Many people trying to sell homes find that an increase in home prices has turned the market in their favor. But sellers can still get the short end of the deal if they aren’t careful. Here are a few tips for you:
Don’t test your luck. Of course you think anyone who moves into your lovely home should be willing to pay top dollars, especially if you’ve recently invested in some improvements. But listing a home at a price that’s too high above the market price could turn away some buyers.
Buyers noticing that the home still hasn’t sold may begin to assume there’s something wrong with the house and use that as a reasonable excuse for offering a lower price. And if a home hasn’t received any offers after two weeks, it might be time to reset the price.
A price that’s too low can bring about an undesired outcome. Listing your home at or slightly below the market price can have the effect of drawing in a large group of buyers and increase the chances that a home will receive multiple offers. But setting the price too low comes with several risks. One possibility is that buyers will get skeptical of the home that is listed for $ 15,000 to $ 20,000 less than similar homes in the area, especially if it’s not properly marketed. Once again, people might assume there is something wrong with the home and may not bother to look at it.
Spy on the competition. Going to other people’s open houses can give you a better sense of how your home compares to others on the market. Check out the finishes in their kitchens, the size of their backyards and use the information to figure out where your home should fit in the range of the price. But don’t set your pricing just on what you see elsewhere.
1. What does the underline part in paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. To be at a disadvantage
B. To get the upper hand
C. To have control over the situation
D. To be unable to fit in
2. What should home sellers do according to the passage?
A. Price your house on the basis of its geographic location.
B. Price your house slightly above the market price after decorating it.
C. Change the price if no offer has been received within a week.
D. Change your house at a price slightly below the market price.
3.If you set the price of your house too low, _____.
A. buyers might think it not worthwhile to go to have a look
B. you are likely to come into conflict with the neighborhood sellers
C. your house will be crowded with buyers within a couple of days
D. chances of your house being sold at a better price will be greatly increased
4.What is the benefit of going to other people’s open house?
A. You can pick up some useful lessons on house selling.
B. You can get your pricing mainly based on what you see elsewhere.
C. You can work out how much money you should ask for your home.
D. You can know how to make your house stand out against other houses.
Writers used to approach publishers to have their work read by the public. Now they can simply post them and find millions of instant audience.
After breaking up with her boyfriend, Bao Jingjing started “making up” a love story simply to distract her attention. Her story of a girl suffering the pain like hers progressed quickly, attracting many readers.
When Bao stopped writing as she reunited with her boyfriend, she was urged to continue, as readers wanted to know what happened next. Bao finished it soon. It became so popular that it was turned into a best-seller. To cap it all off, Bao’s novel was later adapted into a successful movie.
Bao’s story is only one of many Internet novels that have landed deals for physical books, TV shows and films. Unlike traditional writers who buried themselves in their books for years, some young writers like Bao have got readers rapidly online and found overnight success.
Bao admits her success was unexpected. She still remembers how surprised her parents were when she proudly gave them her copyright earnings. Online literature forums(论坛) are platforms for grassroots writers to succeed.
In recent years, Zhang Wei, known as “Tangjiasanshao”, has earned 177 million yuan by his fingers though working as an author was beyond his dreams. He topped the list of wealthiest Chinese Internet novelists twice and was the only online writer to be listed on the 2014 Forbes “Chinese Celebrity List”.
He admits that he is one of the few writers at the top of the pyramid while most online writers remain unknown. However, he urged that his success can be achieved by others, as long as “they write hard enough”.
1.According to the passage, we know that ________.
A. Bao Jingjing’s parents didn’t want her to be a writer
B. Bao Jingjing didn’t really expect her success overnight
C. Bao Jingjing didn’t finish her first online love story
D. Bao Jingjing’s first online story was turned into a TV show
2.The author mentioned Zhang Wei’s example mainly to ________.
A. introduce another online writer to the readers
B. show the example of another online writer’s success
C. encourage readers to become online writers
D. express his admiration for online writer Zhang Wei
3.What can we infer from what Zhang Wei says in the last paragraph?
