The steady increase in women having babies later in life is undeniable. First-time mothers are more likely to be 35 or older than their counterparts (对应者) from two decades ago, according to the Pew Research Center. While the number of first-time moms between ages 20 and 24 falls, the number of births to women in their 30s and 40s keeps growing. In addition, recent wide-ranging studies have found significant long-term benefits in waiting to have babies. These benefits counterbalance (抵消) some worries about being an older mother and the effects it may have on children.

Longevity for women who wait

A study in the journal Menopause examined older mothers’ life expectancy (寿命) and found that women who had their last child after the age of 33 are more likely to live to 95. In fact, researchers reported that these women had twice the chance of living to 95 or older than those who had their last child before their 30th birthday. The news for women having babies after 40 is equally promising.

Boosted brainpower for older mothers

It’s also possible that later pregnancies (怀孕) protect against cognitive decline. Researchers at the University of Southern California found that women have better brainpower if they have their last baby after age 35. The researchers looked at the pregnancy history of a group of 830 women ages 41 to 92. Their research provides strong support of a positive association between later age at last pregnancy and late-life cognition.

Increased income over time

There’s a measurable link between the age you have your first child and income gains and losses. Women who start their families when they are older are likely to increase their earning potential.

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Older parents who are less stressed about income or job security tend to be more patient and can spend more time with their children. Parents who have more secondary education can also offer more specific stimulation to their children, which can be helpful for development. An investigation of 8- to 12-year-olds explored how specific parenting beliefs and behaviors—such as reading, constructive play with children. The research published in the Journal of Family Psychology found that parent education and income positively affect child achievement.

Having babies later in life

Speedy eaters are three times more likely to be too fat, a problem which is made even worse by the popularity of fast food and the decrease of regular dining habits, some Japanese researchers said on Wednesday.

The findings, published in the British Medical Journal, pay special attention to how eating styles, and not just what or how much is eaten, can affect an obesity epidemic(肥胖流行病) that is becoming more and more severe because of the speed of the Western-style diet in many parts of the world.

The World Health Organization considers around 400 million people in the world as too fat, 20 million of whom are under the age of five. The researchers are concerned that the condition raises the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes(糖尿病) and heart problems.

For their study, Hiroyasu Iso and the team at Osaka University asked more than 3000 Japanese volunteers who are 30 to 69 years old about their eating. About half of the men and a little more than half of the women said they ate until full. About 45 percent of the men and 36 percent of the women said they ate quickly.

Those who said they ate until full and ate quickly were three times more likely to be fat than people in the “not eating until full and not eating quickly” group, the researchers found.

They believe that the main causes are both the popularity of eating cheap fast food and bad habits such as watching television while eating.

To fight against the bad effect of eating quickly and being too full that can lead to obesity, parents should encourage children to eat slowly and in calm environments, the study suggested.

阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

Lester liked to collect things. He was always hoping that something interesting would present itself at his feet. Lester had found many things this way. Whenever he found an object that interested him, he added it to the collection on his dresser.

One day, Lester was walking home from school. As usual, he had his eyes glued to the pavement, hoping for something to add to his collection. Just as he turned the corner to his street, he saw something on the ground. When he bent down to pick it up, he was amazed! It was small, but it was very shiny and sparkled in the sun. “It’s a diamond!” he thought. He could not be sure, though. He had never really seen any diamonds except for the one in his mother’s ring.

Lester picked the stone up and carefully put it into his pocket. When he reached his house, he ran to his bedrooms. He began to examine his find using a magnifying glass(放大镜). It looked like a diamond. He had heard that diamonds can cut glass, so he took the stone into the tiny cut on the mirror’s surface. It was a real diamond.

“It must have fallen out of someone’s ring,” Lester thought. “That means somebody lost it.” He thought about what his mom had said about finding something valuable. “You should always give it to the police, so they can try to find the owner,” she had told him.

When Lester’s mom came home from work, he showed her the stone and asked what he should do with it. “We can go down to the police station tomorrow,” she replied. “You did theright thing by showing me this. I know that if I had lost the diamond out of my ring, I would be very upset.”

注意：

1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph 1:

The next day, Lester and his mom carried the tiny stone to the police station._____________                  

Paragraph 2:

Lester walked out of the police station with a big smile on his face.                                         

“The gaokao, China's national college entrance exam, is winning more recognition as a way for universities overseas to evaluate Chinese students,” recruiting officers said.

Stanley Nel, vice-president of international relations at theUniversityofSan Franciscoin theUnited States, who is responsible for the university's admissions fromChina, said he had had several inquiries from US universities about how to recruit Chinese students on the basis of their gaokao scores.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) have long been two musts for students from other counties, includingChina, to apply to study in the US.  

