People in the UK often talk about their homes: their mortgages (按揭), the interest rates, and rising prices. Here’s a guide to some of the words and phrases you might come across.
It’s a good idea in the UK to arrange a mortgage with a bank before you start looking. This is when the bank tells you how much money they will lend you so you have a good idea of how much you can afford.
The next step is to go to an estate agent and see what sort of properties they have available in your budget range and in your area. If you see something you like, the estate agent will arrange for you to view the property, so that you can see the house or flat for yourself.
If you see something that takes your eye, you put in an offer. The vendor (卖家) can accept or decline this offer, and if the vendor accepts it, you can move forward with the sale. However, as you don’t pay any money at this point, the offer isn’t legally binding (具有约束力), and in theory, you can pull out of the offer at any time that you like.
Your next step will probably be to get a structural survey done. A qualified surveyor will inspect the house and write a report that illustrates any structural problems, like damp or drainage problems.
If you still want to go ahead with the sale, you need to appoint a lawyer to do the legal paperwork.. If you already own a house, you might also be busy trying to sell it. Many house owners prefer to sell to first-time buyers (those people who don’t already own a home), as they are not in a chain (waiting for other people to buy the house before they can buy their next house).
Finally, once the contracts are signed and exchanged, you complete on your house. You get the keys and you can move in whenever you want. Then you might want to throw a house-warming party. Congratulations! Which of the following shows the right order of what happens before the people in the UK move into a new house?
a. ask for a company which represents others of properties
b. decide how much to borrow from the bank
c. examine the structure of the house
d. hire a lawyer and make a contract
e. offer the seller the right money
f. visit the house and discuss a price with the seller
| A．b, a, f, d, c, e | B．b, a, f, c, d, e |
| C．b, a, f, e, d, c | D．b, f, d, e, c, a |
According to the passage, these statements are correct EXCEPT ___________.
| A．People can borrow the whole money for a new house from a bank. |
| B．People care for mortgages, interest rates and the prices &house. |
| C．The sellers are more interested in the first-time buyers. |
| D．After getting the keys, the owners sometimes have a party. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Owners. | B．Surveyors. |
| C．Lawyers. | D．Collectors. |
The passage is maybe one that _______________.
| A．give some advice on the house |
| B．introduces a book on travelers |
| C．give some tips to buyers |
| D．introduces a guide to visitors |
You still don't know what to do this summer? Well, here's your chance to win a one-week language course in Kent, England! Free4Fun and ETC (English Travel Connections)are giving away two trips to Rochester. This historic city is less than an hour's drive from London and close to the sea resort of Heine Bay. It is also the home of one of England's most famous writers, Charles Dickens. The town of Rochester is in Southeast England. Charles Dickens often wrote about it in his books. His home, Gad's Hill, is there, too. A popular attraction is Rochester Castle, a large Norman fortress (堡垒). It was built in the 11th century and rebuilt during the 14th century. Other attractions are Rochester Cathedral, which was built during the 13th century, and Dickens Centre. It has got its name in honour of Dickens himself.
The trip to England includes:
* travel by train( via the Eurotunnel)to and from any railway station in Germany
* room and full board with a guest family for one week
* language course in small groups
* two trips to London
* large choice of sports and entertainment
* German-speaking advisors available 24 hours a day
Interested? All you have to do is to answer the following question: When was Charles Dickens born?
So, take the chance and send your answer by May 1 to:
Free4Fun "Rochester"
Free4Fun,24 Elphinstone Road, Hastings ,2FQ6VJ
fax :089/85-763-103
e-mail :free4fun@ netlight, com
The two winners will be contacted directly before May 5. They will also be announced in the June issue of Free4Fun.
Good luck!
For further information contact.
phone: (03212) 144-43
fax: (03212) 144-42
e-mail :info@ etc. comRochester Cathedral was built in the .
| A．1400s | B．1300s | C．1200s | D．1100s |
What activities can you participate in during the trip?
| A．Enjoying sports and entertainment. |
| B．Learning the German language. |
| C．Traveling by train with a guest' family. |
| D．Working as a language advisor. |
If you want to win a prize you have to send your answer to .
| A．the June issue of Free4fun | B．ETC |
| C．info@ etc. com | D．free4fun@ netlight, com |
This advertisement was designed to target .
| A．Italians | B．Germans |
| C．Europeans | D．Americans |
Today's children are the "result" of the modern society. Our parents have jobs that keep them busy almost all day long. They only have a free day in a week. This doesn't allow them to keep an eye on their children.
