People in the UK often talk about their homes: their mortgages (按揭), the interest rates, and rising prices. Here’s a guide to some of the words and phrases you might come across.
It’s a good idea in the UK to arrange a mortgage with a bank before you start looking. This is when the bank tells you how much money they will lend you so you have a good idea of how much you can afford.
The next step is to go to an estate agent and see what sort of properties they have available in your budget range and in your area. If you see something you like, the estate agent will arrange for you to view the property, so that you can see the house or flat for yourself.
If you see something that takes your eye, you put in an offer. The vendor (卖家) can accept or decline this offer, and if the vendor accepts it, you can move forward with the sale. However, as you don’t pay any money at this point, the offer isn’t legally binding (具有约束力), and in theory, you can pull out of the offer at any time that you like.
Your next step will probably be to get a structural survey done. A qualified surveyor will inspect the house and write a report that illustrates any structural problems, like damp or drainage problems.
If you still want to go ahead with the sale, you need to appoint a lawyer to do the legal paperwork.. If you already own a house, you might also be busy trying to sell it. Many house owners prefer to sell to first-time buyers (those people who don’t already own a home), as they are not in a chain (waiting for other people to buy the house before they can buy their next house).
Finally, once the contracts are signed and exchanged, you complete on your house. You get the keys and you can move in whenever you want. Then you might want to throw a house-warming party. Congratulations!
【小题1】Which of the following shows the right order of what happens before the people in the UK move into a new house?
a. ask for a company which represents others of properties
b. decide how much to borrow from the bank
c. examine the structure of the house
d. hire a lawyer and make a contract
e. offer the seller the right money
f. visit the house and discuss a price with the seller
| A．b, a, f, d, c, e | B．b, a, f, c, d, e |
| C．b, a, f, e, d, c | D．b, f, d, e, c, a |
| A．People can borrow the whole money for a new house from a bank. |
| B．People care for mortgages, interest rates and the prices &house. |
| C．The sellers are more interested in the first-time buyers. |
| D．After getting the keys, the owners sometimes have a party. |
| A．Owners. | B．Surveyors. |
| C．Lawyers. | D．Collectors. |
| A．give some advice on the house | B．introduces a book on travelers |
| C．give some tips to buyers | D．introduces a guide to visitors |
【小题1】B
【小题2】A
【小题3】D
【小题4】C
解析试题分析：本文介绍了英国人买房的过程，给买房人提供了一些实用的建议。买房要决定向银行借多少钱，然后找财产代理公司，看房，讨价还价，检查房子结构，请律师签合同，最后付钱。
【小题1】细节理解题：依据全文，正确顺序为b. decide how much to borrow from the bank决定向银行借多少钱--a. ask for a company which represents others of properties找一个财产代理公司--f. visit the house and discuss a price with the seller看房子和卖主谈价格--c. examine the structure of the house检查房子的结构--d. hire a lawyer and make a contract聘请一个律师签订合同--- e. offer the seller the right money付钱给卖主。故选B项。
【小题2】推理判断题：从第二段最后一句“This is when the bank tells you how much money they will lend you so you have a good idea of how much you can afford”这时银行将告诉你他们将借给你多少钱，所以你清楚地知道你可以支付多少钱。可知不是所有的钱都可以从银行借的，故选A。
【小题3】细节理解题：阅读全文，可知文章提到主人，调查员和律师，选项D“收藏家”文中未提及。故选D。
【小题4】主旨大意题：由文章第一段People in the UK often talk about their homes: their mortgages, the interest rates, and rising prices.可知是给买房的人的建议，故选C。
考点：考查日常生活类短文阅读
阅读快车系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Wal-Mart is not just the world's largest retailer （零售商）. It's the world's largest company, which sells in three months what number-two retailer Home Depot sells in a year.
Wal-Mart exercises its power for just one purpose: to bring the lowest possible prices to its customers. At Wal-Mart, that goal is never reached. The retailer has a clear policy for suppliers: On basic products that don't change, the price Wal-Mart will pay, and will charge shoppers, must drop year after year. But what almost no one outside the world of Wal-Mart and none of its 21,000 suppliers know is the high cost of those low prices. To survive in the face of its pricing demands, makers of everything from bikes to jeans have had to close US plants in favor of obtaining products from abroad.
Indeed, the real story of Wal-Mart, the story that never gets told, is the story of the pressure the biggest retailer constantly applies to its suppliers in the name of bringing us "every day low prices".
