How often one hears children wishing they were grown-ups and old people wishing they were young again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities. If a child has good parents, he is well fed, looked after and loved. It is unlikely that he will ever again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return. In addition, life is always presenting new things to the child — things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well known. But a child has his pains:He is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is continually being told not to do things or being punished for what he has done wrong. Therefore, a child is not happy as he wishes to be.
When the young man starts to earn his own living, he becomes free from discipline of school and parents; but at the same time he is forced to accept responsibilities. With no one to pay for his food, his clothes, or his room, he has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may get himself into trouble. If, however, he works hard,goes by the law and has good health, he may feel satisfied in seeing himself make steady progress in his job and in building up for himself his own position in society.
Old age has always been thought of as the worst age to be; but it is not necessary for the old to be unhappy. With old age comes wisdom and the ability to help others with advice wisely given. The old can have the joy of seeing their children making progress in life; they can watch their grandchildren growing up around them; and, perhaps best of all, they can, if their life has been a useful one, fell the happiness of having come through the battle of life safely and of having reached a time when they can lie back and rest, leaving everything to others.
1. The happiest people should be those who ______.
A. Face up to difficulties in life
B. Hope to be young again
C. Enjoy life in different age
D. Wish to be grown up
2. The word “they”underlined in Line 5, para. 2 refers to ____.
A. Older people B. New things C. Children D. Interests
3. A child has his pains because____.
A. He can not do whatever he wants to
B. He is not allowed to play in rain
C. He has a lot of new things to learn
D. He can not play at the seaside freely
4. When a child becomes a grown-up, he is supposed to ____.
A.live comfortably B. Take responsibilities
C. Make progress in job D. Impress the society
5. The best title of the passage might be ____.
A. Pains and Ages B. Differences in Ages
C. The Best Age to Be D. Happiness and Ages
参考答案：
1. 【考点】事实细节题
【精析】C题干的大意是：最幸福的人应该是那些。从文中第一段最后一句可知，最幸福的人是那些享受每个年段阶段所给子的，而不是把时间浪费在将恨上的人。所以选项C 正确。
2. 【考点】词语理解题
【精析】B 题干的大意是：第二段画线的单词“they”指的是。从文中第二段第四句可知，生活总是会给孩子的世界呈现一些新鲜事物。而老年人已经对这些新鲜事物失去了兴趣。因为对他们来说这些事物是众所同知的。所以“they”指代的是“new things”,故选项B 正确。
3. 【考点】事实细节题
【精析】A 题干的大意是：孩子也有自己的痛苦，因为。从文中第二段倒数第二句可知，孩子也有自己的痛苦:不能做自己想做的事情，一直被告知应该做什么和不应该做什么。所以选项A 正确。
4. 【考点】事实细节题
【精析】B 题干的大意是:当孩子长大了，他应该。从第三段第一句可知，当孩子长大成人后，他就摆脱了学校纪律和父母的束缚，但同时也不得不承担责任。所以选项B 正确。
5. 【考点】主旨大意题
【精析】D 题干的大意是：文章最好的标题可能是。文章第一段点明主旨：每个年龄阶段的人都有欢乐与苦恼，最开心幸福的人是那些能够享受岁月的赠予,而不把时间浪费在悔恨上的人。接下来三段分别描述了孩子，青年和老年三个年龄段人的欢乐与烦恼。但作者着重告诉人们应该在不同的年龄段享受快乐，所以选项D 正确。
