No budget for your vacation? Try home exchanges ---- swapping houses with strangers. Agree to use each other’s cars, and you can save dollars on car rentals (租赁费), too.
Home exchanges are not new. At least one group, Intervac, has been facilitating such an arrangement since 1953. But trading online is gaining popularity these days, with several sites in operation, including Home Exchanges. Founded in 1992, with some 28,000 listings, this company bills itself as the world’s largest home exchange club, reporting that membership has increased 30% this year.
The annual fee is usually less than US$100. Members can access thousands of listings for apartments, villas, suburban homes and farms around the world. Initial contact is made via e-mail, with subsequent communication usually by phone. Before a match is made, potential swappers tend to discuss a lot.
However, the concept may sound risky to some people. What about theft? Damage? These are reasonable causes for concern, but equally unlikely. As one swapper puts it, “Nobody is going to fly across the ocean or drive 600 miles to come steal your TV. Besides, at the same time they’re staying in your home, you are staying in their home.”
Exchange sites recommend that swappers discuss such matters ahead of time. They may fill out an agreement spelling out who shoulders which responsibilities if a problem arises. It does not matter if the agreement would hold up in court, but it does give the exchangers a little satisfaction.
Generally, the biggest complaint among home exchangers has to do with different standards of cleanliness. Swappers are supposed to make sure their home is in order before they depart, but one person’s idea of “clean” may be more forgiving than another’s. Some owners say if they come back to a less-than-sparkling kitchen, it may be inconvenient but would not sour them on future exchanges.What is the second paragraph mainly about?
| A．How to exchange homes. |
| B．The biggest home exchange agency Intervac. |
| C．The fact that home exchanges are not new. |
| D．A contrast between Intervac and Home Exchanges. |
How do home exchangers normally begin their communication?
| A．By phone. | B．Via a matchmaker. |
| C．By e-mail. | D．Via a face-to-face meeting. |
What is recommended in the passage to deal with the concerns about theft and damage?
| A．One can file a lawsuit in court. |
| B．Both parties can trade online. |
| C．One can damage the home of the other party in return. |
| D．Both parties can sign an agreement beforehand. |
It was late Wednesday night when the dreadful phone call reached our home . I rememeber laying in my bed trying to fall asleep when I heard the phone ring . Interested in who would be calling so late I sat up, so I could hear the phone call better . To my surprise , I heard my mom burst into tears , “ Get the car , dear ! Andrea has been in a car accident .”
We ran every red light on the way to the hospital and our tires screeched(发出刺耳声) around every corner . We got to the hospital , but were not allowed to see Andrea . The next morning , after wearing masks , we were allowed to go to the ICU to see Andrea . Well , the least I could say was that everything was injured in her body and she lost all of her memories . It was a fatal car accident .
Over the next two months , I lived more at the hospital than I did at my house . I watched as Andrea worked so hard to gain back everyday motor skills . She never once complained or pitied herself , and her determined spirit was shining through . After two weeks in the ICU and two months of regular hospital treatment , Andrea came home . She missed several months of school , so it was hard for her to catch up . Andrea had many tasks to accomplish , and no matter how hard it was , she stuck to it until the job was done . Though she was busy dealing with the pain and the therapy , she always found time to love and play with me .
I’ll never forget the impact that this incident made on my life . I admire my sister for her strong-willed personality and her determined spirit . Today she is perfectly normal , despite the scars and the pins holding her leg in place . I couldn’t ask for a better sister or a hero in my life .
1. The writer wanted to hear the call better , because_______.
A. he sensed that something terrible had happened
B. he might be curious about who would phone so late
C. he wanted to scold the person who phoned so late
D. he wasn’t sure whether the telephone concerned him
2. From the underlined sentence in the second paragraph , we can learn that________.
A. the family didn’t obey the traffic rules
B. the writer’s father wasn’t good at driving
C. the whole family were anxious to see Andrea
D. their house was very far from the hosptial
3. It was mainly________that made the author’s sister recover from the car accident .
A. the family’s encouragement B. Andrea’s strong will
C. the treatment D. the eagerness to study
4. What would be the best title for the passage ?
A. A Miracle Happening to My Sister B. My Sister—the Hero in My Life
C. An Accident Changed My Sister D. An Incident Which Influenced Me Much
Teenagers in England do many of the same thi
ngs as children in America do . They enjoy sending messages on their mobile phones and they also like swimming , listening to the latest music , watching TV and surfing the Internet .
How do teenagers in England spend their free time and holidays ? Let’s follow Sally , a British teenager , and spend five days with her during her school holiday .
| Day One |
After breakfast , Sally’s mother went out and left her alone at home . She checked her mobile phone during lunch—one of her friends sent her a message early in the morning . Dinner was ready at 6:30 p.m. After that , she finished her English homework . Then she surfed the Internet . |
| Day Two |
Sally and her mother paid a visit to their friend s and went swimming together . Later , they wnet shopping for clothes and books , and had dinner in a restaurant . |
| Day Three |
She went to the supermarket with her mother to buy fish and chips for lunch as well as some pens . After she got back home , she spent the next few hours surfing the Internet and watching TV . |
| Day Four |
She surfed the Internet . Her mother took her out for lunch before going to work . She then read storybooks after lunch . |
| Day Five |
She woke up at 2 p. m. , and so did her mother . They went to a park . Her mother met some friends there . When they got home , it was already time for dinner . Aterwards , she did her homework until 10 p. m. |
1. When did Sally do her homework ?
A. In the morning . B. In the afternoon . C. At lunch time . D. In the evening .
2. Which of the foll
owing things did Sally do on Day Four ?
