Surrounded by far - away mountains and nearby downtown buildings, a large open field was filled with lines of blue and white houses. Several kids were laughing and playing table tennis inside a play room. Some old men were playing Chinese chess and a crowd of women chatting in front of two TV sets.

    Two weeks after the deadly earthquake, the first batch of 1,500 people in Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province, one of the worst earthquake - hit cities, has finally settled into a peaceful life in a newly built temporary community.

    "Compared with tents, these simple houses make us feel more at home. My grandchild can go on with his study here," said an old woman.

    These one - floor buildings are totally different from their old homes. Instead of cement and bricks, the houses are made of light- weight steel or foamed plastic(泡沫塑料) and can stand a 7 - magnitude earthquake. Each of the houses, featuring about 20 square meters, serves as a three - person family unit. The units have three beds and electricity. Each has its own postal address.

    Communal(公共的) facilities will include showers, toilets and refectories(食堂). It is also planned that there should be one primary school, one hospital and one supermarket for every 1,000 homes. Everything will be free to the residents in possession of their identity cards, and work has already started in looking for jobs for the community.

"More than 1.5 million such makeshift  houses will be built in Sichuan, which are expected to be in use for at least three years," said Minister of Housing and Urban - Rural Development Jiang Weixin. The government said over 5.93 million rooms in Sichuan had been leveled in the quake and more than 11 million people, which even outnumber the entire population of some countries such as Norway and New Zealand, became homeless. It is planned that all the victims will be housed by early August, and that they will stay in the temporary houses for between three and five years until permanent homes are built.

60. On the whole, the article tells about ________.

    A. life in the earthquake- hit areas

    B. starting to rebuild the earthquake - hit areas

    C. how to build houses in the earthquake - hit areas

    D. caring for people in the earthquake - hit areas

61. Which word in the text is the closest in meaning to the underlined word "makeshift"?

    A. Communal.        B. Permanent.         C. Temporary.          D. Primary.

62. It can be inferred from the text that _________.

    A. so far only 1500 people have moved into the makeshift houses

    B. all the victims will be supplied with new houses in three years

    C. nowadays it's impossible for the victims to find jobs

    D. the victims are gradually returning to their normal life

63. Which of the following is FALSE about the makeshift houses mentioned in the text?

    A. They lack proper and convenient communal facilities.

    B. They are built not by cement and bricks but by light - weight Steel or foamed plastic.

    C. A 3 - person family will get a house of 20 square meters.

    D. They are expected to be used at least for 3 years.

The word “plastic” comes from the Greek word “Platicos” and is used to describe_1_which can be easily shaped.?

The history of plastics is longer than you might_2_.In fact _3_ manmade plastics ever to appear on the market was made over a hundred years ago. It was called “celluloid(赛璐璐)”.It was discovered by both an Englishman and an American in the same year._4_it was the Americans who first produced it on a large scale during the year 1860.Everybody was _5_by this new material which could be moulded (用模子做) into shapes and _6_so cheap to buy.

Poor young men _7_in cities with lots of smoke and dirt were_8_ to buy white celluloid collars(领子).The collars were hard and uncomfortable. But they did not have to be sent to wash. The poor young men _9_ rub them clean every evening with soap and water! Poor mothers,

_10_ had not been able to afford playthings _11_their children, were now able to buy them playthings _12_ of celluloid. But celluloid had one very serious fault. It caught fire very easily. In fact it burned even more quickly than wood or cloth. There were many terrible accidents, particularly _13_ children. For years scientists worked hard to find a better plastic material than celluloid. They had _14_ success. Then in 1932 an American scientist called Baekeland produced a hard plastic material which did not burn. _15_ became known _16_ bakelite(酚醛塑料).Other plastic materials like bakelite were _17_ produced. They _18_ to make electrical fittings and plates and cups. Poor people liked them because they were both cheap and safe, but rich people _19_ them because they were cheap, and because they could only be made _20_dark colours.

1. A. something    B. everything  C. thing            D. anything

2. A. wish        B. think       C. want            D. hope

3. A. first         B. at first      C. for the first      D. the first

4. A. So          B. But        C. And            D. As

5. A. surprised     B. excited     C. told            D. frightened

6. A. be          B. were       C. was             D. is

7. A. waiting      B. running    C. walking          D. working

8. A. going       B. sure        C. about            D. able

9. A. could       B. ought to     C. must            D. should

10. A. which      B. who       C. whom            D. that

11. A. for        B. like        C. in               D. of

12. A. done       B. produced   C. worked           D. made

13. A. between    B. on        C. among            D. about

14. A. much      B. great.      C. never             D. little

15. A. The man   B. He         C. It                D. The scientist

16. A. as        B. with        C. by               D. to

17. A. already    B. still         C. also             D. yet

18. A. used      B. hoped       C. were used         D. had

19. A. took     B. loved       C. enjoyed           D. disliked

20. A. in       B. by          C. from             D. of