If you're a male and you're reading this, congratulations! You're a survivor. According to statistics,you're more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman,and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term,about 78 years for men in Australia,you'll die on average five years before a woman. There're many reasons for this--typically,men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke but perhaps more importantly, men don't go to the doctor. "Men aren't seeing doctors as often as they should," says Dr. Gullotta."This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike. According to a recent survey, 95%of women aged between 15 and early 49s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70%of men in the same age group. "A lot of men think they're unbeatable,"Gullotta says."They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, Geez, if it could happen to him ..." Then there's the ostrich approach."Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know," says Dr. Ross Cartmill. "Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies," Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups. "Prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases.Besides, the final cost is far greater,it's called premature death." Which of the author's statements is the most important reason that men die five years earlier on average than women according to the passage? A) Men drink and smoke much more than women. B) Men don't seek medical care as often as women. C) Men are more likely to suffer from deadly diseases. D) Men aren't as cautious as women in face of danger.
B


They say that soon, we will be able to receive more than 500 television networks on cable or by satellite. Some people think that it's useless to have that many channels. Their usual criticism  goes something like this: "I already get more channels on my TV than I have time to watch. No one needs to see that much TV. There's not enough time in the day to watch all that!"They also say that most of what's on television now isn't worth watching in the first place. I think they're missing the point. If the local library wanted to add another 5,000 books, would we say, "That's silly, we'll never have time to read all those books"? The point is that we would have more choices. I don't believe that most people should watch more television. And if we had 500 or even 1,000 channels to choose from, we wouldn't have to spend more time watching TV. We would, however, have more programs to choose from. That means that the quality of our viewing time would be improved. I think the more channels we have, the better. Give me more choices! If they're not worth my time, I'll just hit the "off" button. To make his point, the author compares the development of TV networks to that of   _  . A) schoolyards B) computers C) libraries D) satellites
C


Q: When I was sixteen years old, I made my first visit to the United States. It wasn't the first time I had been abroad. Like most English children I learned French at school. And I had often been to France, so I was used to speaking a foreign language to people who didn't understand English. But when I went to America I was really looking forward to having a nice easy holiday without any language barriers.  How wrong I was! The misunderstandings  began at the airport. I was looking for a public telephone to give my American friend Penny a call and tell her that I had arrived. A friendly old man saw me looking lost and asked if he could help me. "Yes," I said, "I want to give my friend a ring." "Well, that's nice," he said. "Are you getting married? But aren't you a bit  young?" "Who is talking about marriage?" I replied. "I only want to give my friend a ring to tell her I've arrived. Can you tell me where there's a phone box?" "Oh!" he said, "There's a phone downstairs." When at last we met, Penny explained the misunderstandings to me. "Don't worry," she said to me. "I had so many difficulties at first. There are lots of words which the Americans use differently in meaning from British. You'll soon get used to all the funny things _ say. Most of the time British and American people understand each other!" At first the writer thought   _   in America. A) he wouldn't have any language difficulties B) he would not understand the Americans C) the Americans might not understand him D) it wouldn't be an easy and relaxing holiday
A: A


Q: Before the opening of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914,the only way ships could leave Boston was on a route around Race Point--the northern tip of Cape Cod.However,navigation during the 18th century was a nightmare,because the floating cross current  around Race Point caused countless accidents.So building a lighthouse to lighten the place was very necessary. As early as 1808,the people of Provincetown requested a lighthouse on Race Point,but it took Congress eight years to react when they finally paid $ 8,000 on April 27,1816 to build a lighthouse --Race Point Light,which was located in the town of Provincetown,Massachusetts.It was first built of stone 25 feet high with no foundation and its light was 30 feet above the sea.It was equipped with one of the nation's earliest revolving lights. Actually,there were two other lighthouses on Cape Cod,but they were hit by a storm in October 1841.In the following year,Race Point Light was examined by I.W.P.Lewis,who realized the light's importance.He said,"The light should be useful to all ships leaving Boston.However,its _ power is so weak that people would hardly be able to differentiate it from the lights set on the ships which stay in the bay,or close by.It hasn't played its role as a lighthouse well." The result was that old lighthouse was destroyed and a new iron lighthouse with a proper foundation was put up to take its place.The new lighthouse was 45 feet high.Although the original keeper's house was in good repair,it was destroyed too and a new one was built.Today the lighthouse has been automated and Race Point Light is still an active aid to navigation. You can park at Race Point Beach and walk about 45 minutes to the lighthouse.Sunset at Race Point Light is one of the Cape Cod's most popular scenes.And at times whales can be seen in the lighthouse.For reservations to stay one night in the keeper's house at Race Point call(508)487-9930. Why was the original Race Point Light replaced by a new one? A) It was too old to repair properly. B) It hadn't done a good job in helping the passing ships. C) It was destroyed in a storm in October 1841. D) It wasn't high enough and had no foundation.

A: B