What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in biotechnology. With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today's leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs. The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on—in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by ________.
| A．diseases and aging | B．accidents and war |
| C．accidents and aging | D．heart disease and war |
In the author's opinion, today's most important advance in technology lies in ________.
| A．medicine | B．the Internet | C．brain cells | D．human organ |
Humans may live longer in the future because ________.
| A．heart disease will be far away from us |
| B．human brains can decide the final death |
| C．the basic materials of cells will last forever |
| D．human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
How long can humans live in the future according to the passage?
| A．Over 100 years. | B．More than 120 years. |
| C．About 150 years. | D．The passage doesn't tell us. |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．Cells aren’t the basic units of all living things any more |
| B．humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now |
| C．much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life |
| D．we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells |
Art classes about animals & wildlife
All Creatures Large and Small
Animals bring something special to our life and give us inspiration for paintings that we will treasure. This workshop will focus on how to bring animals to life through color, lighting and good composition (构图). We will be working from photographs, so you will need to bring several good photos of your pets or wildlife animals.
Location Scottsdale, AZ
Instructor Phil Beck
Pet Portraiture (肖像画法) with Christine Fifer
Nothing teaches us to live in the moment more than our furry and feathered friends, and this workshop emphasizes (强调) the technical aspects of drawing and painting animals. Fifer is a long-time painter whose realistic style is simple and clear. No live models allowed (only a favorite picture or two)!
Location Key West, FL
Instructor Christine Fifer
Nature & Wildlife in the Field with Rafael Galvez
Limited to 12 students. Have a guided walk through a natural reserve and explore Charlotte’s wilderness with an experienced naturalist and bird painter, while learning about the region’s wildlife and habitats, and learning to paint from live subjects. Galvez emphasizes process rather than product.
Location Charlotte, NC
Instructor Rafael Galvez
Animal Drawing
A rare opportunity to work with live animals in the PAFA studios! Work with a horse and a dog served as models, learn skills and develop techniques for the graphic depiction (图形描绘) of animals. Explore a variety of drawing materials and techniques.
Location Philadelphia, PA
Instructor Peter van DyckPhil Beck will teach students to paint animals from .
| A．live models | B．his works |
| C．Pictures | D．famous paintings |
Where should you go if you want to learn to paint in the open air?
A. Scottsdale, AZ. B. Charlotte, NC.
C. Key West, FL. D. Philadelphia, PA.If you like to paint in a realistic style, you will learn from .
| A．Phil Beck | B．Peter van Dyck |
| C．Rafael Galvez | D．Christine Fifer |
People have always been wondering about what our future will look like. Go on reading this text, and you will know what will happen in the next fifty years.
How can we know what the future will look like? To be able to understand the future, you must know the past. What has taken us to where we are today and what has changed along the way? The world has changed a lot in the last 150 years, but we humans are driven by the same basic needs as we were 150 years ago. Will this change in the next 150 years? No.
What inventions have really made a difference in the last 150 years? In the past years, the inventions that have affected most people around the world for everyday living are the telephone, electricity, radio, television, computer, the car and the ability to communicate through the Internet. Then we of course have a lot of inventions that have made life easier, like new medicine, faster transports etc. In general, human beings have been working hard in the last 150 years to make the inventions so that they will be able to get control of the time and the world. Since there is still much to do in this area, this will be the focus at least for the next 150 years.
Why do we need to predict the future? Predicting the future is important for two reasons first we need to start to think about what kind of future we would like for ourselves and to pass on to the next generation, and then we need to know what decisions we need to make today that will give the best result in the future.What does the author try to tell us in the second paragraph?
| A．The world is quite different from what it was. |
| B．Our basic needs will not change in the future. |
| C．Humans will no longer enjoy food in the future. |
| D．The world will be completely changed tomorrow. |
Our past inventions have made .
| A．it easy for us to live |
| B．our daily life more stressful |
| C．our work easily done |
| D．us work less time |
What will humans do in order to keep the world under control?
| A．To produce more cars for transportation. |
| B．To focus on making more inventions. |
| C．To work much harder to achieve their goals. |
| D．To spend more time working on the Internet. |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．What result we’ll receive in the future. |
| B．The decisions we make for our future. |
| C．The importance of predicting the future. |
| D．The two reasons of predicting the future. |
Housing Price in China has always aroused heated discussion among property developers and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8, 000 yuan per square metre, while in China, it is even higher than that in the United States. “This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate(房地产) market,” the International Finance News reported.
Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after changed to RMB, is about 8, 000 yuan per square metre, the houses in the US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If the US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8, 000 yuan per square metre. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US.
The high housing price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses cannot be compared with houses in the US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in the US?
