题目内容

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.

1.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.

2.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.

3.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. 

 

【答案】

 

1.C

2.C

3.D

【解析】

试题分析:文章大意:文章论述了假期时人们为了减少开支,相互签订协议交换房子住的事。

1.C主旨大意题。第二段主要讲述了“交换房子住”这种现象是如何越来越流行的。故C正确。

2.C细节理解题。由文章第三段第三句Initial contact is made via e-mail,  with subsequent communication usually by phone可知。故C正确。

3.D细节理解题。由文章第五段前两句. . . swappers discuss such matters ahead of time. They may fill out an agreement. . . 可知。故D正确。

考点:考查议论文阅读

 

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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.

Television will turn 86 years old on September 7, 2013, and it has never looked better. In its youth, television was a piece of furniture with a tiny, round screen showing unclear pictures of  low­budget programs. In spite of its shortcomings, it became well-received. Between 1950 and 1963, the number of American families with a television jumped from 9% to 92% of the population.
As the audience got larger, the technology got better. Television sets became more reliable through the 1960s. Both of the reception and the picture improved. The major networks started broadcasting programs in color.
Even greater improvements were coming according to Sanford Brown, who wrote an article for the Post in 1967. Surprisingly, just about every prediction he made in the article became a reality. For example: All sets in the not­distant future will be color instruments. He also predicted that TV sets would become smaller, simpler, more reliable and less expensive and may forever put the TV repairman out of work. Smaller sets do not, of course, mean smaller screens. TV engineers expect screens to get much bigger. However, today's 3­D TV is even farther away, if it's coming at all.  There is some doubt whether the public would be eager to pay for it, in view of people's cold reception given to 3­D movies.
But the technology with the greatest potential, according to Brown, was cable television (有线电视), which was still in its early stages then. As he predicted, the future of cable television was highly interactive. It wasn't cable television that gave Americans their electronic connection to the world, however. It was the Internet.  He even foresaw the future office: using picture phones, big­screen televisions for conferences, and computers providing information, at the touch of a button.
Brown ever said, “The future of television is no longer a question of what we can invent. It's a question of what we want.”
【小题1】What can we infer about television sets in the 1960s?

A.They were very popular with Americans.
B.Their appearance remained unchangeable.
C.They showed black­and­white pictures.
D.Their pictures were of poor quality.
【小题2】Which of the followings did Sanford Brown fail to predict?
A.Television's good quality.
B.The invention of 3­D TV.
C.The more functions of TV.
D.The potential of cable TV.
【小题3】From the passage we know _________.
A.TV will certainly take the place of computers
B.There won’t be further improvement on TV
C.TV repairmen will be out of work in the future
D.3­D movies don’t appeal to people very much
【小题4】What is the text mainly about?
A.The shortcomings of television.
B.The advantages of television.
C.The development of television.
D.The invention of television.

 

If you look for a book as a present for a child. You will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there is no new Harry Patten J.K Rowling’s wizard is not alone: the past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books ,which has set off a large quantity of films and in turn led to increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings.

Yet despite that ,reading is increasingly unpopular among children .According to statistics, in 1997 23% said they didn’t like reading at all . In 2003, 35% did . And around 6% of children leave primary school each year unable to read properly.

Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computer games. Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile . Either way , Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class .In his pre-budget report , he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most.

Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds ,who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher . An evaluation earlier this year reported that children on the scheme made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress ,and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.

International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well ,but read less often for fun than those elsewhere .Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can expect lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success . According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage.

46.Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?

A.Many children’s books have been adapted from films.

B.Many high-quality children’s books have been published .

C.The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films.

D.The sales of presents for children have increased.

47.Statistics suggested that _______.

A.the number of top students increased with the use of computers

B.a decreasing number of  children showed interest in reading

C.a minority of primacy school children read properly

D.a large percentage of children read regularly

48.What do we know about Reading Recovery?

A.An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year.

B.Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking.

C.It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading.

D.Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading.

49.Reading for fun is important because book-loving children _________.

A.take greater advantage of the project        B.show the potential to enjoy a long life

C.are likely to succeed in their education.     D.would make excellent future researchers

50.The aim of this text would probably be _________.

A.to overcome primary school pupils reading difficulty.

B.to encourage the publication of more children’s books

C.to remind children of the importance of reading for fun

D.to introduce a way to improve early childhood reading

 

A college education is out of reach for most state and federal prisoners.California' a San Quentin is one of the few prisons in the country that offers college - level courses.

Jody Lewen has run the prison' s college program for over a decade and she' s the reason that the Prison University Project exists today.When Lewen joined San Quentin' s college program in 1999 as a volunteer instructor, it was run by a small volunteer staff with no budget.At that time, she was a graduate student, with plans to return to academic research.But a year later, when the part - time director suddenly quit, Lewen found herself in charge.

Under Lewen's leadership, the Prison University Project has expanded, now offering 20 classes in English, math, social science and Spanish.Three hundred prisoners enroll (入学) every year, earning college credits which can lead to an associate of arts degree.So far, 100 San Quentin prisoners have graduated with associate' s degrees and many more have continued their college studies after release.

"This experience really has changed my life.It' s given me a lot of tools on how to express myself," says Charles Spence, who is serving a life sentence in San Quentin."This program is really rare in the prison setting, so I'm really lucky."

Research shows that the more education a prisoner has, the less likely he is to return to prison.Lewen says the chance for those with college degrees back into prison is less than 10 percent.

But the Prison University Project receives no government funding. Lewen would like to see college programs in every prison, but without government support, it' s not likely to happen any time soon.In the meantime, there's a long waiting list of San Quentin prisoners who want to enroll in the college program.Some day, Lewen hopes to expand her program, making a college education available for most of prisoners at San Quentin.

1.Which of the following is true of the Prison University Project?

A.Jody Lewen founded it in 1999.

B.It was supported by the government.

C.Jody took charge of it quite accidentally.

D.It is performed in most prisons in the U.S.

2.Jody Lewen joined in San Quentin' s college program to _____  .

A.work as a volunteer teacher      B.be a part - time director

C.do some scientific research      D.earn her college credits

3.According to the text, Charles Spence might be _______.

A.a graduate student        B.a San Quentin prisoner

C.a volunteer teacher        D.a prison manager

4.The project is quite meaningful because ______.

A.prisoners have equal rights of education

B.it doesn't need support from the government

C.the society is more concerned about prisoners

D.it reduces the chance for prisoners back in prison

5.We learn from the last paragraph that the problem for the Project is _______.

A.there are fewer and fewer volunteer teachers

B.fewer and fewer prisoners want to enroll

C.too many prisoners are housed at San Quentin

D.it lacks financial support from the government

 

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