Most young architects ----particularly those in big cities ----can only dream about working in a building of their own. And marking that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical –parts firm in Atlanta. Form the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting(生锈的) walls.

In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition(拆除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building, The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there – the walls, the rust, the light,” Yocum said.” Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation(装置) in there-a slow-motion show.”

 Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer(缓冲) zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.

Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from the decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.

41. According to the passage, it is       for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.

A. easy            B. unnecessary          C. unrealistic      D. common

42．Yocum bought the old building because  _ _  .

A. it was a bargain to him

B. it was still in good condition

C. it was located in the city center

D. it looked attractive from the outside

43. Working on the old building, Yocum and bell＿.

A. pulled rubbish out through the roof

B. removed the skylights from the bathroom

C. presented a slow–motion show in an art gallery

D. built a kitchen at the back part of the old building

44. It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell __.

A. benefited a lot from pulling down the roof

B. turned more old buildings into art galleries

C. got inspiration from decorating their old building

D. paid more attention to the outside of the gallery

45. The main idea of the passage is that __.

A. people can learn a lot from their failures

B. it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building

C. people should not judge things by their appearance

D. creative people can make the best of what they have

Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives.
This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy(幻想) literature or movies like The Lord of the Rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other, to the world around us, and to the world of make-believe(虚假). But have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us?
Human beings, as biologists have suggested, possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms. However, people, especially in big cities, often lead rather isolated(隔离的) lives. In a study of British schoolchildren, it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than with common wildlife. Without modern technology, a small pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants, insects, birds, and animals. When we lack meaningful interaction(交互) with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends, we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen。
The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad. But when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet(出路) for our sense of wonder, then we are really missing something. We are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely enough, we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense, are really part of our own.
【小题1】The popularity of The Lord of the Rings proves       .

Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives.
This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy literature or movies like The Lord of the Rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other, to the world around us, and to the world of make-believe. But have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us?
Human beings, as biologists have suggested, possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms. However, people, especially in big cities, often lead rather isolated lives. In a study of British schoolchildren, it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than with common wildlife. Without modem technology, a small pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants, insects, birds, and animals. When we lack meaningful interaction(交互) with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends, we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen。
The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad. But when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet(出路) for our sense of wonder, then we are really missing something. We are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely enough, we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense, are really part of our own.
【小题1】The popularity of The Lord of the Rings proves     

Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives.

This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy（幻想）literature or movies like the lord of the rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other，to the world around us ,and to the world of make-believe. But have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us?

Human beings，as biologists have suggested，possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms，However, people，especially in big cities，often lead rather isolated lives. In a study of British schoolchildren，it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than with common wildlife. without modem technology，a small pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants，insects，birds，and animals .When we lack meaning（交互）with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends，we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen.

The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad, but when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet（出路）for our sense of wonder，then we are really missing something，we are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely enough，we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense, are really part of our own.

1．The popularity of the Lord of the Rings proves       

       A．the close connection between man and the fantasy world

       B．the wonderful achievements of fantasy literature

       C．the fine taste of moviegoers around the world

       D．the general existence of the sense of curiosity

2．What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3?

       A．people are far less familiar with the world of fantasy

       B．the world around us could serve as a source of wonder

       C．the world of fantasy can be mirrored by a small and lively pond.

       D．Modern technology prevents us from developing our sense of wonder

3．If our sense of wonder relies totally on the world of make-believe, we will       

       A．fail to appreciate the joy in our lives

       B．be confused by the world of make-believe

       C．miss the chance to recognize the fantasy world

       D．be trapped by other worlds existing all around us

4．What is the main purpose of the passage?

       A．To show us the hidden beauty in our world.

       B．to warn us not to get lost in the fantasy world.．

       C．To argue against the misuse of the sense of wonder.

       D．To discuss the influence of the world of make-believe.

OK, I admit it: emoticons (表情符号) are popular. Some people even think they are fun. Many seem unable to get through an e-mail or Instant Message chat sentence without using one. Some feel that they add feeling and character to otherwise cold digital communications.

Some, however, such as editor and Hollywood scriptwriter John Blumenthal, blast (抨击) the use of emoticons as “infantile (幼稚的) just like the people who use them”  He believes that words themselves should be enough. “If you’re being funny, happy or sad, that should be apparent (明显的) from the comment that goes before the emoticon,” he argues.

In the eyes of Blumenthal, the use of emoticons is a gender issue. “Men don’t use emoticons very much. Maybe not at all,” he said. “Teenage girls and women seem to use them a lot. Maybe there’ s an emoticon gene.”

It’s an interesting opinion, but it is not shared by all.

In an interview with The New York Times, Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, said that emoticons are popular because our brains are programmed “to seek out representations of humanity”. He believes that they appeal not because they are shortcuts for the lazy, but because they tap into (融入) something beyond language. They reach to our need to be with and communicate with people.

All of these arguments may be somehow valid (正确的). Each one of us will choose to communicate in our own way. I do not have much time for emoticons. I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in. I’d rather let my words do the talking.

Friends, however, send me messages and e-mails full of emoticons. I have no problem with this. I don’t regard any of my friends as lazy or immature (不成熟的). It’s just a question of individuality. :)

43．According to the article, emoticons are popular because ______. 

A. most of them look funny

B. they are easy for lazy people to use

C. they add feeling and character to a communication

D. a reader cannot understand a message without them

44．Which of the following views would John Blumenthal agree with?  

A. Instant Message chatters are childish.

B. It’s enough to use language in digital communication.

C. Men never use emoticons.     

D. There is an emoticon gene in everybody.

45．From the text, we can conclude that the author ______. 

A. feels he has no difficulty using emoticons

B. thinks emoticons don’t suit him

C. encourage his friends to use emoticons

D. believes that emoticons are suitable for everyone

46．What is the main point of the article? 

A. Advice on language used over the Internet.

B. The history of emoticons.

C. Arguments over the use of emoticons.

D. Reasons for the popularity of emoticons.