For millions of people, the American dream of owning a home seems to be slipping out of reach(够不着). “Maybe young couples can no longer afford to buy a ready-made house as their parents did, “ says 40-year-old building instructor Pat Hennin. “But they can still have a home. Like their pioneer ancestors(祖先), they can build it themselves, and at less than half the cost of a ready-made house. “ The owner-builders came from every occupational group, although surprisingly few are professional building workers. Many take the plunge(冒险尝试)with little or no experience. “I learned how to build my house from reading books, “ says John Brown, who built a six-room home for $25, 000 in High Falls, New Jersey. “If you have patience and the carpentry(木工工作)skill to make a bookcase, you can build a house. “ An astonishing 50 percent of these owner builders hammer every nail, lay every pipe, and wire every switch with their own hands. The rest contract for some parts of the task. But even those who just act as contractors and finish the insides of their homes can save from 30 percent to 45 percent of what a ready-made home would cost. One survey revealed that 60 percent of owner-builders also design their homes. Many others buy commercial house plans for less than $ 100 or use plans available from the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

The road being built was scheduled to______traffic on May Day. be close to be closed to be open to be opened to

Everybody looked______the direction of the explosion. to from in into

This is a______ young writer. He has published quite a few good stories in recent years. promised looking forward promising clever

The doctor insists that the patient______. must be operated should be operated be operated on needs operating on

There are signs______restaurants are becoming more popular with families. that which in which whose

______, he does get annoyed with her sometimes. Although much he likes her Much although he likes her As he likes her much Much as he likes her

______the financial menas to remain independent, Edison was compelled to seek employment as a night telegraph operator. He was deprived of Deprived of That he was deprived of Although he was deprived of

______ after the Second World War that test pilots first attempted to break the sound barrier. It was shortly There was shortly Was shortly Shortly

The manager would rather his daughter______ in the same office. had not worked not to work does not work did not work

Missing the train means______ for an hour. waiting to wait to be waiting have to wait

The growth of part-time and flexible working patterns, and of training and retraining schemes, ______ more women to take advantage of employment opportunities. have allowed allow allowing allows

Nearly 54 million cars and trucks in the United States are equipped with driver side air bags located in the center of the steering wheel. 24 million also have a passenger-side device located in the dashboard. Air bags are designed to protect against sudden, fierce frontal highway impacts. Five years ago evidence of serious air bag injuries began to surface. Drivers in minor fender benders suffered severe eye and ear injuries, broken bones and third degree burns from the force of the inflating bags. In December 1991 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA)advised parents to avoid putting rear facing infant sets in front of air bags, acknowledging that the force of the explosive bag could harm infants, whose heads were only inches away from the devices. Last October it was determined that all children 12 and under were more susceptible to injury and death than adults; their more fragile bodies were seated lower, increasing the impact of the air bag to the head area. In addition, more children were not properly restrained or were out of position when the air bag inflated. On November 22, 1996, after nearly 60 deaths and thousands of injuries were attributed to the devices, the NHTSA mandated improved labels for all new vehicles, warning of the risk to children under 13. Despite these problems, officials stress the overall effectiveness of these devices. “All in all, air bags work well and are responsible for an 11 percent reduction in driver fatalities. “ says NHTSA Administrator Dr. Ricardo Martinez. “ First and foremost, make sure you’re properly buckled up before getting on the road. “ says Brain O’Neill, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Keep in mind how close you sit to an air bag. Push seats as far back as possible, remaining just close enough to control the pedals. Your face and torso should be at least 10 to 12 inches from the steering column. “It’s not a bad idea actually to measure the distance with a ruler to be sure. “ adds O’Neill. Adjustable steering wheels should be pointed toward the chest rather than the head to prevent inflating bag from damaging the face or neck. Also, position hands at nine o’clock and three o’clock on the wheel to keep your arms away from an opening air bag. Pregnant women in particular should keep their abdomen as distant from the air bag as possible. In the final trimester, women should point adjustable steering wheels upward, away from their fetus. Perhaps most important, children 12 and under should always ride in the back seat, buckled up.

Many students find the experience of attending university lectures to be a confusing and frustrating experience. The lecturer speaks for one or two hours, perhaps【C1】______the talk with slides, writing up important information on the blackboard, 【C2】______reading material and giving out【C3】______. The new student sees the other students continuously writing on notebooks and【C4】______what to write. Very often the student leaves the lecture【C5】______notes which do not catch the main points and【C6】______become hard even for the【C7】______to understand. Most institutions provide courses which【C8】______new students to develop the skills they need to be【C9】______listeners and note-takers.【C10】______these are unavailable, there are many useful study-skills guides which【C11】______learners to practice these skills【C12】______. In all cases it is important to【C13】______the problem【C14】______actually starting your studies. It is important to【C15】______that most students have difficulty in acquiring the language skills【C16】______in college study. One way of【C17】______these difficulties is to attend the language and study-skills classes which most institutions provide throughout the【C18】______year. Another basic【C19】______is to find a study partner【C20】______it is possible to identify difficulties, exchange ideas and provide support.

Therefore, with every increase of knowledge and skill, wisdom becomes more necessary, for every such increase augments(增强)our capacity for realizing our purposes, and therefore augments our capacity for evil, if our purpose are unwise.

医生对病人说：“请躺下，别紧张。”

抱歉，史密斯先生，我有几个问题得打扰。

For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Choosing an Occupation. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below in Chinese: 1．选择职业是一个人要面对的众多难题之一； 2．需要花时间去选择职业； 3．选择职业时可以向多人寻求建议和帮助。 Choosing an Occupation

Something extraordinary happened in that hospital. A man, who was declared clinically dead, suddenly______. returned to life restored to life came to life survived

It was more than fifteen years ago______I entered the laboratory of Professor Agassiz. when that in which since

It sounds as if the telephone______. were ringing was ringing has being ringing is ringing

Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

According to the passage, owner-builders are those who______.

The phrase “take the plunge“ in the second paragraph most probably means______.

It can be inferred from the passage that many Americans find it difficult to______.

What is the main subject of the passage?