On the other hand, the modern society gives more freedom to the children than they could "handle". As a child, you don't know how to grow up by yourself until you reach a certain age. That is why you need school and parents to be by your side all the time. If you don't have either of them you may make a lot of mistakes. The social system of the modem society is very lenient especially with the children.
Most of the children today are rebels(叛逆者). They are rude. They are given too much freedom by their families. This is their parents' mistake. They ought to know that the freedom they give to their children is misunderstood.
For example it is a bad thing for a 17-year-old child to go out in the evening on weekends. Parents are also guilty of the way their children show up in the street or at school. The same guilt belongs to the teaching system as well. Pupils shouldn't be allowed to dress like they were on a fashion presentation at school.
Another important fact we can think of regarding the freedom of children is their free will of spending money. Parents shouldn't allow their children to spend money on whatever they want.
I think children are given too much freedom not only by their parents, but also by the society. The latter is more to be blamed！The writer implies that parents' busy lifestyle .
| A．makes their children become independent |
| B．may lead to a tense parent-child relationship |
| C．is harmful to their children's health |
| D．is likely to create a troubled generation |
What does the underlined word "lenient" ( in Paragraph 2 ) mean ?
| A．Not responsible. | B．Not strict. |
| C．Unkind. | D．Unfair. |
It seems that the writer agrees that students .
| A．should stay at home on weekends |
| B．can wear trendy clothes at school |
| C．had better wear school uniform at school |
| D．can be allowed to go out in the evenings |
According to the writer, which of the following takes the primary responsibility for children's problems?
| A．The social environment. | B．The educational system. |
| C．Each family. | D．The school. |
President Barack Obama has complained about the loss of privacy that comes with being leader of the United States, regretting the loss of simple pleasures such as a long walk or a trip to the car wash or supermarket. "I just miss—I miss being anonymous," he said. "I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, getting into my car with my girls, driving to the supermarket, squeezing the fruit, getting my car washed, taking walks. I can't take a walk." His dream, he said, was to "go through Central Park and watch folks passing by... spend the day watching people—I miss that".
Faced with angry criticism for playing more golf than most previous occupants of the White House, he explained that the sport was simply the best way of getting away from it all. "It's the only excuse I have to get outside for four hours in a row, he told Hearst Magazines.
Though he said he enjoyed his life in the White House, he felt disappointed with some of the ways of Washington, which he has failed in his pledge(保证) to change, such as the "kabuki dance( 日本歌伎舞)" among political parties before serious policy discussions begin. His comments may be seen as vindication(证实) by critics who have accused him of appearing too detached (超然的), and being slow to engage in vital issues such as Libya and the near shutdown of the US government last week.
Since arriving at the White House in January 2009, Mr Obama has already racked up (得分)60 rounds of golf in office, more than George W. Bush did in his eight years.
In terms of ability, Golf Digest magazine has ranked Mr Obama eighth out of the 18 presidents who played the game since it became established in the early 20th century.What can be inferred from the first paragraph about Barack Obama after he became the US president?
| A．He liked living a busy life. |
| B．He used to wash his car himself. |
| C．He used to spend most of his time with his family. |
| D．He is unhappy with being too frequently watched by the public. |
Barack Obama's explanation to playing golf is .
| A．to keep fit | B．to enjoy life |
| C．to release his pressure | D．to balance his work |
Which one of the following statements is from the critics?
| A．The president is really a great golf player. |
| B．There are always unnecessary procedures among political parties. |
| C．The president lost a lot privacy, but he loves the life in the White House. |
| D．The president seems to have no interest in some really important issues. |
According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE about Barack Obama?
