Question

    You may have heard of the famous saying, “East or west, home is the best.” What does the word “home” mean to you? How do you say the word in French? In Chinese? In your language? Even if (尽管) people usually know what the word means, it sometimes has no exact translation. It’s not surprising, because the idea of home is different from country to country, and from person to person. A home is more than a roof(屋顶）and four walls. It’s cooking, eating, talking, playing and sleeping that go on inside. And at home you usually feel safe and relaxed.

Homes look different in different countries. They also have different things inside. For example, in cold northern Europe, there’s a fire in the living room or kitchen and all the chairs face it. In the south, where the sun shines a lot and it’s more important to keep the heat out, there are small windows and cool stone floors.

We asked some people about their homes. How often do people move house in your country? “In my country many people don’t stay in one place for a very long time. They often move every ten years or so.”

— Cherry, Boston, USA

What are features (特点) of homes in your country?   

“In Britain, even in town, there’s always a garden. We have separate(各自的) bedrooms and living rooms. But we don’t often have balconies. The weather isn’t warm enough!

— Pat. Exeter, England

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案，并在答题卡上将选定答案的字母标号涂黑。

1.The word “home” sometimes has no exact translation because ______.

A.people can’t find this word in the dictionary

B.no one knows what it is

C.it has different meanings in different countries

D.people can’t understand each other very well

2.According to the passage, you can do everything except(除了) ______at home.

A.making friends B.cooking and eating

C.playing and talking D.sleeping and relaxing

3.Why is it important to keep the heat out of the houses in southern Europe?

A.Because they want to breathe(呼吸) fresh air outside.

B.Because there’s a fire in the living room.

C.Because they wear heavy clothes all day long.

D.Because the sun there shines a lot.

4.From the second paragraph, what kind of homes people have depends on ______.

A.whether they are rich or not B.the climate (气候) they have

C.how old they are D.whether they live in the city or the countryside

5.Which one of the sentences below is TRUE?

A.People in Britain seldom have balconies because it’s so hot outside.

B.Some Americans move house several times during their lifetime.

C.Homes look the same in different countries.

D.Houses in northern Europe have big windows and cool stone floors.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.B

5.B

【解析】

这篇短文主要是关于房屋的，对不同国家的不同人而言，家有不同的含义，同时，因为环境气候的不同，不同区域的房屋具备不同的特点。

1.细节理解。根据文中“Even if (尽管）people usually know what the word means，it sometimes has no exact translation. It’s not surprising, because the idea of home is different from country to country, and from person to person.” 即使人们通常知道这个词的意思，它有时也没有确切的翻译。这并不奇怪，因为每个国家，每个人对家的看法都不一样。故选C。

2.细节理解。making friends交朋友； cooking and eating做饭和吃饭；playing and talking玩和交谈；sleeping and relaxing睡觉个放松。

根据文中“It’s cooking, eating, talking, playing and sleeping that go on inside. And at home you usually feel safe and relaxed.” 烹饪，吃，说，玩，睡觉都是在里面进行的。在家里你通常会感到安全和放松。这里没有提到交朋友。故选A。

3.细节理解。根据文中“In the south，where the sun shines a lot and it’s more important to keep the heat out, there are small windows and cool stone floors.” 在南方，阳光明媚，更重要的是别让热量进来，那里有小窗户和凉爽的石头地板。可知，因为日照时间长，所以人们一般都尽可能把热量排到屋外。故选D。

4.段落大意。根据文中“Homes look different in different countries. They also have different things inside. For example, in cold northern Europe, there’s a fire in the living room or kitchen and all the chairs face it. In the south，where the sun shines a lot and it’s more important to keep the heat out, there are small windows and cool stone floors.”南方因为日照时间长，温度高，人们会比较凉快的地板砖，而在北方，比较冷，人们会在屋内生火，由此可知房子什么样取决于环境气候。故选B。

5.推理判断。根据文中“In Britain，even in town，there’s always a garden. We have separate(各自的) bedrooms and living rooms. But we don’t often have balconies. The weather isn’t warm enough!“ 在英国，即使在城里，也总有一个花园。我们有独立的卧室和客厅。但我们不常有阳台。天气不够暖和！可知选项A“People in Britain seldom have balconies because it’s so hot outside.”说法错误；根据文中“Homes look different in different countries. They also have different things inside.” 不同国家的房子看起来不一样。它们里面也有不同的东西。可知选项C“Homes look the same in different countries.”说法错误；根据文中“For example, in cold northern Europe, there’s a fire in the living room or kitchen and all the chairs face it.” 例如，在寒冷的北欧，客厅或厨房有一个火炉，所有的椅子都面对着它。选项D“Houses in northern Europe have big windows and cool stone floors.”说法错误。根据文中“In my country many people don’t stay in one place for a very long time. They often move every ten years or so.”— Cherry, Boston, USA”可知，有些美国人一生中搬过几次家。可知选项B“Some Americans move house several times during their lifetime.”说法正确的。故选B。