17．House-Sitting
House-sitting is the practice whereby a landlord （or"homeowner"），leaving their house for a period of time，entrusts （委托） it to one or more"house-sitters"．It means that if owners of the house are going away，they want someone to come into their house and look after the house and maybe pets while they are away．
In Australia，many people travel．After people retire，they might buy a van（房车）and travel all over the country．（36）A
So if someone wants to travel or go away for some reason，they might want someone in their house to care for it and keep the gardens tidy．House-sitters might have to care for pets．Also，quite a few people have swimming pools in their back yards and they need cleaning．（37）BI feel it is a great way of seeing the country，because you go and stay in a new city，get to meet new people，and have time to go sightseeing in a new area．
（38）DThere are websites where you find the advertisements by people who want to travel，and by replying to the advertisement，you can make arrangements to go and look after their houses．
There are some requirements to be a house-sitter．You must be a trusted person，so that the house owner knows you will not steal anything．You must be able to go when the house owner wants you to go，so you need lots of free time．（39）F You need to be good with pets，able to care for cats and dogs，or other pets they may have．
Some house-sitting jobs are just for a few days or a couple of weeks while the house owner has a short holiday．Sometimes it is for much longer．We have had a house-sitting job for six months，while the home owner travelled to Europe．
（40）CThen you can travel to many different countries and stay there．One of the important things to get is references from the home owners for whom you have done house-sitting．A reference is a written letter to say that you are trustworthy and have looked after their house well．You can show these letters to prospective house owners and they know you will do a good job．
A．Thousands of people do this all the time．
B．I have done house-sitting many times．
C．It is also possible to do house-sitting in other countries．
D．Generally you have many opportunities to get a house-sitting job．
E．You must take a little care over what your description says about you．
F．You must have a good car，so you can travel to different parts of the country．
G．This is an international house-sitting service for all city and country areas．
分析 本文是一篇选句填空阅读，属于议论文，房屋照看活动是一种做法，即房东离开家园一段时间后，将委托给一个或多个"家庭居家"，这意味着如果房子的业主离开，他们想要有人来到他们的房子，照顾房子，也许宠物，而他们离开．本文以此展开，主要介绍了房屋照看活动．
解答 36．A．考查上下文内容联系以及句意理解．句意：数千人一直这样做．根据After people retire，they might buy a van（房车）and travel all over the country．可知，人们退休后，他们可能会买一辆房车，并在全国各地旅行．故A符合语境．故选A．
37．B．考查上下文内容联系以及句意理解．句意：我做了很多次的代为照看房屋活动．根据I feel it is a great way of seeing the country，because you go and stay in a new city，get to meet new people，and have time to go sightseeing in a new area．可知，我觉得这是一个很好的方式来看望这个国家，因为你去一个新城市，去见新朋友，有时间在新的地区去观光．故B符合语境．故选B．
38．D．考查上下文内容联系以及句意理解．句意：一般来说，你有很多机会得到一个家里的工作．根据There are websites where you find the advertisements by people who want to travel，and by replying to the advertisement，you can make arrangements to go and look after their houses．可知，有网站可以找到想要旅行的人的广告，通过回复广告，你可以安排去照顾他们的房子．故D符合语境．故选D．
39．F．考查上下文内容联系以及句意理解．句意：你必须有一辆好车，所以你可以去国外的不同地方．根据You need to be good with pets，able to care for cats and dogs，or other pets they may have．可知，你需要对宠物有好处，能够照顾猫和狗，或者他们可能拥有的其他宠物．故F符合语境．故选F．
40．C．考查上下文内容联系以及句意理解．句意：也可以在其他国家代为照看房屋．根据Then you can travel to many different countries and stay there．可知，然后你可以去许多不同的国家，留在那里．故C符合语境．故选C．
点评 本文是一篇选句填空阅读，题目主要考查上下文内容联系以及句意理解．做题时学生应仔细阅读原文，把握文章主要内容，联系文章上下文内容并结合所给选项含义，从中选出正确答案，一定要做到有理有据，切忌胡乱猜测．
