周口中学高2013级英语周练六
分值：63分命题：高三备课组领导签字：使用时间：2015/10/11 第一节完形填空（共20 小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
Recently I moved into a new neighborhood. My neighbor said 1 to me as if we were old friends. She 2 me Codie and I replied to that name 3 I was Peggy. She told me that we had a very long history of friendship. The problem wa s that I’d 4 met the lady before. Or at least I hadn’t met her until one month ago.
Those who 5 to live here are the aged people of 55 and over since it is a “retirement(退休)”neighborhood. The day I moved here, the 6 woman waved at me. I thought she was just being 7 .I kept an eye on the movers I’d employed while they were 8 the furniture. The woman waved at us each time we made another 9 to the truck. The movers and I heard her saying to no one but herself, “I’ve 10 my friend.” One day the gr ay--haired lady stood by the fence and 11 , “Cordie! Where are you? Come out and talk to me, Cordie. ” I came t o 12 that she was talking to me. So I went to the 13 and we talked. “I’m so glad you’ve come to live here, Cordie. I’ve 14 you so much.” “And remind me of your name,” I said. “Don’t you15 me, Coedie?” she said as if I ha d 16 her feelings. “I’m Elizabeth. Don’t you remember? You were my best friend when we lived in Terrell.” “Of course, I know you,” I said.
Now I am 65, but I’m still 17 . I exercise, work, cook, go out with my friends, and write books. As we are getting older, I believe sometimes we lose our 18 to remember things. However, it is unnecessary for me to make it 19 that I didn’t know her.
20 , making friends is a good thing. And I’ve become her best friends since then.
1. A. hello B. sorry C. thanks D. goodbye
2. A. sent B. showed C. called D. guessed
3. A. since B. before C. unless D. although
4. A. also B. never C. once D. often
5. A. choose B. happen C. continue D. afford
6. A. shy B. cold C. old D. strong
7. A. careless B. generous C. impatient D. friendly
8. A. making B. carrying C. selling D. collecting
9. A. trip B. decision C. note D. discovery
10. A. saved B. fooled C. found D. beaten
11. A. argued B. shouted C. explained D. announced
12. A. admit B. agree C. expect D. realize
13. A. party B. fence C. store D. truck
14. A. missed B. paid C. offered D. taught
15. A. accept B. believe C. recognize D. support
16. A. hurt B. known C. respected D. understood
17. A. grateful B. energetic C. beautiful D. experienced
18. A. goal B. interest C. courage D. ability
19. A. hard B. simple C. clear D. possible
20. A. Instead B. However C. Therefore D. Anyway
第二节（共9小题；每小题2分，满分18分）
A
Isn't it astonishing how much time we spend talking about food? “Have you ever eaten …?” “What did you have for lunch?” and so on. And yet when you travel from one country to another, you will find that people have quite different feelings about food. People often feel that what they eat is normal (正常) and that what other people eat is strange or silly. In most parts of Asia, for example, no meal is complete without rice. In England, people eat potatoes every day. In the Middle East, bread is the main part of every meal. Eating like so many things we do, becomes a habit which is difficult to change. Americans like to drink a lot of orange juice and coffee. The English drink tea four or five times every day. Australians drink a great deal of beer, and the French drink wine every day.
The sort of meat people like to eat also differs from one country to another. Horse meat is thought to be delicious in France. In Hong Kong, some people enjoy eating snakes. New Zealanders eat sheep, but they never eat goat meat. The Japanese don't like to eat sheep meat because of its smell, but they enjoy eating raw fish (生鱼).
So it seems that although eating is a topic we can talk about for hours, there is very little common sense in what we say it. People everywhere enjoy eating what they have always eaten, and there is very little we can do to change our eating habits.
