閱讀理解題

　　第一篇

Happy Therapy （診療）

　　Norman Cousins was a businessman from the United States who often traveled around the world on business. He enjoyed his work and traveling.

　　Then, after returning to tile United States from a busy and tiring trip to Russia, Mr. Cousins got sick. Because he had pushed his body to the limit of its strength on the trip, a chemical change began to take place inside him. The material between his bones became weak.

　　In less than one week after his return, he could not stand. Every move that he made was painful. He was not able to sleep at night.

　　The doctors told Mr. Cousins that they did not know how to cure his problems and he might never get over the illness. Mr. Cousins, however, refused to give up hope.

　　Mr. Cousins thought that unhappy thoughts were causing bad chemical changes in his body. He did not want to take medicine to cure himself. Instead, he felt that happy thoughts or laughter might cure his illness.

　　He began to experiment on himself while still in the hospital by watching funny shows on television. Mr. Cousins quickly found that ten minutes of real laughter during the day gave him two hours of pain-free sleep at night.

　　Deciding that the doctors could not help him, Mr. Cousins left the hospital and checked into a hotel room where he could continue his experiments with laughter. For eight days, Mr. Cousins rested in the hotel room watching funny shows on television, reading funny books, and sleeping whenever he felt tired. Within three weeks, he felt well enough to take a vacation to Puerto Rico where he began running on the beach for exercise.

　　After a few months, Mr. Cousins returned to work He had laughed himself back to health.

　　1 Mr. Cousins got sick after returning from

　　A a busy trip to the US.

　　B a tiring trip to Russia.

　　C a trip around the world.

　　D a trip to Puerto Rico.

　　2 How did the doctors respond to Mr. Cousins' illness?

　　A They promised to cure him.

　　B They didn't think he was really sick.

　　C They told him not to give up hope.

　　D They said they were unable to help him in any way.

　　3 Mr. Cousins attributed the bad chemical changes in his body to

　　A unhappy thoughts.

　　B a severe illness.

　　C weak bones.

　　D too much sleep.

　　4 What didn't Mr. Cousins do in his experiments with laughter?

　　A Watch funny TV shows.

　　B Read funny books.

　　C Sleep whenever he felt tired.

　　D Take medicine.

　　5 Mr. Cousins cured his own illness

　　A by laughing at others.

　　B by acting in funny shows.

　　C by taking a happy therapy.

　　D by writing funny stories.

　　第二篇

Forty May Be the New 30 as Scientists Redefine Age

　　Is 40 really the new 30？In many ways people today act younger than their parents did at the same age.

　　Scientists have defined a new age concept and believe it could explain why populations are aging, but at the same time seem to be getting younger.

　　Instead of measuring aging by how long people have lived, the scientists have factored in how many more years people can probably still look forward to.

　　Using that measure, the average person can get younger in the sense that he or she can have even more years to live as time goes on, said Warren Sanderson of the University of New York in Stony Brook.

　　He and Sergei Scherbov of the Vienna Institute of Demography at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, have used their method to estimate how the proportion of elderly people in Germany, Japan and the United States will change in the future.

　　The average German was 39.9 years old in 2000 and could plan to live for another 39.2 years, according to research reported in the journal Nature on Wednesday.

　　However, by 2050 the average German will be 51.9 years old and will be expected to live another 37.1 years. So middle age in 2050 would occur at around 52 years instead of 40 years as in 2000.

　　As people have more and more years to live they have to save more and plan more and they effectively are behaving as if they were younger, said Sanderson.

　　Five years ago, the average American was 35.3 years old and could plan for 43.5 more years of life. By 2050, the researchers estimate it will increase to 41.7 years and 45.8 future years.

　　A lot of our skills, our education， our savings and the way we deal with our health care depend a great deal on how many years we have to live, said Sanderson.

　　This dimension of how many years we have to live has been completely ignored in the discussion of aging so far.

　　6 People 40 years of age today seem to be as young as

　　A their parents were at the same age.

　　B their parents were at the age of 30.

　　C their children will be at the same age.

　　D their children will be at the age of 30.

　　7 The new age concept takes into account the factor of

　　A "future years. "

　　B "average years. "

　　C "past years. "

　　D "school years. "

　　8 In 2000, middle age for the average German occurred

　　A at 37.1 years.

　　B at 40 years.

　　C at 39.2 years.

　　D at 52 years.

　　9 By 2002, the average American will live to

　　A the age of 41.7.

　　B the age of 45.8.

　　C the age of 78.8.

　　D the age of 87.5.

　　10 Which is NOT affected by the number of years we have to live?

　　A Our education.

　　B Our savings.

　　C The way we handle our health care.

　　D The number of years we have lived.

　　第三篇

Is the Tie a Necessity?

　　Ties, or neckties, have been a symbol of politeness and elegance in Britain for centuries. But the casual Prime Minister Tony Blair has problems with them. Reports suggest that even the civil servants may stop wearing ties. So, are the famously formal British really going to abandon the neckties?

　　Maybe. Last week, the UK's Cabinet Secretary Andrew Turnbull openly welcomed a tieless era. He hinted that civil servants would soon be free of the costliest 12 inches of fabric that most men ever buy in their lives.

　　In fact, Blair showed this attitude when he had his first guests to a cocktail party. Many of them were celebrities （知名人士） without ties, which would have been unimaginable even in the recent past.

　　For some more conservative British, the tie is a must for proper appearance. Earlier, Labor leader Jim Callaghan said he would have died rather than have his children seen in public without a tie. For people like Callaghan, the tie was a sign of being complete, of showing respect. Men were supposed to wear a tie when going to church, to work in the office, to a party - almost every social occasion.

　　But today, people have begun to accept a casual style even for formal occasions.

　　The origin of the tie is tricky. It started as something called simply a "band". The term could mean anything around a man's neck. It appeared in finer ways in the 1630s. Frenchmen showed a love of this particular fashion statement. Their neckwear （頸飾） impressed Charles II, the king of England who was exiled （流放） to France at that time. When he returned to England in 1660, he brought this new fashion item along with him.

　　It wasn't, however, until the late 18th century that fancy young men introduced a more colorful, flowing piece of cloth that eventually became known as the tie. Then, clubs, military institutions and schools began to use colored and patterned ties to indicate the wearer's membership in the late 19th century. After that, the tie became a necessary item of clothing for British gentlemen.

　　But now, even gentlemen are getting tired of ties. Anyway, the day feels a bit easier when you wake up without having to decide which tie suits you and your mood.

　　11 The tie symbolizes all of the following except

　　A respect.

　　B elegance.

　　C politeness.

　　D democracy.

　　12 Why does Blair sometimes show up in a formal event without a tie?

　　A Because he wants to make a show.

　　B Because he wants to attract attention.

　　C Because ties are costly.

　　D Because he wants to live in a casual way.

　　13 Which of the following is NOT a social occasion?

　　A Going to church.

　　B Going to work in the office.

　　C Staying at home.

　　D Going to a party.

　　14 Who brought the Frenchmen's neckwear to Britain?

　　A Tony Blair.

　　B Charles Ⅱ.

　　C Jim Callaghan.

　　D Andrew Turnbull.

　　15 When did British gentlemen begin to wear ties regularly?

　　A After the late 19th century.

　　B In the 1630s.

　　C In 1660.

　　D In the late 18th century.

　　【參考答案】

　　1. B　　2. D　　3. A　　4. D　　5. C

　　6. B　　7. A　　8. B　　9. D　　10. D

　　11. D　 12. D　 13. C　 14. B　 15. A