1 . A huge, 12-pointed star has been fixed on top of one of the towers of Antoni Gaudí’s famous Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona. This means the construction work, begun 139 years ago, nears completion. It is scheduled to be completely finished in 2026 — marking 100 years since the architect’s death.
When Gaudí died in 1926, less than a quarter of the exterior was complete. Since then construction has been stopped every now and then for various reasons from Spanish civil wars to funding problems. Though in 2005 the church was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the construction work was claimed to be illegal in 2016, and regained its building permit in 2019.
Born in 1852, Gaudí grew up fascinated by geometry and the natural wonders of the countryside. After studying architecture in school, he eventually formed his own style. In his opinion, form and function were inseparable: Beauty should be part of structure, which rules the natural world. “Nothing is art,” he concluded, “if it does not come from nature.” On his graduation ceremony, his director said the words that became famous later: “I do not know if we have awarded this degree to a madman or to a genius; only time will tell.”
Time has obviously given the answer. In fact, Gaudí’s work over the years has permanently influenced Barcelona architecture like none other before or after. The city is considered the best outdoor modernist Museum of Europe mostly because of Gaudí.
On the 10th of June 1926, Gaudí was knocked down by a tram (有轨电车) while he was doing his usual evening walk. He lost consciousness, and nobody recognized that this disheveled (蓬乱的) old man was the famous architect until he was taken to the hospital. He was buried two days later in the unfinished Sagrada Familia, following a funeral attended by thousands of people: most of the citizens of Barcelona came out to bid a final-farewell to the most universal architect that the city had ever known.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．A 12-pointed star was set on a Gaudí’s church. |
| B．Barcelona is well known for Gaudí’s architecture. |
| C．Gaudí’s famous church will be finished at last. |
| D．The 100h anniversary of Gaudí’s death will come. |
| A．It was to memorize Gaudí. | B．It suffered frequent delays. |
| C．It was a World Heritage Site. | D．It didn’t get its building permit. |
| A．His style was too special in his time. | B．He was not qualified for the degree. |
| C．His attitude to others was crazy. | D．He was too talented to be taught. |
| A．Sagrada Familia — Gaudí’s Unfinished Work |
| B．Barcelona — a City of Antoni Gaudí |
| C．Antoni Gaudí — a Genius Architect |
| D．Gaudí’s Architecture — the Beauty of Nature |
1. Who designed the White House?
| A．George Washington. |
| B．John Adams. |
| C．James Hoban. |
| A．John Adams and his wife. |
| B．George Washington and his wife. |
| C．The third president of the US and his wife. |
| A．123. | B．132. | C．232. |
| A．The history of the White House. |
| B．The structure of the White House. |
| C．Some presidents who have lived in the White House. |
1. Why does the woman meet the man?
| A．To look at an apartment. |
| B．To deliver some furniture. |
| C．To have a meal together. |
| A．Its color. | B．Its design. | C．Its quality. |
| A．It's a good size. | B．It's newly painted. | C．It's adequately equipped. |
| A．Go downtown. | B．Talk with her friend. | C．Make payment. |
4 . Do you long to have garden-fresh vegetables on your plate every night, or to gaze out your window at rows of colorful flowers? No matter how large or small your yard might be, you can craft a garden plan to fit your needs.
Decide what type of garden to grow. What purpose do you want your garden to serve?
Decide what specific plants to include in your garden. Find out what grows well in your region garden zone.
Choose a spot for your garden.
Make a garden design. Draw an outline of your garden or yard space. Map out different options where you want to plant various items in the location you chose.
| A．It takes a lot of equipment to plant a garden. |
| B．Tailor the design to fit the needs of your plants. |
| C．Some plants don’t grow as well in certain zones. |
| D．Read on for information on how to plan a garden. |
| E．Here are some tips on how to make your garden more attractive. |
| F．Take a look around your yard to assess where you want the garden to be located. |
| G．Some gardens are functional, producing fruit and vegetables to feed your family. |
5 . Do you have a spare room in your house? What about a driveway for your car? Both of these can help you make money.Many people who are feeling the pinch are taking advantage of what’s been called the “sharing economy”.
