Shipping containers are gaining popularity as an alternative to traditional houses. These 20-or 40-foot containers can be obtained for a little as several hundred US dollars apiece, and it’s not surprising that some industry professionals and even city planners consider them the future of home building. Below are details of some amazing homes made out of shipping containers.
London Container City(I and II)
London’s Container City first sprang up in the heart of the docklands in 2001. It took just five months to complete the original 12 work studios. Shortly after that, a fourth floor of studios and living apartments was built on top of these. The first container city was so successful that another — Container City II — was added to it.
Los Angeles Redondo Beach house
With its modern lines and appealing spaces, the award-winning Redondo Beach House is a luxury beachside showpiece built from eight recycled steel shipping containers, along with some traditional building materials. According to the architects, the modified containers are “nearly indestructible”.
Amsterdam Keetwonen
Amsterdam’s massive Keetwonen complex houses 1,000 students and it is the largest container city in the world. The housing project is a roaring success and features units that are quiet and comfortable. Each resident enjoys a bathroom, kitchen and separate sleeping and studying quarters. The complex even has central heating and high-speed internet as well as areas for parking bikes.
Mexico M2ATK Container House
M2ATK designed this unique container house for an artist. It’s fully equipped with heating and cooling, a kitchen and bathroom. On the bottom floor of the house are ‘‘public spaces” such as the kitchen and living room. The second floor is the bedroom, and the top floor is a studio space in which to work, read and “let fly the imagination”.
1.Compared to traditional houses, container houses are _____.
A.easier to maintain B.less expensive to build
C.more comfortable to live in D.more fashionable in style
2.What can be learned about Amsterdam’s Keetwonen complex?
A.It is the first container city in the world. B.It’s equipped with modern facilities.
C.It features a luxury and unique style. D.It includes living space and car parks.
3.Which of the following is the best title for the poster?
A.Recycled material for Ideal Home B.Shipping Container Home Challenges
C.Home in a Steel Box D.Housing Options and Solutions
Agnes de Mille was a dancer and a choreographer (编舞). Early in her career, de Mille had created the choreography for a ballet called Three Virgins and a Devil. She thought it was good work, but nobody made much of it.
A few years later, de Mille choreographed a ballet named Rodeo. Again, she thought her work was solid, but it resulted in little commercial fame.
Then, in 1943, de Mille choreographed Oklahoma!, a musical show that enjoyed nearly instant success. In the coming years, Oklahoma! would run for an incredible 2,212 performances, both around the nation and abroad. In 1955, the film version won an Academy Award.
But the success of Oklahoma! didn’t bring her much happiness. She thought that her work on Oklahoma! was only average compared to some of her other creations. She later said, “After the opening of Oklahoma!, I suddenly had unexpected success for a work I thought was only fairly good, after years of neglect for work I thought was fine. I began to think that perhaps my entire scale of values was untrustworthy. I talked to Martha.”
Martha was Martha Graham, perhaps the most influential dance choreographer of the 20th century. (Although not as well-known by the general public, Graham has been compared to other creative geniuses like Picasso or Frank Lloyd Wright.)
During their conversation, de Mille told Martha Graham about her frustration. “I confessed that I had a burning desire to be excellent, but no faith that I could be.”
Graham responded by saying:
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”
1.What can be learned about de Mille’s ballet named Rodeo?
A.It earned her a large fortune. B.It made her rise to fame overnight.
C.It didn’t enjoy much success. D.It laid a solid foundation for her career.
2.How did de Mille feel about the great success of the musical Oklahoma!?
A.Relieved. B.Ashamed. C.Confused. D.Proud.
3.Picasso and Frank Lloyd Wright were mentioned in the passage to suggest that Martha Graham ______.
A.was outstanding in visual arts and architecture
B.enjoyed the same popularity as them
C.had been influenced greatly by them
D.was the most influential artist in her field
4.Which of the following statements best represents Graham’s words in this passage?
A.Comparing with others prevents you from maintaining uniqueness.
B.You should always keep yourself open to the urges that motivate you.
C.Your action reveals the inner landscape, which is the soul of music.
D.Choosing to be positive is going to determine how you live your life.
Since 2008, the average labour-force participation rate of 55- to 64-year-olds in OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries has risen by eight percentage points. A new OECD report, “Working Better with Age”, points out that the employment of older workers is ______, if prosperity is to be maintained. That can be taken as a sign that our society is finally ______ the value of its older employees.
Retirement gives you the chance to sleep late and avoid the morning rush hours. No longer do you have to sit through endless meetings or check email frequently. But work can keep the mind active and gives people a ______ in life. The first month of retirement may seem pleasant, but ______ is sure to come. Grand plans to learn languages and travel the world can quickly lose their appeal. ______, the company of colleagues provides a social network; spending all week at home can lead to loneliness.
