When should people be made to retire? 55? 65? Should there be a compulsory age limit?

Many old people work well into their 70s and 80s, running families, countries or corporations. Other people,however, despite being fit and highly talented, are forced to retire in their fifties or even earlier because of the regulations of a company or the nation. This essay will examine whether people should be allowed to continue working as long as they want or whether they should be encouraged to retire at a particular stage.

Some people think there are several arguments for allowing older people to continue working as long as they are able. First of all, older employees have an immense amount of knowledge and experience which can be lost to a business or organization if they are made to retire. A second point is that older employees are often extremely loyal employees and are more willing to carry out company policies than younger less committed staff. However, a more important point is regarding the attitudes in society to old people. To force someone to resign or retire at 60 indicates that the society does not value the input of these people and that effectively their useful life is over. Age is irrelevant to a working life, surely if older employees are told they cannot work after 60, this is age discrimination. That they become old does not necessarily mean they are going to be sick. Old people could be more aware, experienced and committed than some youngsters.

Others, however, think that allowing older people to work indefinitely is not a good policy. Age alone is no guarantee of ability. Old people are only ambitious workaholics who are too selfish and self-centered to believe that a younger person could do better. Actually, many younger employees have more experience or skills than older staff, who may have been stuck in one area or unit for most of their working lives. Having compulsory retirement allows new ideas in an organization. In addition, without age limits, however, many people would continue to work purely because they did not have any other plans or roles. A third point of view is that older people should be rewarded by society for their life’s labor by being given generous pensions and the freedom to enjoy their leisure. We now have youngsters who can’t find jobs because old people are choosing not to retire. Old people are not retiring because this new generation of “old people” think they will never die due to modern advances in medicine.

With many young people unemployed or frustrated in low-level positions, there are often calls to compulsorily retire older workers. However, this can affect the older individual’s freedom and right to work and can deprive(剝奪) society of valuable experience and insights. I feel that giving workers more flexibility and choice over their retirement age will benefit society and the individual.

1.What is the purpose of this passage?

A. To explain the compulsory age limit.

B. To discuss the retirement age.

C. To examine people’s working life.

D. To introduce a particular stage.

2.Which of the following is NOT a reason for allowing old people to continue working according to the passage?

A. Their contribution should be valued.

B. Their experience should be made use of.

C. They can help the youngsters.

D. They are loyal employees.

3.It can be inferred in the fourth passage that ______.

A. The young people have more creative spirits

B. Modern advances in medicine make old people never die

C. Pensions and freedom are not given to the old now

D. Old people believe that a younger person could do better

4.The passage is arranged as follows:

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2016屆江蘇省鹽城市高三上學(xué)期期中模擬練習(xí)英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Patients and doctors alike have long believed in the healing (治療) power of humor．It is claimed that humor not only affects patients’ moods，but can actually help them recover faster.

Several studies seem to support this．Patients in better spirits are known to have higher immune cell counts．Some have even claimed to have healed themselves of serious illnesses by reading comics and watching comedies.

Despite all this，many researchers are not convinceD． They point out the fact that many sufferings have been known to disappear naturally，with or without a daily dose of laughter．They also say that while optimism in general does seem to be related to better health，it is hard to tell which comes first.

Humor in times of stress，however，clearly makes us feel better．On one level，it takes our minds off our troubles and relaxes us．On another，it releases powerful endorphins，a chemical produced by your body that reduces pain．

There are cases where the appreciation of a good joke is indeed directly related to a person’s health．It can show，for example，whether a person has suffered damage to one particular area of the brain: the right frontal lobe (額葉)．

Scientists confirmed this by having people read jokes and asking them to choose the funniest endings from a list．Subjects with normal brains usually chose endings that were based on a relatively complex synthesis (綜合) of ideas．Subjects with specifically located brain damage，however，responded only to slapstick (鬧劇) endings，which did not depend on a particular context．When pressed，the brain-damaged subjects saw the logic in the correct endings．They simply did not find them funny.

Of course，humor is largely an individual matter．Next time your friend does not get one of your jokes，there is no need to accuse him of being a lamebrain．However，you might suggest that he lighten up—for the health of it．

1.We can infer from the passage that ________.

A． all researchers have agreed on the healing power of humor

B． people seldom accuse their friends of not understanding jokes

C． the author holds a positive attitude to the healing power of humor

D． reading comics will surely become a popular way of treating diseases

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A． Many researchers are not convinced of the healing power of humor.