21. Which of the following is true according to the article?
A. All people have the same feeling about food.
B. In most parts of Asia, people usually have rice for meals.
C. People often consider other people to be strange or silly.
D. The topic people spend time talking about is bread and meat.
22. People in different countries ___ .
A. drink the same sort of wine
B. have the same eating habit
C. eat different kinds of meat
D. have the same tea at different time within a day
23. The Japanese don't like to eat sheep meat __ .
A. because they dislike its smell
B. because it is too expensive
C. because it is easy to go bad
D. because they think it will do harm to their health
24. English people drink tea four or five times a day _ .
A. because they get thirsty easily
B. because there is plenty of tea in Britain
C. because of their drinking habit
D. because they have enough time to do so
B
How to Stay Motivated in High School
Do you find it difficult, almost impossible to stay motiv ated about high school? There are so many demands on your time, along with the expectation of parents and teachers. You really want to look at all the “big picture”. Your time in high school is likely to be just a small part of your today life. 25.
(1) Set realistic goals and rewards. It can be as simple as doing your work and then taking a break to do something you like. 26 . It isn’t as though you have to do all of your work at one time. In other words, when you reach a good break point, give yourself some kind of reward such as doing something you enjoy and afterwards get back to work.
(2) 27 . Consider your own parents, teacher, neighbor, or relative—anyone you respect and trust that can be in your corner to root for you and cheer you on. You want someone who has some life experience to counsel you. If you can find more than one source of such wisdom, it is all the better. Don’t ignore this suggestion. It can really save you a lot of heartbreak and suffering later on.
(3) Have supportive friends. There are people who are going nowhere fast. 28 . Instead, stay around other motivated students who enjoy school, study and work hard because they are so positive. That positive influence will help motivate you.
(4) Work with yourself not against. We all have energy levels. 29 . If your levels are low, determine what raises your energy levels to get you going. Then get as much done as you can. Also, don’t wait until later to get started doing things like your homework. One student explained that he would start work at the end of the class. Then when he got home, he was finishing the work rather than just starting the work.
A. Then get back to work.
B. Don’t hang out with them.
C. Seek the wisdom of an elder.
D. Try to go with the flow of your levels.
E. But it can be the most meaningful years.
F. Study hard, have fun and enjoy each year.
G. Find classmates with whom you can share your concerns.
周口中学高三英语周练六答题卡
第三节(共10小题，每小题1.5分，满分15分)
阅读下面材料，在空格处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号里内单词的正确形式。
With the 61 （develop）of industry, air pollution is getting more and more serious. In Beijing, many people suffer different kinds of illnesses because 62 air pollution.
Air pollution is caused by the 63 （follow）reasons: about half of the problem is caused by vehicles. There are more and more cars, buses on the roads, and they give off 64 （poison）gases. 25% of air pollution is caused by factories. Another factor is the smokers. Smoking not only does harm to their health 65 to others. 66 these, about 10% of air pollution is caused by other reasons.
We should take some measures to fight 67 pollution. New fuel can be used to take 68 place of gas. We can plant more trees. If everybody realizes the 69 （important）of environment and does something to stop pollution, the problem will 70 （solve）.
