No budget for your vacation? Try home exchanges ---- swapping houses with strangers. Agree to use each other’s cars, and you can save dollars on car rentals (租賃費(fèi)), too.
Home exchanges are not new. At least one group, Intervac, has been facilitating such an arrangement since 1953. But trading online is gaining popularity these days, with several sites in operation, including Home Exchanges. Founded in 1992, with some 28,000 listings, this company bills itself as the world’s largest home exchange club, reporting that membership has increased 30% this year.
The annual fee is usually less than US$100. Members can access thousands of listings for apartments, villas, suburban homes and farms around the world. Initial contact is made via e-mail, with subsequent communication usually by phone. Before a match is made, potential swappers tend to discuss a lot.
However, the concept may sound risky to some people. What about theft? Damage? These are reasonable causes for concern, but equally unlikely. As one swapper puts it, “Nobody is going to fly across the ocean or drive 600 miles to come steal your TV. Besides, at the same time they’re staying in your home, you are staying in their home.”
Exchange sites recommend that swappers discuss such matters ahead of time. They may fill out an agreement spelling out who shoulders which responsibilities if a problem arises. It does not matter if the agreement would hold up in court, but it does give the exchangers a little satisfaction.
Generally, the biggest complaint among home exchangers has to do with different standards of cleanliness. Swappers are supposed to make sure their home is in order before they depart, but one person’s idea of “clean” may be more forgiving than another’s. Some owners say if they come back to a less-than-sparkling kitchen, it may be inconvenient but would not sour them on future exchanges.
【小題1】What is the second paragraph mainly about? 

A．How to exchange homes.
B．The biggest home exchange agency Intervac.
C．The fact that home exchanges are not new.
D．A contrast between Intervac and Home Exchanges.
【小題2】How do home exchangers normally begin their communication?
A．By phone. B．Via a matchmaker.
C．By e-mail. D．Via a face-to-face meeting.
【小題3】What is recommended in the passage to deal with the concerns about theft and damage?
A．One can file a lawsuit in court.
B．Both parties can trade online.
C．One can damage the home of the other party in return.
D．Both parties can sign an agreement beforehand.


【小題1】C
【小題2】C
【小題3】D

解析試題分析：文章大意：文章論述了假期時(shí)人們?yōu)榱藴p少開(kāi)支，相互簽訂協(xié)議交換房子住的事。
【小題1】C主旨大意題。第二段主要講述了“交換房子住”這種現(xiàn)象是如何越來(lái)越流行的。故C正確。
【小題2】C細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由文章第三段第三句Initial contact is made via e-mail,  with subsequent communication usually by phone可知。故C正確。
【小題3】D細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由文章第五段前兩句. . . swappers discuss such matters ahead of time. They may fill out an agreement. . . 可知。故D正確。
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated(估計(jì)) to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.
In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate(足夠的) working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.
The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological(氣象的) and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.
【小題1】What would be the best title for this passage?

A．The Difficulties of Learning English
B．International Communications
C．The Standard Varieties of English
D．English as a World Language
【小題2】Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A．Some 260 million people in the world have an adequate working knowledge of English.
B．There are some 260 million native speakers of English in the world.
C．It is almost impossible to estimate the number of people with an adequate working knowledge of English.
D．People learn English for a variety of reasons.
【小題3】According to the passage, what is the main reason for the widespread use of English?
A．It was popular during Shakespeare’s time.
B．It is used in former British colonies.
C．It serves the needs of its native speakers.
D．It is a world language that is used for international communication.
【小題4】What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?
A．The ability to read a newspaper.
B．Being able to speak several languages.
C．It is difficult to judge because it differs for each situation.
D．Being a native speaker.
【小題5】What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?
A．Those geographically close to the United States.
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解



