Some houses are designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second type of house won an Award of Excellence from the American Institutes of Architects.

2,4,6

       Located on the shore of Sullivan′s Island off the coast of South Carolina, the award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane Hugo 10 years ago. In September 1989, Hugo struck South Carolina, killing 18 people and damaging or destroying 36,000 homes in the state.

       Before Hugo, many new houses built along South Carolina′s shoreline were poorly constructed, and enforcement（强制执行）of building laws wasn′t strict, according to architect Ray Huff, who created the cleverly-designed beach house. In Huff′s opinion, all new shoreline houses should meet stricter, better-enforced building laws. The new beach house on Sullivan′s Island should be able to stand a Gategory（级）3 hurricane with the strongest winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.

       At first sight, the house on Sullivan′s Island looks anything but hurricane-proof（防风）.Its redwood shell makes it look like“a large party lantern”at night. But looks can be cheating. The house′s wooden frame is extra strengthened with long steel bars. To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on a wooden structure set deep in the sand. The structure might appear unsafe, but it is strong enough to support the weight of the house. It can also lift the house above storm waves. The structure allows the waves to run under the house instead of running into it.“These waves come ashore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings,”said Huff. 

       Huff designed the wooden structure to be partially hidden under the house′s ground-to-roof shell（外壳）.“The shell covers the structure so that the house doesn′t look like it′s standing with its pant legs pulled up,”said Huff.“In the event of a storm, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house,”the architect explained.

1．After the Hurricane Hugo, new houses built along South Carolina′s shoreline are required    .

       A．to be easily reinforced                          B．to look smarter in design

       C．to meet stricter building rules                D．to be designed in the shape of cubes

2．The award-winning beach house is quite strong because      .

       A．it is strengthened by steel bars               B．it is made of redwood

       C．it is in the shape of a shell                     D．it is built with wood and concrete

3．Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground in a wooden structure in order to      .

       A．stand strong winds of about 200 km/hr  B．build a strong structure deep in the sand

       C．break huge waves into smaller ones       D．prevent water from rushing into the house

4．The main function of the shell is       .

       A．to strengthen the structure of the house

       B．to give the house a better look

       C．to protect the wooden frame of the house

       D．to slow down the speed of the strong waves

5．It can be inferred from the passage that the shell should be      .

       A．fancy-looking                                      B．waterproof         

       C．easily breakable              D．extremely strong

Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen­houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the door.With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he drew himself a last glass of beer and made his way up to bed.

As soon as the light in the bedroom went out, there was a big noise all through the farm buildings. Word had gone round during the day that old Major, the prize Middle White pig, had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals. It had been agreed that they should all meet in the big barn(谷仓) as soon as Mr.Jones was safely out of the way.

At one end of the big barn, Major lay on his bed of straw comfortably. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather heavy, but he was still a nice­looking pig, with a wise and easy­going appearance. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable after their different fashions. First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher, and then the pigs, who settled down in the straw immediately beside Major. The two cart­horses, Boxer and Clover, came in together, walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs(蹄子) with great care for fear that there should be some small animals hidden in the straw. Clover was a motherly big horse approaching middle life, who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth kid.

Boxer was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first­rate intelligence, but he was well respected for his steadiness of character and extraordinary abilities. After the horses came Benjamin, the donkey, Benjamin got angry easily. He seldom talked, and when he did, it was usually to make all such remarks—for instance, he would say that God had given him a tail to keep the flies off, but that he would rather have had no tail and no flies. Alone among the animals on the farm he never laughed. If asked why, he would say that he saw nothing to laugh at.

16．All the animals came to the barn to ________．

A．vote for a farm master

B．listen to Major's strange dream

C．discuss how to win a prize

D．share how to drive Mr. Jones away

17．According to the passage, Clover was ________．

A．considerate and in good shape

B．old­aged and out of shape

C．a fat horse with a gentle heart

D．a pretty horse with a nice character

18．What earned Boxer high respect?

A．His strong build and great wisdom.

B．His calm character and great powers of work.

C．His good temper and strong build.

D．His steady character and quick mind.

19．Which remark could be to Benjamin's taste?

A．Life is like a box of sweets.

B．Life is an interesting journey.

C．Life is a battle.

D．There is nothing exciting in life.

Waves are beautiful to look at, but they can destroy ships at sea, as well as houses and buildings near the shore. What causes waves?  Most waves are caused by winds blowing over the surface(表面)of the water. The sun heats the earth, causing the air to rise and the winds to blow. The winds blow across the sea, pushing little waves into bigger and bigger ones.

The size of a wave depends on how strong the wind is, how long it blows, and how large the body of water is. In a small bay(海湾)big waves will never build up. But at sea the wind can build up giant(巨大的)powerful waves.

A rule says the height of a wave (in meters) will usually be more than one-tenth of the wind speed (in kilometers). In other words, when the wind is blowing at 120 kilometers per hour, most waves will be about twelve meters. Of course, some waves may combine to form giant waves that are much higher. In 1933 the United States Navy reported the largest measured wave in history. It rose in the Pacific Ocean to a height of thirty-four meters.

1. One can guess the height of a wave by knowing______.

A. how fast the wind is blowing

B. how long the wind blows

C. how large the body of water is

D. how the wave is built up

2. The largest measured wave in history was in______.

A. the Indian Ocean

B. the Atlantic Ocean

C. the Pacific Ocean

D. the United States

3. When the wind is blowing at 80 kilometers per hour, the height of most waves will be______.

A. about one meter

B. about eight meters

C. about eighty meters

D. about ten meters

4. Air rises when______.

A. the wind is blowing

B. the body of water is large

C. there is a powerful wave

D. the sun heats the earth

5. The best title for this passage is______.

A. What Causes Waves

B. The Largest Waves in History

C. Beautiful

D. Waves in the Pacific Ocean

 

Waves are beautiful to look at, but they can destroy ships at sea, as well as houses and buildings near the shore. What causes waves?  Most waves are caused by winds blowing over the surface(表面)of the water. The sun heats the earth, causing the air to rise and the winds to blow. The winds blow across the sea, pushing little waves into bigger and bigger ones.

The size of a wave depends on how strong the wind is, how long it blows, and how large the body of water is. In a small bay(海湾)big waves will never build up. But at sea the wind can build up giant(巨大的)powerful waves.

A rule says the height of a wave (in meters) will usually be more than one-tenth of the wind speed (in kilometers). In other words, when the wind is blowing at 120 kilometers per hour, most waves will be about twelve meters. Of course, some waves may combine to form giant waves that are much higher. In 1933 the United States Navy reported the largest measured wave in history. It rose in the Pacific Ocean to a height of thirty-four meters.

1. One can guess the height of a wave by knowing______.

A. how fast the wind is blowing

B. how long the wind blows

C. how large the body of water is

D. how the wave is built up

2. The largest measured wave in history was in______.

A. the Indian Ocean

B. the Atlantic Ocean

C. the Pacific Ocean

D. the United States

3. When the wind is blowing at 80 kilometers per hour, the height of most waves will be______.

A. about one meter

B. about eight meters

C. about eighty meters

D. about ten meters

4. Air rises when______.

A. the wind is blowing

B. the body of water is large

C. there is a powerful wave

D. the sun heats the earth

5. The best title for this passage is______.

A. What Causes Waves

B. The Largest Waves in History

C. Beautiful

D. Waves in the Pacific Ocean