周口中学高2013级英语周练六参考答案
语法填空
1. development
2. of
3. following
4. poisonous
5. but（also）
6. Besides
7. against
8. the
9. importance 10. be solved
完型填空41-45ACDBA 46-50CDBAC 51-55BDBAC 56--60ABDCD
阅读理解28--31BCAC
36--40 EACBD
高三英语限时训练二（30分钟，满分100分） 一．（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）(2018全国III卷) 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。 I’m not sure 1 is more frightened, me or the female gorilla (大猩猩) that suddenly appears out of nowhere. I’m walking on a path in the forest in the Central African Republic. Unexpectedly, I’m face-to-face with the gorilla, who begins screaming at 2 top of her lungs. That makes her baby scream, and then a 400-pound male appears. He screams the 3 (loud) of all. The noise shakes the trees as the male beats his chest and charges toward me. I quickly lower myself, ducking my head to avoid 4 (look) directly into his eyes so he doesn’t feel 5 (challenge). My name is Mireya Mayor. I’m a 6 (science) who studies animals such as apes and monkeys. I was searching 7 these three western lowland gorillas I’d been observing. No one had seen them for hours, and my colleagues and I were worried. When the gorillas and I frightened each other, I was just glad to find 8 (they) alive. True to a gorilla’s unaggressive nature, the huge animal 9 (mean) me no real harm. He was just saying: “I’m king of this forest, and here is your reminder!” Once his message was delivered, he allowed me 10 (stay) and watch. 1.____________ 2.____________ 3.____________ 4.____________ 5.____________ 6.____________ 7.____________ 8.____________ 9.____________ 10.____________ 二．（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）(2018年6月浙江卷) Few people I know seem to have much desire or time to cook. Making Chinese 1 (dish) is seen as especially troublesome. Many westerners 2 come to China cook much less than in their own countries once they realize how cheap 3 can be to eat out. I still remember 4 (visit) a friend who’d lived here for five years and I 5 (shock) when I learnt she hadn’t cooked once in all that time. While regularly eating out seems to 6 (become) common for many young people in recent years, it’s not without a cost. The obvious one is money; eating out once or twice a week may be 7 (afford) but doing this most days adds up. There could be an even 8 (high) cost on your health. Researchers have found that there is a direct link between the increase in food eaten outside the home and the rise in 9 (weigh) problems. If you are not going to suffer this problem, then I suggest that the next time you go to your mum’s home 10 dinner, get a few cooking tips from her. Cooking food can be fun. You might also begin to notice the effects not only on your health but in your pocket. 1.____________ 2.____________ 3.____________ 4.____________ 5.____________ 6.____________ 7.____________ 8.____________ 9.____________ 10.____________
华美实验学校 高三英语限时训练（六） 第一部分阅读理解（共9小题；每小题2分，满分18分） 第一节: 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。 Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs. AVOID BIG EVENTS Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost ￡169.15 at https://www.doczj.com/doc/1d17773845.html,. A week later, the same room cost ￡118.15. If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid—or you?re looking for a big event to pass your time—check out sites such as https://www.doczj.com/doc/1d17773845.html,, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category. STAYAWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday. Don?t be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge?s Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was ￡95.95. A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was ￡75.75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just ￡62.95. LOOK AFTER YOURSELF Really central hotels in cities such as London, Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. As an alternative consider checking into a self-catering flat with its own kitchen. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city center buildings. A great example is the historic O?Neill Flat on Edinburgh?s Royal Mile, available for ￡420 for five days in late September, with rooms for four adults. GET ON A BIKE London?s …Boris bikes? have attracted the most attention, but other cities also have similar programmers that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs. Among the smaller cities with their own programmers are Newcastle (casual members pay around ￡1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or ￡5 per day). 1. The Brighton Comedy Festival is mentioned mainly to show big events may ________. A. help travelers pass time B. attract lots of travelers to the UK C. allow travelers to make flexible plans D. cause travelers to pay more for accommodation 2. The passage shows that the O?Neill Flat ________. A. lies on the ground floor B. is located in central London
