A. self-confidence    B. refers         C. frequently      D. despite        E. consider

F. normally          G. bored        H. alter          I. reshapes       J. qualified

Many people today are obsessed with their appearance. Although they are perfectly healthy, they constantly worry that their nose is a bit too big, or that their ears stick too far out. Cosmetic surgery (整容)is a possible solution to this problem. Cosmetic surgery means a surgeon ___1.___ a part of your body that works ___2.___, but which makes you unhappy. It is different from plastic surgery, which ___3.___ to the work surgeons do to repair body parts damaged by disease or accidents. Different kinds of people get cosmetic surgery. Some may have low ___4.___. They may be depressed, or struggling to find a satisfactory job. People with such problems believe cosmetic surgery will not just make them look better, but also make them feel better inside. Other people may be insecure about one part of their body, or just ___5.___ with how they look.

There is no proof that cosmetic surgery can really make people happier, but ___6.___ this, many people still have very high expectations for it. They think that it will solve all their problems. It is important to remember that cosmetic surgery might ___7.___ a part of your body, but it can’t change your whole life.

Cosmetic surgery can also be risky. If you have existing health problems, like a weak heart or breathing problems, this kind of operation can sometimes make them worse. In addition, cosmetic surgery is a big industry, and not everyone involved in it is honest. Therefore, you need to choose the clinic for your surgery very carefully. You must be certain that the surgeon you choose is ___8.___ to give you cosmetic surgery.

The biggest question for someone thinking of having cosmetic surgery is the cost. The price can vary from a few hundred dollars to $10,000 or above. It depends on which part of your body you want to change. Rich stars may not __9.___ the cost very high, but most people cannot afford to pay. Perhaps it is cheaper—and better for your health—to learn to live with how you look.

 

In the modern world more and more people meet the problem of identity.The most interesting example is that of a so – called “banana”, which refers to an American who has an Asian face but holds Western values.

In Shanghai, there now live a group of people from abroad.They look no different from the locals and speak fluent Chinese or even Shanghai dialect, but when it comes to writing Chinese characters, they are almost illiterate(文盲).Jack is such an example.He never learned to read or write Chinese characters, which he finds mysterious and difficult.From time to time, he files to the US as he does not feel Shanghai is where he comes from.“But when I am in the States, I feel that’s not my home either,” he said.

At De Gaulle Airport in France, there is a Swiss man who has been living in the waiting – room for a long time because he lost h is passport during his travels.He was refused entry into several countries.But when he was eventually allowed to return to Swizerland, he refused to leave the airport.His reason was very simple—“I am sure who I am.I need no acknowledgement from others,” he said during an interview.For th is reason  he was honored by the Western media as “the Hero of identity.”

As the Internet becomes more and more popular, the problem of identity becomes more serious.In a virtual world, people can have different addresses registered with different names.In the Internet chat room, even one’s gender(性别) is hard to determine.It seems that in the glohal village, people are saying hello every day to each other without knowing whom they are talking to.

What will be the next crisis(危机) of identity? With the development of cloning technology, it might be: who is the real “I”?

1.What does the passage mainly talk about?

   A.The importance of identity.

   B.The crisis of identity.

   C.Differences between Eastern and Western cultures.

   D.Difficulty in living in foreign counties.

2.The Swiss man had to live in De Gaulle Airport in France because      

   A.he needed to board a plane at any time

   B.he couldn’t afford to live in a hotel

   C.he needed others acknowledgement

   D.he couldn’t prove who he was

65.A “banana” in the passage is in fact an     

   A.American traveling to Asia                                          B.American keeping Eastern culture

   C.American born in Asia                                               D.America – born Asian

3.We can infer from the passage that the author believes      

   A.there will be more problems relating to identity in the future

   B.Internet technology helps solve problems of identity

   C.only people traveling abroad have problems of identity

   D.people don’t need to worry about identity

 

Some houses are designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second type of house won the Award of Excellence from the American Institute 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 damaged by Hurricane Hugo 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, according to architect Ray Huff, who created the cleverly-designed beach house. Now all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter, better-enforced codes. The new beach house on Sullivan’s Island should be strong enough not to be damaged by a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometres per hour.

At first sight, the house on Sullivan’s Island looks anything but(根本不) hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it look like “a large party lantern” at night. But looks can be deceiving. The house’s wooden frame is strengthened with long steel rods(杆) to give it extra strength.

To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings(木桩) buried deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also raise the house above storm waves. The pilings allow the waves to run under the house instead of running into it. “The waves of water come ashore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings,” said Huff.

Huff designed the timber pilings to be partially concealed(隐藏) by the house’s ground-to-roof shell. “The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn’t look like it’s standing with its legs pulled up,” said Huff. In the event of storm, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained.

1.After Hurricane Hugo, new houses built along South Carolina’s shore line are required

to        .

A. be easily pulled down                B. look smarter in design 

C. meet stricter building standards        D. be designed to be cube-shaped

2.The award-winning beach house is quite strong because     .

A. it is strengthened by steel rods        B. it is made of redwood

C. it is in the shape of a shell         D. it is built with timber and concrete

3.Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings in order to     .

A. avoid peak winds of about 200 km/h

B. bury stronger pilings deep in the sand

C. break huge sea waves into smaller ones

D. prevent the waves from running into it

4.It can be inferred from the passage that the house’s shell should be     .

A. smooth     B. waterproof    C. easily broken    D. extremely hard

 

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