When we can see well, we do not think about our eyes often. It is only when we can not see perfectly that we come to see how important our eyes are.

People who are nearsighted can only see things that are very close to their eyes. Many people who do a lot of close work, such as writing and reading, become nearsighted. Then they have to wear glasses in order to see distant things clearly.

People who are farsighted face just the opposite problem. They can see things that are far away, but they have difficulty reading a book unless they hold it at arm’s length. If they want to do much reading, they must get glasses too.

Other people do not see clearly because their eyes are not exactly the right shape. This, too, can be corrected by glasses. Some people’s eyes become cloudy because of cataracts. Long ago these people often became blind. Now, however, it is possible to operate on the cataracts and remove them.

When night falls, colors become fainter to the eyes and finally disappear. After your eyes have grown used to the dark, you can see better if you use the side of your eyes rather than the centers. Sometimes, after dark, you see a small thing to one side of you, which seems to disappear if you turn your head in its direction. This is because when you turn your head, you are looking? at the thing too directly. Men on guard duty sometimes think they see something moving to one side of them. When they turn to look straight at it, they can not see it any more, and they believe they were mistaken. However, this mistake happens because the center of the eye, which is very sensitive in daylight, is not as sensitive as the sides of the eye after dark.

We don’t know that our eyes are of great importance until ________.

A. we think about our eyes      B. we cannot see clearly

C. we wear glasses               D. we have to do much reading

According to the passage, a ________ is more likely to be nearsighted.

A. tailor   B. doctor    C. guard    D. painter

People who are farsighted ________ .

A. cannot do a lot of close work without glasses

B. can only see things that are very close to their eyes

C. have difficulty reading a book if they hold it at arm’s length

D. have the same problem as the nearsighted people

To see a small thing at night, it is better to look ________ .

A. with wide open eyes         B. with half shut or narrowed eyes

C. straight at it                    D. in a slightly different direction 

Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.

Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary(当代的) societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.

When older people become senile (衰老的) or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (疗养的) hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping (倒垃圾的) grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel.

It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures _______.

A. it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could    not work

B. the survival of infants was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation

C. old people were given the task of imparting the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations

D. death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of the hardships of life

According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the United States is true?

A. Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough.

B. Minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement.

C. When they reach a certain age, compulsory retirement is necessary and beneficial.

D. With the growing inflation, they must suffer more from unbearable burdens than ever.

The phrase “this need” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.

A. prolonging the dying old people’s lives

B. reducing the problems caused by the retired people

C. making profits through caring for the sick or weak people

D. taking care of the sick or weak people

Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward most of the nursing homes and convalescent hospitals?

A. Sympathetic.        B. Approving.         C. Optimistic.        D. Critical.

 To make your work easy to solve, you can______ with one other class member if you want.

  A. make up with   B. team up with   C. catch up with    D. put up with

Holiday News

Vacancies (空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome.

  Reduced prices for low season.

The Snowdonia Center

The Snowdonia Center for young mountain climbers has a mountain 1068.The beginners’ costs are ￡57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost.

You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.

The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime

Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking waiting and traveling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another.

On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home.

During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板), enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play.

You will visit all the places most people only dream about – from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokyo and Hong Kong.

For a few thousand pounds, all you’ve ever hoped for can be yours.

What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?

       A．Choose the holiday in Devon.

       B．Go to the Snowdonia Centre

       C．Join the World Sea Trip of 2008

       D．Visit Acapulco and Hawaii

In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?

       A．It provides chances of family gatherings.

       B．It provides customers with good food.

       C．It offers a sport lesson.

       D．It offers comfortable room.

What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?

       A．You can have free meals on deck every day.

       B．You can sleep on a ship and tour many places.

       C．You will have chances to watch and act in a play.

       D．You have to do your own packing and unpacking.

How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage?

       A．5.     B．6.      C．7.      D．8.

Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life according to the pas sage?

       a. He became addicted to drinking.     

       b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.

       c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.

       d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.

       e. He failed to reorder his life.

       f. He joined the army and met Zelda.

       A．f-c-e-a-b-d       B．b-e-a-f-c-d       C．f-d-e-c-b-a       D．b-f-c-d-e-a

We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald            . 

      A．had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.

       B．was well educated and well off before he served in the army

       C．would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down

       D．helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital

passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about          . 

       A．Zelda’s personal life

       B．Zelda’s illness and treatment

       C．Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham

       D．Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world

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This advertisement aims at calling on people to ________.

A. attend full-time universities

B. work part time to further their education

C. improve their education at home to get better jobs

D. earn their degrees in different ways that suit them

Which of the following is NOT clearly mentioned in this advertisement? 

A. The way how you will get your degree. 

B. Tuition price. 

C. The hot fields you will be preparing yourself for.

D. The length of time it will take you to get a degree.

What does the writer of this ad intend to say by naming General Electric, IBM, Ford, etc.?

A. To show that their training is widely used in the country. 

B. To show that the training program is fully supported by famous companies in the U. S.

C. To prove the value of their training in every area.  　

D. To show the importance of getting recognized by the most famous companies.

It seems to the writer that the greatest attraction for people to take their training is______. 

A. its convenience

B. the degree’s nation-wide recognition

C. the economic benefit(利益) it will bring about

D. the hot fields the training will help people to enter

How many ways are mentioned in the ad for people to get in touch with the Harcourt Learning Direct?

A. One. 　　　   　B. Two. 　　   　　C. Three. 　  　　　D. Four.