第一周周练习 改错+完形10 1.假定英语课上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。每处错误仅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：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。 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。 Dear Mary, I received your e-mail just now. Don't worry about me. I'm getting well with my research work in the lab. But to my great surprised, you say you will give up learning English. The reason is because you have not done well in it recently and you have lost interests in it. I'm afraid I can't agree with you more. I know it is difficult to learn English, but English is wide used in the world today. It will be a important tool in the future work. Besides, it is becoming more and more important in ours daily life. If you study hard, you would be successful. Do remember that where there is a will, there is a way. I'm looking forward to hear good news from you. Yours, Li Hua 【答案】①getting后加on/along ②surprised →surprise ③because →that ④intere sts →interest ⑤删掉more ⑥wide →widely ⑦a →an ⑧ours →our ⑨would →will ⑩hear →hearing
江苏省盐城中学2020届高三英语练习一 第一部分：听力（共两节,满分20分) 第二部分英语知识运用(共两节,满分35分) 单项填空(共15小题, 每小题1分,满分15分.) 21. To tell ______truth, the future is still a long way to go and we just arrived at______ crossroads, ______new turning point; we will face a new challenge. A．the; a; a B．a; the; / C．a; /; the D．the; a; the 22. –Did you go to visit her when she______ in New York? –______to, but I was extremely busy. A．stayed; was intended B. stayed; intended C．was staying; have intended D．was staying; had intended 23. –Clever ______he is, he works hard. –______ he is always winning the first prize each time. Not many of us realize it, ______. A. although; No wonder; however B. though; No wonder; though C. as; No doubt; though D. though; No doubt; yet 24. ______time permitting, we will go to Shanghai and visit our friends. A. If B. In C. As D. With 25.－How do you find your boss? － ______ A. I can’t find him an ywhere. B. By searching the whole building. C. He’s all right, as long as you do what he says. D. I haven’t seen him for long; he is very busy these days. 26. For a programme that ______ children, we should take their interest into
高三英语试卷2018.4.15 本试卷分第I卷(选择题)和第Ⅱ卷(非选择题)两部分，共150分，考试时间120分钟。 第I卷(选择题共90分) 第一部分听力(共两节，满分30分) 第一节(共5小题；每小题 1.5分，满分7.5分) 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。 1. What does Tom plan to do next week? A. To make a robot. B. To enter a competition. C. To surprise the woman. 2. What is the woman? A. A waitress. B. A tour guide. C. A saleswoman. 3. What is the woman’s problem? A. She forgot her seat number. B. She got on the wrong train. C. She lost her train ticket. 4. Why has the man stopped exercising? A. He is busy moving house. B. He lives far away from the gym. C. He dislikes going to the gym alone. 5. How is Janet probably feeling now? A. Disappointed. B. Confused. C. Stressed. 第二节（共15小题；每小题 1.5分，满分22.5分） 听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小 题，每小题5秒钟;听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。 听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。 6. How long is the woman going to stay at the hotel? A. Two nights. B. Three nights. C. Four nights. 7. Why are the prices for the two rooms different? A. The rooms are different in size. B. The rooms have different views. C. The rooms are of different shapes. 听第7段材料，回答第8、9题。
限时完形+阅读套题训练 第二节完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，共30分） 阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。 One Bite at a Time Stephen was on campus（校园）to register when I first met him. One summer day 36 I was headed over to the administration building, I heard someone call my name. I 37 around and saw Philip, one of my colleagues standing with another young man. As Philip introduced me to the young man, named Stephen, he reminded him that he would be taking one of my 38 , Introduction to Literature. With a somewhat 39 expression, Stephen asked if my class was going to be “hard”. Would he be able to pass? I 40 he was concerned about failing before the 41 day of classes. We talked about what the class would 42 and I saw Stephen’s eyes getting b ig with 43 . Then I remembered a bit of classical dialog: Question: “How do you eat an elephant?” Answer: “One bite at a time.” I told him to 44 his work that way. To do his assignment（作业）, all of them, and to get them in on time. I added that most 45 students I knew made a timetable of all the assignment so they could 46 their workload. As time went on, I learned more of Stephen’s story. He had 47 in middle school. It had taken him longer to finish than most young people. Family members, including his mother, kept reminding him that he was a 48 . Now, in the face of their negative-saying he had been admitted into college. He told me that before coming to our campus no one had believed he had much 49 . S tephen didn’t become an “A”student. He didn’t make any honor rolls. Still, he managed to 50 most of his courses by being in class every day, turning in all of his assignment on time and breaking down his studying into 51 digestible parts. By passing course after course he began to gain a measure of self-respect. He was a great singer and he was 52 the school’s cross-country team. Every time I saw him on campus, he would brighten up and say, “O ne bite at a time.”Whenever he introduced me to his friends, he would tell them that he was 53 when he was supposed to be failing. His 54 , he said, was that he was 55 what I taught him before classes ever started: “Take it one bite at a time.” 36. A. after B. when C. until D. once 37. A. turned B. sat C. moved D. went 38. A. jobs B. tests C. classes D. projects