The giant retailer' s low prices often come with a high cost. Wal-Mart' s pressure can crush the companies it does business with and force them to send jobs overseas. Are we shopping our way straight to the unemployment line? Of course, US companies have been moving jobs offshore for decades, long before Wal-Mart was a retailing power. But there is no question that the chain is helping accelerate the loss of American jobs to low-wage countries such as Thailand.
People ask, "How can it be bad for things to come into the US cheaply?" Sure, it's great to have bargains. But you can' t buy anything if you' re not employed.
There is no question that Wal-Mart's drive to squeeze out cost has benefited consumers. By now, it is accepted wisdom that Wal-Mart makes the companies it does business with more efficient and focused. Wal-Mart itself is known for continuous improvement in its ability to handle, move, and track goods. It is legendary （传奇） for forcing its suppliers to redesign everything from their packaging to their computer systems. It is also legendary for quite straightforwardly telling them what it will pay for their goods.
【小题1】How do suppliers meet the requirements of Wal-Mart?
| A．To sell even more goods in three months. |
| B．To cut down the employment rate sharply. |
| C．To charge shoppers at a much higher price. |
| D．To run the business in a well-organized way. |
| A．more high-paying jobs |
| B．better designed packages |
| C．bigger profit of its partners |
| D．more jobless American workers |
| A．Still more quality goods will be provided. |
| B．The food you get at Wal-Mart costs least. |
| C．The value of Mal-Mart is over assessed. |
| D．Wal-Mart is a very demanding company. |
| A．The Fortune Wal-Mart Makes |
| B．The Wal-Mart you don't Know |
| C．The Biggest Retailer—Wal-Mart |
| D．The Money Saving Tip in Wal-Mart |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Dear Michelle,
Why can't my daughter manage her life better? She is 17 and an honor student, but she seems to be wasting her life away with a boyfriend who is holding her back.
He consumes every waking minute of her precious time and smooth-talks her as well.
His goal is to get her to agree to go to the college of his choice, not her choice, and because his grades are lower, his choice will be limited.
I feel like I want to rescue her, but she pushes me away and shuts me out. She has only brought us pride and joy; and now this! Help!
A worried mother
Dear Mother of a 17-year-old Girl,
Hmmmmm. What's the matter with kids today? Remember that song from "Bye Bye Birdie"?
Well if you do not, let me fill you in about teenagers and their life-management skills. Do not expect too much too soon because at the ripe age of 17, life-management is not within their reach, nor should it be.
Life experience creates both the conditions and the skills for management, and if management went before experience, there would be little of it.
Your daughter is an honor student for good reasons. She is smart, studies with intelligence and you have given her good values.
When the time comes for her to apply for college, and she visits the ones that are specifically designed for students at the top of their grade, she will most likely break away from her boyfriend's influence.
It is rare for an honor student to change the path of their academic career for puppy love. That being said, there might be some adolescent wisdom in her behavior after all.
Perhaps she is choosing to worry you, her parents, for unconscious reasons. Being such a good girl and being a steady source of joy might have become a bit too much for her.
Let your daughter have her own private moment of 11th grade rebellion. She deserves a break from perfection.
Michelle
【小题1】From the mother's letter we can learn that her daughter .
| A．is being fooled by the boy |
| B．has fallen behind in her studies |
| C．doesn't talk much with her mother |
| D．has chosen which college to attend |
| A．are too young to manage their life |
| B．are old enough to live their own life |
| C．should have management before experience |
| D．have reached the age of an adult |
| A．false love | B．foolish love |
| C．pure love | D．adolescent love |
| A．come up with the right decision |
| B．follow her boyfriend's advice |
| C．worry her parents for unconscious reasons |
| D．influence her boyfriend's behavior |
| A．College of kids' own choice |
| B．How can I help my girl? |
| C．How to manage teenagers' life? |
| D．A 17-year-old girl and her mother |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Homelessness is a huge problem all over the world. It’s said that each day there are about 1 million people living on the streets in the US. It is a serious problem which should be dealt with effectively.
There are two main reasons for people leaving their homes: poverty and less affordable houses due to bad economic conditions. Other reasons include: domestic violence, divorce, and mental illness. Living without a home makes people main targets of violence activities and besides, these homeless people have to face the following difficulties on a daily basis.
They have to move about, carrying their belongings, which makes it difficult for the charity and the government to help them. They have limited access to bathrooms and restrooms and are forced to live in dirty conditions, making them easy to be attacked by diseases. They have limited access to health-care facilities in case of emergency, and almost no access to education as they have no money. They are often ill-treated by society, which makes them unfriendly, often ending up being involved in activities connected with crime like selling drugs or guns.
Homelessness is not something that happened overnight --- it has been in the country for decades. The society usually believes those living on the street to be mentally unstable. This belief is partially true. Most of them are normal people just like you and me.
