Attempt a guess at the following question: In the English-speaking world, which country has the least affordable homes? You are wrong if you guessed the US, even with the housing bubble (气泡) and main sadness. Nor is it the UK, where prices have risen because demand is far from supply. According to a recent survey of 227 cities around the globe, you must go south of the equator (赤道) to Australia to find the priciest homes.

The report measured a city’s housing market along the following guidelines. An “affordable” home required three times or less of the average family’s income to purchase. At four times earnings, a home fell into the “unaffordable” category. And a “seriously unaffordable” home needed five times a family’s income. In Australia, homes in the least affordable city cost just about 9.5 times the average income. Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne were only a little under this figure.

Australian officials offered little comment, apart from a general statement on the dismal findings. These prices make the possibility that many Australians will one day own a home largely unbelievable. Land rationing (配给制) and excessive development charges have raised prices, and the problem will only be solved through urgent action by the Rudd government.

Some American cities were also included on the least affordable list, four of which were in California. America is still involved in a mortgage(抵押)crisis, though, affecting the affordability of homes. Yet a number of US cities garnered “affordable” status, namely Dallas and Kansas. Australia had no cities listed in the top fifty places with affordable homes.

The survey suggests that you can find affordable homes in most places, just not if you’re Australian and choose to live down under.

To buy an affordable house, you should pay _____.

A. 3 times or less of the average family’s income

B. 4 times or less of the average family’s income

C. 5 times or less of the average family’s income

D. 9.5 times or less of the average family’s income

What caused the prices of houses to increase in Australia?

   A. The rising family’s income.

   B. The demand over supply.

   C. The excessive development charges.

   D. The decrease of land.

The underlined word “dismal” in Paragraph 3 may mean _____.

   A. cheerful       B. satisfactory       C. difficult        D. gloomy 

What might be the most suitable title for the passage?

A. Affordable Houses

B. A House is a Dream First

C. Housing Bubble

D. Homes Too Expensive


第三部分:阅读理解 (共20小题;每小题2分, 满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
When you look at a map of the Caribbean, you will see a bunch of little islands surrounded by. Blue waters, which include places that aren't always household names like Montserrat and Anguilla.
While some of the names may not be familiar, the fact is that the Caribbean is a popular vacation region. Those little clots on the map often turn out to be island paradises. There are more than 7,000 islands, islets, and reefs in the area, many of which are lightly populated and stunningly beautiful.
The biggest challenge you might face in planning your trip is choosing where in the Caribbean to go. All of the nations feature excellent weather. Most feature beautiful beaches. You can enjoy the waters in most of the Caribbean nations and as is often the case with island nations, you will be welcomed warmly by the locals. Here are some resources to help you.
Unless you can walk on water or you cruise the Caribbean, the best way to visit is to fly. Some destinations have more frequent and cheaper flights than others. You should do some comparison shopping on flights to the Caribbean. And if you are planning on flying there during the Christmas holiday weeks it's important to book as early as possible because prices will just keep going up as they get closer.
The Caribbean offers a wide variety of accommodation options. Check out the Caribbean hotels that are available to get a better idea of the various options. If you are on a tight budget then, the Caribbean could be challenging, as there are only a few cheap hotels and hostels that might help you save some money.
Many people see the Caribbean from a cruise ship. There is no shortage of cruises that will take you through the region. Cruise and Vacation Travel Packages is the place to go to find the cruise or vacation package that is right for you.
56. The Caribbean is popular with tourists because ________.
A. the area has a small population             B. the area has a long history.
C. there are many beautiful islands there             D. tire area is very developed
57. The underlined word "they" in the fourth paragraph refers to _________.
A. prices of air tickets                           B. tourists to the Caribbean
C. flights to the Caribbean                  D. the Christmas holiday weeks
58. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The weather in all of the Caribbean nations is fine.
B. Most of the Caribbean hotels are cheap.
C. The local people of the Caribbean are very friendly.
D. It is hard to choose a destination in the Caribbean.

 1.  One of these things is shopping. You can do your shopping from the comfort of your living room if you have a computer and an Internet connection. Most people enjoy shopping but some try to keep it as simple as possible. Shopping online is ideal for the people who find shopping difficult.

The main advantage of online shopping is that you are able to look through various different items without leaving your home. On the internet, you can find all kinds of things.   2. Also, you can compare the prices of the items. Thus, you can save a lot of money.

When doing online shopping, it's important to make use of a search engine. There are shopping directories (公司名录) that detail the available online shopping sites.    3.  There are probably thousands of sites available on the Internet. Many of the shopping sites operate on the same pattern.

It is also beneficial to you that you can order many items and they will be sent to your houses. You don't need to worry about transportation and shipping. This is because most online shopping sites will deliver the items to your doorstep.    4.   This will save you money in the end.

Online shopping is convenient and saves shoppers a lot of time. You save the time that you would have used to drive to a discount store together with your children who shout for everything they see.    5.  Also, you save the money spend on gas driving to the discount store.

A.You can avoid this by just clicking your mouse.

B.Be careful and don't let out your personal information.

C.You can chat with the owners of the online shopping sites.

D.With the coming of the Internet, many things have become easier.

E.In some cases, online shopping sites provide free shipping for shoppers.

F.Most shopping directories contain customers' reviews on shoppers.

G.It can help when you are shopping for something that is hard to find.

 

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