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Players should always keep a tennis ball in their hand or pocket during a match. Even the most patient tennis players despise waiting for their opponent to find a ball to serve(發(fā)球).
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Even if you’re playing badly, you should not shout or look depressed in a friendly match. Undoubtedly, your attitude affects how you play, so try to have fun and stay positive.
Pace
Do not deliberately slow the game down. Play at the pace of the server and look ready. Servers also should not rush to start each point. You should re-do the point if you serve the ball before the receiver is ready. The receiver is out of luck, however, if he claims he was not ready after making an attempt at returning the serve.
For Spetators(觀眾)
Cheering
While it is seen as proper etiquette(禮儀）to remain silent during the live play, loud and spirited cheers are welcome after a hard-earned point. The players appreciate the recognition for their efforts and are encouraged to continue playing at a high level when the crowd is actively involved.
Leaving and returning to your seat
During live play it’s expected that all spectators will remain seated until the next break between games. Movements in the stands(看臺(tái)) can serve as a distraction(分心的事物) to the players and can also block the view of other audience.
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The issue of camera shutter(快門(mén)) noise has earned a lot of attention in golf, but luckily for tennis fans it’s much less of a concern on the court. While the noise produced by the camera is not seen as a major issue, flash photography should be avoided during live play.
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【小題2】According to the text, during tennis matches, _____________________.
A．players can slow the game down when tired
B．players don’t have to keep a ball in their hand
C．the receiver shouldn’t return the serve if not ready
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【小題3】It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ____________________.
A．flash photography is acceptable on the golf court
B．tennis fans can use flash photography during matches
C．the noise from cameras is not permitted in tennis matches
D．tennis matches require a less degree of quiet than golf ones
【小題4】What’s the text mainly about?
A．Some tips for tennis players to win a match.
B．What to do while watching tennis matches.
C．How to behave properly in tennis matches.
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I met him first in 1936. I rushed into his ugly little shop to have the heels of my shoes repaired. I waited when he did it. He greeted me with a cheerful smile. “You’re new in this neighborbood, aren’t you?”
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He looked at me over his spectacles. “Now, lady, we won’t be long. I want to do a good job. You see, I have a tradition to live up to.”
A tradition? In this ugly little shop that was no different from so many other shoe repair shops on the side streets of New York?
He must have felt my surprise, for he smiled as he went on. “Yes, lady, I inherited a tradition. My father and my grandfather were shoemakers in Italy, and they were the best. My father always told me, ‘Son, do the best job on every shoe that comes into the shop, and be proud of your fine work. Do that always, and you’ll have both happiness and money enough to live on.’”
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Every day I passed his shop, we waved to each other in friendly greeting. At first I went in only when I had repair work to be done. Then I found myself going in every few days just to talk with him.
He was the happiest man I’ve ever known. Often, as he stood in his shopwindow, working at a pair of shoes, he sang in a high, clear Italian voice. The Italians in our neighborhood called him la luce alla finestra—“the light in the window”.
One day I was disappointed and angry because of poor jobs some painters had done for me. I went into his shop for comfort. He let me go on talking angrily about the poor work and carelessness of present-day workmen. “They had no pride in their work,” I said. “They just wanted to collect their money for doing nothing.”
He agreed. “There’s a lot of that kind around, but maybe we should not blame them. Maybe their fathers had no pride in their work. That’s hard on a boy. It keeps him from learning something important.” He waited a minute and said “Every man or woman who hasn’t inherited a prideful tradition must start building one.”
“In this country, our freedom lets each of us make his own contribution. We must make it a good contribution. No matter what sort of work a man does, if he gives it his best each day, he’s starting a tradition for his children to live up to. And he is making lots of happiness for himself.”
I went to Europe for a few months. When I returned, there was no “l(fā)ight in the window”. The door was closed. There was a little sign: “Call for shoes at shop next door.” I learned the old man had suddenly got sick and died two weeks before
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【小題1】The shoemaker looked sadly at the shoes because __________

A．they were of poor quality.
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【小題2】The author was surprised when she heard that the shop had a tradition because the shop ________.
A．looked no different from other shoe repair shops
B．had a light in the window
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D．was quite an ugly and dirty one
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A．develop B．receive C．learn D．a(chǎn)ppreciate
【小題4】The author later frequently went into the little shop __________.
A．to repair her worn shoes
B．only to chat with the shoemaker
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【小題5】Why was the shoemaker called “the light in the window” by his neighbors?
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【小題6】What’s the best title of this passage?
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Father was a hardworking man who delivered bread as a living to support his wife and three children. He spent all his evenings after work attending classes, hoping to improve himself so that he could one day find a better paid job. Except for Sundays, Father hardly ate a meal together with his family. He worked and studied very hard because he wanted to provide his family with the best that money could buy.
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The day came when the examination results were announced. To his joy, Father passed, and with distinctions too! Soon after, he was offered a good job as a senior supervisor which paid handsomely.
Like a dream come true, Father could now afford to provide his family with life’s little luxuries like nice clothing, fine food and vacation abroad.
However, the family still did not get to see Father for most of the week. He continued to work very hard, hoping to be promoted to the position of manager. In fact, to make himself a worthily candidate for the promotion, he took another course in an open university.
Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. Though he often longed to spend more time with his family, he weighed his contribution to his family above everything else.
Father’s hard work paid off and he was promoted. Happily, he decided to hire a maid to relieve his wife from her domestic tasks. He also felt that their three-room flat was no longer big enough. It would be nice for his family to be able to enjoy the facilities and comfort of a condominium.    Having experienced the rewards of his hard work many times before, Father resolved to further his studies and work at being promoted again. The family still did not get to see much of him. In fact, sometimes Father had to work on Sundays entertaining clients.
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【小題1】Father worked and studied very hard because ________.

