1 . Hidden in the rolling mountains of the southeast Chinese province of Fujian is a series of giant multistoried homes built with wood and defended with mud walls. Mostly built between the I5th and 20th centuries, these shared homes purposefully nestle among tea, tobacco, rice fields and thick forests of pine and bamboo.

These structures are known as the Fujian Tulou. Throughout history, their residents have mostly been Hakka - migrants in southern China who originated from lands next to the Yellow River. Population pressures created conflicts between the Hakka and their neighbors, so they built their homes to double as fortification(防御) structures.

Walls are up to 5 feet thick and can reach 60 feet high. Defensive features include iron gates, underground escape tunnels, tiled roofs, a water well, and a backup stock of grains and livestock in the event of a lengthy conflict. The buildings, usually three to four stories, are symmetrical (对称的) in their shapes — this means that in the event of a conflict there are no blind spots.

While tulou translates as “earthen building” in Chinese, the construction materials are made up of far more than just mud. The foundations of the structures are made of local river stones and the walls are made of fine mud sourced from rice fields. The mud is reinforced(加固) with bamboo mixed with sand and lime, and then compacted(压实) with a thick stick.

While similar in layout, each tulou is unique. The Yuchang Building, built in 1308, is the oldest and tallest and known for its lilted pillars, some of which lean at a sharp 15-degree angle. The Hegui Building is the largest rectangular(矩形的)one, covering an area of nearly 1,300 square meters. The Chengqi Building is the most massive in size, with about 400 rooms.

Because of the economic draw of the neighboring cities, there's been a great loss of residents over the last 25 years. Today the structures that once housed thousands of people are only home to a couple of dozen permanent residents, most of them elderly. In 2008, 46 tulous were given World Heritage status by UNESCO. The growth of tourism in the area not only has kept the buildings from being destroyed, hut also has promoted local businesses and allowed tulou to remain living and functional relics.

1. What's the original purpose of Hakka’s building tulou?

A．To live in harmony with nature.

B．To make themselves more space to live.

C．To protect them from being attacked.

D．To attract visitors to appreciate the scenery.

2. What function do the symmetrical shapes of the buildings have?

A．To keep the buildings balanced.

B．To increase the space to live in.

C．To make the buildings more attractive.

D．To ensure they can attack enemies in all directions.

3. How many different tulou buildings are mentioned in paragraph 5?

A．Three.	B．Four.
C．Five.	D．Only one.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The traditional structures have perfect defensive systems.

B．The tourism in the area benefits the structures significantly.

C．Most of the permanent residents in the structures now are the elderly.

D．The traditional structures are disappearing with economic development.

2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does the man want to do?

A．To surf the Internet.

B．To buy an apartment.

C．To rent an apartment.

2. Where does the man prefer to live?

A．Near a college.

B．Near his friends.

C．Near his home.

3. How many bedrooms does the man want to rent?

A．Four.

B．Three.

C．Two.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What do we know about the small house?

A．It's near a farm.

B．There is a TV in it.

C．It looks very nice.

2. What does the woman think of the second place?

A．Simple.

B．Terrible.

C．Lovely.

3. What is unnecessary in the second place?

A．The washing machine.

B．The swimming pool.

C．The WiFi.

4 . Where does this conversation probably take place?

A．In a park.

B．In a classroom.

C．In an apartment building.

5 . Experts have long predicted that 3D printing will revolutionize (变革) the construction industry. The world's first two-story home printed in a single piece emerged in Antwerp, Belgium.

“What makes this house so unique is that we printed it with a fixed 3D concrete printer,” said Emiel Ascione, project manager at Kamp Construction Company, which pioneered the project. “Other houses that were printed around the world only have one floor. In many cases, the components were printed in a factory and were fitted together on-site. We, however, printed the entire building envelope in one piece on-site.”

The construction process began in November 2019 and took only 3 weeks, with the delivery of a massive 32-foot x 32-foot cement (水泥) 3D printer, known as BOD2. While it needed some human help to set up, once in operation, BOD2 was fully autonomous, requiring just one person to monitor the work from a nearby computer.

The two-story, 986-square-foot home, which has a small kitchen, two living rooms and a bathroom, as well as many human-installed eco-friendly features, such as underfloor heating and solar panels, was open from July 2020 to the end of September. It is aimed to encourage the construction industry to adopt emerging 3D printing technologies in its construction techniques.