USF, a private university in California, started a pilot program to accept Chinese students based on their gaokao scores in 2015.The idea came from USF President Paul Fitzgerald's belief that standardized tests like the SAT are not very good predictors of how well students will do at the university." We are aware of the many criticisms that have been made of the gaokao, but it has the advantage of being what educational experts call a 'criterion-referenced' exam: It tests whether students are able to master a given body of knowledge," he said.

Currently, at least four higher education institutions in the US are recruiting Chinese students based on their gaokao performances. The Illinois Institute of Technology, a private institution inChicago, started the practice first,in 2009.Outside theUS, countries includingSpain,Italy,Singapore,Franceand Australia also recognize gaokao scores.

More than 200 students from China requested an interview with USF last year.74 of them were selected for a follow-up interview,44 received offers and 20 accepted the invitation and joined USF for the 2015 fall semester. Students admitted in this way have done "exceptionally well" in the past academic year,Nel added." The average GPA for all gaokao students is about 3.5 out of 4.For all other students—American and non-gaokao international students—American and non-gaokao international students—the average GPA is 3.2,"he said.

Zhu Zihao gained admission in computer sciences at USF in 2015 through the program and performed well in his first academic year. He said that students who had experienced China's gaokao usually had comprehensive basic knowledge, which helps them excel in studies.

Nel said," students admitted through China's gaokao are not only smart but extremely conscientious（认真的）and hardworking."

"This year we hope to recruit about 50 students in this way, and even more in years to come," he said.

阅读下面短文,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式,并将答案填写在答题卡相应的位置上。

   This January has seen the start of the Chinese New Year, and my very first time celebrating it since I moved to China from the UK.

   A friend from Hunan province invited me   (1)  (stay) with his family in the village of Zhouqing, close to Yueyang city. As I arrived, the sound of firecrackers (鞭炮) greeted me _  (2)   children played in the streets. Dozens of rice fields surrounded the _  (3)   (house), which made me excited as I'd never seen any before.

   At the dinner time, we all sat around a small table with a heater under it and covered our legs with a blanket for warmth while we enjoyed food that my friend's mother had prepared.

   Each home in the village has a smokehouse   (4)   cured meats (腌肉) are hung over a fire for several months. This is also where friends and family gather to keep warm and talk at night. Sitting by the fire made me feel _  (5)  __(peace), and it was like I was experiencing the traditional Chinese way of life.

   On New Year's Day, we visited every neighbor in the village and were greeted _  (6)  _ (warm) at each house. A group of people paraded (流行) through the village, two of them dressed as a lion, going into every home to perform a song for good fortune. I _  (7)   (attract) by this and followed the group, taking photos to share with my family. We visited other relatives the next day, who had prepared a lot of delicious food. At night, we all went to KTV and had a great time __  (8)  _ (sing) together.

   __  (9)  _ my final afternoon, I felt very Chinese as I played mahjong (麻将) while sipping green tea. I even won my first two games.

   Feeling like an outsider _  (10)  (be) quite normal for Westerners in China, but every person I met in that small village in Hunan made me feel like I was at home.

Once there lived a rich man  （ 1 ） wanted to do something for the people of his town.  （ 2） first he wanted to find out whether they deserved his help.

    In the centre of the main road into the town, he placed   （ 3）  very large stone. Then he （4 ）  (hide ) behind a tree and waited. Soon an old man came along with his cow.

    “Who put this stone in the centre of the road?” said the old man, but he did not try to remove the stone. Instead, with some difficulty he passed around the stone and continued on his way.   （ 5）   man came along and did the same thing; then another came, and another. All of them complained about the stone but not tried to remove （ 6）. Late in the afternoon a young man came along. He saw the stone,  （ 7 ） (say) to himself: “The night  （8 ） (be) very dark. Some neighbors will come along later in the dark and will fall against the stone.”                 

Then he began to move the stone. He pushed and pulled with all his  （ 9 ）  (strong) to move it. How great was his surprise at last!  （ 10 ）  the stone, he found a bag of money.

假定英语课上英语老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处；错误涉及一个单词的增加，删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

March 11 is a day when I will never forget. I was on my way home from school that afternoon and hoped that I could get home in time watch my favorite TV program. When I got to the bus stop, I noticed people waiting in line. This great surprised me because people used to pushing their way onto the bus. Then my bus comes along. Without a second thought, I jumped the queue. The moment when I did that, I heard anyone shouting, “Please queue up.” I turned around but saw a smiling old gentleman signing to me to stand in line. Then she explained that day was “Queue Day”. Heard that, I felt ashamed of my behavior. I know that I will never jump the queue again.