模块九Unit3 单元练习 第一部分单项选择( 共35小题) 1. The thirteen stars on the American flag _______ the thirteen colonies that first announced independence. A. look for B. search for C. stand for D. ask for 2. It seems impossible for the two neighboring countries to arrive at a _______ on the conflict in the near future. A. comprehension B. compromise C. combination D. competence 3. --- Are you prepared to _______ to my decision? --- I have to; I can’t find one even better than yours. A. substitute B. subscribe C. submit D. support 4. He _______ the composition yesterday because I asked him to do it only this morning. A. mustn’t have finished B. can’t have finished C. should n’t have finished D. needn’t have finished 5. In that culture blue stands for love, which is _______ a bride carries or wears something blue on her wedding day. A. what B. that C. why D. how 6. We firmly believe that the war never settles anything. It only _______ violence. A. runs into B. comes from C. leads to D. begins with 7. We object to _______ for something that we haven’t done. A. be blamed B. being blamed C. blaming D. blame 8. But the fact is that _______ you are fat or thin, young or old, the best hope you have of guarding your brain is to eat well and exercise. A. since B. why C. whether D. although 9. The issue of the construction of a dam _______ the villagers into two opposing groups. A. drove B. split C. separated D. objected 10. She plays the piano really well and she can play _______ music anyone puts in front of her. A. whatever B. whenever C. whomever D. however 11. The last of four unmanned experimental US military aircraft designed to fly at six times the speed of sound _______ to be tested next year. A. expects B. is expecting C. will be expected D. is expected 12. The student _______ writing down every data during his experiments. A. used to B. get use to C. is fond of D. is accustomed to 13. A jail usually contains fields or factories _______ the prisoners can work to provide services to the large community. A. so that B. as if C. in case D. even if 14. I support your decision, but I should also make it clear that I am not going to be _______ to carry it out. A. connected B. fastened C. bound D. stuck 15. Battlefield software and radiation-therapy systems are just two examples _______ designing for beauty may not be the proper focus. A. that B. when C. what D. where
2018-2019学年度高三上学期英语测试卷 第 I 卷 第二部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分） 第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分） 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。 A Maria Sibylla Merian Until the 1670s, scientists thought that caterpillars and butterflies were two totally different creatures. Thanks to Maria Sibylla Merian, we know the truth about these winged insects. She began collecting, studying, and drawing them when she was 13. She was one of the few naturalists of her time to actually study live insects. It was through her study of caterpillars that she discovered the truth about their life cycles. Lucy Stone If you know a woman who keeps her own surname after marriage, she is continuing a tradition started by Lucy Stone. She initially changed her name, but decided to change it back a year later. She held the belief that "a wife should no more take her husband's name than he should hers." She became the first American married woman to keep her own family name for her entire life. Both she and her husband also fought the popular idea that husbands had legal control over their wives. Nellie Bly. Famous journalist Nellie Bly, was born in 1864 in Pennsylvania. When a Pittsburgh Dispatch journalist wrote an article claiming that working women were unacceptable. Bly wrote an argument that got her a job offer from the paper, Pittsburgh Dispatch. In her most famous assignment, she spent ten days living in a mental institution to expose the conditions the patients faced. Alice Coachman Alice Coachman was the first African-American woman to win Olympic gold. She grew up in Georgia, where prejudice prevented her from joining sports teams. So she trained on her own. Finally, Coachman competed in the 1948 Games in London, where she not only won a gold medal but set a record in the high jump. 21. What’s Maria Sibylla Merian’s contribution? A. She studied and drew live insects. B. She was the first woman to study insects. C. She found out the life cycles of caterpillars. D. She discovered the truth of several winged insects. 22. What can we know about Lucy Stone according to Paragraph 2? A. She never changed her family name all her life. B. She asked her husband to take her name.