“The 3D printed structure cost about 60 percent less than a typical brick home and was also much stronger,” Ascione said. “It shows the construction industry the accessibility and potential of this technique.”

This is not the only 3D printed housing project in the works. In Tabasco, Mexico, the world's first 3D printed neighborhood has been built. The two-bedroom homes, designed to accommodate the homeless, are strong enough to withstand natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes. At this rate, 3D printers may soon become a fixture at construction sites worldwide.

1. What is BOD2 used for?

A．Producing concrete.	B．Printing building outlines.
C．Making engineering drawings.	D．Putting together house components.

2. What does the underlined word "it" in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The construction process.	B．The two-story house.
C．The cement 3D printer.	D．The nearby computer.

3. Why was the two-story house open to the public?

A．To shelter the homeless.

B．To attract more investment.

C．To demonstrate its multi-functions.

D．To promote 3D printing in the building industry.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．3D Printing: A Solution to Housing Problems

B．BOD2: New Trend of the Construction Industry

C．Mexico's 3D Printed Neighborhood Is Well Received

D．World's First Two story Home Was Wholly-printed in Belgium

6 . When I was young, I went looking for gold in California. I never found enough to make me rich. But I did discover a beautiful part of the country. It was called the Stanislau, which was like Heaven on Earth.

Other men, also looking for gold, had reached the Stanislau hills of California many years before I did. They had built a town in the valley with sidewalks and stores, banks and schools. They had also built pretty little houses for their families.

A man was smiling at me as he stood in front of one of the little houses. Still smiling, the man opened the door of his house. I went inside and could not believe my eyes. I had been living for weeks in rough mining camps with other gold miners. We slept, on the hard ground, ate canned beans from cold metal plates and spent our days in the difficult search for gold.

Here in this little house, my spirit seemed to come to life again.

I saw a bright rug on the shining wooden floor. Pictures hung all around the room. And on little tables there were seashells, books and china vases full of flowers. A woman had made this house into a home.

The pleasure I felt in my heart must have shown on my face. The man read my thoughts. “Yes,” he smiled, “it is all her work. Everything in this room has felt the touch of her hand.”

As he talked, I realized there was something in this room that he wanted me to discover. I looked around. When my eyes reached a corner of the room near the fireplace, he broke, into a happy laugh and rubbed his hands together.

“That's it!” he cried out. “You have found it! I knew you would. It is her picture. She was nineteen on her last birthday. That was the day we were married.”

I went to a little black shelf that held a small picture of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. There was a sweetness and softness in the woman's expression that. I had never seen before.

1. Why did the author go to California?

A．To try his fortune.

B．To look for a man.

C．To write a new book.

D．To visit the Stanislau.

2. What impressed the author after entering the house?

A．The big size of the house.

B．The absence of the hostess.

C．The sense of a warm home.

D．The taste of the decoration.

3. What can be implied from the man's words?

A．He wanted to get away from home.

B．He was quite proud of his wife.

C．He missed the good old days.

D．He liked collecting pictures.

4. What might follow the text?

A．Examples of a good wife

B．Information about the neighbor.

C．Tips on running gold mines.

D．Something more about the man's wife.

7 . What do we know about Nora?

A．She prefers a room of her own.

B．She likes to work with other girls.

C．She lives near the city center.

8 . As Chinese new Year approaches, many people go on house cleaning.     1     In other words, get rid of things that take up space but aren’t used often or at all. If you are interested in tidying up for Chinese New Year, here are a few tips that might help you.

Decluttering is important but lacks urgency, so it’s easy to keep putting it off.     2     Make sure your family is free during this time, too, since some of the things are probably theirs. Then take an hour or two or maybe even a whole day to declutter.

Be prepared with a place to put items for disposal.     3     You may want separate containers for items you want to throw away, those you plan to donate and those you want to sell. Thus four boxes are needed: a box for things you’ll keep, a box for things you’ll store, one for things you’ll donate or sell, and the last one for things you’ll throw out.

    4     Sorting through your things is the hard part. Now, you just have to throw out all of the trash and put all of the items you want to keep back where they belong, and make sure to have a great organizational system that will keep them neatly in place.

Make time for weekly and daily decluttering.     5     Now that your home looks nice, you have to make an effort for it to stay that way by making time to keep your space organized every day and at the end of every week.

A．Reorganize your space.

