People in Britain 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 buyer 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. Congratulation!

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, e, d, c

C. b, a, f, c, d, e                                     D. b, f, d, e, c, a

According to the passage, these statements are correct EXCEPT ___________.

       A. After getting the keys, the owners sometimes have a party.

       B. People care for mortgages, interest rates and the prices &house.

       C. The sellers are more interested in the first-time buyers.

       D. People can borrow the whole money for a new house from a bank.

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

       A. Collectors.                             B. Owners.

C. Lawyers.                                   D. Surveyors.

The passage is maybe one that _______________.

       A. give some advice on the house         B. give some tips to buyers

       C. introduces a book on travelers         D. introduces a guide to visitors

Bob and Annie had not known each other long before they became eager to get married:Bob because he wanted Annie and she because she could at least lead a life away from her1_____. When Mrs.Thompson 2_____ that they marry and live with her until they could get a 3 _____ of their own, Annie hesitated. Her idea of 4_____ had been something which 5 _____her a husband and an orderly, well-furnished home all at once. 6_____ she soon saw the 7_____  of this arrangement. She would, first of all, 8_____ from her present life into a house which was quiet and well run, not 9_____ her own; and she would be able to go on walking so that she and Bob could 10____ up all the more quickly for their own house. She would also get Bob, a good enough husband for any working-class 11_____:good-natured and 12_____ to be bent her way whenever it was 13 _____for her ends.

Things went well until her mother-in-law’s 14_____, when Annie had to give up her 15_____ and was at home all day. Her father-in-law became just a 16_____ figure in the house and 17____Bob became used to him, Annie began to find the old man’s constant 18_____in the house a source of growing annoyance(烦恼).

“He gets on my nerves, Bob,” she said. “And he hardly says a word all day.”

   “Well, I suppose he has a 19_____ to do as he likes,” Bob said mildly. “It’s his house not ours.” But to Annie, now looking after the house 20_____ it were her own, it was beginning to seem the other way about.

1.A.city           B. family         C. room          D. company

2.A.learned        B. thought        C. heard          D. suggested

3.A.stay           B. child          C. house          D. world

4.A.marriage       B. life           C. future           D. expectation

5.A.give           B. found         C. brought         D. searched

6.A.But            B. So           C. Instead          D. Besides

7.A.difficulty       B. advantage      C. trouble         D. result

8.A.leave          B. make          C. change         D. escape

9.A.of            B. on             C. like            D. for

10.A.earn          B. save           C. build           D. set

11.A.home        B. character        C. custom         D. girl

12.A.easy         B. ready           C. kind           D. lovely

13.A.necessary     B. right            C. important       D. helpful

14.A.illness        B. arrival          C. death           D. appearance

15.A.job           B. idea           C. decision          D. dream

16.A.active         B. funny          C. strange          D. silent

17.A.until          B. although        C. before           D. when

18.A.rest           B. work           C. presence         D. cough

19.A.right            B. way           C. wish           D. freedom

20.A.because         B. if             C. even though      D. as if

People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive recklessly（不顾一切地） up and down America’s main streets; they carry chips on their shoulders as big as the Sears Tower. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.

I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral. I didn’t expect the event to affect me. Through much of the ceremony, in fact, I remained unmoved.

The teenage grandson stepped forward. With his very first deep breath, every heart in that church was achingly reminded of something we had all forgotten. Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would truely attract her, what would Nana say? ‘oh, what beautiful barking that dog has!’ That was Nana. ”

“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for my grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling, “That was Nana’s way.”

Through a low sob, he continued, “Whenever she did anything worth recognition, you ’d have to hear about it from a different source, because she was never one to show off.”

Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up an incredible fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”

There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled.

When that boy rose to speak about the woman who surely had been his truest and dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide in the calm ceremony . He exposed us to the truth about this very real woman who believed in a boy who probably tried the patience of many adults. He reminded us that his grandmother was more than another dot on the chart of life and death.

All over again we felt those powerful losses crossing our own hearts, and we knew that when you say good-bye to something happy, something young in yourself. And that something never really returns, and the pain never really goes away.

In the first paragraph, the writer gave some examples to_____.

A. support his idea that young people are no good.

B. introduce his point of view about young people.

C. tell people every coin has its two sides.

D. young people often make mistakes.

From the boy’s speech, we know _____.

A. his grandmother had great influence on him.

B. they had a dog which often attacked people

C. people had forgotten her until the boy appeared..

D. his grandmother was so weak that she is always living in the shadow of his grandpa

Which of the following statements is true?

A. The boy ‘s speech moved no one present at the funeral except the writer.

B. The boy’s being good at expressing himself enabled him to draw everyone’s attention.

C. The boy was too grieved to accept the fact that his grandmother had passed away.

D. The writer didn’t expect the event would affect him.

What words can best describe grandmother’s quality?

A. weak, mild and modest.

B.. easygoing, cautious and considerate

C. sensitive and hard on others.

D, patient, optimistic, strong and helpful.

The passage tells the readers____.

