House buyers have three main choices: building from the ground up, moving into an old house or buying a new one. All the three are very different and should be considered carefully. Your budget will probably have the biggest effect on your choice. Comparing the three will help you make a good decision.
New houses are untouched and fresh, which means they can suit your personality and you know exactly where all of the materials come from. New houses won’t hold many unpleasant surprises, such as weak foundations, or other damaged areas. Most of these modern houses are also far more eco-friendly, with future decoration being just as easy to make and do as you like. Buying new houses is also a great way to save money, and you may find its benefit with the price going up in the future.
Some buildings, such as those that are rare or in certain areas, are of value over the years. Sometimes it is the history that draws more buyers into older houses. A famous person may have lived there, or an important event may have taken place in the house. This may not add any value to the house, but it can add to the attraction. There may be more repairs which will need to be done in the old houses,so before you think you’ve found a great bargain, be sure to get a careful inspection.
There are those who prefer building from the ground up. Building your own house can be a very rewarding, tiring, and expensive experience. While people have many expectations of planning and building their own houses, one thing is sure: it will take a while. There are always difficulties during construction, so you always find the construction time will be longer than your plan, not to mention the budget. Time can add up as well as materials and costs. Building is a good choice for those who are able and qualified.In Paragraph 2, the writer mainly tells readers _____.
| A．How to choose a good new house. |
| B．The benefits of buying a new house |
| C．Things to consider when they buy a house. |
| D．How to save money when they buy a new house. |
What does the writer suggest people do when they are buying an old house?
| A．Check whether the price is low |
| B．Check whether it is a rare house |
| C．Check carefully whether lots of repairs are needed |
| D．Check whether a famous person has lived in it |
The writer seems to believe that building a house of one’s own is ____.
| A．easy | B．costly |
| C．interesting | D．impossible |
What is the writer’s purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To encourage readers to build a house of their own |
| B．To explain why it is hard to decide what house to buy |
| C．To tell readers how to find a great bargain when they are buying a house |
| D．To help readers make a better decision when they are buying a house |
Plastic surgery is becoming popular with young people. But just a few days ago, it took the life of a pop singer in China. Wang Bei, 24, a former singer on Super Girl, died on Nov 15 during plastic surgery in Wuhan, Hubei province. The young singer’s jaw suddenly started bleeding during the procedure, blocking her throat and causing her to suffocate.
The Ministry of Health stepped in on Nov 27, calling on health authorities all over China to increase supervision of the country’s medical plastic surgery industry. It also told the Hubei health department to look into Wang’s death and “to make the results of the investigation public as soon as possible”
Wang’s death has raised concerns about the dangers of plastic surgery in China. In China, people, especially youngsters, are becoming more and more conscious of their looks and are willing to go to great lengths to make themselves look more attractive. Today, many young people see plastic surgery as the key to love, wealth and success.
Ding Xiaobang, a plastic surgeon at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said that in the past decade, he had seen a growing number of patients, like Wang Bei, who were young and naturally good-looking. “They want to improve their appearance to find better opportunities in work and in marriage,” said Ding.
Zhao, 23, a student at the Beijing International Studies University, spent 3,000 yuan on a eyelid tuck before graduating this year. She said: “ Of course I want to look prettier. I want to make a good impression on potential employers.”
Ding also owed this trend to frustration. “Some are frustrated with life and use surgery as a way to try and recover,” said Ding.
But a lot of people ignore the risk and danger of plastic surgery. In 12 years as a doctor, Zhu Wenbo from Chengdu has often seen unsuccessful plastic surgeries.“ I’ve met several people whose faces were ruined by plastic surgery, and helping them recover is difficult,” said Zhu.
