Seventeenth-century houses in colonial(殖民地的) North America were simple structures that were primarily functional, carrying over traditional designs that went back to the Middle Ages. During the first half of the eighteenth century, however, houses began to show a new fashion. As wealth increase, more and more colonies built fine houses.

Since art of constructing houses was not yet a specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was left to carpenters who were responsible for interpreting handbooks relating to the design of houses imported from England. Libraries still preserve an astonishing number of these handbooks for builders, and the houses appeared during the first three-quarters of eighteenth century show their influence. Nevertheless, most of them display a wide difference of taste and freedom of using the rules in these books.

Increasing wealth and growing experience throughout the colonies resulted in houses of improved design, whether the material was wood, stone, or brick. New England still favored wood, though brick houses became common in Boston and other towns, where the danger of fire urged the use of more durable material. A few houses in New England were built of stone, but only in Pennsylvania and neighboring areas were stone widely used in accommodations. An increased use of brick in houses and outbuildings is noticeable in Virginia and Maryland, but wood remained the most popular material even in houses built by wealthy landowners. In the Carolinas, wooden houses were much more common than brick houses.

Eighteenth-century houses showed great interior improvements over what they were before. Windows were made larger and shutters were taken away. Large, clear sheet of glass replaced the small leaded glass of the seventeenth century. Doorways were larger and more decorative. Fireplaces became decorative features of rooms. Walls were made of plaster(灰泥) or wood, sometimes were decorated with square or rectangular wooden boards. White paint began to take the place of blues, yellows, greens and lead colors, which had been popular for walls in the earlier years. After about 1730, advertisements for wallpaper styles in scenic pattern began to appear in colonial newspapers.

51. What does the passage mainly about?

A. The improvement design of eighteenth-century colonial houses.

B. The comparison of eighteenth-century houses and modern ones.

C. The structures of eighteenth –century colonial houses.

D. The roles of carpenters in building eighteenth-century houses.

52. What was one of the main reasons for the change in eighteenth-century houses in North America?

A. More designers arrived in the colonies in North America.

B. The carpenters were smart and experienced enough.

C. Bricks were more widely used in North America.

D. The colonists had more money to spend on housing.

53. According to the passage, who designed houses in eighteenth-century North America?

A. Professional designers.                             B. House owners.

C. Businessmen.                                    D. Carpenters.

54. Where was stone commonly used to build houses?

A. Virginia.               B. Pennsylvania.           C. Boston.             D. Charleston.

55. What does the author imply about the use of wallpaper before 1730?

A. Wallpaper was introduced in handbooks of designing houses.

B. Wallpaper was the same color as what the wall was painted.

C. Patterned wallpaper was not widely used.

D. Wallpaper was not used in stone houses.

 

In only two decades Asian Americans have become the fastestgrowing U. S. minority. As their children began moving up through the nation schools, it became clear that a new class of academic achievers was emerging. Their achievements are reflected in the nation’s best universities, where mathematics, science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character. This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their education abroad arrived in the U. S. with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English. They are also influenced by the promise of a good job after college. Asians feel there will be less unfair treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they will be judged more objectively. And the return on the investment in education is more immediate in something like engineering than with an arts degree.

Most Asian?American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer. An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do, and it helps. Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture that breeds success, such as ideals that stress family values and emphasize education.

      Both explanations for academic success worry Asian Americans because of fears that they feed a typical racial image. Many can remember when Chinese,Japanese and Filipino immigrants were the victims of social isolation. Indeed, it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.

While making tremendous achievements at college, Asian?American students       .

A. feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English

B. are afraid that their academic successes bear a strong Asian character

C. still worry about unfair treatment in society

D. generally feel it a shame to have to depend on their parents

What are the major factors that determine the success of Asian Americans?

A.A solid foundation in basic mathematics and Asian culture.

B. Hard work and intelligence.

C. Parents’ help and a limited knowledge of English.

D. Asian culture and the American educational systerm.

Few Asian American students major in human sciences mainly because         .

A. their English is not good enough

B. they are afraid they might meet with unfair judgment in these areas

C. there is a wide difference between Asian and Western cultures

D. hey know little about American culture and society

Why do “both explanations” (Para. 3) worry Asian Americans?

A. They are afraid that they will again be isloated from American society in general.

B. People will think that Asian students rely on their parents for success.

C. Asian Americans will be a threat to other minorities.

D. American academic achievements have taken on too strong an Asian character.

In only two decades Asian Americans have become the fastest-growing US minority．As their children began moving up through the nation’s schools，it became clear that a new kind of culture was coming out．Their achievements are made in the nation’s best universities，where mathematics，science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character.This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their education abroad arrived in the U.S. with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English.They are also influenced by the promise of a good job after college．Asians feel there will be less unfair treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they will be judged more objectively(客观)．And the money spent on education is more immediately returned in something like engineering than with an arts degree．

Most Asian-American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children should take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer.An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do，and it helps．Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture，such as family value，the importance of education and so on that lead to their success.

