Most young architects ----particularly those in big cities ----can only dream about working in a building of their own. And marking that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical –parts firm in Atlanta. Form the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting(生锈的) walls.
In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition(拆除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building, The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there – the walls, the rust, the light,” Yocum said.” Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation(装置) in there-a slow-motion show.”
Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer(缓冲) zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.
Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.
【小题1】 According to the passage, it is      for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.

A．easy

B．unnecessary

C．unrealistic

D．common

【小题2】Yocum bought the old building because  __.

A．it was a bargain to him	B．it was still in good condition
C．it was located in the city center	D．it looked attractive from the outside

【小题3】 Working on the old building, Yocum and Bell＿.

A．pulled rubbish out through the roof	B．removed the skylights from the bathroom
C．presented a slow–motion show in an art gallery
D．built a kitchen at the back part of the old building

【小题4】It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell __.

A．benefited a lot from pulling down the roof	B．turned more old buildings into art galleries
C．got inspiration from decorating their old building
D．paid more attention to the outside of the gallery

【小题5】The main idea of the passage is that __.

A．people can learn a lot from their failures

B．it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building

C．people should not judge things by their appearance

D．creative people can make the best of what they have

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选择中选出最佳选项。

　　Pronouncing a language is a skill. Every normal person is expert in the skill of pronouncing his own language, but few people are even just a little skilled at pronouncing foreign languages. Now there are many reasons for this some obvious, some perhaps not so obvious. But I suggest that the important reason why people in general do not speak foreign languages very much better than they do is that fail to grasp the true nature of the problem of learning to pronounce, and as a result never set about dealing with it in the right way. Far too many people fail to realize that pronouncing a foreign language is skill, one that needs careful training of a special kind, and one that cannot be reached just leaving it to take care of itself. I think even teachers of language, while recognizing the importance of a good accent, tend to take no notice of, in their practical teaching, the branch of study concerned with speaking the language. So, the first point I want to make is that English pronunciation must be taught; the teacher should be prepared to devote some of the lesson time to this and his whole attitude to the subject should get the student to feel that here is matter worthy of receiving his close attention. So, there should be time when other aspects (方面) of English, such as grammar or spelling, are allowed for the moment to take second place.

　　Apart from this question of the time given to pronunciation, there are two other requirements for the teacher: the first, knowledge; the second, technique.

　　It is important that the teacher should be in possession of the necessary information. This can generally be learned from books. It is possible to get from books some idea of the mechanics of speech, and of what we call general phonetic(语音) theory. It is also possible in this may to get a clear mental picture of the relationship between the sounds of different languages, between the speech habits of English people and those, say, of your students. Unless the teacher has such a picture, any comments he may make on his students’ pronunciation are unlikely to be of much use, and lesson time spent on pronunciation may well be time wasted.

1．According to the passage, ________ pronouncing foreign languages.

[　　]

A．few people are extremely good at

B．even modem people are not good at

C．only few people are somewhat good at

D．few people are at the average level in

2．According to the author, pronunciation is a skill that can NOT be ________.

[　　]

A．picked up without consicious training

B．trained consciously

C．be taught

D．be carefully trained

3．In the author’s opinion, ________.

[　　]

A．grammar is less important than pronunciation

B．grammar and spelling should always make room for pronunciation

C．grammar and spelling are sometimes less important than pronunciation

D．grammar is more important than spelling

Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer．I always encourage such people，but I also explain that there is a big difference between “being a writer” and ”writing”．

In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame，not the long hours alone at a typewriter.  “You've got to want to write，”I say to them，“not want to be a writer．’’

The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair．For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded．When I left a 20-year career in the US Coast Guard to become a freelance writer（自由撰稿者），I had not prospects at all．What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building．It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom．I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer．After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t got a break and began to doubt myself．It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat．But I knew I wanted to write．I had dreamed about it for years．I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die，wondering “What if．．．?”I would  keep putting  my dream to the test- even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the Shadowland of hope，and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．

1．The passage is meant to _____．

    A．warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience

    B．advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional writer

    C．show young people it's unrealistic for a writer to pursue wealth and fame

    D．encourage young people to pursue a writing career

2．What can be concluded from the passage?

      A．Genuine writers often find their work interesting and rewarding．

      B．A writer's success depends on luck rather than effort

      C．Famous writers usually live in poverty and isolation

      D．The chances for a writer to become successful are small

3．”people who die wondering ‘What if．．．’”refers to“ those”________．

      A．who think too much of the dark side of life

      B．who regret giving up their career halfway

      C．who think a lot without making a decision

      D．who are full of imagination even upon death

4．“Shadowland’’ in the last sentence means _________．

      A．the wonderland one often dreams about

      B．the bright future that one is looking forward to

      C．the state of uncertainty before one’s final goal is reached

      D．a world that exists only in one’s imagination