5 . Italy’s one-euro-home sales have been attracting a lot of interest over the past few years. Some towns like Mussomeli in Sicily and Zungoli in Campania have managed to _________ abandoned properties to foreigners pursuing the Italian dream. However, some have _________ to sell their empty homes. Among them is Patrica, a remote village of barely 3,000 residents located south of Rome, where more than 40 properties deserted in the early 1900s have been left _________.
In an attempt to breathe new life into the dying village, the town’s mayor Lucio Fiordaliso has been trying to _________ the success of other Italian villages who’ve put their empty homes up for sale for one euro, or just over a dollar. “The process is not _________. We first mapped out all abandoned houses and contacted the original owners to ask for permission. Only then can we place these properties up for sale with their _________, which makes the process very complicated.” However, the permission from one owner of the house sometimes is not enough for the sale of potential one euro homes. That is because most relatives sharing the same property often _________ one another for personal reasons or some hardly speak or know each other.
Another reason that the one euro plan never really started in Patrica could be due to the _________of its homes. Some of the houses are simply too neglected to sell, even if the owners were willing to agree to it. _________, Patric a local Gianni Valleco and his two brothers decided to place their parents’ abandoned home on the market to see what would happen. But they soon disappointedly found that the house was far from __________.
In the meantime, Fiordalis o has been coming up with new ways to __________ newcomers. He prompted several locals to entirely restyle their old family homes and put them to use after decades of neglect. “The mayor’s move finally gave us a good excuse to fully restore the property which had been sitting there __________,” says the locals. The mayor also decided to start operating some commercial activities like an B&B or a restaurant or a shopping center.
“There is __________, but then when many foreigners actually see the bad shape of the old homes they’d prefer to opt for turn-key apartments that are already restyled or in need of just __________ fixes,” says Fiordaliso. “So it’s much more convenient to buy one of these newer ones than __________ an old building in need of major reconstruction, where the final cost would end up being much higher.” Despite these challenges, Fiordalis o hasn’t given up on selling the town’s long forgotten homes.
1. | A．assign | B．restrict | C．shift | D．return |
2. | A．forgot | B．emerged | C．continued | D．struggled |
3. | A．shaking | B．shining | C．decayed | D．burnt |
4. | A．catch up with I | B．make fun of | C．pay attention to | D．take pride in |
5. | A．optional | B．rigid | C．simple | D．special |
6. | A．initiative | B．budget | C．approval | D．determination |
7. | A．disagree with | B．negotiate with | C．text to | D．cooperate with |
8. | A．location | B．condition | C．exhibition | D．ownership |
9. | A．For example | B．By contrast | C．In fact | D．On the contrary |
10. | A．sufficient | B．desirable | C．spacious | D．enough |
11. | A．appeal to | B．back up | C．hold back | D．count on |
12. | A．independently | B．uselessly | C．permanently | D．purposefully |
13. | A．claim | B．coverage | C．audience | D．interest |
14. | A．minor | B．temporary | C．urgent | D．costly |
15. | A．build | B．furnish | C．rent | D．grab |