| A．He regrets to become the US president. |
| B．He has lost privacy ever since he became president. |
| C．He couldn't play too much golf' because of people being angry with him. |
| D．He is not good at playing golf compared with the other presidents who played golf. |
Teachers say the digital age has had a good influence - and a not-so-good influence - on this generation of American teenagers．More than 2,000 teachers took an online survey．Three-quarters of the teachers said the Internet and digital search tools have had a "mostly positive" effect on their students' research habits and skills．But 64 percent said the technologies "do more to distract（使 - - - ---分心） students than to help them academically．" And 87 percent agreed that these technologies are creating an "easily distracted generation with short attention spans．"
The Pew Internet Project did the survey with the National Writing Project．Judy Buchanan is the vice director of the National Writing Project and a co-author of the report．Ms．Buchanan says digital research tools are helping students learn more and faster．"Teachers really favor these tools because they are ways to make some of the learning exciting and engaging．Young people favor these tools．The goal is to really help them become creators of meaningful content, and not just sort of consumers．"
But one problem the survey found is that many students lack digital literacy．They trust too muck of the information they find on the Internet．Judy says these students haven't developed the skills to determine the quality of online information．"It's something that really has to be taught and paid attention to．Because in a world in which things happen quickly, you do need to step back, reflect and analyze the information you have．"
Another problem is blamed on something that might not seem like a problem at all: being able to quickly find information online．Teachers say the result is a reduction in the desire and ability of their students to work hard to find answers．They say students are overly dependent on search engines and do not make enough use of printed books or research libraries．
Many teachers are also concerned that the Internet makes it easy for students to copy work done by others instead of using their own abilities．The text mainly tells us____．
| A．all the students use digital tools |
| B．the Internet is playing a key role |
| C．teachers encourage using digital tools |
| D．digital tools bring about benefits and problems |
Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?
The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means__________.
| A．students do not have the right digital tools |
| B．students do not always have access to the Internet |
| C．students haven't the ability to adjust themselves |
| D．students can't judge online information properly |
Some students don't tend to work hard because__________.
| A．they can get answers on the Internet quickly |
| B．printed books and libraries around aren't enough |
| C．the Internet can't make students concentrate |
| D．they can copy each others' work without being punished |
Helen Thomas, the pioneering White House reporter known for putting presidents on the hot seat, died at 92．
To those who regularly watch presidential press conferences, Helen Thomas is a familiar figure．Usually dressed in red and always seated in the front row, she is always the first or second reporter the president calls upon．It is an honor she has earned．Besides, it affords her the perfect opportunity to do what she does best - challenge the president and other public officials to tell the plain truth．She said, "We reporters' priority（首要事情） is the people's right to know - without fear or favor．We are the people's servants．"
Helen Thomas was born in Kentucky in 1920．All the nine Thomas children were brought up to value education, and all were expected to make something of themselves through working hard．She made up her mind while still in high school to become a reporter after writing for the student newspaper．After receiving her bachelor's degree in 1942, Thomas headed straight for Washington, D．C．in search of a newspaper job．Before long, she landed one at Washington Daily News．Her duty included fetching coffee and doughnuts for the paper's reporters and editors．The eager young woman found the atmosphere exciting and was convinced she had made the right career choice．
Her big break came when she was sent to Florida to report on the vacation of President-elect John F．Kennedy and his family．Once President Kennedy took office, Thomas changed her focus from the president's family to his policies．She began attending the daily press briefings at the White House as well as presidential press conferences．Thomas has covered every president since Kennedy．Over the years, Thomas found her job "thrilling and inspiring," but never boring．And she took very seriously her duty to "keep an eye on the president" and keep American people informed．What can we learn about Helen Thomas from the passage?
| A．Her career took off after covering the Kennedys． |
| B．Her first job was to deliver doughnuts to a news agency． |
| C．She was born to a large family in Kentucky in 1942． |
| D．She decided to be a reporter while in college． |
Paragraph 3 is written to show Helen Thomas__________.
| A．is a good decision maker for her career |
| B．appreciates education and hard work |
| C．wants to be famous by writing reports |
| D．has great support from her family |
What does Helen Thomas think other work?
| A．Unbearable． | B．Exciting． | C．Challenging． | D．Unforgettable． |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．A reporter sticking to the facts． |
| B．A reporter challenging President Kennedy． |
| C．A reporter from an ordinary family． |
| D．A reporter for Washington Daily News． |
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