B． Patients in bad moods are known to have higher immune cell counts．

C． Optimism in general does seem to be related to better health.

D． People should try their best to cheer up for their good health.

3.Scientists had some people read jokes and asked them to choose the funniest endings from a list to confirm that ________.

A． the brain-damaged people are different from those with normal brains

B． a person with a normal brain usually responds to slapstick endings

C． a person suffering certain brain damage doesn’t appreciate a good joke

D． humor takes our minds off our troubles by releasing powerful endorphins

4.Which would be the best title for the passage?

A． Which comes first，humor or health?

B． Humor can cure different illnesses

C． People need humor in times of stress

D． Humor contributes to good health

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2016屆遼寧實(shí)驗(yàn)中學(xué)分校高三12月月考英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Death is natural, but do you have any idea of the process of dying? Modern scientists divide the process of dying into two phases --- clinical or temporary death and biological death. Clinical death occurs when the vital organs, such as the heart or lungs, have ceased to function, but have not suffered permanent damage. The organism can still be revived(復(fù)活). Biological death occurs when changes in the organism lead to the “breaking up” of vital cells and tissues. Death is then unchangeable and final.

Scientists have been seeking a way to prolong the period of clinical death so that the organism can remain alive before biological death occurs. The best method developed so far involves cooling of the organism, combined with narcotic sleep. By slowing down the body’s metabolism(新陳代謝), cooling delays the processes leading to biological death.

To illustrate how this works, scientists performed an experiment on a six-year-old female monkey called Keta. The scientist put Keta to sleep with a narcotic. Then they surrounded her body with ice-bags and began checking her body temperature. When it had dropped to 28 degrees the scientists began draining blood from an artery. The monkey’s blood pressure decreased and an hour later both the heart and breathing stopped: clinical death set in. For twenty minutes Keta remained in this state. Her temperature dropped to 22 degrees. At this point the scientists pumped blood into an artery in the direction of the heart and started artificial breathing. After two minutes Keta’s heart became active once more. After fifteen minutes, spontaneous(自發(fā)的)breathing began, and after four hours Keta opened her eyes and lifted her head. After six hours, when the scientists tried to give her a penicillin injection, Keta seized the syringe and ran with it around the room. Her behavior differed little from that of a healthy animal.

1.For a person who suffers from the clinical death, _________.

A. his most important organs are damaged.

B. he still has the possibility of getting back to life.

C. he can not avoid final death.

D. he is still very much alive

2.Scientists try to make the time of clinical death longer in order to __________.

A. slow down the body’s metabolism.

B. bring vital cells and tissues back to active life.

C. cool the organism.

D. delay the coming of biological death.

3.How did the scientists put Keta into clinical death?

A. By putting her to sleep, lowering her temperature and draining her blood.

B. By surrounding her body with ice-bags and draining her blood.

C. By lowing her blood pressure and stopping her heart from beating.

D. By draining her blood, lowering her blood pressure and stopping her breathing.

4. All of the following indicate that the monkey has almost restored to her original physical state except the fact that__________.

A. her heart beat again.

B. she regained her normal breath.

C. she rejected a penicillin injection.

D. she acted as lively as a healthy monkey.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2016屆江蘇省常州市兩校高三聯(lián)考英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：單項(xiàng)填空

—You wanted to leave early and Jack wanted to leave late?

—Yes, but we split the ________ and left at noon.

A. difference B. relation

C. contradiction D. principle

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2016屆河北衡水第二中學(xué)高三上學(xué)期期中英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：完形填空

閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never got. I’ve always tried to keep my ________ from people who are rude, aggressive and mean. But sometimes we ________ become tied to people who might not have our best ________ at heart.

Last summer, I became involved with a(n) ________ coworker who was at a bad spot in his life. I had a lot of________ for him and decided to help him ________ this tough time, so I tried my best to ________ his rudeness when he lost his temper. However, just like a swimmer drowning in a pool, he grabbed on and ended up drowning me when I reached out and tried to ________ him. His rudeness gradually was out of ________ . One night, when I got up to get a glass of water, he started yelling at me to get back into my bedroom. I did as I was told but I was not happy about it. He ________ my shift in mood and asked what was wrong. But when I told him his behavior toward me was ________ and that I was very hurt by the way he had treated me, he was ________ . He could not understand his actions had ________ impacted me. He told me he didn’t have anything against me that there was no need for me to ________it. I used examples from his life of things that had hurt him and then tried to make the ________ that the same things also made me ________ . I said, “ I always treat you with compassion, patience and understanding, but you haven’t treated me with ________ respect.” He was silent after listening to my words. What I had said might ________ him.