The federal government is doing all it can to help but it is not enough, so the ordinary citizens have to stand up and try to help whenever it’s possible. There are various organizations, such as charity organizations that are working constantly to make sure that homeless people find a shelter to live in. the united efforts have helped millions of people return to their normal lifestyle. However, there is still a long way to go before a better situation is created for all the homeless.
【小题1】How many reasons are mentioned for people having no home to live in?
| A．Five | B．Four | C．Three | D．Two |
| A．a danger to society |
| B．having mental problems |
| C．physically disabled people |
| D．being too lazy to do anything |
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．Most homeless people died of hunger and cold. |
| B．The homeless should work hard to change their own situation. |
| C．The homeless people have nothing to take when they move about. |
| D．The homeless problem is a serious problem that need solving effectively. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.
I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.
It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.
From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.
The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug. I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.
I looked forward to the return journey.
【小题1】The author expected the train trip to be _________.
| A．adventurous | B．pleasant | C．exciting | D．dull |
| A．The friendly country people. |
| B．The mountains along the way. |
| C．The crowds of people in the streets. |
| D．The simple lunch served on the train. |
| A．choose | B．enjoy | C．prepare for | D．carry on |
| A．Johore Baru. | B．The Causeway. | C．Butterworth. | D．Singapore. |
| A．Comfort in traveling by train. | B．Pleasure of living in the country. |
| C．Reading gives people delight. | D．Smiles brighten people up. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Every time you go shopping, the vegetables and fruit look so tempting that you wish you could buy all of them. Some people are lucky and can grow the fruit and vegetables in the gardens that they have. While getting fresh vegetables, they can also achieve great cost cutting.
Mushrooms are expensive and can also go bad very quickly. Mushrooms can also be grown easily in a dark environment. In fact it’s better than growing other vegetables since you really don’t need an outdoor space. A special type of soil that is good for growing mushrooms is easily available.
Actually mushrooms aren’t even vegetables; they are fungi and for this reason, you don’t even require sunlight to grow them. Well how does one go about growing mushrooms? You could always Google “growing mushrooms” and you will find a number of mushroom growing kits（成套工具）available online that are effective and not very expensive either.
Mushrooms can be added to any dish that you cook. Simply use them in pizzas, salads and anything that you pretty much fancy. Grow mushrooms in your own house and use them whenever you want. Fresh mushrooms are taster than the ones that are stored in your refrigerator.
If you have had a really good crop of mushrooms, then you can even store them. Ideally you should use the white variety of the mushrooms. Simply pick them, slice them and put them on a cookie sheet in a freezer. When they are frozen, just put them in a zip lock and you can use them when you want to. They give a really great taste to the dish that you are making. Thaw them before you use them.
You should try growing mushrooms, since it’s cost-effective. Furthermore, you can eat the fresh mushrooms any time that you want.
【小题1】What is an advantage of growing vegetables according to the passage?
| A．You can save a lot of money |
| B．You can eat all kinds of vegetables. |
| C．You are lucky to eat what you like |
| D．You can satisfy your desire. |
| A．they can grow well in an outdoor space |
| B．it is easy for them to go bad in a few days |
| C．they can grow without soil |
| D．they can be grown where there is no light |
| A．a-b-c-d | B．d-c-a-b | C．a-d-c-b | D．d-a-c-b |
| A．We should eat more fruit and vegetables |
| B．Mushrooms online are very expensive |
| C．It is easy and cost-effective to grow mushrooms |
| D．Mushrooms — tasty and healthy vegetables |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In my experience, one of the greatest reasons of unhappiness is the difficulty we have in accepting things as they are．When we see something we don’t like, we wish it could be different–we cry out for something better．That may be human nature, or perhaps it’s something that has been grown in our culture．
The root of the unhappiness isn’t that we want things to be different, however, it’s that we decided we didn’t like it in the first place．We’ve judged it as bad, rather than saying, “It’s not bad or good, but it just is．”
Here is an example．I have written a paper, A Beautiful Method to Find Peace of Mind．Quite a few people think it bad after reading it because I think people should expect things to go differently than you planned, and that you should accept that, instead of encouraging people to change themselves or the environment as much as possible．You could accept it as the way the world works–as the way things actually are．And try to understand why that is, and follow it, as it is．
This can be useful to whatever you do: whether it be how other people act at work, how politics works and how depressing the news media can be．Accept these things as they are, and try to understand why they’re that way．
It’ll save you a lot of sadness because you’ll no longer say, “Oh, I wish things didn’t go bad!”
