eXp Realty is one of the world's fastest-growing and most successful real estate （房地产） companies. It has become famous not for investing in actual real estate, but for focusing on
virtual reality offices that allow its agents and brokers （中间商）to interact and socialize from anywhere around the globe.
Glenn Sanford, eXp Realty's founder and CEO, founded the company a decade ago, soon after the real estate market collapse of 2007. He couldn't afford to buy or rent office space. What's more important, he figured that focusing on a system that allowed his team to work remotely would help the company avoid possible real estate crises in the future. So eXp Realty relied on services like Google Docs, project management solutions like Trello, and communications app Slack to help its workforce work together in virtual reality. "The virtual campus is a big part of our growth engine. If we were limited to actual offices, the growth we've had simply wouldn't be possible," Scott Petronis, chief technology officer of eXp Realty said.
Having a virtual campus in the virtual world rather than in the real one apparently has several major advantages. For the most important one, eXp Realty can hire whatever talent they like, no matter where they are. As long as they have Internet connection, they can interact with their colleagues and the company management like avatars （虚拟人）because they can walk around the campus, enter various virtual facilities, and interact with each other. While the main focus is on work and brainstorming, eXp Realty is constantly adding fun stuff as well, like riding on a virtual lake and enjoying a drink at the bar.
At the beginning of 2018, eXp Realty had around 6,500 brokers, but till today that number has increased to over 12,000. They are operating in 300 markets across the US and Canada. If that isn't enough to convince you, the company was recently listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, with first-day market capitalization of over $1 billion. But it doesn't own or lease any more physical space than what is required by law.
1.What do we know about eXp Realty?
A.It relies much on technology.
B.It was founded by accident.
C.It's famous for its large offices.
D.It's a branch company of Google.
2.What mainly inspired Glenn Sanford to adopt virtual offices?
A.He could work closely with famous online services.
B.He is quite professional in the field of information technology.
C.Virtual offices can enable him to avoid potential real estate crises.
D.The starting base for the virtual real estate market was low at that time.
3.What's the biggest advantage of having a virtual campus?
A.Agents and brokers can communicate timely.
B.It helps attract talents regardless of their location.
C.Companies can cooperate with high-tech avatars.
D.Employees can have a relaxing work environment.
4.We can infer from the last paragraph that eXp .
A.is really a success
B.has some illegal businesses
C.is expanding its business worldwide
D.has poor performance in the stock market
5.What might be the best title of the passage?
A.Why Does Real Estate Industry Grow So Quickly?
B.Billion Dollar Real Estate Company一eXp Realty
C.Virtual Reality Office Vs. Physical Office Space
D.What Can Virtual Reality Do to Our Business?
Forget Cyclists, Pedestrians（行人）Are Real Danger
We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers:
★Yes, many cyclists believe dangerously. Many drivers are disrespectful of cyclists. But pedestrians are probably the worst offenders.
People of all ages happily walk along the pavement with eyes and hands glued to the mobile phone, quite unaware of what is going on around them. They may even do the same thing while crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing or elsewhere. The rest of us have to evade （避让）them or just stand still to wait for the unavoidable collision （碰撞）.
The real problem is that some pedestrians seem to be, at least for the moment, in worlds of their own that are, to them, much more important than the welfare of others.
—Mechael Horan
★ I loved the letter from Bob Brooks about cyclists （ (Viewpoints, May 29）). I am afraid they seem to think they own the roads.
I was walking across Altrincham Road one morning when a cyclist went round me and on being asked what he was doing he shouted at me.
The government built a cycle lane on the road but it is hardly used.
The police do nothing. What a laugh they are!
The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets, fluorescent （发荧光的）jackets and lights at night and in the morning. They should pay some sort of tax and be fined for not wearing them.
—Carol Harvey
★Cyclists jump on and off pavements （which are meant for pedestrians）, ride at speed along the pavements, and think they have a special right to go through traffic lights when they are on red.
I was almost knocked down recently by a cyclist riding on the pavement when there was a cycle lane right next to him.
Other road users, including horse rides, manage to obey the rules so why not cyclists?
It's about time they were registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be treated and there might be an opportunity to claim compensation.
—JML
Write to Viewpoints of the newspaper.
1.Michael Horan wrote the letter mainly to show that ______.
A.drivers should be polite to cyclists
B.road accidents can actually be avoided
C.walking while using phones hurts one's eyes
D.some pedestrians are a threat to road safety
2.Carol Harvey suggests that cyclists should_______ .
A.be asked to ride on their own lanes
B.be made to pay less tax for cycling
C.be fined for laughing at policemen
D.be provided with enough roads
3.What is a complaint of JML?
A.Very few drivers are insured.
B.Cyclists ride fast on pavements.
C.Pedestrians go through red traffic lights.
D.Horse riders disrespect other road users.
4.The three letters present viewpoints on_______ .
A.ways to improve road facilities
B.the real source of road danger
C.measures to punish road offences
D.increased awareness of road rules
My father was raised in a fatherless home at a time when the family of five struggled to survive, which caused my father to be extremely tightfisted (吝啬)with money. When we children became __ that other children got pocket money from their parents, we made a(n) __ to ask our father for some. Immediately his face turned stone cold, and he said, "If you're old enough to ask, you're old enough to __ And we had to seek odd jobs about the neighbourhood.
He didn't __ his attitude as we grew into adulthood. There was a time when ___of us had a car, so we had to ride a __ whenever we came home. Though the bus stopped about two miles from home, Dad never met us, __ in bad weather. If someone ___(and my brothers did a lot), he'd say in his __ father-voice. “That's what your legs are __!"
One spring morning I was on the bus home from _____ . Tests and long hours in labs had ____ me exhausted. As other students were _____at their stops. I looked silently out of the window. Finally, the bus came to a ____ at my destination, and I ___, carrying my suitcase to begin the long journey home.
The row of privet hedge (树篱)came into _____, which lined the driveway that climbed the hill to our house. I stopped to put a book in the suitcase. When I stood up, I saw something gray ____ along the top of the hedge toward the house.
It was the top of my father's head. I ____ then, each time I came home, he would stand behind the hedge, watching, __ he knew I had arrived safely. I held back my tears. He did care, _____.
Upon reaching home, I found my father innocently in his chair “So! It's you!" he said, his face lengthening into surprise.
1.A.aware B.certain C.surprised D.excited
2.A.attempt B.suggestion C.trouble D.plan
3.A.spend B.earn C.survive D.raise
4.A.strengthen B.soften C.take D.show
5.A.neither B.each C.all D.none
6.A.bicycle B.car C.train D.bus
7.A.especially B.only C.even D.once
8.A.refused B.complained C.cried D.intended
9.A.strangest B.lowest C.scariest D.softest
10.A.on B.in C.by D.for
11.A.work B.home C.town D.college
12.A.led B.made C.found D.proved
13.A.treated B.received C.met D.greeted
14.A.stop B.house C.street D.corner
15.A.stepped off B.went off C.jumped on D.climbed on
16.A.mind B.view C.flower D.leaf
17.A.shining B.flying C.failing D.moving
18.A.supposed B.thought C.imagined D.realized
19.A.since B.after C.until D.though
20.A.after all B.above all C.in advance D.in total
Although the main characters in the fiction are so true to life, they are certainly ______.
A.false B.visible C.familiar D.imaginary
—Sid is never happy when he has nothing to do.
―I know. ______.
A.He has good taste B.He has done very well
C.It really bothers him D.It's none of his business
Charlie's wheelchair ______ out of power. He drove it into my office and looked for a place to charge it.
A.run B.have run C.had run D.was running