A. facing certain bitter facts help young people to grow.

B. young people have to control themselves

C. the adults should learn from the young.

D. the adults should teach the young how to be brave

I began working in journalism(新闻工作)when I was eight. It was my mother’s idea. She wanted me to “make something” of myself, and decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.

With my load of magazines I headed toward Belleville Avenue. The crowds were there. There were two gas stations on the corner of Belleville and Union. For several hours I made myself highly visible, making sure everyone could see me and the heavy black letters on the bag that said THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. When it was suppertime, I walked back home.

“ How many did you sell, my boy?” my mother asked.

“ None.”

“ Where did you go?”

“ The corner of Belleville and Union Avenues.”

“ What did you do?”

“ Stood on the corner waiting for somebody to buy a Saturday Evening Post.”

“ You just stood there?”

“ Didn’t sell a single one.”

“ My God, Russell!”

Uncle Allen put in, “ Well, I’ve decided to take the Post.” I handed him a copy and he paid me a nickle(五分镍币). It was the first nickle I earned.

Afterwards my mother taught me how to be a salesman. I would have to ring doorbells, address adults with self-confidence(自信), and persuade them by saying that no one, no matter how poor, could afford to be without the Saturday Evening Post in the home.

One day, I told my mother I’d changed my mind. I didn’t want to make a success in the magazine business.

“ If you think you can change your mind like this,” she replied, “ you’ll become a good-for-nothing.” She insisted that, as soon as school was over, I should start ringing doorbells, selling magazines. Whenever I said no, she would scold me.

My mother and I had fought this battle almost as long as I could remember. My mother, dissatisfied with my father’s plain workman’s life, determined that I would not grow up like him and his people. But never did she expect that, forty years later, such a successful journalist as me would go back to her husband’s people for true life and love.

56. Why did the boy start his job young?           

   A. He wanted to be famous in the future.               B. The job was quite easy for him.

   C. His mother had high hopes for him.                  D. The competition for the job was fierce.

57. From the dialogue between the boy and his mother, we learn that the mother was _______.

   A. excited                       B. interested                               C. ashamed             D. disappointed

58. What did the mother do when the boy wanted to give up?

   A. She forced him to continue.                            B. She punished him.

   C. She gave him some money.                              D. She changed her plan.

59. What does the underlined phrase “this battle”(last paragraph) refer to?

   A. The war between the boy’s parents.                  

   B. The arguing between the boy and his mother.

   C. The quarrel between the boy and his customers.

   D. The fight between the boy and his father.

60. What is the text mainly about?

   A. The early life of a journalist.                            B. The early success of a journalist.

   C. The happy childhood of the writer.             D. The important role of the writer in his family.

I spent two months with an American family last year when I studied in America.

It is said, “The best house is in America, the best wife is in Japan, and the best food is in China.” So I took pride （自豪）and __21__ to __22__ “the best food” for my American family. Each day, regardless of my poor skill of cooking, I would do something in __23__ way: changing the dishes’ colour, the meat’s type or the soup’s style. （风味）Thus, my American friends could discover the __24__ of eating Chinese food. Because of my “__25__” job, I was often rewarded （奖励） by their __26__ of appreciation （感激）such as “very delicious”, “excellent”, etc.

But the joke was here: Yesterday, I cooked Sichuan style __27__ for dinner. I was __28__ at my achievement.（成就）

When all the family members arrived at the table, they first looked __29__ at the fish, then looked at me. “Why do all the fish have their __30__?” they asked, “It’s terrible!”

Terrible or beautiful? I don’t know. But I __31_ know that fish heads are delicious. The __32__ is the best part of fish; in __33__ only the respectable （受敬重的）guest can have the special honour of __34__ it.

Another __35__ thing is: The American friends often said to me “__36__” as they __37__ fruits or other things. According to Chinese tradition I would simply smile in answer to their kindness __38__ actually helping myself to any of the food. __39__, I said “help yourself” to them whenever I brought home fruits. Dear me, no matter how much or how often I brought home food, as long as it was nice to their taste, they __40__ hesitated （犹豫）to use their hands to “help themselves” until all was finished

A. worry                    B. attention            C. delight                         D. pleasure

A. buy                       B. fetch                 C. cook                     D. leave

A. their                      B. a new                C. the same                D. a simple

A. way                      B. joy                   C. trouble                         D. importance

A. hard                      B. daily                 C. good                        D. new

A. expressions            B. flowers             C. talk                          D. smile

A. meat                            B. fish                   C. soup                        D. egg

A. praised                  B. pleased              C. good                        D. surprised

A. happily                  B. excitedly           C. surprisedly            D. worriedly

A. bones                  B. skins                 C. tails                         D. heads

A. do                       B. will                  C. want to                    D. should

A. tail                      B. head                 C. soup                        D. flesh

A. fact                            B. China                C. USA                        D. the West

A. enjoying                     B. looking at          C. playing with             D. cooking

A. real                            B. exciting             C. interesting             D. easy

A. please help us       B. excuse me         C. help yourself            D. eat them please

A. brought home       B. wanted              C. were buying             D. were eating

A. not                      B. but not                     C. without                    D. nor

A. At last                 B. Above all          C. After all                   D. In return

A. usual                   B. often                 C. never                       D. had