倒數第九周星期三

　　A

　　I recently turned fifty, which is young for a tree, midlife for an elephant, and ancient for a sportsman．Fifty is a nice number for the states in the US or for a national speed limit but it is not a number that I was prepared to have hung on me．Fifty is supposed to be my father's age but now I am stuck with this number and everything it means．

　　A few days ago, a friend tried to cheer me up by saying, "Fifty is what forty used to be " He had made an inspirational point．Am I over the hill? People keep telling me that the hill has been moved, and I keep telling them that the high-jump bar has dropped from the six feet I once easily cleared to the four feet that is impossible for me now.

　　You're not getting older, you are getting better．" says Dr．Joyce Brothers．This, however, is the kind of doctor who inspires a second opinion．

　　And so, as I approach the day when I cannot even jump over the tennis net, I am moved to share some thoughts on aging with you．I am moved to show how aging feels to me physically and mentally．Getting older, of course, is obviously a better change than the one that brings you eulogies （悼詞）. In tact, a poet named Robert Browning considered it the best change of all:

　　Grow old along with me!

　　The best is yet to me．

　　Whether or not Browning was right, most of my first fifty years have been golden ones so I will settle for what is ahead being as good as what has gone by．I find myself moving toward what is ahead with a curious blend （混 合） of both fighting and accepting my aging, hoping that the philosopher was right when he said．" Old is always fifteen years from now．"

　　1．The author seems to tell us in Paragraph 1 that____．

　　A．time alone will tell

　　B．time goes by quickly

　　C．time will show what is right

　　D．time makes one forget the past

　　2．When the author turned fifty, people around him ____．

　　A．tried to comfort him

　　B．got inspiration with him

　　C．were friendlier with him

　　D．found him more talkative

　　3．What does the writer mean by saying the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?

　　A．He has become older．

　　B．He is not good at high jump any more．

　　C．He feels sorry that he is not so good at high jump as before．

　　D．He wants to make it known that he was once good at high jump．

　　4．The author considers his fifty years of life ____

　　A．peaceful

　　B．ordinary

　　C．satisfactory

　　D．regretful

　　5．We can infer from the passage that____

　　A．the old should led asimple life

　　B．the old should face the fact of aging

　　C．the old should take more exercise

　　D．the old should fill themselves with curiosity

　　B

　　The heat engine is certainly one of the most important devices that man ever invented．In its simplest meaning, the heat engine is a device that transforms heat energy into other forms of energy, such as mechanical and electrical energy．A great majority of the engines used today lie under the contributions that the heat engine made in the fields of industry, transportation, and the production of electricity gives us a deeper and more detailed look at the importance of heat engines．

　　The heaf engine had a great role in the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century． Scientists developed machines, based on heat engines, which could increase the amount of goods produced, and at the same time, decrease the amount of time and money consumed．The manufactured goods became affordable to almost everyone, and they were not a luxury any more, After the introduction of the heat engine in the industrial field, the concept of mass production was first realized, and industry boomed as never before．

　　Through history man has always tried to invent efficient means of transportation．However, it was not until the invention of the heat engine that this became possible．A new era replaced the old era of animal-powered transportation, an era whose characteristics were speed and comfort．

　　The train was the first means of transportation that used the heat engine, and it introduced new horizons of long-distance travelling．However, it was another machine that replaced the horse as a personal means of transportation．It was called the car, and it also used the heat engine．The achievements of the car in a few decades wiped out centuries of horse transportation．

　　Scientists realized the importance of electricity since the day it was discovered． Unfortunately, electricity was not available in nature for direct use．Scientists had to come up with ways of producing it．Here again, the heat engine was used to produce mechanical energy, which in turn can produce electricity．Today, many power-producing stations all over the world still use heat engines．They use coal or fuel oil to evaporate water, then the steam is used to turn a turbine which can produce electricity．

　　In conclusion, heat engines proved to be one of the most important inventions．It is enough to observe the importance of industry, transportation, and electricity in our lives to know the importance of heat engines．Although the engines used today are quite different from the early ones, the same concept of changing heat into other kinds of energy is still used．

　　6．What is the passage mainly about?

　　A．The importance of electricity．

　　B．The importance of heat energy．

　　C．The importance of the heat engine．

　　D．The importance of means of transportation．

　　7．The underlined word "transforms" in Para．1 can be best replaced by _____．

　　A．changes

　　B．divides

　　C．adapts

　　D．breaks

　　8．Which of the following is TRUE after the scientist used heat engine in industry?

