We lived in a technological society where most goods are mass-produced by unskilled labor. Because of this, most people think that craft(手艺) no longer exists.
One of the ways these people wrongly support their view is by pointing to 100-year-old homes which are still solid, and arguing that it is the craftsmanship that is responsible for their durability(持久性). “Homes in those days were well-built,” they say. No doubt these homes were well-built, but what these people have done is mix up the quality of material used in the house with the quality of the craftsmanship.
Homes today could be built to last just as long as those old homes if people were willing or able to pay the price. For example, more people can no longer afford solid oak stairways, although they were once fairly common in older homes. Nor can they afford the high labor cost of employing a carpenter to build the stairway. Yet if someone can pay the high cost, there are still plenty of carpenters around able to make those stairways. And not only would these carpenters know how to build them, they would probably do a better job than carpenters of old.
One thing the modern carpenter has which enables him to do a better job is much more advanced tools. Such tools as laser beams and power planes help them lay out a house better and make more precision cuts on the wood. Also, it is not uncommon any more to find carpenters with college degrees and carpenters with a solid knowledge of mathematics, which would enable them to deal with more difficult house designs.
The problems of modern quality, then, really boils down to the problem of material, for the modern carpenter is just as able to produce craftsmanship as the carpenter of fifty years ago, but only if given proper material.
1． Compared to the carpenters in the past, modern carpenters are _______.
|
A．more successful |
B．more learned |
|
C．more imaginative |
D．more hardworking |
2． What does the underlined word “they” (paragraph 2) refer to?
carpenters who are fond of oak stairways.
carpenters who have college degrees.
people who think highly of carpenters of old.
people who think that modern material is of low quality.
3． What does the third paragraph mainly discuss?
People in the past preferred to use oak to build stairways.
It is now expensive to employ a carpenter.
Modern houses last as long as the old one.
Good carpenters still exist in modern times.
4． What would be the best title for the text?
Is Craft Dead?
Craft, Back to life?
History of craftsmanship
Carpenters Today and Yesterday
第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C．D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Michael was always in a good mood. He was a natural motivator(乐天派). One day I asked him, “How can you be 36 all the time.” Michael replied, “Each morning I 37 up and say to myself, ‘Mike, you have two 38 today. You can choose to be in a good mood 39 you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something 40 happens, I can choose to be a victim or choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. I choose the positive side of life.”
Later, I heard Michael was 41 in a serious accident, falling off 60 feet from a tower.
After 18 hours of 42 , and weeks of intensive care, Michael left the hospital with rods(钢棒) 43 in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the 44 . I asked him what had 45 his mind as the accident took place.
“As I 46 on the ground, I remembered I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live.” “Weren’t you 47 ?” I asked. Michael continued, “They kept telling me I was going to be fine. 48 When they wheeled me into the operation room and I saw the 49 on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got 50 scared. In their eyes, I read ‘He’s a dead man’. I knew I 51 to take action. ‘What did you do?’ I asked. Well, a big nurse asked me if I was allergic(过敏) to 52 . ‘Yes,’ I said. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they 53 my reply. I took a deep breath and cried, ‘Gravity.’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I’m choosing to live. 54 on me as if I am alive, not dead.’”
Michael 55 ,thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing positive attitude.
36.A. negative B. passive C. positive D. native
37.A. wake B. pick C. stay D. turn
38.A. ways B. jobs C. lives D. choices
39.A. and B. or C. besides D. nor
40.A. good B. bad C. lucky D. urgent
41.A. involved B. divided C. separated D. packed
42.A. work B. rest C. surgery D. flight
43.A. placed B. lain C. cut D. removed
44.A. incident B. event C. item D. accident
45.A. got through B. broken through C. seen through D. gone through
46.A. lay B. laid C. lied D. stood
47.A. excited B. thrilled C. afraid D. encouraged
48.A. So B. But C. Otherwise D. Therefore
49.A. impressions B. expressions C. attractions D. tears
50.A. really B. slowly C. even D. slightly
51.A. used B. supposed C. dared D. needed
52.A. nothing B. something C. anything D. anybody
53.A. called for B. ran for C. waited for D. rushed for
54.A. Operate B. Turn C. Search D. Jump
55.A. disappeared B. endangered C. died D. survived
---Mike, you know, I have read the book twice!
---______? I have read it so many times that I can recite it now.
|
A．How come |
B．What do you reckon |
C．What for |
D．So what |
______ is expected, according to the online survey, is _______ prices of houses
will not go up an more.
|
A．What; that |
B．As, that |
C．It, what |
D．Which, that |
_________ sweet, the flowers in the botanic garden attract the visitor.
|
A．Smelt |
B．To smell |
C．To be smelt |
D．Smelling |
---Have you heard of Wang Meng?
---Yeah, she ______ have done better. She won China’s first gold medal at Turin.
|
A．should |
B．might |
C．needn’t |
D．couldn’t |
