There was a gardener who looked after his garden with great care. To water his flowers，he used two buckets(水桶).One was a shiny and new bucket. The other was a very old and dilapidated one，which had seen many years of service，but was now past its best.
Every morning，the gardener would fill up the two buckets. Then he would carry them along the path，one on each side，to the flowerbeds. The new bucket was very proud of itself. It could carry a full bucket of water without a single drop spilled. The old bucket felt very ashamed(惭愧的)because of its holes: before it reached the flowerbeds，much water had leaked(渗漏)along the path.
Sometimes the new bucket would say，"See how capable I am! How good it is that the gardener has me water the flowers every day! I don’t know why he still uses you. What a waste of space you are!"
And all that the old bucket could say was，"I know I am not very useful，but I can only do my best. I am happy that the gardener still finds a little bit of use in me ，at least.’’
One day，the gardener heard that kind of conversation. After watering the flowers as usual，he said，"You both have done your work very well. Now I am going to carry you back，and I want you to look carefully along the path."
Then the two buckets did so. All along the path, they noticed，on the side where the new bucket was carried，there was just bare earth；on the other side where the old bucket was carried，there was a joyous row of wild flowers，leading all the way to the garden.
19．What was the old bucket ashamed of?
A．Its past. B．Its aging. C．Its manner. D．Its leaking.
20．What does the underlined word "dilapidated" probably mean?
A．Dirty. B．Dark. C．Worn out. D．Ordinary-looking.
21．The new bucket made conversations with the old one mainly to________.
A．take pity on the old one B．laugh at the old one
C．show off its good look D．praise the gardener's kindness
22．Why was the old bucket still kept by the gardener?
A．Because it was used to keep a balance.
B．Because it stayed in its best condition.
C．Because it had its own advantage.
D．Because it was thought of as a treasure.
19．D
20．C
21．B
22．C
【分析】
这是一篇记叙文。短文给我们讲述了一个寓言故事，告诉我们每个人都是有自己的用处的。
19．细节理解题。由第二段“The old bucket felt very ashamed(惭愧的)because of its holes: before it reached the flowerbeds，much water had leaked(渗漏)along the path.”可知，旧水桶身上有很多小洞，等提着这个水桶到花圃时，水桶里的水大多都已经洒了一路，这让它非常自卑。所以旧水桶对漏水感到自卑。故选D项。
20．词义猜测题。由第一段“The other was a very old and dilapidated one，which had seen many years of service，but was now past its best.”可知，另外一个已经破旧不堪了，用了很多年，看起来已经不太能用了。所以通过上下文语境可以判断出，下划线的“dilapidated”可能是worn out“破旧的”的意思。故选C项。
21．推理判断题。由第三段“Sometimes the new bucket would say，“See how capable I am! How good it is that the gardener has me water the flowers every day! I don’t know why he still uses you. What a waste of space you are!”可知， 有时候新水桶会说，“看我多厉害，花圃有我每天给它浇水多好，我不知道他为什么还要用你，你简直是浪费空间。”所以通过新水桶所说的话可以判断出，新水桶与旧水桶交谈主要是为了嘲笑旧水桶。故选B项。
22．推理判断题。由最后段“Then the two buckets did so. All along the path, they noticed, on the side where the new bucket was carried, there was just bare（光秃秃的）earth; on the other side where the old bucket was carried, there was a joyous row of wild flowers, leading all the way to the garden.可知，两只水桶都这么做了。沿着回去的路，他们发现，园丁拎着新水桶的那一边的路上，地上都是光秃秃的，而拎着就水桶的那一边，却有一排令人欣喜的野花，铺满了花圃的整条小路。所以这说明这只破水桶也有作用和价值，浇灌了它那一边的花草。故判断出为什么那个旧水桶还被园丁使用着是因为它有自己的优势。故选C项。
【点睛】
根据文章中人物所说的话的内容是解决推理判断题的重要方法，因为通过所说的内容，我们可以判断出，作者所要想表达的观点是积极的还是消极的，是中立的还是支持或者否定某一方，对事情是关心的还是冷漠的。是在提出建议还是在提出具体的解决措施。
由第三段“Sometimes the new bucket would say，“See how capable I am! How good it is that the gardener has me water the flowers every day! I don’t know why he still uses you. What a waste of space you are!”可知， 有时候新水桶会说，“看我多厉害，花圃有我每天给它浇水多好，我不知道他为什么还要用你，你简直是浪费空间。”所以通过新水桶所说的话可以判断出，新水桶与旧水桶交谈主要是为了嘲笑旧水桶。故小题3选B项。
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力；适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
| Passage outline | Supporting details |
| The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51．. |
| 52． with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53． old men’s premature death. • When 54． from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
| Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55． activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56． to them. • Think about how to57． depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58．, to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
| Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59．to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60． social life. |