Some couples spend every waking minute together. Others fill their hours with personal hobbies,outside interests and even part-time jobs, just to keep their distance from each other! "There should be private time and couple time," suggests Dr. Stephen Treat at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia."You don't want your latter years to turn into a process where two people unite as one. If you hold too tightly to your partner, it's going to cause resentment and anger. If you're completely separate, you'll both be lonely and disconnected. You need balance. So you have to talk about how you'll achieve that." The right balance? It's different for every couple. "Having a conversation about time can be difficult,but it's important for both partners to process those feelings out loud," Dr. Treat says. "You should not be accusing and act as a judge--ask the difficult questions, but do it in a loving way. You could say something like, 'How are we going to be as individuals and how are we going to be as a couple?' " Barbara and Chris Christensen have achieved the balance that works for them. In addition to daily routines that keep them close--including about 10 minutes for a daily check-in and about a half hour of relaxation time--they each maintain separate interests and friendships. "We have found that we need time apart," Barbara says. "I have a group of women friends that I have known for the last 30 years. We have dinner out once a month. We women also have parties and weekend or weeklong vacations as a group at a beach or somewhere. Chris, a former fighter pilot, has many aviation-oriented groups and friends and also a poker-playing group of our friends. I may be with him during the poker night, but I don't play, and the wives usually watch a chick flick' DVD or something while the poker group has an evening of fun. We have found it important to have separate time as well as together time." It can be inferred that _ . A) many couples are faced with problems after retirement B) America has a large population of retired people C) most people join various social groups after retirement D) playing poker is a popular activity among retired people
A
(Question)
Autumn and winter are cold and flu seasons. Will the old advice about dressing warmly help prevent a cold, or if you get sick, should you follow the old saying, "feed a cold and starve a fever?" And what about that fever? Should you take medicine to reduce your temperature, or is it better to let the body treat the fever itself? Everyone seems to have an answer. But is popular wisdom valuable? Doctor Nelson knows a lot about cold and flu seasons. Nelson says research may be just starting to provide proofs for long-held beliefs. For example, scientists for years were against the idea that getting cold and wet might cause colds or flu. But recent studies have shown that cold temperatures cause stress on the body, and that stress can create conditions more inviting to viruses. So maybe it does make sense to wrap up warmly before going outside. And what about feeding a cold and starving a fever? Nelson says if you have a cold and are hungry, you should eat. But a fever, especially a high one, suggests a more serious problem. He says people are usually not hungry when they have a high fever. Eating might even make a person sick. But drinking enough water is important. A fever easily makes the body lose water. Finally, when should you treat a fever? Nelson says a fever should be treated if it stays at 40degC or above for a day or more. A high temperature can damage brain cells. The doctor also believes in treating a fever if it prevents a person from sleeping. Medicine like aspirin, for example, can be used to reduce pain and fever. But aspirin should not be given to children because it can cause serious problems. Which of the following is Not mentioned in the passage? A) When people should treat a fever B) Whether the old advice about preventing a cold is valuable. C) What the medicine , aspirin, is used for. D) Why people should eat when having a cold.
(Answer)
D
Ques: At Dulles High school in Sugar Land, Texas, the roster for Advanced Chinese begins with Jason Chao and ends with Kathy Zhang. In between comes an unexpected name: Elizabeth Hoffman. Hoffman, now a 12thgrader, began learning Chinese in the eighth grade, has spent a summer studying in Nanjing and plans to perfect her Mandarin next fall. When asked by her peers---why she is learning Chinese, she responds with a question: "why aren't you?" As China rushes toward superpower status, America's schools and government officials are responding to Hoffman's opinion. Earlier this year Eush Holt of New Jersey introduced legialation calling for increased money of programs for less commonly taught languages, "For reasons of economics, culture and security, we should have much better facilities with Chinese languages and dialects," he said. The State Department has pointed out Chinese is becoming a "critical language", but the most recent data show that only 24,000 students in Grade 7 to Grade 12 study Chinese. Still, the number is growing. In Chicago public schools, enrollment in Chinese classes has skyrocked from 5000 students in 2005 to nearly 35,000 students this year. In the Santa Clara County, California, enrollment has quadrupled during the same period. In 2007, when the College Board first introduces advanced-placement language exams in Chinese and Italian, 2,400 high school plan to offer AP Chinese---10 times the number of students that plan to offer AP Italian. Much of the interest can be explained by China's increasing competiviveness. "People are always trying to judge what languages are going to be useful for the future," says Marty Abbot, the director of education at the National Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, Stephanie Wong, a student At Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, chose Chinese so that she could speak with her grandfather. Wong also predicted that Chinese will be important if she becomes a doctor. 80 percent of people in her hometown are Asians. According to the text, Chinese is becoming a "critical language" because _ . A) American government has pointed it out B) Rush Holt introduced legislation calling for opening Chinese C) China rushes toward superpower status D) many students in the world choose to learn Chinese
Ans: C
Animals are a favorite subject of many photographers. Cats, dogs, and other pets top the list, followed by zoo animals. However, because it's hard to get them to sit still and "perform on command," some professional photographers refuse to photograph pets. One way to get an appealing portrait of a cat or dog is to hold a biscuit or treat above the camera. The animal's longing look toward the food will be captured by the camera, but the treat won't appear in the picture because it's out of the camera's range. When you show the picture to your friends afterwards, they'll be impressed by your pet's loving expression. If you are using fast film, you can take some good, quick shots of a pet by simply snapping a picture right after calling its name. You'll get a different expression from your pet using this technique. Depending on your pet's mood, the picture will capture an interested, curious expression or possibly a look of annoyance, especially if you've awakened it from a nap. Taking pictures of zoo animals requires a little more patience. After all, you can't wake up a lion! You may have to wait for a while until the animal does something interesting or moves into a position for you to get a good shot. When photographing zoo animals, don't get too close to the cages, and never tap on the glass or throw things between the bars of a cage. Concentrate on shooting some good pictures, and always respect the animals you are photographing. What is the use of a biscuit in taking pictures of a pet? A) To capture a cute look. B) To create a special atmosphere. C) To arouse the appetite of the pet. D) To keep the pet from looking at the camera.
A