Some houses are designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second type of house won an Award of Excellence from the American Institutes of Architects.
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Located on the shore of Sullivan’s Island off the coast of South Carolina, the award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane（飓风）Hugo 10 years ago. In September 1989, Hugo struck South Carolina, killing 18 people and damaging or destroying 36,000 homes in the state. Before Hugo, many new houses built along South Carolina’s shoreline were poorly constructed, and enforcement of building laws wasn’t strict, according to architect Ray Huff, who created the cleverly-designed beach house. In Huff’s wake all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter, better-enforced requirements. The new beach house on Sullivan’s Island should be able to withstand(经受) a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.
At first sight,
the house on Sullvan’s Island looks anything but hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it resemble “a large party lantern” at night, according to one observer. But looks can be cheating. The house’s wooden frame is reinforced with long steel bars to give it extra strength.To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings – long, slender columns of
wood anchored deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also elevate the house above storm attacks. The pilings allow the waves to run under the house instead of running into it. “These swells of water come on shore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings,” said Huff.Huff designed the timber pilings to be partly masked by the house’s ground-to-roof shell. “The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn’t look like it’s standing with its pant legs pulled up,” said Huff. In the event of a storm surge, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained.
| A．to be easily reinforced | B．to look smarter in design |
| C．to meet stricter building standards | D．to be designed in the shape of cubes |
The award-winning beach house is quite strong because .
| A．it is strengthened by steel bars | B．it is made of redwood |
| C．it is in the shape of a shell | D．it is built with stone and concrete |
Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings in order to .
A．withstand peak winds of about 200 km/hr |
| B．strike stronger pilings keep into the sand |
| C．break huge sea waves into smaller ones |
| D．prevent water from rushing into the house |
The main function of the shell is .
| A．to strengthen the pilings of the house |
| B．to give the house a better appearance |
| C．to protect the wooden frame of the house |
| D．to slow down the speed of the swelling water |
What’s your idea of a good time? What about dancing in a rainy field with one hundred and fifty thousand other people while a famous rock band plays on a stage so far away that the performers look like ants?
It may sound strange but that is what many hundreds of thousands of young people in th
e UK do every summer． Why? Because summer is the time for outdoor music festivals．
Held on a farm, the Glastonbury Festival is the most well-known and popular festival in the UK． It began in 1970 and the first festival was attended by one thousand five hundred people each paying an admission price of ￡1 — the ticket included free milk from the farm．
Since then the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength — in 2004 one hundred and fifty thousand fans attended, paying ￡112 each for a ticket to the three-day event． Tickets for the event sold out within three hours． Performers
included superstars, such as Paul McCartney and James Brown, as well as new talent, like Franz Ferdinand and Joss Stone．
Although many summer festivals are run on a profit —making basis, Glastonbury is a charity event, donating millions of pounds to local and international charities．
Glastonbury is not unique in using live music to raise money to fight global poverty （贫穷）． In July of this year, the Live 8 concerts were held simultaneously （同时） in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin． Superstars such as Madonna, Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder performed in order to highlight （强调） international poverty and debt． What does the author mean by saying “the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength”?
| A．The festival has achieved growing success． |
B．Great efforts have been made to  hold the festival． |
| C．The festival has brought in a large amount of money． |
| D．There have been thousands of fans attending the festival． |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Glastonbury Festival is run on a profit-making basis． |
| B．Tickets for the 2004 Glastonbury Festival were in great demand despite the high price． |
| C．Both James Brown and Joss Stone were born in poor families． |
| D．In the 1970 Glastonbury Festival, one could have lunch on the farm for free． |
We can learn from the last paragraph that _____．
| A．the Glastonbury Festival is not so popular as the Live 8 concerts |
| B．the Live 8 concerts are held every year in London |
| C．London, Paris, Rome and Berlin are famous for outdoor music festivals |
| D．some superstars are concerned about global poverty |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．How to have a good time | B．Charity events around the world |
| C．The Glastonbury Festival | D．Superstars’ performances in charity events |
The Adventure Guides Program
New Member Information for the Adventure Guides Program （ for children aged 4—12）
What Is the Adventure Guides Program All about?
