1 . 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.

The Last of Shanghai’s Historic Shikumen Houses

As Shanghai’s booming population move into new apartment towers, the city’s historic Shikumen courtyard houses are struggling to survive.

New Zealand photographer Cody Ellingham’s “Shanghai Streets” series explores the colonial-era lanehouses, now     1     (tear) down for new housing developments at a rapid speed.     2    (build) between the end of the 19th century and World War II, these buildings took influence from traditional Chinese hutongs and colonial French and British Art Deco architecture. Neighborhoods of shikumen, with narrow and pedestrian-friendly streets,     3    (make) up an estimated 60 percent of the city’s housing stock at their peak.

But in the 1990s, Shanghai started to favor tall apartment buildings     4    (keep) up with the city’s fast-growing population. “I really felt     5     they were waiting in the shadow of the encroaching (入侵) skyscrapers,” Ellingham said when he was photographing the houses. Shikumen are barely holding on in Laoximen; in areas like Tianzifang and Xintiandi, redevelopment projects have tried to turn the historic buildings into tourist attractions.     6     some preservation efforts, many residences have already been erased.

“At one location near Laoximen, an entrance was left open, so I popped my head in and saw a local     7     was smoking cigarette amongst the ruins inside and talking into his phone,” Ellingham said. “I walked in and nodded to him. How many places like this had I seen?”

Demolitions (拆除) aren’t systematic --- families continue to live in neighborhoods where empty buildings or rubble are everywhere to be seen. “The only clue to their presence     8     be a light on at night time, or the sounds of cooking or television,     9     the rest of the area is bathed in silent darkness,” Ellingham said.

The photos’ cool blue and purple tones     10    (mean) to highlight the contrast between old and new, and reflect how the city feels at night.

“Like in all cities, the change does not seem apparent until it is too late,” said Ellingham.

2 . In recent years, 3D printers have mostly been used to create small, specialized items. This includes parts for automobiles, airplanes and medical devices. Many consumer products can also be 3D printed as well, from clothes to foods. Now, an increasing number of startup companies are using 3D printing to build entire homes. Since the technology is still developing, not many have yet been built. However, the top companies plan to greatly increase production in the coming years.

The startup company Icon, based in Austin, Texas, made news in 2018 by completing the first permitted 3D printed home in the U.S. At the time, it said the home had been built in just a day. Since then, the company says it has been developing new technologies in robotics, software and manufacturing materials. It designed its own 3D printer and said the robot-powered machine could create structures up to 185 square meters. The printing process uses a cement-based mixture that Icon says is stronger and saves more money than traditional building materials.

To date, Icon has completed 24 3D printed homes in the U.S. and Mexico. Among them was a community of 3D printed homes in a poor neighborhood in Mexico. The company has also completed a series of structures for homeless people in Austin. And it says it plans to open America's first housing development of 3D printed homes this summer.

A New York company, SQ4D, also uses 3D printing technology to build homes. In February, the company showed off a 130-square-meter model home to demonstrate its printer'sabilities.SQ4D plans to sell its homes starting at $299,000. The company has even started listing the homes on the Internet selling site Zillow. Kirk Andersen is SQ4D's director of operations. He told Reuters the 3D printer will permit buyers to easily create their own home design, room by room.

While 3D printing as a home building method is just getting started, Andersen said others in the construction industry need to get prepared for big changes. “This is the beginning. This is just scratching the surface,” he said.

1. What can we learn about 3D printing technology from Paragraph 1?

A．It needs to be perfected.	B．It enjoys the highest status.
C．It is being used for building homes.	D．It helps produce some large and unique items.

2. What feature do 3D printed homes have when compared with traditional building methods?

A．They're more comfortable.	B．They're more environment-friendly.
C．They're more complex.	D．They're less expensive.

3. What is Andersen's attitude to the future of 3D printing as a home building way?

A．Concerned.

B．Favorable.

C．Doubtful.

D．Indifferent.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．The development of smart homes.	B．The importance of 3D printers.
C．3D printing in building homes.	D．Construction industry's future.