Both explanations for academic success worry Asian Americans because of fears that they could cause the native Americans’unhappiness．Many can remember when Chinese,Japanese and Filipino immigrants(移民)were unequally treated because of social separation．Indeed，it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.

1.Few Asian-American students major in human sciences mainly because       .

A．they are afraid they might meet with unfair judgement in these areas

B．there is a wide difference between Asian and Western cultures

C．they know little about American cultures and Western cultures

D．their English is not good enough

2.Asian-Americans prefer something like engineering to an arts degree because________.

A．people majoring in engineering are respected

B．people with an arts degree are looked down upon

C．they can’t find a job with an arts degree

D．they can earn more money after graduation

3.While making great achievements at college，Asian-American students________.

A．are afraid that their academic successes take on a strong Asian character

B．still worry about unfair treatment in society

C．generally feel it a shame to have to depend on their parents

D．feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English

4.According to the passage，the major factors determining the success of Asian-Americans are   .

A．Asian culture and the American educational system

B．Asian culture and a solid base in basic mathematics

C．hard work and parental help

D．hard work and a limited knowledge of English

 

In only two decades Asian Americans have become the fastest growing U. S. minority. As their children began moving up through the nation schools, it became clear that a new class of academic achievers was emerging. Their achievements are reflected in the nation’s best universities, where mathematics, science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character. This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their education abroad arrived in the U. S. with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English. They are also influenced by the promise of a good job after college. Asians feel there will be less unfair treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they will be judged more objectively. And the return on the investment in education is more immediate in something like engineering than with an arts degree.

Most Asian-American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer. An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do, and it helps. Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture that breeds success, such as ideals that stress family values and emphasize education.

Both explanations for academic success worry Asian Americans because of fears that they feed a typical racial image. Many can remember when Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants were the victims of social isolation. Indeed, it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.

1.While making tremendous achievements at college, Asian-American students           .

A. feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English

B. are afraid that their academic successes bear a strong Asian character

C. still worry about unfair treatment in society

D. generally feel it a shame to have to depend on their parents

2.What are the major factors that determine the success of Asian Americans?

A. A solid foundation in basic mathematics and Asian culture.

B. Hard work and intelligence.

C. Parents’ help and a limited knowledge of English.

D. Asian culture and the American educational system.

3.Few Asian American students major in human sciences mainly because           .

A. their English is not good enough

B. they are afraid they might meet with unfair judgment in these areas

C. there is a wide difference between Asian and Western cultures

D. they know little about American culture and society

4.Why do “both explanations” (Para. 3) worry Asian Americans?

A. They are afraid they will again be isolated from American society in general.

B. People will think that Asian students only rely on their parents for success.

C. Asian Americans will be a threat to other minorities.

D. American academic achievements have taken on too strong an Asian character.

 

In only two decades Asian Americans have become the fastest-growing US minority．As their children began moving up through the nation’s schools，it became clear that a new kind of culture was coming out．Their achievements are made in the nation’s best universities，where mathematics，science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character.This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their education abroad arrived in the U.S. with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English.They are also influenced by the promise of a good job after college．Asians feel there will be less unfair treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they will be judged more objectively(客观)．And the money spent on education is more immediately returned in something like engineering than with an arts degree．
Most Asian-American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children should take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer.An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do，and it helps．Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture，such as family value，the importance of education and so on that lead to their success.
Both explanations for academic success worry Asian Americans because of fears that they could cause the native Americans’unhappiness．Many can remember when Chinese,Japanese and Filipino immigrants(移民)were unequally treated because of social separation．Indeed，it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.
【小题1】Few Asian-American students major in human sciences mainly because       .

A．they are afraid they might meet with unfair judgement in these areas

B．there is a wide difference between Asian and Western cultures

C．they know little about American cultures and Western cultures

D．their English is not good enough

【小题2】Asian-Americans prefer something like engineering to an arts degree because________.

A．people majoring in engineering are respected

B．people with an arts degree are looked down upon

C．they can’t find a job with an arts degree

D．they can earn more money after graduation

【小题3】While making great achievements at college，Asian-American students________.

A．are afraid that their academic successes take on a strong Asian character

B．still worry about unfair treatment in society

C．generally feel it a shame to have to depend on their parents

D．feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English

【小题4】According to the passage，the major factors determining the success of Asian-Americans are   .

A．Asian culture and the American educational system

B．Asian culture and a solid base in basic mathematics

C．hard work and parental help

D．hard work and a limited knowledge of English