People only change if they want to change. I didn’t know whether he would shift his ________or not in the future, but I would continue to________ him through my patience, understanding and kindness.

1.A. difference B. distance C. pressure D. absence

2.A. luckily B. expectantly C. unwillingly D. unavoidably

3.A. decisions B. performances C. interests D.consequences

4.A. co-operative B. kind-hearted C. easy-going D. bad-tempered

5.A. advice B. sympathy C. permission D. selection

6.A. get across B. get out of C. get through D. get off

7.A.control B.tolerate C. criticize D. explain

8.A.rescue B. persuade C. entertain D. drag

9.A. practice B. action C. control D. danger

10.A. forgave B. ignored C. understood D. noticed

11.A. unacceptable B. appropriate C. unnecessary D. traditional

12.A. surprised B. scared C. anxious D. shamed

13.A. properly B. directly C. deliberately D. equally

14.A. accept B. doubt C. refuse D. mind

15.A. summary B. analysis C. comparison D. expectation

16.A. upset B. unfriendly C. puzzled D. selfish

17.A. promised B. deserved C. proven D. intended

18.A. annoy B. satisfy C. touch D. inspire

19.A. ambition B. involvement C. requirement D. perspective

20.A. convince B. trust C. praise D. comfort

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2016屆安徽蚌埠市高三12月月考英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：語(yǔ)法填空

閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當(dāng)?shù)膬?nèi)容（1個(gè)單詞）或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。將答案填寫在答題卡的相應(yīng)位置。

Many years ago there was such a child with the name Hokey___1.___ father brought home a mirror. Hokey had never seen one before so when he saw it for___2.__ first time, he didn’t understand __3.__ it was, but he saw another boy in the mirror, which made him very happy, for he thought the boy had come to play with him. He spoke to the stranger in a very friendly way, but received no reply. He laughed and waved at the boy, who did __4.__ (exact) the same thing. Then he thought, “I’ll go closer. It may be because he doesn’t hear me.” But when he began to talk, the other boy imitated him.

Hokey stopped____5.__(think) about these strange actions, saying to himself.，“This boy is fooling me. He does everything that I do.” The more he thought about it, the __6.___(angry)he became and soon he noticed the boy became very angry too. So Hokey ___7.__(strike) the boy in the glass, but he only hurt his own hand and went___8.___(cry) to his father, who said, “The boy you saw was ___9.__ image. This should teach you an important lesson, my son. You should never show your anger to others. Now remember that in real life when you strike___10.__ cause you will hurt yourself most of all..

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年浙江臺(tái)州中學(xué)高二上第三次統(tǒng)練英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Let's do some sleep math. You lost two hours of sleep every night last week because of a big project due on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, you slept in, getting four extra hours. On Monday morning, you were feeling so bright-eyed, and you only had one cup of coffee, instead of your usual two. But don't be cheated by your energy: You’re still carrying around a heavy load of sleepiness, or what experts call “sleep debt”.

Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you should get and the amount you actually get. It’s a deficit that grows every time we remove some minutes off our nightly sleep. “People get more and more sleep debt without noticing it,” says William Dement, founder of the Stanford University Sleep Research Centre. Studies show that such short-term lack of sleep leads to a foggy brain, worsened eyesight, and trouble remembering. Long-term effects include obesity, and heart disease. A survey reports that we’re losing one hour of sleep each night—more than two full weeks of sleep each year.

The good news is that, like all debts, sleep debt can be paid off with some work. Adding an extra hour or two of sleep a night is the way to catch up. For the long-term lack of sleep, take it easy for a few months to get back into a natural sleep pattern(模式). Go to bed when you are tired, and allow your body to wake you in the morning naturally (no alarm clock allowed).