Being yourself is the most beautiful thing in the world. But if you are considering plastic surgery, here is some advice from experts:
1. Choose qualified hospitals, especially those with a good reputation for plastic surgery. Avoid beauty salons.
2. Do not expect too much from changing your appearance. It can only change your face or another body part in certain ways. And safety should always come first. What does the underlined phrase “ go to great length” mean in para3 ?
| A．go as long as |
| B．try one’s best |
| C．spend a lot of money |
| D．go through all kinds of difficulties |
What is NOT the reason for so many young people go to plastic surgery?
| A．to make themselves more attractive |
| B．to improve their appearance and find better job opportunities |
| C．to seek better opportunities in marriage. |
| D．to stay young forever. |
What kind of lesson can we draw from Wang Bei’s case?
| A．Sometimes people can even sacrifice life to pursue beauty. |
| B．Being natural beauty is the most beautiful thing so there is no need to have plastic surgeries. |
| C．Choose qualified hospitals to do the plastic surgery if you really need one. |
| D．Accidents can always happen during the plastic surgery so never try it. |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．The death of Wang Bei. |
| B．Plastic surgery—better job, better marriage. |
| C．The price of beauty. |
| D．Some advice on plastic surgery. |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings. Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, and then he asked. “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could—and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a fairly clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feel hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”
Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice. Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Not an Enemy, but the Best Friend |
| B．The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had |
| C．My Father |
| D．My Childhood |
What does “Week by week her list grew” mean?
| A．Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and pointed them out to me. |
| B．She had made a list of my shortcomings and she kept on adding new ones to it so that it was growing longer and longer. |
| C．I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on. |
| D．Week by week, my shortcomings grew more serious. |
Why did her father listen to her quietly?
| A．Because he believed that what her daughter’s “enemy” said was mostly true. |
| B．Because he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while. |
| C．Because he knew that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment. |
| D．Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth. |
What did the father do after he had heard his daughter’s complaint?
| A．He told her not to pay any attention to what her “enemy” had said. |
| B．He criticized (批评) her and told her to overcome her shortcomings. |
| C．He told her to write down all that her “enemy” had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true. |
| D．He refused to take the list and have a look at it. |
Animal moms are great moms. You might be surprised at some of these moms.
Octopuses(章鱼)
The octopus mother lays about 50,000 eggs. For about 300 days, she stays with the eggs, cleans them and protects them. She does not leave to feed. However, this animal mom dies as soon as the eggs are hatched (孵化).
Crocodiles(鳄鱼)
A crocodile mother puts a lot of time and effort into raising her babies. She starts by building a nest(巢),which she guards for over two months! When the eggs are ready to hatch, the young crocodiles call out to their mother, who digs them out and helps them hatch. She then carries them in her mouth down to the water, where she will guard them for several weeks or months until they learn to hunt on their own.
Bats
Bats become moms by hanging head up in a cave, giving birth. Catching the youngster before it can fall to the ground below, she puts it in a pouch(育儿袋).Bat moms may carry babies with them when feeding for the first few days. As the little bats get bigger and heavier, moms help them hang on the wall of their caves and return often to feed them. It continues for about three weeks, until the babies are grown up and able to fly on their own.
Koalas
This animal mom gives birth after a pregnancy(怀孕期) of only 35 days. The hairless baby climbs into its mother’s pouch and lives there for another five months. When the little koala is between five and eight months old, it leaves the pouch for short periods of time but returns for safety. Once it is too big to return to the pouch,it will climb onto its mother’s back and ride there until it is about 12 months old.How many animal moms are mentioned in the passage.
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
Which animal mom dies when their babies are born?
| A．Octopus. | B．Crocodile. | C．Bat. | D．Koala. |
A crocodile mother usually carries her babies to the water .
| A．in her mouth | B．on her back |
| C．in her pouch | D．by her tail |
A bat mom .
| A．gives birth by lying in the nest |
| B．gives birth by hanging in a cave |
| C．leaves its babies in the pouch for months |
| D．lets its babies live on their own after birth |
How long does a young koala usually stay in its mother’s pouch at least?
| A．35 days. | B．5 months. |
| C．8 months. | D．12 months. |
Most of us know about the Nobel Prize(诺贝尔奖) especially the Nobel Peace Prize, but few of us know anything about the man who set them up. His name was Alfred Nobel. He was a great scientist and inventor himself. Besides, he had a big business. His business may surprise you. He made and sold explosives. His companies even made and sold weapons. Isn’t this something that surprises you? The man who made money from weapons should set up the Peace Prize?