The objectives of the program are:
● Fostering companionship and setting foundation for positive, lifelong relationships between parent and child
● Increased understanding of one another
● Expanded awareness of spirit, mind and body
● Great memories
● Fun!!!
Parent and Child Will Be Joining…
The nationwide affilicated（隶属的） program sponsored by local YMCA’s and part of the National Council of YMCA’s
A smaller group of families called a “circle”
What Is the Time Commitment?
● Program runs from October to May （ending with the Memorial Day Parade）
● One “circle” activity per month （ one circle decides on fees and dates）
Additional all participant activities （scheduled by Wilton Family Y） —additional fees and registration required．
Outing Dates: To Be 
Announced
What Do I Do Now?
● Registration is on-going． Registration forms are available online under “Registration”．
● You will be notified by the Wilton Family Y of which “circle” you and your child are in and who your “circle” leader is．
● You will be notified by your “circle” leader as to when your first parent/child “circle” meeting will take place．
Fees:
Participant: Full Child or Family member $110．00 / Pr
ogram member $200．00
Sibling: Full child or Family member $75．00 / Program member $150．00
Adult: Family member FREE / Program member $125．00
Wilton Family Y Contact Information:
Geoff Malyszka Teen Director 762-8384 ext．224
E-mail: gmalyszka@wiltonymca． org
Kim Murphy Early Childhood Ed． Director762-8384 ext．214
E-mail: kmurphy@wiltonymca． org Which of the following is true about “circle”?
| A．You and your children will make up a “circle”． |
| B．A “circle” activity will be held once a month． |
| C．You have the right of choosing your “circle” leader． |
D．You are free to choose to become a member  of a “circle”． |
What information can you get from the passage？
| A．There is no extra fees for additional all participant activities． |
| B．The program will be held only in October and May |
| C．You can register just by making a call to 762-8384 ext．224． |
| D．It has not been decided yet when you will go out． |
The passage is mainly written for _____．
| A．parents and their children |
| B．adventurous travelers |
| C．international students |
| D．children with bad memories |
The German shepherd runs off and noses around in the grass of Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau． “OK, Oakley,” the dog’s handler orders, “Find it!”
Oakley sniffs （嗅） until he comes to a bush, then stops, sits, and looks up at his handler． She bends to see what he has found: the waste of an endangered African wild dog． “Good dog!” she praises． The handler pulls a tennis ball from her pocket． Oakley jumps for his reward．
“He doesn’t actually want the waste,” says Aimee Hurt, a founding member of the U．S．-based group Working Dogs for Conservation． Hurt is in Kenya to train both Oakley and his handler． “He finds it so he can play with his ball． We’re the ones who want the waste．”
Detection dogs are sometimes taught to locate actual animals． Black-footed ferrets （雪貂） have been studied with their help． But more often the dogs learn to locate the waste of creatures such as bears, wolves and mountain lions．
What the dogs find provides scientists with data about a species． Scientists can use the DNA collected from animal waste to identify individuals, sex, and population sizes — all without ever seeing the animal itself． “It can take years to gather this kind of information if you have to trap animals,” Hurt explains．
Waste analysis might make a huge difference when wild species are accused of attacking domestic livestock （家畜）． Hurt says, “A good detection dog will find the waste so we can see what the animal is actually eating．” This may help reduce problems between people and wildlife． The underlined word “She” in Paragraph 2 refers to “_____”．
| A．the German shepherd | B．an African wild dog |
| C．Aimee Hurt | D．the handler |
Oakley is interested in finding the waste because _____．
| A．he wants to study endangered animals |
| B．he can get a tennis ball to play with |
| C．he wants to eat it |
| D．he wants to play with it |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Trapping animals is not difficult． |
| B．People are making efforts to protect the environment． |
| C．Detection dogs attack domestic livestock frequently． |
| D．Collecting animal waste is a good way to gather information． |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Detection dogs can help scientists study wildlife． |
| B．Detection dogs can defend wildlife． |
| C．Detection dogs can help the police catch the criminals． |
| D．Detection dogs can help local people defend domestic livestock． |
Attempt a guess at the following question: In the English-speaking world, which country has the least affordable homes? You are wrong if you guessed the US, even with the housing bubble （气泡） and main sadness． Nor is it the UK, where prices have risen because demand is far from supply． According to a recent survey of 227 cities around the globe, you must go south of the equator （赤道） to Australia to find the priciest homes．
