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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

Barditch High School decided to hold an All-School Reunion. Over 450 people came to the event. There were tours of the old school building and a picnic at Confederate Park. Several former teachers were on hands to tell stories about the old days. Ms. Mabel Yates, the English teacher for fifty years, was wheeled to the Park.

Some eyes rolled and there were a few low groans(嘟囔声)when Ms.Yates was about to speak. Many started looking at their watches and coming up with excuses to be anywhere instead of preparing to listen to a lecture from an old woman who had few kind words for her students and made them work harder than all the other teachers combined.

Then Ms. Yates started to speak:

“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be here. I haven’t seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven’t appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth your children, in my imagination.”

Ms. Yates paused and started crying a bit. Then she continued:

“It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me. Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in you chosen path.”

“There is no greater comfort for an educator than to see the end result of his or her years of work. You have all been a great source of pleasure and pride for me and I want you to know I love you all from the bottom of my heart.”

There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping. The clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar(呼喊). Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown.

1.What activity was organized for the school reunion?

2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 2? 

3.We can learn from Ms. Yates’ speech that she _____________.

4.What was Ms.Yates’ belief in teaching teenagers?

This old building is said _____ two years ago and a new high building now stands where the old one used to lie.

Ray Travers sat back at the large desk, and looked around his plush（豪华的）office.  He was tired

Ray's eyes stopped at a painting on the wall.  It was a gift given by an old friend，Bull，as a farewell gift when he left his hometown  He recalled the life spent in that small town; pleasant times.  The many hours he spent talking to his good friend, and the tales he was told about hunting in the Africa of old.

Memories flowed back more than ten years;  he remembered how he enjoyed hearing about the wonderful hunting，and how he wished he could have shared those times.

Ray opened his desk drawer and brought out a wooden box. He opened the lid and exposed a work of art，a hand-made hunting knife.  This was a gift from Bull，given to Ray more than 20 years ago.  It was one of the first knives Bull had made, and Ray had called it "Zambezi"，the river where Bull had been so many times.

He closed the box and sat upright at his desk；he was driving himself hard, and deserved a break.  Things were going well with the business，everything running smoothly.  He could afford a week off！

He went back home.  A week in the hometown would be like going back in history. "Man, it's going to be good,”Ray said aloud，as he turned onto the highway and watched the city lights fast disappearing，as he looked in the rearview  mirror.  The powerful car going  its way through  the night,  headlights  piercing（穿透）the darkness.  Memories danced through the man's mind.  Memories of good times，when he knew what it was to relax, to talk，and to really visit.

Slowly entering town he looked around.  Ray sat in his car,  looking at the old building，smiling.  Inside it was almost as though it was the same people as 15 years ago.

1.We learn from the text that __________.

A． Ray's old friend, Bull, is a painting artist

B． Ray visited Africa together with Bull many times

C． Ray and Bull often went hunting together

D． Ray left his hometown more than ten years ago

2.Which of the following  words can best describe Ray's feeling about going back    home?

A． Worried         B． Excited           C． Calm            D． Nervous

3.It can be inferred from the text that________.

A． Ray was a successful businessman

B． Ray had a hard time in the hometown

C． Ray's hometown was a small remote mountain village

D． Ray was the first promising young man in the hometown

4.What may the author talk about in the paragraph that follows the text?

A． Ray's childhood spent in his hometown.

B． Why Ray left his hometown alone.

C． The situation in Ray's hometown.

D． How Ray went into business.