Below is a housing guide for students going to London.
University accommodation (住所)offices
Many university accommodation offices have their own list of registered landlords (房东). Others also provide information on accommodation agencies and other housing organizations. The advantage of using your university accommodation office is that you can get some support if you have a problem. The disadvantage is that they are unlikely to have enough registered landlords to houses all their students.
Property papers: Loot and Renting
Loot is an important source (来源) of information about private housing for co-renters. The offers are from private landlords, agencies and individuals looking for other co-renters. They also have a website: www.loot.com. The advantage of using Loot is that there are some excellent bargains. The disadvantage is that there is no quality control over the offers.
Renting is another useful paper. The offers in this paper are mainly from accommodation agencies. Their website is at www.renting.co.uk.
Accommodation agencies
The majority of rented accommodation in London is probably advertised through accommodation agencies. The advantage of using accommodation agencies is that: you will have access to a large number of accommodations. A good agent will listen to your requirements and can save you time in looking for the right accommodation. The disadvantage is that they will make a range of charges to potential renters.
Noticeboards
Around the universities you will find a number of noticeboards where offers of accommodation will be posted. These will either be from landlords or from students. Some universities will also have online noticeboards where students can advertise to other students. Advertisements from students can be an excellent way to find accommodation. However, advertisements from landlords can be problematic.
Word of mouth
Some of the best housing in London is never advertised but is passed on from one group of students to another by word of mouth. It might be that you can find out about good offers from final year students. However, don’t suppose that just because you have found out about housing from a friend it is necessarily going to be better than that found through any other source.
Family
Faced with the very high rents charged in London, some students and their parents will consider buying as an alternative. In some cases this might be a good choice.
1.What is the advantage of using Loot?
A. There are some good bargains.
B. It has more offers from accommodation agencies than Renting.
C. It gives you personal information about other co-renters.
D. Their website is designed mainly for students.
2.A good agent can help you ____.
A. know more people
B. find cheap accommodation
C. get the right accommodation quickly
D. get free information about most accommodations
3.The information passed on by word of mouth is important because____.
A. it is better than that found through any other source
B. the final year students always offer better information
C. the landlords have little valuable information
D. it helps you find some of the best housing never advertised.
4.For students going to London for the first time, which of the following provides the most reliable information?
A. University accommodation offices. B. Loot and Renting
C. Noticeboards. D. Family
Why do Americans struggle with watching their weight, while the French, who consume rich food, continue to stay thin? Now a research by Cornell University suggests how life style and decisions about eating may affect weight. Researchers concluded that the French tend to stop eating when they feel full. However, Americans tend to stop when their plate is empty or their favorite TV show is over.
According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a fairly long time at the table, while Americans see eating as something to be squeezed between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans lose the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have stopped. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and frozen foods for the week. The French, instead, tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers’ markets where they have a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as high-quality meats for each meal.
After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, decided to write about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid food. Today she continues to stay slim(苗条) and rarely goes to the gym.
In spite of all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style changes may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity — or extreme overweight — among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains acceptance and the young reject older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17% — and is growing.
1.In what way are the French different from Americans according to Dr. Joseph Mercola?
A. They go shopping at supermarkets more frequently.
B. They regard eating as a key part of their lifestyles.
C. They squeeze eating between the other daily activities.
D. They usually eat too much canned and frozen food.
2.This text is mainly about the relationship between _________.
A. Americans and the French
B. children and adults
C. fast food and overweight
D. life style and obesity
3.The text is mainly developed __________.
A. by contrast B. by space
C. by process D. by classification
4.Where does this text probably come from?
A. A TV interview. B. A health report
C. A food advertisement. D. A book review.
After nearly 50 years of separation，an elderly woman has been reunited with the family that she feared was lost to her forever.
Celestine Thompson left Mississippi when she was 14 years old and eventually settled in New York，where she spent more than 30 years of her life，according to WLOX 13News. After surviving a fire in 1992，Thompson was in a coma（昏迷）for two years and has since experienced memory loss. The 90-year-old found it difficult to recall details about her family.