The report measured a city’s housing market along the following guidelines． An “affordable” home required three times or less of the average family’s income to purchase． At four times earnings, a home fell into the “unaffordable” category． And a “seriously unaffordable” home needed five times a family’s income． In Australia, homes in the least affordable city cost just about 9．5 times the average income． Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne were only a little under this figure．
Australian officials offered little comment, apart from a general statement on the dismal findings． These prices make the possibility that many Australians will one day own a home largely unbelievable． Land rationing （配给制） and excessive development charges have raised prices, and the problem will only be solved through urgent action by the Rudd government．
Some American c
ities were also included on the least affordable list, four of which were in California． America is still involved in a mortgage（抵押）crisis, though, affecting the affordability of homes． Yet a number of US cities garnered “affordable” status, namely Dallas and Kansas． Australia had no cities listed in the top fifty places with affordable homes．
The survey suggests that you can find affordable homes in most places, just not if you’re Australian and choose to live down under． To buy an affordable house, you should pay _____．
| A．3 times or less of the average family’s income |
| B．4 times or less of the average family’s income |
| C．5 times or less of the average family’s income |
| D．9．5 times or less of the average family’s income |
What caused the prices of houses to increase in Australia?
| A．The rising family’s income． | B．The demand over supply． |
| C．The excessive development charges． | D．The decrease of land． |
The underlined word “dismal” in Paragraph 3 may mean _____．
| A．cheerful | B．satisfactory |
| C．difficult | D．gloomy |
What might be the most suitabl
e title for the passage?
| A．Affordable Houses | B．A House is a Dream First |
| C．Housing Bubble | D．Homes Too Expensive |
What’s your idea of a good time? What about dancing in a rainy field with one hundred and fifty thousand other people while a famous rock band plays on a stage so far away that the performers look like ants?
It may sound strange but that is what many hundreds of thousands of young people in th
e UK do every summer． Why? Because summer is the time for outdoor music festivals．
Held on a farm, the Glastonbury Festival is the most well-known and popular festival in the UK． It began in 1970 and the first festival was attended by one thousand five hundred people each paying an admission price of ￡1 — the ticket included free milk from the farm．
Since then the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength — in 2004 one hundred and fifty thousand fans attended, paying ￡112 each for a ticket to the three-day event． Tickets for the event sold out within three hours． Performers
included superstars, such as Paul McCartney and James Brown, as well as new talent, like Franz Ferdinand and Joss Stone．
Although many summer festivals are run on a profit —making basis, Glastonbury is a charity event, donating millions of pounds to local and international charities．
Glastonbury is not unique in using live music to raise money to fight global poverty （贫穷）． In July of this year, the Live 8 concerts were held simultaneously （同时） in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin． Superstars such as Madonna, Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder performed in order to highlight （强调） international poverty and debt． What does the author mean by saying “the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength”?
| A．The festival has achieved growing success． |
B．Great efforts have been made to  hold the festival． |
| C．The festival has brought in a large amount of money． |
| D．There have been thousands of fans attending the festival． |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Glastonbury Festival is run on a profit-making basis． |
| B．Tickets for the 2004 Glastonbury Festival were in great demand despite the high price． |
| C．Both James Brown and Joss Stone were born in poor families． |
| D．In the 1970 Glastonbury Festival, one could have lunch on the farm for free． |
We can learn from the last paragraph that _____．
| A．the Glastonbury Festival is not so popular as the Live 8 concerts |
| B．the Live 8 concerts are held every year in London |
| C．London, Paris, Rome and Berlin are famous for outdoor music festivals |
| D．some superstars are concerned about global poverty |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．How to have a good time | B．Charity events around the world |
| C．The Glastonbury Festival | D．Superstars’ performances in charity events |
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