Most young architects—particularly those in big cities—can only dream about working in a building of their own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical—parts firm in Atlanta. From the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting (生锈的) walls.
In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned (放弃) years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition (拆除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building, The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there—the walls, the rust, the light,” Yocum said. “Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation (装置) in there—a slow-motion show.”
Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer (缓冲) zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical (机械的) room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.
Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from the decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.According to the passage, it is for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.
A.easy | B.unnecessary |
C.unrealistic | D.common |
Working on the old building, Yocum and Bell .
A.pulled rubbish out through the roof |
B.removed the skylights from the bathroom |
C.presented a slow–motion show in an art gallery |
D.built a kitchen at the back part of the old building |
It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell .
A.benefited a lot from pulling down the roof |
B.turned more old buildings into art galleries |
C.got inspiration from decorating their old building |
D.paid more attention to the outside of the gallery |
The main idea of the passage is that .
A.people can learn a lot from their failures |
B.it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building |
C.people should not judge things by their appearance |
D.creative people can make the best of what they have |
INVITATION TO A GOING-AWAY PARTY Sunday, June12 Dear Li Yang and Lu Ming, You are invited to a party for our foreign teacher Miss Green’s return to England for her holiday. She leaves on June 21. The best part of the party will be when we sing and dance together. Party given by: Students’ Union Date: Saturday, June 18,2006 Time: 6:00p.m. to 9:30p.m. Place: The Students’ Dining Hall Reply by: Friday, June 17 Food and drinks will be provided at the party. Zhang Yu PS: This event is NOT to be missed! We hope to see you there! |
When will they have the party?
A.On Sunday, June12th. | B.On Friday,June 17th. |
C.On Saturday, June18th. | D.On Tuesday,June21th. |
How long will the party last?
A.For three hours. | B.For two hours and a half. |
C.For four hours and a half. | D.For three hours and a half. |
According to the invitation, which sentence is TRUE ?
A.Miss Green leaves on Tuesday. | B.They are not going to sing. |
C.They are not going to dance. | D.They can’t eat food at the party. |
Who are Li Yang and Lu Ming?
A.Zhang Yu’s teachers. | B.Zhang Yu’s students |
C.Zhang Yu’s schoolmates. | D.Zhang Yu’s sisters. |
Dick was born in a poor family. His father had a small boat and went fishing in the morning and sold the fish in the market in the afternoon. Then he bought some food for his family. When winter came, they were often hungry. One morning the hungry man fell into the river and wasn’t found. Dick’s mother left her three-year-old son without saying good-bye. His aunt had to look after him.
Twenty years passed. Dick became a tall, strong man. He found work on a farm. He worked hard and wanted to get more money. He often went to see his aunt with some nice presents. The woman was very happy but one day she died in a traffic accident. The young man was very sad. After he buried her, he decided to buy a beautiful tombstone(墓碑)for her. He went to town and came in a shop, but all the tombstones were too expensive. He asked, “Do you sell an old tombstone, sir?” “Yes, we do, sir, ” answered the shopkeeper. “Is it as expensive as the new one?”
“No, it’s much cheaper,” said the man. “But another name was engraved (刻) on it.” “It doesn’t matter, ” said Dick. “My aunt couldn’t read.” If , the family members were hungry.
A.Dick’s father could catch no fish in winter |
B.Dick’s father had a boat in winter |
C.Dick’s father had to look after him in winter |
D.no food was sold in winter |
Dick wanted to get more money to.
A.marry a wife | B.give his aunt nice presents |
C.buy a farm | D.build a house |
Dick often went to see his aunt because.
A.she felt lonely | B.she was often ill |
C.she had no children | D.with her help he grew up |
Dick wanted to buy an old tombstone because.
A.he didn’t had enough money to buy a new one |
B.his aunt couldn’t read whose name was engraved |
C.his aunt wasn’t going to mind it |
D.nobody knew what his aunt’s name was |
Too many people want others to be their friends,but they don’t give friendship back. That is why some friendships don’t last long. To have a friend,you must learn to be one. You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules:be honest;be generous;be understanding.
Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you do not tell the truth,people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest,you may lose the friend’s trust. Good friends always count_ on one another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You do not have to give your lunch money or your clothes .Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to a friend. They tell your friend what is important to you. By sharing them,you help your friend know better.
Sooner or later every one needs understanding and helping with a problem. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be the first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend’s place so you can understand the problem better.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike .But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friends,you must practice honesty,generosity and understanding.Some friendships don’t last very long because ________.
A.there are too many people who want to make friends |
B.some people receive friendship but don’t give friendship back |
C.those who give others friendship receive friendship from others |
D.they don’t know friendship is something serious |
According to the passage,honesty is________.
A.something countable |
B.the base of friendship |
C.as important as money |
D.more important than anything else |
The best title of this passage is ________.
A.Honesty Is the Best Policy |
B.A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed |
C.How to Be Friends |
D.Three Important Points in Life |
What’s the meaning of “count on” in this passage?
A.数,点(数) | B.认为,看作 |
C.重视 | D.期待 |
Linda Evans was my best friend—like the sister I never had. We did everything together:piano lessons,movies,swimming,horseback riding.
When I was 13,my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters,and we saw each other on special times—like my wedding(婚礼) and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes,and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back,stamped “Address(地址) Unknown” I had no idea how to find Linda.
Over the years,I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share(分享) happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.
One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman—Linda’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans,” I thought,but I still wrote to her.
She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs.Tobin!”she said excitedly,“Linda Evans Wagman is my mother.”
Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much,even after 40 years,laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure:We won’t lose each other again!The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans ________.
A.at the age of 13 |
B.before she got married |
C.after they moved to new homes |
D.before the writer’s family moved away |
They didn’t often write to each other because they ________.
A.got married |
B.had little time to do so |
C.didn’t like writing letters |
D.could see each other on special time |
There was an empty place in the writer’s heart because she ________.
A.was in trouble |
B.didn’t know Linda’s address |
C.received the card that she sent |
D.didn’t have a friend like Linda to share her happiness or sadness |
They haven’t kept in touch ________.
A.for about 40 years |
B.for about 27 years |
C.since they got married |
D.since the writer’s family moved away |
A businessman walks into a bank in San Francisco and asks for the loan officer. He says he is going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000. The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for such a loan. So the businessman hands over the keys to a Rolls Royce parked on the street in front of the bank. Everything checks out, and the bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. An employee drives the Rolls into the bank’s underground garage and park it there.
Two weeks later, the businessman returns, and repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41
The loan officer says, “We are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is that why you would bother to borrow $5,000?”
Laughing, the businessman replies, “Where else in San Francisco can I park my car for two weeks for $157.”The businessman walks into the bank with the true purpose of .
A.borrowing $5,000 | B.meeting the loan officer |
C.finding a place to park his car | D.showing how rich he is |
The loan officer is puzzled because .
A.he never thought he could meet a multimillionaire in his bank |
B.he thinks the businessman is crazy to leave his car in the bank |
C.he never thought the businessman could drive a Roils Royce |
D.he thinks $5,000 is so small a sum of money to the businessman |
The underlined word “collateral” In Paragraph 1 most probably means “” .
A.security | B.payment | C.reward | D.deal |
Which of the following words can best describe the businessman according to the story?
A.Honest. | B.Clever | C.Rich | D.Kind |