B

　　It was June 15. In two days I would be turning thirty. I feared that my best years were now behind me.

　　Every day I went to the gym before going to work. Every morning I saw my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in good shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed that I wasn’t as happy as usual and asked if something was wrong. I told him that I was worried about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas’ age, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life?”

　　Nicholas replied, “When I was a child and my parents took care of me, it was the best time of my life.

　　When I got my first job, had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, it was the best time of my life.

　　When I met my wife and fell in love, it was the best time of life.

　　When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, it was the best time of my life.

　　And now, Joe, I’m seventy-nine years old. I have my health, I feel good, and I am in love with my wife just as much as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life.

　　56. Nicholas was ________ years older than the writer.

　　A. 15 B. 30 C. 29 D. 50

　　57. The writer thought that the best time of his life was________.

　　A. before thirty B. after thirty C. his childhood D. in his seventies

　　58. From Nicholas’ words, we learn that he had been living a ________ life.

　　A. busy B. bitter C. happy D. rich

　　59. Nicholas believed that ________.

　　A. every stage of life could be the best time

　　B. good health led to a good life

　　C. life got harder when he got older

　　D. there were no difficulties in his life

　　60. We can infer that Nicholas’ words are ________ for the writer.

　　A. unimportant B. frustrating

　　C. misleading (令人誤解的) D. encouraging