Working longer should be easier now that most jobs require ______, rather than manual, labour. Of course, many people are working longer not because they enjoy what they do, but because they cannot afford to ______. That is not just because governments have been pushing up the state retirement age. ______, the average age at which people actually retire differs from the official age by several years. In part, that is because many people do not rely on the state pension as their only source of income and need work-related pensions to supplement it.
However, companies are gradually ______ pensions linked to final salaries with “defined contribution” schemes. Under the latter, workers end up with a pot of savings at retirement that needs to be ______. The income from such pots has been reduced by very low interest rates. Women tend to have smaller retirement pots (thanks to their years spent raising children), making their difficulties even more ______. They need to keep working.
Older workers may feel ______, particularly when it comes to promotion. Two issues seem to hold ______ back. The first is that older workers tend to ______ higher salaries, because of the seniority system. The second is a ______ of skills；one in three 55- to 65-year-olds in OECD countries either lack computer experience or cannot pass technology tests. Such problems can be resolved with proper training, but the over-55s should take it upon themselves to keep up with technological changes.
1.A.shortsighted B.vital C.adequate D.unnecessary
2.A.recognizing B.assessing C.questioning D.transforming
3.A.frame B.choice C.lesson D.purpose
4.A.liberty B.boredom C.priority D.motivation
5.A.However B.Instead C.Therefore D.Furthermore
6.A.mental B.simple C.physical D.routine
7.A.proceed B.continue C.persist D.quit
8.A.In conclusion B.In other words C.In practice D.In particular
9.A.replacing B.furnishing C.increasing D.combining
10.A.registered B.reinvested C.refunded D.removed
11.A.personal B.severe C.emotional D.practical
12.A.competitive B.dominant C.distinguished D.disadvantaged
13.A.employers B.researchers C.employees D.female workers
14.A.command B.ensure C.oppose D.ignore
15.A.range B.discipline C.shortage D.set
Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
Once upon a time ...
Once upon a time there lived in Germany two brothers. At school they met a wise man who led them to a treasure — a library of old books with tales more fascinating than any they had ever heard. 1.(inspire), the brothers began collecting their own stories, listening to the folktales people told them. Soon they produced their own treasure — a book of fairy tales that would charm millions in faraway lands for generations 2.(come).
The brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, named their story collection Children’s and Household Tales and published it in Germany in 1812. The collection 3.(translate) into more than 160 languages up to now. The stories and their characters continue to feature in virtually every media: theatre, opera, comic books, movies, paintings, rock music, advertising and fashion.
Such fame would have shocked the modest Grimms. During their lifetimes the collection 4.(sell) few copies in Germany. The early editions were not even aimed at children. They had no illustrations, and scholarly footnotes took up almost as much space as the tales 5.. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm began their work at a time 6. Germany had been occupied by the French under Napoleon. The new rulers restricted local culture. As young scholars, the brothers Grimm began to work on the fairy tale collection in order to save the endangered oral storytelling tradition of Germany.
7. the brothers implied that they were just keeping records of tales, Wilhelm continued to polish and reshape the stories up to the final edition of 1857. In an effort to make them more acceptable to children and their parents, he stressed the moral of each tale and emphasized gender roles. To this day, parents still read them to their children because they approve of the lessons in the stories: keep your promises, don’t talk to strangers, work hard, obey your parents.
Yet 8. all Wilhelm’s additions, the most important part of these stories was left untouched. The cruel treatment of children and the violent punishments handed out to the stories’ bad guys are too much for some parents.
So what accounts for their popularity? Some have suggested that it is 9. the characters are always striving for happiness. But the truth probably lies in their origin. Grimms’ tales were born out of a storytelling tradition without boundaries (界限) of age or culture. The brothers’ skill was to translate these into a universal style of writing that seems to mirror 10. moods or interests we bring to our reading of them. And so it was that the Grimms’ fairy tales lived happily ever after.
Questions are based on the following passage.
1.A.18-26. B.27-35. C.36-45. D.46-55.
2.A.Jogging. B.Swimming. C.Tennis. D.Cycling.
3.
A.Launch a new promotion campaign. B.Carry out another survey.
C.Increase the production of athletic shoes. D.Hold more athletic competitions.
4.
A.Make products more appealing. B.Follow the trend.
C.Focus on fitness business. D.Target older customers.
Questions are based on the following passage.
1.
A.Experts who specialize in preventing natural disasters.
B.People trained to respond to medical emergencies.
C.Super heroes devoted to defending the earth.
D.Doctors and nurses who provide medical services.
2.
A.Decent and promising. B.Busy but secure.
C.Tough and stressful. D.Demanding but well-paid.
3.
A.Passing a physical training program. B.Getting a certificate in CPR (心肺复苏术).
C.Possessing a medical school diploma. D.Keeping calm in any situation.