Though Alfred Nobel had a lot of money from weapons, he hated war. He hoped that there would be no war in the world. He was one of the richest in Europe. When he died in 1896, he left behind him a lot of money and his famous will. According to his will, most of his money was placed in a fund. He wanted the interest(利息) from the fund（资金） to be used as prizes every year. We know them as the Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Prizes are international（国际的）. Alfred Nobel wanted the winners to be chosen for their work, not the country they came from.
Alfred Nobel had given his whole life to his studies and work and to the benefits of mankind. He made money all by his own efforts, but he left the world share his wealth. His inventions and wealth stay with the world for ever.Alfred’s business was _____.
| A．making and selling explosives |
| B．not making and selling weapons |
| C．making explosives and selling weapons |
| D．making weapons and selling explosives |
Nobel wanted to set up the Nobel Peace Prize because _____.
| A．he made enough money |
| B．he hated war |
| C．he wanted to get more interest from the fund |
| D．he liked to live in a peaceful world |
Nobel Prizes come from _____.
| A．all Nobel’s money in the fund |
| B．all Nobel’s money in his company |
| C．all the interest from the fund |
| D．some of the interest in the fund |
Nobel was a (an) _____ person in the world.
| A．interesting | B．unselfish |
| C．kind-hearted | D．richest |
Which statement of the following is Right according to the passage?
| A．Nobel set up his company to sell clothes. |
| B．Most of Nobel’s money was used for the world Wars. |
| C．Nobel Prizes are only for some people from some special countries. |
| D．Nobel worked hard in his life and saved lots of money for the world to share. |
The trip to the United Stated opened my eyes to the fact that there are a lot of similarities as well as differences between American youth and French youth.
The first difference is in appearance. Going around in the U.S., I found that American youth do not really care about their appearance. In the morning, they choose something in their closet and wear it with another thing, often of different colors and styles, without wondering whether their choices make them look strange. The reason behind this is that they don’t care what people look like, but are just interested in their ideas. I think it’s great, but it also causes problems. Since they don’t care about their appearance, they don’t really care about their weight. Often they get fat without realizing it.
There are differences in relationships too. When the American youth fall in love, they don’t really think of the future. Also, there are differences in the rules concerning behavior that is allowed. In some respects, the French are more accepting. For example, in America it is generally unacceptable to make physical display of love. Lovers, in theory, can’t kiss or hold each other everywhere they want. People think that not showing love in public places is a way to respect others. On the contrary, the French youth can do almost everything they want.
With regard to other types of relationships, there are also big differences. Americans act differently from French people in front of unknown people. When an American girl, for example, arrives in front of people she has never met before, she will talk with them, trying to create a kind of bond（联系）between her and this new circle of people. The French girls will just think about rather than really do this kind of thing because they are too shy and lacking in self-confidence.
To finish, I noticed that in American classes, when pupils want to say or ask something, they just do it. In general, they don’t really care how the others will judge them. In France, it’s not the same case. If somebody wants to ask something, he/she will think about it before speaking up. I appreciate the freedom in Americans’ behavior, ideas, and ways of expressing themselves.American young people _______.
| A．are just interested in people’s clothes |
| B．show more interest in people’s ideas |
| C．care more about their weight |
| D．are more concerned about appearance |
When American youth fall in love with each other, they _________.
| A．will not hold each other |
| B．will always think about their future |
| C．will rarely display their love in public |
| D．will kiss wherever they like |
When meeting with strangers, American girls will not _______.
| A．try to establish a type of relationship with them |
| B．have faith in themselves |
| C．start to create a conversation |
| D．behave in a way similar to French girls |
It can be inferred from the passage that French youth may think more about ______.
| A．their relationship’s future |
| B．their public images |
| C．their physical displays |
| D．their lover’s ideas |
The passage is mainly about the______ between American youth and French youth.
| A．similarities | B．friendship |
| C．differences | D．differences and the similarities |
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