B．Empty out all the things.

C．Decluttering is only half the battle.

D．Part of the cleaning process is decluttering.

E．This could be a trash bag, a box or a plastic container.

F．Schedule a time to do it when you have a few hours free.

G．Many people just simplify their lives by removing things they don’t need.

9 . Big-Name Architecture in Small-Town America Cloquet, Minnesota’s Gas Station

Stop for fuel in this little northern Minnesota town and you could pump gas at a station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Yes, the most popular American starchitect, best known for his elegant, nature-inspired works, also designed a gas station. The R.W. Lindholm Service Station has a characteristically Wright-style cantilevered (悬臂式的) roof and a glass-walled viewing lounge.

Rocklin, California’s College

When the Herman Miller furniture company shut down its western factory in Rocklin, California in 2001, the question on everyone’s minds was “what to do with the buildings?”. The 125-acre campus had been designed by starchitect Frank Gehry. Luckily, William Jessup University was looking for a new home. The school moved in, adapted the existing buildings, and kept the work of a master designer alive for ages.

Owatonna, Minnesota’s Bank

Owatonna, Minnesota is home to a surprising architecture: The National Farmers’ Bank, designed by the “father of skycrapers” Louis Sullivan. The bank was built of red brick decorated with green terracotta (赤陶) and vast arched stained glass windows. It’s currently home to a Wells Fargo, so feel free to stop and use the ATM.

Ewing Township, New Jersey’ Bathroom

This cross-shaped gray brick building, in the peaceful community of Ewing Township, is a relatively early work by the pioneering Philadelphia architect Louis Kahn. It was built to house toilet and changing facilities for the adjacent(邻近的) pool. The structures sat quietly in a field for years until a restoration in 2010.

1. Who designed the RW Lindholm Service Station?

A．Frank Gehry.	B．Louis Kahn.
C．Louis Sullivan.	D．Frank Lloyd Wright.

2. What do we know about the architecture in Rocklin?

A．It has a glass-walled lounge.

B．It belongs to a furniture company now.

C．It is a factory-turned college.

D．It was designed by the “father of skyscrapers”.

3. Which of the following was once deserted?

A．California’s College.	B．New Jersey’s Bathroom.
C．Minnesota’s Bank.	D．Minnesota’s Gas Station.

10 . The UK’s first fully solar-powered home, which removes the need to ever receive a gas or electricity bill again, has gone on sale, but it will cost you £1.2 million.

The timber-framed home in Great Glen, Leicestershire, contains a number of “zero-carbon features” including solar electric energy, triple glazing and rainwater storage. It is entirely heated by underground water-filled tubes that are warmed by solar energy from rooftop panels. The house was designed and built by Caplin Homes and covers two acres of land. The design and construction, down to the materials, were used specifically for their low carbon footprint.

The solar panels on the roof of the five-bedroom house are called hybrids because they collect both electrical and thermal energy. Solar walls preheat incoming air, and an Earth Energy Bank (EEB) and heat pump can store heat, and get it back for use when temperatures drop. The south-facing triple-glazed windows are said to also improve the house’s energy management during the winter.

All the technologies are regulated by a control system, which monitors the inside and outside temperatures, how much energy is being received by the solar panels, and the heat levels in the EEB domestic hot water tank. Due to its low energy design, the Solar House is expected to only require heat from the EEB for about 10 weeks of the year.

For £1.2 million, buyers also get two garages. Estate agent (房地产经纪人) Anthony Fox said the possibility of no utility bills was a big draw for potential owners: the idea is that your bills pretty much disappear and the house is self-sustaining and self-sufficient. That was a big aspect for most of the people who came to have a look around. “We had a lot of interest on the open day. There were some strong considerations to buy there and then. Everyone was very keen to learn how the house worked.” He added.

1. Which is true about the UK’s first fully solar-powered home?

A．It is directly heated by rooftop panels.

B．It has a set of heat-storage devices available.

C．Its walls can keep cold air from coming in to store heat.

D．The triple-glazed windows collect electrical and thermal energy.

2. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 4?

A．The monitoring of the temperature.

B．The function of the control system.

C．The amount of the received energy.

D．The significance of the new technologies.

3. What’s a big attraction for potential buyers according to Anthony Fox?

A．No gas or electricity bill.	B．Two additional garages.
C．The reasonable price.	D．The unique structure.