As you pay off sleep debt, your body will come to a rest at a sleep pattern that is particularly right for you. Sleep researchers believe that although the exact genes (基因) remain to be discovered, genes do determine our individual sleep patterns. That probably means you can’t train yourself to be a “short sleeper” and you’re fooling yourself if you think you’ve done it, so earn back that lost sleep and follow the orders of your inner sleep needs. When you put away sleep debt, you become a superman.

1.The example of sleep math is used to show___________.

A. how you build up your sleep debt

B. how you can pay off sleep debts at weekends

C. why you need enough sleep every night

D. why you should drink coffee to stay energetic

2. What does the underlined word “deficit” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A. full sleep B. light sleep

C. deep sleep D. lack of sleep

3.Those in sleep debt for a long time are likely to suffer from____________.

A. failing eyesight B. poor memory

C. weak heart D. weight loss

4.It’s impossible to train oneself to be a “short sleeper” because _________.

A. one can only get their energy during long sleep

B. how one sleeps is determined when they were born

C. one will feel tired if their sleep is less than needed

D. one sleeps more when developing a natural sleep pattern

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2016屆內(nèi)蒙古赤峰二中高三上學(xué)期12月月考英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：七選五

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng).

Each year there is an increasing number of cars on roads and streets as millions of new cars and trucks are produced. One out of every six Americans works at putting together the parts of cars, driving trucks, building roads or filling cars and trucks with gas. 1.

Most Americans would find it hard to imagine what life would look like without cars. 2.. The polluted air becomes poisonous and dangerous to health.

3.. That’s what several of the large car factories have been trying to do. But to build a clean car is easier said than done. Progress in this field has been slow.

Another way is to take the place of the car engine by something else. 4.. Many makers believe that it will take years to develop a practical model that pleases man.

To prevent the world from being polluted by cars, we’ll have to make some changes in the way many of us live. Americans, for example, have to cut down on the number of their total cars. They are encouraged to travel and go to work by bicycle. Bicycling is thought to help the air clean. But this change does not come easily. A large number of workers may find themselves without jobs if a car factory closes down. 5..

Although cars have led us to a better life, they have also brought us new problems.

A. Inventors are now working on steam cars as well as electric cars

B. Americans know cars very well.

C. However, some have realized the serious problems of the air pollution that is caused by cars.

D. One way to get rid of the polluted air is to build a car that does not pollute.

E. However, the number of vehicles has continued to increase in recent years.

F. Americans won’t live without cars!

G. Thus the problem of air pollution would become less important than that of unemployment..

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2016屆廣東中山市七校聯(lián)合體高三上學(xué)期12月聯(lián)考英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

As many as 28 different varieties of precious stones were used to decorate the outside of the Taj Mahal. Construction took around 20 years. The building, which was made from white marble from the quarries(采石場(chǎng)) of Rajasthan, appears pink in the morning, white in the day and golden in the moonlight.

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Akashi Strait, Japan

It took 10 years to construct the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. It connects the city of Kobe, on Japan’s mainland, with Iwaya on Awaji Island. Before it opened, the only way to get between the two cities was by ferry. However, the waterway was at the mercy of severe storms and when two ferries overturned in 1955, killing 168 people, public anger convinced the government of the need for a bridge. It's the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a length of 1,991 meters.

Panama Canal, Panama

More than 4. 5 million cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction of this canal’s locks and dams. The Panama Canal is a 47-mile long waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The earth and rubble dug to make way for it was enough to bury Manhattan to a depth of four meters. A series of locks allows ships to pass through the water. Each lock door weighs 750 tons and each lock fills with 52 million gallons of water to accommodate the 15,000 ships that use the canal every year.

Grand Canyon Skywalk, Arizona

The Skywalk’s foundation is strong enough to support 71 million pounds , Located 1,219 meters above the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon's Sky Walk consists of one million pounds of steel and 83,000 pounds of glass. It was the creation of Las Vegas businessman David Jin, who approached the Hualapai Tribe with the idea of a glass walkway over the Grand Canyon in 1996. The Sky walk was assembled on site.

1.The Japanese government decided to build the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge ___________

A. in the year of 1955

B. following public opinion

C. to show its national power

D. to develop Japan’s economy

2.The Grand Canyon Skywalk is probably a real challenge for those who __________

A. are airsick

B. hate rock climbing

C. have a fear of height

D. feel ill traveling in boat

3.In which section of a book can the text probably be seen?

A. Science B. Agriculture C. Technology D. Geography

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