After their three children grew up and left home, Margaret Thompson and her husband, Kenneth, began taking walking holidays in Switzerland. In Interlaken, they would head up the mountain and watch the paragliders (滑翔伞运动员) launch themselves into the sky. Back in town, in a large park, they watched them return to the earth."Some day I’d love to do that," Thompson told Kenneth.

But there was always so much to do in Interlaken. Besides, Thompson didn’t know if Kenneth would have enjoyed it. "He was not so keen on heights as I was," she said. So she continued to watch the gliders take fight and land.

Kenneth died in 2005. Eleven years later, Thompson finally took to the skies herself, in a para glider at the age of 80. Although some people get scared while flying, she said she just feels free. Thompson did her second paraglide when she turned 85, and raised nearly 2,000 for a local charity. Before leaving Interlaken after her second fight, Thompson asked the organizers about the age limit for para gliding. They said: “Any age, as long as you’re fit.” Thompson, now 86, plans her third flight for when she is 90.

Thompson grew up living above her parents shop in Belfast. At 18, she helped in the shop while studying for her music diplomas (文凭) in Stranmillis, south Belfast. She started to teach piano to local children, and at the height of her teaching she gave 70 lessons a week. She still has 15 pupils on her books. “Over the years I’ve had so many that I’m teaching their children now.”

Is she scared of getting older? “Fear? No. People say: ‘Isn’t getting old awful? I say: No. You are free to do more of the things that you want to do.” “People might worry about falling, it being the end of them. But that doesn’t bother me at all. When it’s your time, it’s your time. No matter where you are.” Thompson added.

【小题1】What inspired Thompson to try para gliding at the age of 80?

A．Her long-held curiosity toward it.

B．Her husband’s encouragement.

C．Her love for nature and adventure.

D．Her wish to overcome her fear of heights.

【小题2】How did Thompson feel during her first paraglide?

A．Nervous.	B．Surprised.
C．Free.	D．Uncomfortable.

【小题3】What does Thompson think of aging?

A．It inspires her to reach new heights.

B．It is an opportunity for more freedom.

C．It doesn’t make any difference to her.

D．It limits her ability to do what she wants.

【小题4】How does Thompson view the risks brought by para gliding?

A．They prevent her from enjoying paragliding.

B．They add to the excitement of paragliding.

C．She believes they don’t exist.

D．She accepts whatever may happen.