　　A．Heat engines greatly promoted industry．

　　B．More money and less time were spent in producing goods．

　　C．Manufactured goods decreased a lot because of mass production．

　　D．The invention of the heat engine resulted in the invention of electricity．

　　9．Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

　　A．The animal-powered transportation was slow but comfortable．

　　B．The heat engine is the greatest invention ever in the history of industry．

　　C．The car is a means of personal transportation that is based on the heat engine．

　　D．Before the invention of the heat engine, the animal was the only means of transportation．

　　C

　　I was a fat kid who grew into an overweight adult．I was constantly laughed at for being heavier than the other kids, leaving me feeling shy．I tried several diets, but none worked, and I ended up gaining weight．Another factor contributing to my weight gain was my love for cooking, especially rich, high-fat desserts, which I enjoyed preparing and, of course, eating．

　　When I finished high school at the age of 18, I weighed 215 pounds．Lacking the self-confidence to go to a new, faraway school, I decided to stay close to home instead of going away to college．I continued with my unhealthful eating habits and felt more miserable as the weight came on, but I did nothing about it except buy larger plus-size clothes．

　　My turning point came 10 years later at a friend's New Year's Eve party when I was at my all-time highest weight of 330 pounds．I caught my reflection in a mirror and the truth hit me: I was overweight and unhealthy, and unless I did something about it now, I would only get bigger and unhappier．

　　After leaving the party, I thought about my past weight-loss efforts and realized they didn't work because they required me to give up foods I loved．Then I would constantly think about food and binge, abandoning the diet altogether．If I took a common-sense approach and ate smaller portions of all foods, I would be able to satisfy my hunger and not feel deprived．

　　My biggest challenge was finding a way to fit my passion for cooking into my healthier lifestyle．At first, I tried to stay away from the kitchen to prevent myself from thinking about food．The result: Food was all I thought about．There had to be some way to combine cooking with healthful eating．I found the solution after reading several low-fat cookbooks．With some trial and error, I could modify my favorite foods and make them low in fat, yet delicious．

　　The pounds started coming off, and when I started exercising （usually cardio and weight training five times a week）, they seemed to melt away．I didn't feel deprived, and I felt free to give my body the care and attention it deserved．

　　I lost 165 pounds over the next two years．I had many ups and downs, but I was determined to go on．Another challenge to me was not to beat myself up if I ate something that was unhealthy and to take it as a sign to abandon my healthful habits．Instead, I vowed to start again and always keep my goal in mind．

　　Thanks to losing weight and becoming fit I am in line with my body and myself．My dream is to help others realize the ease and benefits of low-fat cooking and eating．I've created and published a book of low-fat recipes（食譜） and run workshops and seminars（研討會） on healthful eating．Now that I know what I can achieve when I set my mind to it, my dreams are no longer out of reach．I have finally found myself．

　　Work out Schedule

　　Running, stair climbing, step aerobics or kickboxing: 60 minutes/5 times a week

　　Weight training: 30 minutes/3 times a week

　　Maintenance Tips

　　1．Make exercise a priority．After you work out, you'll be more likely to eathealthfully．

　　2．You don't have to miss out on enjoying your favorite foods to lose weight．Just enjoy them in smaller portions．

　　3．Don't beat yourself up if you slip．Get back to your regular exercise and eating program as soon as you can and forgive yourself．

　　Have you recently made fitness a priority?

　　10．What factors contributed to the narrator's failure in losing her weight at first?

　　A．Her laziness in starting exercising．

　　B．Her unwillingness to abandon low-tat desserts．

　　C．Her passion for cooking and unhealthy eating habits．

　　D．Her lack of maintenance tips．

　　1．What did the narrator do as she kept on gaining weight?

