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.
|
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.
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.| 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 |
The laptop is a machine which can be a mobile office；it can be used to entertain us and people can play computer games on them.One machine can perform many tasks at the same time.As technology grows，the size of the new laptop machines is decreasing.Now laptops are lighter，have smaller screen sizes，and perform better.Smaller screen laptops，which are more convenient to take along with，have been specially designed for professionals.Huge display screen laptops are still used by graphic(绘画的)designers and those who like playing computer games.
Laptops are advanced machines，and they can be very expensive.When we spend much money on something，we should take good care of it.I know some people who buy a new laptop every year.The reason they do this is that the old one either is broken or has some problems which cannot be fixed.Common problems are the breaking of the screen，the breaking of joints of the laptop，display problems，and keyboard problems.
Different problems will always come up with machines，and they cannot be avoided(避免)．Old machines will always have to be replaced by new ones.However，if we are more careful and handle our laptops with care，they will last for a longer period of time，and they will perform better.This is not a hard thing to do，but it will greatly increase the life and performance of laptops.According to the first paragraph，the laptop is a machine which________.
| A．is being used by more and more people in the office |
| B．will take the place of desktops sooner or later |
| C．is specially designed for people who like playing computer games |
| D．can be used for both work and entertainment purposes |
The underlined word in the first paragraph means “________”．
| A．becoming smaller | B．becoming more important |
| C．becoming more popular | D．becoming better |
We infer that graphic designers still use huge display screen laptops most probably because________.
| A．huge display screen laptops are very cheap |
| B．small display screen laptops are not on sale yet |
| C．they can see their drawings more clearly |
| D．they also want to play computer games |
What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．That laptops can only be used for one year. |
| B．That laptops are not as good as desktops. |
| C．That the prices for laptops are too high. |
| D．That laptops may have problems which cannot be fixed. |
Kate Anderson became an accidental car thief when she went to pick up her daughter’s car near an Ohio University building last week.Anderson saw the nickelgray Toyota Camry and used her daughter’s key to unlock the car，start the engine and drive home.
When Charlie Vansant left class a short time later，he found only an empty parking spot.He first assumed the car had been towed，but when the police couldn’t find a record of it，they took a theft report.
The morning after Anderson took back the car，her daughter discovered the Camry in the driveway wasn’t hers.She found Vansant’s name on paperwork in the glove compartment and looked up his phone number on the Website for the university.
When she told Vansant the car was in her driveway，“It sounded real fishy at first，like maybe she wanted to hold the thing for ransom，”Vansant said!
He eventually went to the house with a police officer，where he was reunited with his car.According to a police report，the case was closed “because of the mistaken car identity.”Anderson wasn’t charged.
Vansant seemed to blame the car company more than the “thief”．“Her key fit not only my lock，but my ignition as well—so highfive for Toyota，I guess，”he said.
Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong said key technology wasn’t as sophisticated as two decades ago，and there were so many ways to cut a key，making it possible for such a mixup to occur.He said the company now has a microchip embedded(嵌入)in the keys for 90 percent of its vehicles that allows them to start only with the correct key.We can learn from the story that Kate Anderson____。
| A．was an experienced but unlucky thief |
| B．took Vansant’s car away by chance |
| C．fould unlock any car with her special key |
| D．was accused of theft and put into prison |
When Charlie Vansant received the phone call，he___。
| A．ran as fast as he could to the police station |
| B．felt someone was playing a joke on him |
| C．suspected he would be forced to pay for the car |
| D．went directly to Anderson and collected his car |
Who should be responsible for the accident?——
| A．Toyota Camry. | B．Charlie Vansant. |
| C．Toyota Company. | D．The police. |
According to the passage，it can be learned that____
| A．the daughter is more honest than her mother |
| B．many thefts occurred because the same keys were used |
| C．Toyota Camry is a kind of car，which is easier to unlock |
| D．the car producers should pay more attention to car identity |
Do you want to watch a hot movie while chatting with your friend on the phone, or shop with mobile while on a train? 54
It is reported that China is to issue its first licence for the commercial use of the third generation telecommunication technology early next year.
The so-called 3G technology will enable mobile phone users to enjoy highspeed Internet-based services. 55
Nowadays, many mobile phones also allow you to send e-mails or read the latest stories on the Internet, but their services are limited by their transporting speed, which is only 10 kilobytes per second. 56
If recently mobile technology is like riding a bike on a country road, then 3G will make you fly on the information highway. For example, a mobile phone with 3G technology will enable you to download a three minutes’ MP3 song within two minutes. 57
In the near future, we’ll expect high-speed access to the Internet, entertainment, information and electronic commerce services wherever we are—not just at our computers or television sets.