At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate the real estate market by raising tax on property industry and controlling the release of loans and lands to property developers. Meanwhile, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered and Chinese public can really benefit from the economic achievement.When it comes to housing price in China, many ________think it reasonable.
| A．property developers and ordinary people |
| B．property developers and local governments |
| C．ordinary people and the Chinese government |
| D．property developers and the Chinese government |
How does the writer feel about the problem of high housing price in China?
| A．Encouraged and confident. |
| B．Satisfied. |
| C．Hopeless. |
| D．Concerned but optimistic. |
It can be learned from the passage that .
| A．housing price in China will drop considerably very soon |
| B．a set of laws have been passed to improve Chinese real estate market |
| C．regardless of housing price, Chinese houses have poorer building quality than those in the US |
| D．the Chinese government has not realized the importance of the problem |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The problem of high housing price in China and possible solutions to it. |
| B．Different opinions on the problem of high housing price in China. |
| C．A comparison in residential housing price between China and the US. |
| D．The reaction of Chinese government to the bubbles in real estate market. |
Don’t be afraid! We are not encouraging people to steal. It’s one of the most popular topics currently talked about by people in cities, together with, “How many vegetables did you steal today?”or, “It’s harvest time for your peaches,” and, “I bought you a new car today.”
Listening to a conversation like this, you do not have to feel strange. These people don’t really have their own farms or so much money that they can casually buy someone else a car.
They are just playing games on Social Networking Sites(SNS) like kaixing001.com. Can you imagine millions of people in China spending lots of time on SNS playing games and talking to friends? This is especially true of white-collar workers in cities, Take kaixing001.com for example --the number of current members has already hit 38 million.
However, the large number of people using SNS highlights another problem. That is, lots of people choose to escape from reality, NSN just offers them a virtual(虚拟的) environment where they can escape from reality.
Different games provide netizens with different experiences: dreaming, chatting and playing. It offers people the opportunity to escape from reality. But the virtual world is not the real one; no one can live in it forever, and reality is not as surfing on the Internet.
Since this kind of social networking sites have become so popular, people have started to think about moving it into the real world. And so far as we know, a farmland of this kind exists in Shanghai where it has reached its first base.
After playing the “Happy Farm”game on kaixing001.com, would you like to put yourself among the real world while smelling the fragrances (芳香) of the countryside? Recently a farmland service called “Happy Farm in Reality” was opened in the suburbs of Shanghai where white-collar workers can experience the real farmers’ for themselves.What does the underlined word “it”in Para .5 refer to?
| A．The real world. | B．Farmland in Shanghai. |
| C．The virtual world. | D．An expensive car. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Millions of people in China are spending lots of time on SNS. |
| B．People steal vegetables on SNS for living. |
| C．Lots of people play games on SNS to escape from reality. |
| D．White-collar workers can have the real farmers’ life. |
You can find the passage in part on a newspaper.
| A．politics | B．entertainment |
| C．economy | D．military |
What might be the best title?
| A．The virtual world is dangerous. |
| B．Buy a new car for your friend. |
| C．Did you steal vegetables today? |
| D．Be careful about being stolen. |
Most people say “yes” much more readily than “no”.
A friend is moving house this weekend and would like some help, and you agree. But, what you really wanted was a couple of quiet days relaxing at home. Or a roommate spends the entire weekends playing video games and wants to borrow your homework for “reference”. You say “yes”.
Many people say “yes” to these kinds of requests. They tend not to consider their own interests and feelings, and are often angry with themselves afterwards.
Saying “no” requires courage and considerable practice, in fact, according to psychologists. “ Everyone wants to be liked,” says Gabriele Steinki, a German psychologist. “Saying ‘no’ risks losing the affection of the person asking the favor or even a job.”
The result is that many people say “yes” just for keeping the peace. But experts say this is regrettable. Anyone should have the right to say “no”.
In fact, rejecting a request can even help to strengthen a relationship because it expresses a true feeling.
But, for people used to agreeing to every request, changing can be a long and uncomfortable learning process. Most people believe that “If I say ‘no’, I'll lose the affection of the person. But the affection is important to me.” This way of thinking can be replaced by this: “If he only likes me because I always do what suits him, the price of his affection is too high in the long term.”
Steinki says the key is talking to the other person to find a mutual (相互的) solution. “One needs to present the situation from one’s own point of view, and to suggest how the situation can be dealt with to the advantage of both parties. The other person must have the feeling that his interests are being considered.”
When the refusal is not accepted, Steinki advises us to give the reasons calmly again until the person gets the message.Most people say “yes” much more readily than “no” because ________.
| A．they don’t care about their own interests and feelings |
| B．they don’t know they will regret afterwards |
| C．they have already been used to saying “yes” |
| D．they care more about others’ affection |
In the opinion of experts, _________ .
| A．people need a lot of practice to say “no” |
| B．people should say “yes” to keep the peace |
| C．saying “no” means losing a job |
| D．people have the right to be liked |
According to the writer, what should you do if you want to refuse the other person’s request?
| A．Just say you can’t help him. |
| B．Say sorry to him. |
| C．Refuse him clearly. |
| D．Talk to the other person to find a mutual way. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．You Need Courage to Say “No” |
| B．“Yes” More Than “No” |
| C．Anyone Has the Right to Say “No” |
| D．It’s Hard to Say “No” |
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