高三英语周练（1）试题 命题人：考试时间：50分钟总分：89分 Ⅰ. 阅读理解(满分39分) A Food festivals around the world Stilton Cheese Rolling May Day is a traditional day for celebrations, but the 2,000 English villagers of Stilton must be the only people in the world who include cheese rolling in their annual plans. Teams of four, dressed in a variety of strange and funny clothes, roll a complete cheese along a 50-metre course. On the way, they must not kick or throw their cheese, or go into their competitors' lane(赛道). Competition is fierce and the chief prize is a complete Stilton cheese weighing about four kilos (disappointingly, but understandably the cheeses used in the race are wooden ones). All the competitors are served with beer or port wine, the traditional accompaniment for Stilton cheese. Fiery Foods Festival—The Hottest Festival on Earth Every year more than 10,000 people head for the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They come from as far away as Australia, the Caribbean and China, but they all share a common addiction—food that is not just spicy(辛辣),but hot enough to make your mouth burn, your head spin and your eyes water. Their destination is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival which is held over a period of three days every March. You might like to try a chocolate-covered habanero pepper—officially the hottest pepper in the world—or any one of the thousands of products that are on show. But one thing's for sure—if you don't like the feeling of a burning tongue, this festival isn't for you! La Tomatina—The World's Biggest Food Fight On the last Wednesday of every August, the Spanish town of Bunol hosts La Tomatina—the world's largest food fight. A week-long celebration leads up to an exciting tomato battle as the highlight of the week's events. The early morning sees the arrival of large trucks with tomatoes—official fight-starters get things going by casting tomatoes at the crowd. The battle lasts little more than half an hour, in which time around 50,000 kilograms of tomatoes have been thrown at anyone or anything that moves, runs, or fights back. Then everyone heads down to the river to make friends again—and for a much-needed wash! 1. In the Stilton cheese rolling competition, competitors on each team must________. A. wear various formal clothes B. roll a wooden cheese in their own lane C. kick or throw their cheese D. use a real cheese weighing about four kilos 2. Where is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival held? A. In New Mexico. B. In the Caribbean. C. In Australia. D. In China.
A Famous centenarians (百岁老人) still active in arts, science are in no mood to retire. "Those who stand still, die," is one of Oliveira's favorite phrases. He knows from experience what it means, as the Portuguese film director has reached the age of 102 and is still active in his profession. Every year, Oliveira shoots a film and is currently working on his next project. "You have to work, work, work in order to forget that death is not far away," he said. When asked about his age, Oliveira said with some humility: "It's down to mother nature. It gave to me what it took from others." Being both mentally and physically fit in old age is partly a matter of luck, but it also has something to do with character. Not every white-haired person is wise and social skills, openness and the ability to train the brain are essential for senior citizens. Along with the architect Oscar Niemeyer (103), Nobel laureate Montalcini (101) and director Kurt Maetzig (100), Oliveira is one of those people of whom it would be very wrong to think as members of a listless elderly generation. Another master in his profession is the architect Oscar Niemeyer. The 103-year-old Brazilian is best known for his futuristic-looking（未来派的）buildings in Brasilia, but he also speaks out on behalf of the poor. "The role of the architect is to struggle for a better world where we can develop a form of architecture that serves everyone and not just a privileged few," said Niemeyer recently. He spends almost every day working in his office in Copacabana, and even when he falls ill he keeps working on ideas: After a gallbladder (胆囊) operation he composed a samba tune (桑巴舞曲) in the clinic. Another man who could sing a song about age is 107-year-old Heesters. The Dutch-born opera singer spent most of his life performing in Germany, where he still works. Recently Heesters said: "I want to be at least 108-years-old." He also plans to keep performing. "Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?" Heesters has not given up trying to add to his tally of awards and is looking for a "good stage role". Italian scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini, who is 101-year-old and is still active in medical science, has described the force that keeps driving her on: "Progress is created through imperfection." In 1986 she and her lab colleague were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work on nerve growth factor. She's convinced that humans grow on challenges.