Kendall Ciesemier is the founder of charity Kids Caring 4 Kids, an organization she created after seeing a show on the difficult situation of AIDS orphans (孤儿) in Africa. Ciesemier was inspired to try to change the lives of those affected by AIDS and to encourage other children to do the same. She tells us of the power her personal story has in showing others they too can make a difference.

You saw Oprah’s show on AIDS orphans when you were 11 — do you remember how you felt?

    When I saw the show I was shocked. I had never heard of AIDS before and was concerned that kids were growing up without parents and no one had troubled to ask for my help.

    I wanted to create a place for kids to get involved and a place where their small contributions would be valued and celebrated. I also felt that I needed to take immediate action myself. I found an orphan sponsorship (赞助) program online and an eight-year-old girl from Mauritania who needed my help. I started there and Kids Caring 4 Kids grew from that experience.

How has your own illness inspired you to help others?

    Growing up with a rare liver (肝脏) disease made me feel different, which I think attracted me to others who were different and those struggling with something. I knew how I felt and I wanted to help reduce that feeling in someone else. I always wanted to support people. Growing up with an illness gave me empathy (移情) for others.

How does your own story inspire others?

    My own personal story is evidence that people can give from anywhere. I started Kids Caring 4 Kids from a hospital room. I started by helping one person and it snowballed from there. When I share my story, I think that’s what affects people the most — the fact that I started all of this during a time of personal struggle and weakness. If I could do that, then they can do something too.

21. According to the text, Kendall Ciesemier       .

    A. hosted a show on the situation in Africa

    B. was affected by AIDS and a liver disease

    C. made an effort to help African AIDS orphans

    D. earned lots of money from Kids Caring 4 Kids

22. What made Ciesemier create Kids Caring 4 Kids?

    A. Her experience in Africa.

    B. Living with a liver disease.

    C. Watching Oprah’s show on AIDS orphans.

    D. Her work with an orphan sponsorship program.

23. Ciesemier’s own illness       .

    A. caused her to lose some close friends

    B. made her discouraged and less enthusiastic

    C. kept her away from those who were different

    D. helped her easily understand other patients’ feelings

    Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to start a bed and breakfast. Four years later, the couple now dishes out banana pancake breakfasts, cleans toilets, serves homemade cookies to guests in a bed and breakfast surrounded by trees on a mountain known for colorful sunsets.

    “Do I miss the freeways? Do I miss the traffic? Do I miss the stress? No,” says Ms. Giddens. “This is a phenomenon (现象) that’s fairly widespread. A lot of people are rethinking their lives and figuring out what they want to do.” Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to sharing housing, living closer to work and commuting (通勤) less, avoiding shopping malls, borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, and taking a cut in pay to work at a more pleasurable job.

    Vicki Robin, a writer, tells us how she deals with the changes in her budget (预算), now far less than what she used to make.

    “You become conscious of where your money is going and how valuable it is,” Ms. Robin says. “You tend not to use things up. You cook at home rather than eat out. You find your life is not a mess anymore, and you discover your living costs have gone way down.”

    Janet Luhrs, a lawyer, quit her job after giving birth and leaving her daughter with a babysitter for two weeks. “It was not the way I wanted to raise my kids,” she says. “Simplicity is not just about saving money; it’s about me sitting down every night with my kids to a candlelit dinner with classical music.”

    Ms. Luhrs now edits a magazine called Simple Living, which publishes tips on how to buy recycled furniture and shoes, and organize potluck (家常便饭) dinners instead of fancy receptions.

    “Simplicity is about conscious living and creating the life you want. The less stuff you buy, the less money goes out the door, and the less money you have to earn,” Ms. Luhrs explains.

24. How does Ms. Giddens feel about the life she is living now?

    A. Bored.               B. Worried.         C. Satisfied.           D. Surprised.

25. What does the phenomenon Ms. Giddens mentioned refer to?

    A. Serving others.          B. Finding a new job.          

C. Living a simple life.        D. Opening a restaurant.

26. Janet Luhrs gave up her job as a lawyer in order to         .

    A. have one more baby girl

    B. create her own magazine

    C. make her career in music

    D. spend more time with her kids

27. In which part of a newspaper will the text most probably appear?

    A. Business.            B. Lifestyle.           C. Education.           D. Entertainment.

   For Christmas last year, Marie’s grandma wanted to get her something special. So Marie asked her grandma for her dream gift: a brand-new pair of UGG boots. All her friends had them.

    On Christmas morning, Marie really got a pair of boots. They fit perfectly. The quality was superb. There was only one thing missing: the tiny label (标签) on the heel that says UGG.

    Marie thanked her grandma. But she’s only worn those boots twice — both times to visit her grandma. “I would never wear them in public,” she says.

    Marie’s grandma would be heartbroken to know the truth. But at UGG headquarters (总部), a room full of sales managers would be cheering.

