes and nose |
| D．to look at the hair, eyes and colour |
Which may be the best title of the article?
| A．Looking at a person in the right way. | B．Ears and colours. |
| C．The change of ears. | D．Ears and characters. |
Some people think only school children do not agree with their parents，however，it is not true．
Communication is a problem for parents and children of all ages．If it’s hard for you to communicate with your parents，don’t worry about it．Here are some advice for you to bridge the generation gap(消除代沟)．
Don’t argue with your parents．Don’t get to your parents when you are angry．Your parents probably won’t consider your ideas if you are shouting at them. And you can't express yourself well if you are angry. Go someplace to cool off. Make sure you understand why you are unhappy. Then think about what you want to say to your parents. If you don't think you can speak to them at the moment, try writing a letter.
Try to reach a compromise(和解). Perhaps you and your parents disagree on something. You can keep your disagreement and try your best to accept each other. Michael's mother didn't agree with him about buying a motorcycle. They argued over it. But they finally came to a compromise. Michael bought the motorcycle, but only drove it on certain days.
Of course, your parents might refuse to compromise on something. In these situations, it is especially important to show love and respect(尊敬) to them. Showing respect will keep your relationship strong.
Talk about your values. The values of your parents are probably different from those of your own. Tell your parents what you care about, and why. Understanding your values might help them see your purposes in life.
A good relationship with your parents can make you a better and happier person. The passage tells us _____ have a communication problem.
| A．parents and other people | B．school kids and their parents |
| C．teachers and their students | D．parents and children of all ages |
Your parents probably won't consider your ideas if you _______
| A．don't get to them often | B．write a letter to them |
| C．don't speak to them politely | D．express yourself well |
The underlined phrase " cool off" in the passage means ___________.
| A．to make yourself happy | B．to get you quiet and relaxed |
| C．to have a good rest | D．to hide yourself quickly |
If there's really a generation gap between you and your parents, you'd better______
| A．have a talk with them often | B．keep away from them |
| C．agree with them all the time | D．argue with them |
From the passage we learn that ________
| A．parents and children should not have a generation gap |
| B．parents should show love and respect to their children |
| C．there are some good ways to bridge the generation gap |
| D．there are so many serious problems in families today |
Many scientists find that colours can change people’s feelings. It’s very interesting. Some colours can make people feel relaxed，and some colours can make people feel nervous. Now，this kind of knowledge is being used in many places. For example, school walls are always painted green because green makes students feel relaxed. It is also good for the students’ eyes. Some books are also green or light blue for the same reason. Restaurant owners not only have to know how to make food，but also have to know how to make money. Here are some things they’ve learned from scientific studies. The colour red makes people hungry. Many fast food restaurants have red furniture or walls. Soft colours like pink and light blue make people feel relaxed，so they spend more time eating. Loud music may be nice at first，but it soon makes people want to leave. Hard seats also make customers want to eat quickly and leave. Many restaurants，especially fast food restaurants，use this knowledge to make customers eat faster.How does the colour green make the students feel？
| A．Hungry. | B．Nervous. | C．Angry. | D．Relaxed. |
How does the colour red make most people feel？
| A．Hungry. | B．Comfortable. | C．Excited. | D．Worried. |
Which colour isn’t mentioned in this passage？
| A．Green. | B．White. | C．Light blue. | D．Red. |
What do many fast food restaurants do？
①Play loud music. ②Play soft music. ③Have hard seats. ④Paint their walls red.
| A．①②③ | B．①③④ | C．①②④ | D．②③④ |
What’s the best title for this passage？
| A．Colour and restaurant. |
| B．Use colour to make money. |
| C．Colour and science. |
| D．Use colour to change feelings. |
“Fish stories” are stories of the greatest fish that a fisherman has almost caught, but for some reason, the fish always get away. Usually, these stories do not have much truth to them. One of the biggest fish stories in history was about a whale.
In 1891, a ship hunting for whales in the South Atlantic Ocean found a very large whale. While the hunters were trying to kill the whale, it sank two small boats. One man drowned, and another man, James Bartley, was lost in the ocean. However, after the hunters finally killed the whale, they cut open the whale’s stomach and found Mr Bartley inside. He was not dead!
Several weeks later, Mr Bartley seemed to have gotten over his terrible experience. The only thing he could remember was that while he was inside the whale, it was very hot. The liquid (液体) from the whale’s stomach had turned all of his skin snow white. Mr Bartley had to live with the effect from the whale for the rest of his life.
Today, many people have heard about the strange experience of Mr Bartley and do not buy it. Not one real fact has been found to prove that the events ever took place described by the sailors. No scientist or newspaper reporter was ever able to talk to Mr Bartley, and all of the stories told in magazines about Mr Bartley’s experience were explained by other sailors on the boat. Mr Bartley was probably not even a real person at all.
In 1928, after the captain (船长) of the whaling ship had died, one man asked the captain’s wife about Mr Bartley’s story. The wife said that no man who had sailed on her husband’s ship was ever swallowed by a whale.
However, this has not stopped James Bartley’s story from being repeated, and many people today still believe that it is true.What made Mr Bartley’s skin white?
| A．The ocean water. | B．The whale’s teeth. |
| C．The heat inside the whale. | D．The liquid in the whale’s stomach. |
Who may have talked to Mr Bartley?
| A．A scientist. | B．The captain’s wife. |
| C．The sailors on the ship. | D．A newspaper reporter. |
The captain’s wife said that .
| A．the story was not true | B．her husband told her the story |
| C．the whale was never found | D．Mr Bartley didn’t work for her husband |
Today, many people have heard about the strange experience of Mr Bartley and do not buy it. Here “buy” means .
| A．明白 | B．相信 | C．购买 | D．证明 |
In paragraph 4 and paragraph 5 we may know that Mr Bartley .
| A．became a writer later | B．died when he was young |
| C．told his story to a magazine reporter | D．was not even a real person at all |
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