A. Few words, many deeds. B. First try, and then trust.
C. Harm set, harm get. D. No pains, no gains.
假设你正在参加全省中学生英语演讲比赛,请你针对有些父母经常翻看孩子日记或书包这一现象，写一篇演讲稿，陈述你的观点。演讲稿的主要内容应包括：
1. 认为同学们不必为此苦恼；
2. 希望能够体谅父母的苦衷；
3. 建议与父母进行交流和沟通。
注意：1. 词数120左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已为你写好,不计入总词数。
短文改错
英语课上，老师要求同桌相互修改作文。假设以下作文为你同桌所写，请你对其进行修改。共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出改加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Li Hui, my friend in high school, has dreamed becoming a cartoon artist since she was young. To her disappointed, her parents don’t agree with her decision at first. Therefore, Li Hui would not change her mind. She worked hardly to perfect her skills. Just before he finished high school, the chance came: the famous art school was holding a cartoon drawing competition. The first three winner would be given a scholarship to study drawing there. Li Hui told herself not to missing the chance. She readily entered the competition and came second. She is now a student in that school and I feel it certain that her dream will come true.
David: Mr. Smith, sorry to disturb you, but I really have something important 1.______ (discuss) with you. I think we can have robots make cough medicine for us.
Mr. Smith: Robots? Are you playing 2._______ joke on me? Why are you talking about robots with me? Don’t forget the fact 3.______ we are only a small company.
David: You see we make ten different kinds of cough medicine. But each operation only has four steps.
Mr. Smith: How many robots will we need 4._______ all then?
David: Four. The first robot will measure and mix the materials 5.______ (use) for making the medicine. The second robot will pour the medicine into the bottles. Then the third robot will put on the labels. The last robot will pack the bottles into boxes.
Mr. Smith: And what will happen when one of the robots breaks down?
David: A repairman 6._______ (send) here by the robot company within an hour.
Mr. Smith: I just can’t imagine it. What will we have here? A quiet building with robots rolling around doing the work?
David: That’s it. And these robots are great workers. They will work 24 hours a day without feeling tired but surely to your7.________ (satisfy). Whatever you say is 8.______ (obey) perfectly. I think every boss desires 9. ________ (have) these robots.
Mr. Smith: I am 10.____ (total) in favour of your idea.
完形填空
读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
A special lady lived on a farm in Grace, Idaho. To overcome every ________ or struggle that came her way, she went far beyond the call of duty. She was a widow (寡妇) with 9 children. Instead of ________ of her hard life, she accepted her fate (命运) and ________ the ordinary into the extraordinary.
No matter how serious things seemed to be, she found a(n) ________ side and a ray of hope. She taught her family the ________ of hard work and the importance of education, ________ she only went as far as fourth grade.
Her children didn’t have material ________, but they certainly received the necessary and ________ things in life: love, spiritual guidance, concern for others, appreciation for a table filled with food, and ________ for the law. She was truly a(n) ________ of all that is good.
I remember as a young man sitting at her feet while she ________ me. “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” And she said, “I’ll ________ throw upon the floor a crust (面包皮) I cannot eat, for many a hungry one would think it quite a ________. Willful waste brings willful want, and I may live to say, ‘Oh, I wish I had that crust that once I ________.’”
This extremely courageous and ________ woman is my grandmother. My mother is a lot like her mother. Many times, my mother went ________ a new dress just so we could buy some great football shoes. Many times, my mother ________ that we should stay home instead of going on a summer vacation, just so we could ________ on a baseball all-star team. My mother is the greatest cook on Earth, a spiritual ________, a church and community servant, and the very best mom who ever lived. I’ve never ________ her complain about her difficulties, heartache, and pain. My dear, sweet mother truly is a perfect example. It’s the way it was and still should be.
1.A. successB. taskC. challengeD. job
2.A. thinkingB. complainingC. talkingD. dreaming
3.A. sentB. putC. cheatedD. changed
4.A. oppositeB. positiveC. wrongD. dark
5.A. valueB. ideaC. painD. result
6.A. ifB. althoughC. unlessD. since
7.A. needsB. comfortsC. wealthD. hope
8.A. importantB. interestingC. strangeD. natural
9.A. fearB. loveC. demandD. respect
10.A. userB. speakerC. exampleD. corrector
11.A. taughtB. chargedC. encouragedD. judged
12.A. usuallyB. neverC. evenD. also
13.A. pleasureB. beautyC. rewardD. treat
14.A. gave upB. picked upC. threw awayD. took away
15.A. strongB. curiousC. intelligentD. attractive
16.A. inB. beyondC. forD. without
17.A. insistedB. warnedC. remindedD. persuaded
18.A. goB. performC. exchangeD. play
19.A. engineerB. dancerC. guideD. worker
20.A. noticedB. heardC. discussedD. forgotten
