5.Buckingham Palace has a history that dates back over 500 years and has changed hands on numerous occasions,however,much of the building that remains standing today is from the original structure built in the early 1700's.
In the beginning Buckingham Palace was originally known as Buckingham House.However,in 1762 George III liked the house so much that he bought it for 28,000 and renamed it"The Queen's House".The reason for this was down to the fact that he bought the house to give to his wife Charlotte.Shortly after he did this,work soon began in order to remodel the house with the help of Sir William Chambers.This trend then continued with the accession of George IV i n 1820 when he decided to reconstruct the house but he still used it for the same purpose that his father did.
One of the biggest physical changes to the house occurred several years later when the king ha d a change of mind.It was in 1826 that King George IV set about transforming the house into what it is known today,Buckingham Palace.He did this with the help of an architect known as John Nash.
The work that Nash carried out involved doubling the size of the main block through adding a new suite of rooms on the garden side facing the west.He then faced this with mellow Bath stone,which reflected the French neo-classical influence favored by George IV.Many of the rooms that Nash added still remain pretty much unchanged today.
The palace as it stands today acts as not only the London residence of Her Majesty the Queen but also the administrative headquarters of the Royal Household.It is in fact one of the few working royal palaces that remain in the world today.The state rooms are extensively used by the Queen as well as members of the royal family as a way of receiving and entertaining guests on state,ceremonial and official occasions.
33.George IV reconstructed Buckingham House probably toA.
A.please his own wife
B.sati sfy his son
C.sell at a good price
D.honor his old father
34.One of the biggest changes to Buckingham Palace took place inC.
A.1762     B.1820     C.1826      D.1829
35.The last paragraph mainly tells usD
A.how important Buckingham Palace is today
B.what Buckingham Palace is like today
C.some information of royal palaces in the world
D.how Buckingham Palace is used today.
20.About this time every year,I get very nostalgic(怀旧的).Walking through my neighborhood on a fall afternoon reminds me of a time not too long ago when sounds of children filled the air,children playing games on a hill,and throwing leaves around in the street below.I was one of those children,carefree and happy.I live on a street that is only one block long.I have lived on the same street for sixteen years.I love my street.One side has six houses on it,and the other has only two houses,with a small hill in the middle and a huge cottonwood tree on one end.When I think of home,I think of my street.Only I see it as it was before.Unfortunately things change.One day,not long ago,I looked around and saw how different everything has become.Life on my street will never be the same because neighbors are quickly grown old,friends are growing up and leaving,and the city is planning to destroy my precious hill and sell the property to contractors.
It is hard for me to accept that many of my wonderful neighbors are growing old and won't be around much longer.I have fond memories of the couple across the street,who sat together on their porch swing almost every evening,the widow next door who yelled at my brother and me for being too loud,and the crazy old man in a black suit who drove an old car.In contrast to those people,the people I see today are very old neighbors who have seen better days.The man in the black suit says he wants to die,and another neighbor just sold his house and moved into a nursing home.The lady who used to yell at us is too tired to bother any more,and the couple across the street rarely go out to their front porch these days.It is difficult to watch these precious people as they near the end of their lives because at once I thought they would live forever.
The"comings and goings"of the younger generation of my street are now mostly"goings"as friends and peers move on.Once upon a time,my life and the lives of my peers revolved around home.The boundary of our world was the gutter at the end of the street.We got pleasure from playing night games or from a breathtaking ride on a tricycle.Things are different now,as my friends become adults and move on.Children who rode tricycles now drive cars.The kids who once played with me now have new interests and values as they go their separate ways.Some have gone away to college like me,a few got married,two went into the army,and one went to prison.Watching all these people grow up and go away makes me long for the good old days.
Perhaps the biggest change on my street is the fact that the city is going to turn my precious hill into several lots for now homes.For sixteen years,the view out of my kitchen window has been a view of that hill.The hill was a fundamental part of my childhood life; it was the hub of social activity for the children of my street.We spent hours there building forts,sledding,and playing tag.The view out of my kitchen window now is very different; it is one of tractors and dump trucks tearing up the hill.When the hill goes,the neighborhood will not be the same.It is a piece of my childhood.It is a visual reminder of being a kid.Without the hill,my street will be just another pea in the pod.
There was a time when my street was my world,and I thought my world would never change.But something happened.People grow up,and people grow old.Places changes,and with the change comes the heartache of knowing I can never go back to the times I loved.In a year or so,I will be gone just like many of my neighbors.I will always look back to my years as a child,but the place I remember will not be the silent street whose peace is interrupted by the sounds of construction.It will be the happy,noisy,somewhat strange,but wonderful street I knew as a child.
12.The writer finds it hard to accept the fact thatA.
A.many of his good neighbors are growing old
B.the lady next door who used to yell at him and his brother is now a widow
C.the life of his neighbors has become very boring
D.the man in his black suit even wanted to end his own life
13.The biggest change on the writer's street isA.
A.removing the hill to make way for residential development
B.the building of new homes behind his kitchen window
C.the fact that there are much fewer people around than in the past
D.the change in his childhood friends'attitude towards their neighborhood
14.What does the writer mean by saying"my street will be another pea in the pod"?D
A.his street will be very noisy and dirty
B.his street will soon be crowded with people
C.his street will have some new attractions
D.his street will be no different from any other street
15.Which could be a good title for the passage?C
A.The Past of My Street will Live Forever
B.Unforgettable People and Things of My Street
C.Memory Street Isn't What It Used to Be
D.The Big Changes of My Street.

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