    Through clever marketing and expensive advertising, the makers of UGGs have convinced (使信服) Marie — and millions of others — that the name UGG has value far beyond what the homely slipper boots should really cost. UGGs, like North Face jackets, Nike sneakers, and other brand-name items are “status symbols”. People pay double, triple, even 10 times more for brand names than for similar items. Is a pair of $400 True Religion jeans really better than the $18 Wranglers you can get at Walmart? Maybe the quality is a bit higher. Maybe they shrink less. But are brand names really worth the exorbitant prices? Some pricey brands do, in fact, use higher-quality materials that fit better and feel nice on your skin.

    However, the truth is that the value of a brand has little to do with quality and a lot to do with status. A recent study by Consumer Reports found that some of the least expensive jeans are better made than the more expensive jeans. But that doesn’t matter. Wearing a certain label tells the world “I belong” or “I can afford it.”

    A few decades ago, the idea of a kid refusing to wear a pair of boots because the label was wrong would have seemed as crazy as talking on a phone the size of your hand.

    Clearly, times have changed.

28. When she received the Christmas gift from her grandma, Marie seemed          .

    A. excited          B. worried          C. moved            D. disappointed

29. UGG’s managers would be cheering probably because of        .

    A. its particular design            B. its successful marketing

    C. its high-quality products        D. its better customer service

30. The underlined word “exorbitant” in Paragraph 5 probably means        .

    A. high         B. good         C. average          D. attractive

31. In the author’s opinion, people wear brand-name products as a way to       .

    A. follow the fashion          

B. show themselves off

    C. keep pace with the times    

D. improve their quality of life

    The United States estimates that about one out of every 10 people on the planet today is at least 60 years old. By 2050, it’s projected to be one out of 5. This means that not only will there be more old people, but there will be relatively fewer young people to support them.

Professor Richard Lee of the University of California at Berkeley says this aging of the world has a great effect on economics. “Population aging increases the concentration of population in the older ages and therefore it is costly,” he said.

Aging populations consume (消耗) more and produce less. With more people living longer, it could get expensive. But Mr. Lee says with continuing increases in worker productivity and smart planning, it can be manageable.

Societies have different methods for caring for the elderly, but each carries a cost. Generally, there are three types of support. Seniors can live off the wealth they gained when they were younger. They can rely on their family to take care of them, or they can rely on the government.

In industrialized nations, governments created publicly-funded (公共资助的) support systems. These worked relatively well until recent years, when aging population growth in places like the United States and Western Europe began to gradually weaken the systems finances. These nations now face some tough choices. Mr. Lee says the elderly in some of these countries must either receive less money, retire later or increase taxes to make the system continuable.

Most developing nations haven’t built this type of government-funded support, but have instead relied on families to care for their elderly. These nations also generally have a much younger population, which means their situation is not as urgent as more developed nations. But Mr. Lee says that doesn’t mean they can ignore the issue. “Third World countries should give very careful thought to this process, to population aging and how it may affect their economies — now, before population aging even becomes an issue,” he explained.

32. “Aging” in this text means         .

    A. there are more young people than old people

    B. an increasing number of old people are dying

    C. more and more young people are growing old

    D. the percentage of old people in the world is increasing

33. What is Professor Richard Lee’s attitude towards population aging?

    A. Indifferent.         B. Optimistic.          C. Negative.            D. Worried.

34. The publicly-funded support systems in industrialized nations       .

    A. are facing the risk of failing          

B. have failed to provide support for the old

    C. will be replaced by other support systems       

D. have greatly affected the nations’ economies

35. We can infer from the text that developing nations      .

    A. should prepare for population aging

    B. don’t see population aging as an issue

    C. are facing urgent situations of population aging

    D. have better ways to deal with population aging

Caner

    Cancer is a disease that causes certain cells in the body to grow out of control. The human body contains billions of cells. Most of these cells reproduce themselves over and over. The body normally controls this process. In some people, however, certain cells start to multiply (繁殖) too much. These cells are not normal and can produce tumors (肿瘤).

    Some tumors are harmless, but others are very serious.   36   These destructive tumors are called cancer. Cells from these tumors sometimes spread to other parts of the body and form more tumors.

    There are many different kinds of cancer. The kind of cancer a person has depends on where it starts to grow.   37 

    There are some general symptoms(症状) that may mean a person has cancer. These symptoms include pain, weight loss that cannot be explained, fever, tiredness, and changes in the skin.   38 

For example, a cough that will not go away could be a sign of lung cancer.

Scientists don’t know why some cells multiply too quickly. However, they have discovered many things that can lead to cancer. Most cancers are caused by conditions outside the body. 39  People have a higher chance of getting some kinds of cancer if members of their families had them. A few viruses (病毒) also cause cancer.

    The easiest way to prevent cancer is to stay away from the things that might cause it.   40 

Seeing a doctor once a year helps, too. Doctors can find early warning signs of cancer.

    A. They can destroy nearby healthy cells.

    B. Getting too much sunlight can cause skin cancer.

    C. Each kind of cancer also produces specific symptoms.

    D. It also depends on what causes it and how fast it grows.

    E. Doctors suggest that people wear sunglasses when outdoors.

    F. Eating unhealthy foods and not exercising enough can also lead to cancer.

    G. Exercise and eating a lot of fruits and vegetables can also help to prevent cancer.