In the Caucasus region（高加索地區）, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100^th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100,000 reach 100. But these Caucasus people aren’t alone. The Pakistani Hunzas, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Vilcabambans of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador seem to share the secret of long life too.
　　These peoples remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Caucasus people aged 110-140, work in the fields beside their great-great-grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked, “At what age does youth end?” most of these old people had no answer. Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80.” The very youngest estimate was age 60.
　　What accounts for this ability to survive (live) to such old age, and to survive so well? First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-lived peoples. They began their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. For example, Mr. Rustam is 142 years of age. He remembers his life experience: the Crimean War of 1854; the Turkish War of 1878; the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. His wife is 116 years old. They have been married for 90 years. Mr. Rustam has no plan of retiring from his life as a farmer. “Why? What else would I do?” he asks. Oh, he’s slowed down a bit. Now he might quit (stop working) for the day after 6 hours in the field instead of 10.
　　All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. They live and work at elevations（海拔）of 5,000 to 12, 000 feet(1,660 to 4,000meters) above sea level. The air has less oxygen and is pollution-free. This reduced oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel（血管）system stronger.
　　Another factor（因素）that may lead to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent, they are separated from the pressure（壓力）and worries of industrial society.
　　Inherited（遺傳的） factors also play some role. Most of the longest-lived peoples had parents and grandparents who also reached very old age. Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer.
　　Finally, although these three groups don’t eat exactly the same foods, their diets are similar. All of them eat little animal meat. Their diets are full of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, cheese and milk. They never eat more food than their bodies need.
　　It is clear that isolation from urban pressure and pollution, clean mountain air, daily hard work, moderate diets, good genes, and a youthful approach to life all lead to the health and remarkable long life of all these people

1. 1.

   What is the main idea of this article?

   1. A.
      Cause and effect of long-lived life
   2. B.
      People in the world enjoying a longer life
   3. C.
      Factors leading to the health and long life of people
   4. D.
      A description of several societies where people living a long life
2. 2.

   “The idea of aging is foreign to them” means that ______.

   1. A.
      they don’t care much about their age
   2. B.
      they have no idea of how old they are
   3. C.
      they won’t say anything about their age until they are asked to
   4. D.
      the idea of getting old has never come into their mind
3. 3.

   How do you think the writer feels about these long-lived people?

   1. A.
      He is much impressed with them
   2. B.
      He doesn’t care a bit about them
   3. C.
      He hopes that they will live a still longer life
   4. D.
      He doesn’t think their life is full of pressure and worries

配對閱讀　左欄是五組人在春節假期期間想要做的事情，右欄是七則在《中國日報》刊登的廣告。請將左欄的相關人員與適合他們的廣告配對。

This is a happy family. There are three members (成員) in it.

1.Da Tou has______.

A.a small head                 B. two big hands

C. a green T-shirt.               D. two big eyes

2.What is Da Tou’s father’s job?

A. He is a teacher.                                B. He is a doctor.

C. He is a reporter.                               D. He is a worker.

3.Da Tou’s mother is good at　　　.

A. reading                                                        B. cooking

C. writing                                                 D. playing games

4.Which is NOT TRUE(不正確的) according to the passage?

A. Da Tou has a brother and a sister.

B. His father wears a pair of glasses.

C. His mother is a kind woman.

D. His mother works in a shop near their house.

5.What’s the best title（最好的標題）of the passage?

A. A good reporter                                             B. Da Tou and his friends

C. A happy boy                                           D. A happy family

閱讀下面的短文，根據文中信息完成文后表格。

Dear Mike,

We got your letter yesterday． Yes, we can visit you at Christmas． We planned to spend Christmas at home, but we are going to be with you． Your brother Jack will not in school then．

The weather in Chicago is cold, but it doesn’t matter． Sometimes we like the snow． We got our plane tickets the day before yesterday． We will get to your city on the 18th． We will stay with you for two weeks． Is that all right with you?

We’ll take our favourite recipes(食譜), so we can have a nice Christmas dinner．

See you soon．

Love

Mum and Dad

1.  This letter is from Mike’s　　1. ___

2.  It is　　2. ___ now, but they like the　　3. ___.

3.  Mike has a 　　4. ___called Jack. He is in　　5. ___ now.

4.  Mike’s parents will go to his city by　　6. ___. They will　　7.___in Chicago   on the 18th.

5.  His parents will stay for two　　8.___and come back on　　9.___31th.

6.  His parents will take the recipes, so they can have a wonderfu　　10.____ dinner.

My work keeps me in Hong Kong most of the year，but I try to get away for a month in summer，usually in July．Now as you probably know，that’s the main　1　season in Europe．The favorite places for vacations and the famous cities are usually very　2　． But I’m not seeking(尋求) the sun—I can get lots of 　3　in Hong Kong—and I’m certainly not seeking the crowds！So　4　I go on vacation，I buy a Train Pass(a kind of train ticket) that allows me first-class travel on most of the railways of Western Europe．First-class compartments(車廂) are　5　crowded and they are very comfortable．If you’re going on　6　trip, you can take a sleeping train for an extra charge．There are usually dining cars(餐車) in the train．
I find that train travel is restful and　7　．There’s always　8　to see．I particularly(特別地) enjoy　9　through Switzerland and Italy．You can get a very good　10　of what a country is like from a train because you don’t go too fast and you stop quite often．Also train travel is very safe，and I am never sick on a train　11　I am on a ship. Then there are always people to　12　to if you feel like a chat.
The reason that I seldom(很少) travel by plane is quite　13　: because train stations are usually built in the centre．I don’t have to　14　transport(運輸工具), transport can be a problem when arriving by　15　．