Have you ever shouted, “The rent is too damn high?” Shaking wall and hidden disgusting bugs? You’re not ________. The ancient Romans experienced the same annoyance with their apartments. From ________ landlords to sanitation problems, pests to smells, Roman urban living was no walk in the park.
Even in the very early days of Rome, people were crowded together in uncomfortable ________. This collection of animals of every kind mixed together, made life miserable for common citizens. And the close contact spread diseases.
Roman rented residence were called insulae, or islands, because they occupied whole blocks, with the roads flowing around them like water around an island. The insulae, often consisting of six to eight apartment blocks built around a staircase and central courtyard, ________ poor workers who couldn’t afford a traditional domus, or private house.
By the fourth century A.D., there were around 45,000 insulae in Rome, as ________ to fewer than 2,000 private homes. Many people were ________ into their quarters. Apartments on the lower floor would be the easiest for entry and exit – and therefore belong to the wealthy renters - while unfortunate individuals were ________ on higher floors in tiny rooms.
Though made of concrete brick, insulae were usually weakly built, ________ poor craftsmanship and little fund. They usually collapsed and killed passers-by. As a result, emperors restricted how high ________ could construct insulae. The maximum building height was 60 feet.
According to law then, builders were supposed to make walls at least an inch and a half thick, so as to ________ the safety of the building. However, it didn’t work so well, especially since building ________ were ignored by the landlords in order to save on the construction cost, and most renters were too poor to ________ landlords. Therefore, the life-threatening accidents usually happened. Even if insulae didn’t fall down, they could be so ________ as to be washed away in a flood. That’s about the only time their inhabitants would have access to clean natural water, since there was rarely in-home plumbing(水管)in an apartment.
What’s more, the insulae caught fire frequently leaving Rome with a vicious(恶意的)________ of houses burning down and collapsing, sales, then immediate reconstruction and fire once more time. Indeed, rather than being at the nature’s hands, some collapses were ________ since the greedy landlords keep on tearing down the existing insulae and replacing them with higher and larger monsters in pursuit of more rents.
1.A.lonely B.alone C.unique D.special
2.A.unfair B.gracious C.mean D.terrified
3.A.basements B.mansions C.seasons D.quarters
4.A.housed B.lived C.reserved D.organized
5.A.exposed B.opposed C.switched D.related
6.A.mixed B.filled C.invited D.squeezed
7.A.arranged B.assigned C.thrown D.banned
8.A.instead of B.thanks to C.regardless of D.except for
9.A.builders B.architects C.landlords D.renters
10.A.insure B.make sure C.assure D.ensure
11.A.codes B.limitations C.reservations D.emphasis
12.A.defeat B.alert C.charge D.object
13.A.cheap B.vacant C.insignificant D.shaky
14.A.cycle B.punishment C.treatment D.fate
15.A.unexpected B.intentional C.restless D.thorough
A study of English learning problems was carried out among a total of 106 foreign students. It shows that nearly all these students considered 1. (understand) spoken English, especially in the first few weeks, to be their biggest problem on arrival. This was followed by speaking or communicating. Writing then increased as a big problem 2. students discovered difficulties in writing papers that they 3. (expect) to hand in. And at the same time, reading remained as a significant problem.
The information 4. (gain) helped us in determining where special attention should be paid in our course. Although many students have chosen to join the course with a reasonable motivation, we considered it important to note 5. seemed to encourage interest. Nearly all the students have experienced some kind of grammar-based English teaching or 6. (use) the same method, especially if it has failed in the past or it is too complicated to follow or imitate, 7. it might reduce motivation and interest. Therefore a different method may help because it is different.
8. variety of activities was also regarded as a way of maintaining or increasing motivation and interest. Several years ago we had the first timetable 9. operated throughout the course of English learning, but we soon found that both the students and the teachers lost interest by about half-way through the ten weeks. This led us to a major re-think, and we had to explore a much 10. (effective) way of English learning, so finally we brought it into line with the expressed language needs of the students.
— What are you doing this Saturday?
— I’m not sure, but I go to the Rolling Stones concert
A.must B.would
C.should D.might
George _________ too far. His coffee is still warm.
A.must have gone B.might have gone
C.can’t have gone D.needn’t have gone
Harry is feeling uncomfortable. He _______ too much at the party last night.
A.could drink B.should drink
C.would have drunk D.must have drunk
I was on the highway when this car went past fol. Lowed by a police car. They ______ at least 150 kilometers an hour.
A.should have been doing B.must have been doing
C.could have done D.would have done
