What will the house look like in the future? Could it have gardens on its walls, or a pool with fish for dinner? Architects（建筑师） believe that they are all possible. The only thing for sure is that the houses will be as green as possible.
The tree house
Many architects in the world would like to build a “tree house.” Like a leaf, the surface of the house collects sunlight during the day. The energy can be used to heat water, produce electricity, and even create fresh air for the home. The “root” (根) of the house is deep under the ground. It uses the soil (土壤) to keep the home’s temperature.
 The Lizard house
Like a lizard (蜥蜴), changing color with the weather is the most important design of a lizard house. When it’s in the bright sun, the cover of the house will turn dark to protect it from strong heat. During dark days, it turns white and takes in as much light and heat as possible to produce energy.
 Meals at home
This design is perhaps as much about the future of food production as architecture (建筑风格). It has gardens on the outside wall of the house. People can plant tomatoes, carrots and green tea on them. So every day in the morning, you just need to walk outside and collect your meals.
Learning from the past
Looking to the future isn’t the only way to be green. Sometimes, ancient techniques (古老的技术) can also help cut down energy use. For example, a chimney (烟囱) can be a useful air conditioner because it is easier to flow out hot air from the chimney.
【小题1】What is the best title (标题) of the passage?

—Excuse me. Where is the museum?  
—It is quite far. It will take you half ___ hour to go there by _____bus.

Friends play an important part in our lives, and although we can’t be more familiar with the fact of friendship, we often don’t clearly understand how we make friends, especially with Americans. Here are some pieces of advice on making friends with Americans:
* Visiting places Americans enjoy: parties, churches, restaurants, parks and sports clubs.
* Be willing to take the first step. Don’t wait for them to get close to you. Americans in China may not know you speak English. They may be uncomfortable if they can’t speak your language.
* Use small talks to open the conversation. Ask them where they’re from, why they come to China, etc. Remember: Be careful not to ask personal questions about age, salary and so on.
* Show an interest in their culture, their country or their job. Americans like to talk about themselves.
* Invite them to join you for dinner or just for coffee or tea. Try to set a specific （明确的）time. Americans sometimes make general invitations like “Let’s go out for a dinner sometime.” Often this is just a way to be friendly. It’s not always a real invitation.
* Don’t expect too much at first. Maybe they’re being friendly. But maybe they want to be your good friends. It will take time to tell.
【小题1】According to the passage, Americans like to visit the following places except ______.

Driving a car at a high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You only need to follow the bright traffic signs beside the highway and it will take you where you wish to go. But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job. A taxi driver needs to have not only good driving skills but also a good knowledge of the city of London, from the loneliest street to the popular restaurant around. He has to be at the service of all kinds of passengers (乘客) at all times.

A London taxi driver said the following about his job.

During the night it is usual for him to stop two or three times for some food. He said, “I never drink when I’m working, otherwise I’d lose my license (驾驶执照).”

He normally goes home between two and three o’clock in the morning. There are times he has to stay longer and try to make more runs. He said, “That’s the worst thing about working for yourself. If you don’t make money, no one is going to give it to you. ”

London taxi drivers not only “take” but also “give”. Every summer hundreds of poor children from London go for a day at the sea ― by taxi! There rides are paid by the taxi drivers. At the sea, they are met by the mayor (市长) , and a lunch party is also held for the taxi drivers and the children. After a happy day’s running around the beaches and visiting the market there, the children go home again by taxi, free of charge of course!

1.London taxi drivers try to make more runs sometimes mainly because __________.

2.How do London taxi drivers “give”?

3.Which of the following words can be used to describe London taxi drivers?

4.The passage is most likely to be found from __________.

—Excuse me. Where is the museum?  
—It is quite far. It will take you half ___ hour to go there by _____bus.