A. She went swimming . B. She went out for breakfast .
C. She read books . D. She went shopping .
3. How many times did Sally and her mother meet their friends during the five days ?
A. Once . B. Twice . C. Three times . D. Four times .
4. According to the passage , it can be inferred that__________.
A. a park is the best place to meet a friend
B. parents shouln’t leave teenagers alone at home
C. teenagers don’t usually do their homework during their school holidays
D. surfing the Internet has become an important part of teenagers’ lives
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下面短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
We used to go into different chat rooms on different websites . If you wanted to meet someone on the net , you had to go into the same chat room . But now regular net surfers chat on OICQ .
OICQ is an online chat software which is invented by Tencent Computer System Company of Shenzhen in February , 1999 . Since then it has swept the country . Its symbol is a penguin wearing a red scarf .
Net friends can be divided into a buddy list (for good friends ) , a stranger list ( for people you want to avoid on the Net ) . You can also build family lis
ts , co-worker lists , etc .
You can know whether listed friends are online as long as you use it . The cartoon portrait(
肖像，画像) of the person turns bright if he is online . And the portrait turns dim(灰暗的) if he is not there .
Traditional public chat rooms are chaotic . It is difficult to focus on a conversation . OICQ can conduct a focused talk without interruptions by other chatters . OICQ has become a regular daily communication tool . “What is your OICQ number ? ” has become a modern topic .
1. OICQ is________.
A. a special chat room for all the cyber citizens（网民）
B. a cartoon portrait to make friends on the Internet
C. an online chat software that helps you talk on the Internet more freely
D. a modern phone number used by more and more people
2. If you don’t want to chat with someone , you can put him in_______with the help of OICQ .
A. a buddy list B. a stranger list
C. family lists D. co-worker lists
3. The passage mainly tells us____________.
A. how to chat with people on the Internet
B. how to use OICQ
C. how to choose a regular daily communication tool
D. some advantages about OICQ
The twentieth century saw greater changes than any century before : changes for the better , changes for the worse ; changes that brought a lot of benefits to human beings , changes that put man in danger . Many things caused the changes , but , in my opinion , the most important was the progress in science .
Scientific research in physics and biology has vastly broadened our views . It has given us a deeper knowledge of the structure of matter and of the universe ; it has brought us a better understanding of the nature of life and of its continuous development . Technology in the application of science has made big advances that have benefited us in nearly every part of life .
The continuation of such activitites in the twenty-first century will result in even greater advantages to human beings : in pure science―a wider and deeper knowledge in all fields of learning ; in applied science―a more reasonable sharing of material benefits , and better protection of the environment .
Sadly , however , there is another side to the picture . The creativity of science has been employed in doing damage to mankind . The application of science and technology to the development and production of weapons of mass destruction has created a real danger to the continued existence of the human race on this planet . We have seen this happen in the case of nuclear weapons . Although their actual use has so far occurred only in the Second World War , the number of nuclear weapons that were produced and made ready for use was so large that if the weapons had actually been used , the result could have been the ruin of the human race , as well as of many kind
s of animals .
William Shakespeare said , “ The web of our life is of a mingled yarn(纱线), good and ill together .” The above brief review of the application of only one part of human activities—science seems to prove what Shakespeare said . But does it have to be so ? Must the ill always go together with the good ? Are we biologically programmed for war ?
1. Which of the following best shows the stucture of the passage ?
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（①="Paragraph1" , ②=" Paragraph" 2，③=" Paragraph" 3，④=" Paragraph" 4，⑤=" Paragraph" 5）
2. From the fourth paragraph , we can infer that __________.
A. a great many nuclear weapons were actually used for war
B. a large numbe
r of nuclear weapons should have been used for war
C. the author is doubtful about the rui
n of human beings by nuclear weapons
D. the author is anxious about the huge number of unclear weapons on the earth
3. The underlined word “ mingled ” in the last paragraph most probably means__________.
A. simple B. mixed C. sad D. happy
4. What do you think the author is most likely to suggest if he continues to write ?
A. Further application of science to war .
B. More reading of William Shakespeare .
C. Proper use of science in the new century .
D. Effective ways to separate the good from the ill .
Since my retirement(退休) from teaching music in 2001 , I have spent a good deal of time painting as an artist . I actually began drawing again in the summer of 1995 when my father died , so perhaps I was trying to recover from the loss of my father , or maybe it was just that it brought back memories of him . In any case , I drew pen and ink animals and landscapes(风景画) much influenced by Krenkel and St. John for five years .
For some strange reason , I had been waiting until my retirement to start doing
watercolors again , but as soon as I walked out of the school door for the last time I picked up my brushes and rediscovered Andrew Wyeth , who quickly became my favorite artist . I had looked through all the art books I had on my shelves and found his watercolors to be the closest to how I thought good watercolors should look . So I painted landscapes around Minnesota for three years and tried out many other types of painting . However , watercolors remained my first choice , and I think I did my best work there , showing my paintings at a number of art exhibitions .
Art is now together with my piano playing and reading . There is a time of everything in my world , and it is wonderful to have some time doing what I want to do . As Confucius once said , “ At seventy I can follow my heart’s desire .”
1. What is the text mainly about ?
A. Learning to paint in later life . B. How to paint wathercolors .
C. An artist-turned teacher . D. Life after retirement .
2. The author started drawing again in 1995 because__________.
A. he hoped to draw a picture of his father
B. he couldn’t stop missing his father
C. he had more time after retirement
D. he liked animals and landscapes
3. We can infer from the text that the author_______.
A. had been taught by Krenkel and St.John
B. painted landscapes in Minnesota for 5 years
C. believed Wyeth to be the best in watercolor
D. started his retirement life at the age of seventy
4. How does the author probably feel about his life as an artist?
A. Very en
joyable B. A bit regretful C. Rather busy D. Fairly dull
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