If you really understand what I mean, you can try a different way to live in this world:accept, and understand．It might lead to some interesting results．
【小题1】What is the major reason why we feel unhappy in the writer’s opinion?
| A．We are never satisfied with ourselves and the environment around us． |
| B．When we see something that makes us unhappy, we don’t know what to do． |
| C．We feel hard to accept the way things happen themselves． |
| D．No matter how happy we are, we never want to be happy． |
| A．How could I have made such a stupid mistake? |
| B．I should have done better．It’s all my fault． |
| C．Why is it all against my plan? It can’t be so bad． |
| D．Well, I know all is what it is meant to be．Take it easy． |
| A．The writer hasn’t shown an encouraging attitude in his paper． |
| B．The writer asks people to try to make things better． |
| C．The writer reminds the people that things will go exactly as you’ve planned． |
| D．The writer doesn’t think it a good idea to accept the things go naturally． |
| A．Unhappiness may be caused by human nature that we always want things to be better． |
| B．Why we don’t like the thing is that we have regard it as bad in the beginning． |
| C．The news media shouldn’t be so depressing if the reporters worked harder． |
| D．The best way to avoid feeling unhappy is to accept the things as they are． |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
This is my world now; it’s all I have left. You see, I’m old. And, I’m not as healthy as I used to be. I’m not necessarily happy with it, but I accept it. Occasionally, a member of my family will stop in to see me. He or she will bring me some flowers or a little present, maybe a set of slippers—I’ve got eight pairs. And then they will return to the outside world and I’ll be alone again. Oh, there are other people here in the nursing home. Residents, we’re called. The majority are about my age. I’m 84. Many are in wheelchairs. The lucky ones are passing through—a broken hip, a diseased heart, something has brought them here for rehabilitation(康复). When they’re well they’ll be going home.
The help here is basically pretty good, although there’s a large turnover of staff. Just when I get comfortable with someone he or she moves on to another job. I understand that. This is not the best job to have. I don’t much like some of the physical things that happen to us. I don’t care much for a diaper(尿布). I seem to have lost the control acquired so diligently as a child. The difference is that I’m aware and embarrassed, but I can’t do anything about it. I’ve had three children, and I know it isn’t pleasant to clean another’s diaper. My husband used to wear a gas mask when he changed the kids. I wish I had one now.
Why do you think the staff insists on talking baby talk when speaking to me? I understand English. I have a degree in music and am a certified teacher. Now I hear a lot of words that end in “y”. There is little need for anyone to position their face directly in front of mine and raise their voice with those “y” words. Sometimes it takes longer for a meaning to sink in; sometimes my mind wanders when I am bored. But there’s no need to shout.
I’d love to go out for a meal or travel again. I’d love to go to my own church, sing with my own choir. I’d love to visit my friends. Most of them are gone now or else they are in different “homes” of their children’s choosing. I’d love to play a good game of bridge, but no one here seems to concentrate very well. My children put me here for my own good. They said they would be able to visit me frequently. But they have their own lives to lead. That sounds normal. I don’t want to be a burden. They know that. But I would like to see them more. One of them is here in town. He visits as much as he can.
Something else I’ve learned to accept is loss of privacy. Quite often I’ll close my door when my roommate—imagine having a roommate at my age—is in the TV room. I do appreciate some time to myself and believe that I have earned at least that courtesy(礼貌). As I sit thinking or writing, one of the aides invariably opens the door unannounced and walks in as if I’m not there. Sometimes she even opens my drawers and begins searching around. Am I invisible? Have I lost my right to respect and dignity? I am still a human being. I would like to be treated as one.
Back to my semiprivate room for a little semi-privacy or a nap(午睡). I do need my beauty rest; company may come today. What is today, again? The afternoon drags into early evening. This used to be my favorite time of the day. Things would wind down. I would kick off my shoes. Put my feet up on the coffee table. Pop open a bottle of Chablis and enjoy the fruits of my day’s labor with my husband. He’s gone. So is my health. This is my world.
【小题1】Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The staff at the nursing home mistreated the elderly people. |
| B．Nursing home workers sometimes stole items from her drawers. |
| C．Her children did not often visit because they felt guilty for having put her in the nursing home. |
| D．The staff used baby talk with her because they assumed her mind had aged as her body had. |
| A．dignity | B．sadness | C．disappointment | D．confusion |
| A．Sympathetic. | B．Regretful. | C．Angry. | D．Relieved. |
| A．The Disadvantages of Growing Old |
| B．If Only I could be getting better |
| C．The Elderly: A Forgotten Generation |
| D．The Place That Changed My Life |
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