　　A．She tried a few low-fat diets．

　　B．She decided to stay away from home．

　　C．She bought herself clothes of larger sizes．

　　D．She could do nothing except that she felt deprived．

　　2．The narrator's story tells us that _____．

　　A．it is important to have a balanced diet

　　B．cooking by oneself will make one healthy

　　C．trial and error is important in learning cooking

　　D．reading cookbooks will help to build up a good eating habit

　　3．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

　　A．She missed opportunity to attend college because of her shyness．

　　B．She didn't attend the New Year's Eve party because of her weight．

　　C．Her dream of becoming a beautiful girl came true after she lost weight．

　　D．She didn't seriously consider losing her weight until she realized how fat she was．

　　4．It can be concluded from the passage that _____．

　　A．you will live a healthy life if you cook yourself every day

　　B．you will feel deprived if one fails to give attention to your body

　　C．it is the most important thing for you to have some maintenance tips in order to keep fit

　　D．being overweight can not only be bad for your health but also bring you much trouble in your life

　　D

　　"What's the most important thing you've done in your life?" The question was put to me during a presentation I gave to a group of lawyers．

　　The answer came to me in an instant．It's not the one I gave, because the situation wasn't right．As a lawyer in the entertainment industry, I knew the audience wanted to hear some amusing stories about my work with well-known persons．But here's the true answer:

　　The most important thing I've ever done occurred on October 8, 1990．I began the day playing tennis with an old friend I hadn't seen for a while．Between points we talked about what had been happening in each other's lives．He and his wife had just had a baby boy, who was keeping them up at night．

　　While we were playing, a car came screaming up the road toward the courts．It was my friend's father, who shouted to my friend that his baby had stopped breathing and was being rushed to the hospital．In a flash my friend was in the car and gone, disappearing in a cloud of dust．

　　For a moment I just stood there, paralyzed （呆若木雞）．Then I tried to figure out what I should do．Follow my friend to the hospital? There was nothing I could accomplish there, I convinced myself．My friend's son was in the care of doctors and nursed, and nothing I could do or say would affect the outcome．Be there for moral support? Well, maybe．But my friend and his wife both had large families, and I knew they'd be surrounded by relatives who would provide more than enough comfort and support, whatever happened．All I could do at the hospital, I decided, was get in the way．Also, I had planned a full day with my family, who were waiting for me to get home．So I decided to head back to my house and check in with my friend later, As I started my car, I realized that my friend had left his truck and keys at the courts, I now faced another problem．I couldn't leave the keys in the truck．So I decided to go to the hospital

　　and give him the keys．

　　When I arrived, I was directed to a room where my friend and his wife were waiting．As I had thought, the room was filled with family members silently watching my friend comfort his wife．I went in and stood by the door, trying to decide what to do next．Soon a doctpr appeared． He approached my friend and his wife, and in a quiet voice told them that their son had died．

　　For a long time the two held each other and cried, unaware of the rest of us standing around in pained silence．After they had calmed themselves, the doctor suggested they might want to spend a few moments with their son．

　　My friend and his wife stood up and walked past their family．When they reached the door, my friend's wife saw me standing in the corner．She came over and hugged me and started to cry My friend hugged me, too, and said, "Thanks for being here．"

　　For the rest of that morning, I sat in the emergency room of that hospital and watched my friend and his wife hold the body of their infant son, and say goodbye．

　　It's the most important thing I have ever done．

　　The experience taught me two lessons．

　　First: The most important thing I've ever done happened when I was completely helpless． None of the things I had learned in university, in three years of law school or in six

　　years of legal practice were of any use in that situation．Something terrible was happening to people I cared about, and I was powerless to change the outcome．All I could do was stand by and watch it happen．And yet it was critical that I do just that -just be there when someone needed me．

　　Second: The most important thing I've ever done almost didn't happen because of things I had learned inclassrooms and professional life．Law school taught me how to take a set of facts, break them down and organize them．These skills are critical for lawyers．When people come to us for help, I almost forgot how to feel．Today I have no doubt that I should have leapt into my car without hesitation and followed my friend to the hospital．

　　From that one experience I learned that the most important thing in life isn't the money you make, the status you attain or the honors you achieve．The most important thing in life is the kids' team you coach or the poem you write ?or the time when you're just somebody's friend．

　　5．When he was asked about the most important thing he had done in life at a presentation, the author_______．

　　A．felt it was not an interesting question

　　B．thought for a while and spoke his mind

　　C．gave an answer from a lawyer's point of view

　　D．didn't give the real answer

　　16．When he saw his friend rush to the hospital, the author could not decide whether to follow mainly because he thought ______．

　　A．he had to stay with his family

　　B．his friend did not need his help at all

　　C．he would not be of much help

　　D．the baby would be in the doctor's care