What does the word “home” mean to you? How do you say the word in French? In Spanish? In your language? Although people usually know what the word means, it often has no exact translation. It’s not surprising really, because the idea of home differs from country to country, and from person to person. A home is more than a roof and four walls. It’s the cooking, eating, talking, playing and family living that go on inside, which are important as well. And at home you usually feel safe and relaxed.

But it’s not just that homes look different in different countries, they also contain different things and reveal（显示） different attitudes and needs. For example, in cold northern Europe, there’s a fire in the living room or kitchen and all the chairs face it. In the south, where the sun shines a lot and it’s more important to keep the heat out, there are small windows, cool stone floors and often no carpets. We asked some people about their homes.

How often do people move house in your country?

“In my country many people don’t stay in one place for a very long time. They often move every ten years or so.”

Cheryl, Boston, USA

What are typical features of homes in your country?

 “In Britain, even in town there’s always a garden and sometimes a cellar（地下室）. We have separate bedrooms and living rooms. But we don’t often have balconies (阳台). The weather isn’t warm enough!”

— Pat, Exeter, England

1.Which one is true according to the passage?

A. People in Britain seldom have balconies because it’s so hot outside.

B. “Home” is a place where you feel safe and relaxed.

C. Although homes look different in different countries, they have the same needs.

D. Houses in northern Europe always have big windows and cool stone floors.

2.The word “home” has no exact translation because ______.

A. people can’t find this word in the dictionary

B. no one knows what it is

C. it has different meanings in different countries

D. people can’t understand each other very well

3.You can ______ at home according to the passage.

A. eat, play, and teach students     B. cook, talk, and play games

C. swim, eat, and make friends       D. do nothing

4.Why is it important to keep the heat out of the houses in southern Europe?

A. Because they want to breathe fresh air outside.

B. Because there’s a fire in the living room.

C. Because they wear heavy clothing all day long.

D. Because the sun there shines a lot.

 

   Nowadays, most of us live a busy life. What do you do to keep yourself relaxed? Besides spending time with family, having a glass of wine with friends or reading a book, how about a hobby?

   Personally, I’m a collector. I like blue and white pieces the best---blue and white anything﹗Plates，jars，vases, cups, bowls---I love them all. Collecting items is like something you can’t get enough of. You get one, and you want to have more.

   I find collecting to be a fun and inspirational hobby. In many ways, it’s like a puzzle I’m never tired of solving. I look high and low for new pieces to add to my collection. I can often be found visiting Marshell’s, looking over their inexpensive offerings. In fact, I found one of my favorite pieces there.

   I’ve mixed inexpensive pieces from Marshell’s with more expensive finds. A lot of times, it’s the piece I’m not looking for that falls into my lap; I find a way to make it part of my blue and white family. What I love about my collection is that when I get inspired, I can move them around the house, mix and match and make things look fresh and new.

Ever since I was a little girl, blue has been my favorite color. I think I got it from my aunt in Mexico. Some of my earliest memories are visiting her in Mexico and sitting on a chair in her kitchen, which had blue and white tiles(瓷砖)from the floor to the ceiling. I would spend countless hours admiring all the beautiful blue and white plates and shiny blue tiles around her kitchen. Once I had a home, I began to build my own blue and white collection.

51. We can infer that in the writer’s opinion,_____________.

  A. having a hobby can help us relax

  B. reading a book alone is really boring

  C. keeping a hobby is not easy for most of people

  D. having a glass of wine with friends is not a good idea

52. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

  A. Collecting things requires a lot of money.

  B. People always want more than they need.

  C. People may not know what they want to collect.

  D. Once you start collecting things, it’s hard to stop.

53. If something falls into your lap, it means you_________.

  A. have been looking for it             B. don’t know what it is

  C. get it unexpectedly                 D. like it very much

54. What’s the last paragraph mainly about?

  A. When the writer started collecting things.

  B. When the writer started liking blue things.

  C. What kind of thing the writer collected first.

  D. Why the writer liked her aunt’s things so much.

阅读理解

The Sleeping City

沉睡的城市

    由地下岩浆喷出地面而堆积的山叫火山。经常喷发的叫做活火山；喷发后不再喷发的叫死火山。2 000多年以前，意大利Pompeii市附近一座沉睡了几百年的“死”火山突然喷发，整座城市笼罩在恐怖之中。要知 Pompeii市的命运如何，请看下文。

    Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii，Italy．They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for such as its stadium and theatres，its shops and restaurants．The tourists do not，however，see Pompeii’s people．They do not see them because Pompeii has no people．No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2 000 years．

    Once，Pompeii was a busy city of 22 000 people．It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano．Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries，so the people of Pompeii felt safe．But they were not．

    In August of A．D 79，Mount Vesuvius erupted．The entire top of the mountain exploded，and a huge black cloud rose into the air．Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii．When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes．Almost all of its people were dead．

    For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stones and ashes. Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii．Slowly，carefully，Ginseppe and his men dug．The city looked almost the same as it had looked in A．D．79．There were streets and fountains，houses and shops．There was a stadium with 20 000 seats．Perhaps the most important of all，there were everyday objects，which tell us a great deal about the people who 1ived in Pompeii．Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom，so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine．They liked bread too，metal bread pans were in every bakery．In one bakery there were 81 round，flat loaves of bread-a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today．Tiny boxes filled with dark，shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup．

Ginseppe has died，but his work continues．One-fourth has not been uncovered yet．Scientists are still digging，still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii.