Perhaps the best-known example of a company in this field is Airbnb---an American web business which allows you to rent out your spare room to holidaymakers.It says it operates in 34,000 cities and it has over 1,500,000 listings.It seems to have concerned the market!
A British company is doing something with parking spaces.JustPark’s founder, Anthony Eskinazi, says ,“When I had the original idea,Ispotted a driveway close to a sports stadium.It would have been so convenient if I could have just parked in that driveway rather than in commercial car park.” And he has a big clientele（客户）:around 20,000 people have advertised their spaces on the site,and he says around half a million drivers use it.There are other sites doing very similar things,like Uber and Lyft---these let drivers share their cars with other passengers.Any driver knows how valuable a place to park is .A church near Kings Cross in central London has apparently made over £200,000 by renting out space in its yard to travelers!
Because this is a new business world,those rules aren’t there yet and many people are happy to share...as long as it pays!
But the sharing economy has its critics:the competitors of these new companies.People who run things like traditional B&B, commercial car parks and taxi services are afraid of ending up out of pocket.And there is another issue:regulations on these new business are unclear.How will renting out your driveway affect your neighbor?
1. What does the underlined phrase “feeling the pinch” probably mean?| A．Lacking in money | B．Full of curiosity |
| C．Willing to help others | D．Unsatisfied with their life |
| A．A taxi driver who can’t find a a parking place | B．A priest in the church near Kings Cross |
| C．A traveller who needs accomodiation | D．A well-known high-end holiday hotel |
| A．They can gain huge profits | B．They needn’t pay any fee |
| C．There are few rules to limit them | D．The new business has no risks |
| A．Creative and developed | B．Competitive but unpractical |
| C．Effective and worrying | D．Traditional and acceptable |
6 . The adobe dwellings(土坯房)
7 . Should we allow modern buildings to be built next to older buildings in a historic area of a city? In order to answer this question, we must first examine whether people really want to preserve the historic feel of an area. Not all historical buildings are attractive. However, there may be other reasons—for example, economic (经济的) reasons—why they should be preserved. So, let us assume that historical buildings are both attractive and important to the majority of people. What should we do then if a new building is needed?
In my view, new architectural styles can exist perfectly well alongside an older style. Indeed, there are many examples in my own home town of Tours where modern designs have been placed very successfully next to old buildings. As long as the building in question is pleasing and does not dominate (影响) its surroundings too much, it often improves the attractiveness of the area.
It is true that there are examples of new buildings which have spoilt (破坏) the area they are in, but the same can be said of some old buildings too. Yet people still speak against new buildings in historic areas. I think this is simply because people are naturally conservative(保守的)and do not like change.
Although we have to respect people’s feelings as fellow users of the buildings, I believe that it is the duty of the architect and planner to move things forward . If we always reproduced what was there before, we would all still be living in caves. Thus, I would argue against copying previous architectural styles and choose something fresh and different , even though that might be the more risky choice.
1. What does the author say about historical buildings in the first paragraph?| A．Some of them are not attractive. |
| B．Most of them ate too expensive to preserve. |
| C．They are more pleasing than modern buildings. |
| D．They have nothing to do with the historic feel of an area. |
| A．We should reproduce the same old buildings. |
| B．Buildings should not dominate their surroundings. |
| C．Some old buildings have spoilt the area they are in. |
| D．No one understands why people speak against new buildings. |
| A．destroy old buildings |
| B．put things in a different place |
| C．respect people’s feelings for historical buildings |
| D．choose new architectural styles |
| A．To explain why people dislike change. |
| B．To argue that modern buildings can be built in historic areas. |
| C．To warn that we could end up living in caves. |
| D．To admit how new buildings have ruined their surroundings. |