A．he had to support his family
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【小題4】What is the function of the italicized(斜體)paragraphs in this passage?
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B．To show how stubborn Father was.
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Aside from doing schoolwork and studying, American students must also participate in various extra-curricular activities. Many students get involved in their communities by doing volunteer work at various local organizations. In fact, the school I attend even requires students to perform a certain number of hours of volunteer work per semester. It is part of our study hall(自修課) grade, as well as a graduation requirement.
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I thought it was very fitting that I do my volunteer work at a library and a bookstore, because reading has always been very important to me. I love working in the bookstore now, because every sale we make helps our public library expand, and gives it the funds needed to purchase new books.
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A．a(chǎn) Chinese studentB．a(chǎn)n American studentC．a(chǎn) Chinese teacher D．a(chǎn)n American teacher
【小題2】This passage is supposed to write to ____.
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A．a(chǎn) local animal shelterB．a(chǎn) charity store
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Earlier this year I traveled to Turkana in Kenya. I was there to take pictures of the “broken food system”.
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Sadly, the same can be heard in almost any developing country around the world. Almost one billion people go to bed hungry each night. The food system is broken. In Turkana, not enough rain has fallen since 2005. They measure(測(cè)量) rainfall not in days or weeks but in minutes. More and more people are being forced to rely on food aid, but people like Tede don’t want food aid. They want to work and develop their country. It’s our responsibility(責(zé)任) to change the situation so that they can support themselves.
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【小題2】During the drought Tede had experienced, ______of his goats were killed.
A．200B．193C．7D．6
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A．He was a farmer in Kenya.
B．He has never received any food aid.
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【小題4】What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A．To show drought is serious in the world.
B．To tell readers the serious situation of food shortage(短缺).
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

If Confucius(孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be many candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought.  It’s nothing personal.  Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius.  In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities.  More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries.  These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy（哲學(xué)）.  Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy.  Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese.  So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States.  Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers. 
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
【小題1】The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ________.

A．provide some key facts about Confucius
B．a(chǎn)ttract the readers’ interest in the subject
C．show great respect for the ancient thinker
D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations
【小題2】We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students______.
A．have a great interest in studying Chinese
B．take an active part in Chinese competitions
C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams
D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese
【小題3】What is the best title for the passage?
A．Forgotten Wisdom in America
B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language
C．Chinese Culture for Westerners
D．Old Thinker with a Big Future
【小題4】The passage is likely to appear in ___________.
A．a(chǎn) biographyB．a(chǎn) history paper
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Wugging, or web use giving, describes the act of giving to charity at no cost to the user. By using Everyclick.com, which is being added to a number of university computers across the UK, students can raise money every time they search, but it won’t cost them a penny.
Research shows that students are extremely passionate(熱情的)about supporting charity（慈善）--- 88％of full time students have used the Internet to give to charity. This figure is high because this age group is often the least likely to have their own income. 19％ of 22 to 24 year olds have short-term debts of more than￡5，000. With rising personal debt levels in this age group, due to university tuition fees or personal loans and a lack of long-term savings, traditional methods of donating to charity are often not possible.
Beth Truman, a 21year old recent university graduate has used Everyclick.com to donate to her chosen charity, the RSPCA, for two years and has seen the “wugging” movement grow in popularity with students. “When you’re at university you become more socially aware, but it's sometimes hard to give to others when you have little money yourself,” says Beth. “Wugging is great for people in this age group as it allows them to use the technology on a daily basis to give to charity, without costing them a single penny.”
Wugging is perfect for people who want to be more socially aware and supportive but don’t feel they have the means to do so. Students using the web can raise money for causes they care about without costing them anything in terms of time or money, and charities get a valuable source of funding.
Everyclick.com works like any other search engine, allowing users to search for information, news and images but users can decide which of the UK’s 170,000 charities they would like to support through their clicks. Everyclick.com then makes monthly payments to every registered charity. Launched in June 2005, Everyclick.com is now the eighth largest search engine and one of the busiest charity websites in the UK.
【小題1】 According to the passage, “wugging” is actually a _______.

A．websiteB．charity-related action
C．school organizationD．student movement
【小題2】How does Beth Truman think of the “wugging” movement?
A．It makes Everyclick.com popular in the UK.
B．It makes giving to charity easy.
C．It results in students being more social awareness.
D．it stresses the importance of charity in people’s daily lives.
【小題3】From the passage, we can conclude that _______.
A．most full time students contribute to charity on the Internet every day
B．Everyclick.com helps students pay for the college education
C．“Wugging” is a win-win idea for both students and charities
D．Everyclick.com is the most successful search engine in the UK
【小題4】What would be the best title for this passage?
A．“Wugging”, a New Popular Term（術(shù)語(yǔ)）on the Internet
B．British People Show Strong Interest in Charity
C．More Britain Charities Benefit from the Internet
D．Students Raise Money for Charity by “wugging”

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