But later she remembered the name of her nephew Clarence Woodway. Then another woman who knows Thompson in Mississippi was able to track Woodway down and help reunite Thompson with her large family.
“In our minds，my brother and I were talking that she wasn’t here anymore，because we hadn’t heard from her for a very long time，”Donald Davis，another one of Thompson’s nephews，told the media.“You know，we were overjoyed when we found out that we had gotten in contact with her.”
A few of Thompson’s relatives visited her in New York，and then arranged a larger reunion which was held this past Saturday in Gulfport，Mississippi，the Associated Press reported.
Thompson now lives in Greensboro，Alabama，with a caretaker，and，although she is yet to meet them all，she has regained quite a sizeable family of 23 nieces and nephews，64 grand nieces and nephews，66 great-grand nieces and nephews and 34 great-great-grand nieces and nephews，according to the Associated Press.
1.What can we know about Thompson?
A. She suffered memory loss and forgot everything about herself.
B. She lives with a caretaker and her relatives in Alabama at present.
C. She’s lost contact with her family since she left her hometown
D. She had a larger reunion with her family members in Mississippi.
2.Who helped Thompson get contact with her family?
A. A woman who knows her.
B. People from WLOX 13 News.
C. The Associated Press.
D. The caretaker she's living with.
3. How many generations are there in Thompson’s large family?
A. "Three. B. Four. C. Five. D. Six.
4.What can we learn from Thompson’s story?
A. Great hopes make a great woman.
B. Time and tide wait for no man.
C. Life wonders can really take place.
D. Misfortune will tell what fortune is.
Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform. Why are uniforms so in the United States?
Among the arguments for uniforms, one is that in most people’s eyes they look more professional than civilian clothes. A television repairman who appears in a uniform inspires more trust than one who doesn’t. Faith in the skill of a mechanic is by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, or a barber to lose professional than stepping out of uniform?
Uniforms also have many practical . They save on other clothes and laundry bills. They are often more durable than civilian clothes.
Primary among the arguments uniforms is their lack of individuality. While there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act , on the job at least.
Uniforms also practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial cost is greater. Some uniforms are also to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.
1.A. special B. fashionable C. popular D. common
2.A. increased B. created C. reduced D. presented
3.A. popularity B. ability C. stability D. identity
4.A. benefits B. characters C. functions D. purposes
5.A. about B. with C. against D. over
6.A. honestly B. similarly C. confidently D. differently
7.A. bring up B. come up withC. result from D. give rise to
8.A. expensive B. easy C. complex D. cheap
It was New Year’s Night. An aged man was standing at a window. He had already sixty of the stages leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse.
The days of his appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the moment when his father placed him at the entrance of the two roads.—one leading to a peaceful, sunny place, with flowers, fruits and resounding with soft, sweet songs ; the other leading to a deep, dark cave, which was endless.
He looked towards the sky and cried , “ Oh, my youth, return! Oh ,my , place me once more at the entrance to life, and I ’ll the better way!” But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his early love for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. His darkened eyes were full of , and with a despairing effort , he burst out a cry, “Come back, my early days! Come back!”
And his youth did return, for all this was only a which he had on New Year’s Night.
Those who still linger on the of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years pass away and your stumble on the dark mountains, you will cry bitterly, but in vain, “Oh , my youth, return! Oh , give me back my early days! ”
1. A. brought B. passed C. paid D. took
2.A. youth B. age C. work D. future
3.A .happy B. serious C. dangerous D. terrible
4.A. placed B. smiled C. covered D. put
5.A. painfully B. carefully C. faithfully D. terribly
6.A. mother B. father C. sister D. brother
7.A.talk B. write C. advise D. choose
8.A.sisters’ B. parents’ C.teachers’ D. brothers’
9.A. jobs B. talks C. tears D. clothes
10.A. story B. dream C. chance D. joke
11.A. entrance B. building C. street D. way
12.A. teeth B. hands C. heads D.feet
-----I’d like a wake-up call at 7:a.m.,please!
----- OK, _____.
A. help yourself
B. you’ll certainly make it
C. just do what you like
D. I’ll make sure you get one