    Notes

    volcano n. 火山  erupt n.喷发  fountain  n．泉水

1．A 1arge amount of people come to Pompeii ________。

   A．to see its famous stadium and theatres

   B．to see what it used to be

 C．to see its people

   D．to enjoy its delicious food

2．Pompeii was ________about 2 000 years ago．

    A．all empty city　　　　　　　　   B．a prosperous city

    C．an o1d city　　　　　　　　　　 D．a poor

3．The Pompeians who lived about 2 000 years ago ________．

    A．1ived more or less the same as Italians now do

    B．1ived quite differently from those who live in Italy

    C．felt worried about the grass-covered volcano

D．knew nothing about the volcano

 

According to a recent survey on money and relationships, 36% of people are keeping a bank account from their partner. While this financial unfaithfulness may appear as distrust in a relationship, in truth it may just be a form of financial protection. With almost half of all marriages ending in divorce, men and women are realizing they need to be financially savvy, regardless of whether they are in a relationship.

The financial hardship on individuals after a divorce can be extremely difficult, even more so when children are involved. The lack of permanency in relationships, job and family life may be the cause of a growing trend to keep a secret bank account hidden from a partner, in other words, an "escape fund".

Margaret's story is far from unique. She is a representative of a growing number of women in long-term relationships who are becoming protective of their own earnings. Every month on pay day, she banks hundreds of dollars into a savings account she keeps from her husband. She has been doing this throughout their six-year marriage and has built a nest egg worth an incredible $100,000. Margaret says if her husband found about her secret savings he'd be hurt and would take this as a sign that she wasn't sure of the marriage. "He'd think it was my escape fund so that financially I could afford to get out of the relationship if it went wrong. I know you should approach marriage as being forever and I hope ours is, but you can never be sure."

Like many of her fellow secret savers, Margaret was hurt in a former relationship and has since been very guarded about her own money.

Coming clean to your partner about being a secret saver may not be all that bad. Taken Colleen for example, who had been saving secretly for a few years before she confessed to her partner. "I decided to open a savings account and start building a nest egg of my own. I wanted to prove to myself that I could put money in the bank and leave it there for a rainy day."

1．The trend to keep a secret bank account is growing because _______.

    A．"escape fund" helps one through rainy days

       B．days are getting harder and harder

    C．women are money sensitive

       D．financial conflicts often occur

2．The word "savvy" （Line4, Para1） probably means ________.

    A．suspicious             B．secure             C．wise          D．simple

3．Which inference can we make about Margaret？

    A．She is a unique woman.                       B．She was once divorced.

    C．She is going to retire.                          D．She has many children.

4．The author mentions Colleen's example to show __________.

    A．any couple can avoid marriage conflicts 

       B．privacy within marriage should be respected

    C．everyone can save a fortune with a happy marriage

    D．financial disclosure is not necessarily bad

5．Which of the following is the best summary of this passage?

    A．Secret Savers                                     B．Love Is What It's Worth  

       C．Banking Honesty                                 D．Once Bitten, Twice Shy 65．

阅读理解

The Sleeping City

沉睡的城市

    由地下岩浆喷出地面而堆积的山叫火山。经常喷发的叫做活火山；喷发后不再喷发的叫死火山。2 000多年以前，意大利Pompeii市附近一座沉睡了几百年的“死”火山突然喷发，整座城市笼罩在恐怖之中。要知 Pompeii市的命运如何，请看下文。

    Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii，Italy．They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for such as its stadium and theatres，its shops and restaurants．The tourists do not，however，see Pompeii’s people．They do not see them because Pompeii has no people．No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2 000 years．

    Once，Pompeii was a busy city of 22 000 people．It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano．Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries，so the people of Pompeii felt safe．But they were not．

    In August of A．D 79，Mount Vesuvius erupted．The entire top of the mountain exploded，and a huge black cloud rose into the air．Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii．When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes．Almost all of its people were dead．

    For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stones and ashes. Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii．Slowly，carefully，Ginseppe and his men dug．The city looked almost the same as it had looked in A．D．79．There were streets and fountains，houses and shops．There was a stadium with 20 000 seats．Perhaps the most important of all，there were everyday objects，which tell us a great deal about the people who 1ived in Pompeii．Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom，so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine．They liked bread too，metal bread pans were in every bakery．In one bakery there were 81 round，flat loaves of bread-a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today．Tiny boxes filled with dark，shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup．

Ginseppe has died，but his work continues．One-fourth has not been uncovered yet．Scientists are still digging，still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii.

    Notes

    volcano n. 火山  erupt n.喷发  fountain  n．泉水

1．A 1arge amount of people come to Pompeii ________。

   A．to see its famous stadium and theatres

   B．to see what it used to be

 C．to see its people

   D．to enjoy its delicious food

2．Pompeii was ________about 2 000 years ago．

    A．all empty city　　　　　　　　   B．a prosperous city

    C．an o1d city　　　　　　　　　　 D．a poor

3．The Pompeians who lived about 2 000 years ago ________．

    A．1ived more or less the same as Italians now do

    B．1ived quite differently from those who live in Italy

    C．felt worried about the grass-covered volcano

D．knew nothing about the volcano