In the UK and many other European countries where 3G services have been around since 2003, 3G has already become a part of modern business life. Nowadays, employees are able to spend some of their working hours at home. 58
| A．The ongoing construction of a new telecommunication service will make these things reality very soon. |
| B．But 3G will enable you to connect to the Internet with a speed of up to 2 megabytes per second, a thousand times faster than what you use now. |
| C．3G technology will offer you high-speed access to the Internet wherever there is a computer. |
| D．It will help increase mobility in many areas of our life. |
E. The new technology allows a doctor to examine a patient through a video link.
F. But at the moment, it will take you up to an hour to do this with your mobile phone
G. The new technology allows the emergency services to provide a video link with a hospital or doctor for patients who need special care.
Handshaking, though a European practise is often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed （无武器的） hands to each other as a sign of goodwill. As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other’s hands to make a deal or to reach an agreement. This practice was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. “Let’s shake （hands） on it” sometimes means agreement reached.
Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman, shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean anything to him or-her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly- There is generally a misunderstanding （误解） among the Chinese that westerners are usually open
and straighforward, while the Chinese are rather reserved （保守的） in manner. But in fact some people in western countries more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in further relations with you.In the old days in Europe, people put out their unarmed hands to each other ______.
| A．to make a deal | B．to greet each other |
| C．to show friendliness | D．to reach an agreement |
The first paragraph mainly tells us ______.
| A．where handshaking was first practised |
| B．how handshaking came about |
| C．about the relationship between handshaking and trade |
| D．about the practice of handshaking both in Europe and in China |
According to the text. which of the following statements is true?
| A．Westerners are more reserved than the Chinese. |
| B．Westerners are unwilling to shake hands. |
| C．We should make a judgment before shaking hands. |
| D．We shouldn’t shake hands with European women. |
The main purpose of the text is ______.
| A．to tell us some differences between the East and the West |
| B．to offer us some important facts about handshaking |
| C．to introduce us to some different customs in the West |
| D．to give us some advice before we travel abroad |
Collections were the inspiration（灵感） for a project at Thomas Tallis School, which formed part of the Imagine Children's Literature Festival last autumn. Each child （aged 12-13） beatified a box and wrote a story on the subject of collections to throw inside it. The boxes were spread within the Royal Festival Hall's Ballroom. Some were left empty to encourage
The subject chosen by Luren was an imaginative one. "It's a sort o f Cinderella （灰姑娘） story," she told me, inspired by a collection of letters from her cousin, ha the story these become love letters, burned by a creel stepmother. Lauren's best friend Charlotte is the stepmother. "I'm in Charlotte's story too," says Lauren, "and I get run over." Charlotte's tale was inspired by the girls' coin collection. "We've collected foreign coins for years - since our families went on holiday to Tenerife." she explains. "That was before the Euro, so we put pesetas in." Lauren continues: "I fred a coin in the road, go to get it and get run over. I'm in hospital and then I die." Charlotte adds: "Or she might not die. I haven't decided yet."
Millie Murray, who is a tea-novel author, thinks that setting the subject of collections was a useful inspiration to their creativity rather than a restriction（限制）。 "In the beginning I thought, 'Will the children be able to do it?'" she says. "But it's been fruitful. Some have their own collection, some have parents who do, and some have wlstten complete stories. It's made them think about something they wouldn't have otherwise, winch can only be a good thing."What were the children asked to do in the project?
| A．To meet friends at Thomas Tallis School |
| B．To write stories on the subject of collections. |
| C．To encourage visitors to write their own stories. |
| D．To have their friends for characters in the stories. |
The underlined word "pesetas" in Paragraph 2 is a kind of _____.
| A．story | B．collection | C．inspiration | D．foreign coin |
From the stories by Lauren and Charlotte, we know that _____ .
| A．Charlotte hurt herself when getting a coin |
| B．both of them developed their imagination |
| C．both of tram will die in each other's stories |
| D．Latwen's cousin posted her some love letters |
Millie Murray thinks ________.
| A．collections could inspire writing creativity |
| B．it was good for parents to have collections |
| C．inspirations were very useful in writing stories |
| D．setting collection subjects restricted inspirations |