My fiancé (未婚夫) and I were excited about shopping for our first home. But our funds were 16 , and none of the houses in our price range seemed satisfactory.
One agent 17 a house in particular. Although her description sounded wonderful, the price was 18 our range, so we declined. But she kept urging us to have a look at least.
We finally did and it was 20 at first sight. It was Our Home, small and charming, overlooking a quiet lake. Walking through the rooms and talking with the owners, a nice elderly couple, we felt the warmth and 21 of the marriage within that home. Perfect as it was, the price remained too high for us. But every day, we would sit by the lake, looking at the house and dreaming of what it would be like to live there.
Days later, we made a(n) 23 — far below the asking price. Surprisingly, they didn’t 24 us. They renewed their offer instead. It was also much more than we could afford, but far 26 than the original asking price.
The next day, we got a 27 message that another buyer had offered a much higher price. Even so, we decided to talk with the 28 directly. We made our final offer, which 29 was thousands of dollars less than the other buyer’s bid. We knew it, 30 we had to try.
“Sold!” said the owner. Then he 31 : He’d seen us sitting by the lake all those times; he knew how much we loved the place and we were the people they wanted to live there. He told us to consider the 34 in the price “an early wedding present.”
That’s how we found our home and how I learned that when people are 35 they are not strangers, only friends we haven’t yet met.
1.A. needed B. limited C. enough D. large
2.A. recommended B. decorated C. sold D. rented
3.A. below B. within C. beyond D. between
4.A. relief B. concern C. love D. curiosity
5.A. happiness B. pride C. challenge D. desire
6.A. effort B. offer C. promise D. profit
7.A. come across B. look after C. depend on D. laugh at
8.A. worse B. better C. less D. higher
9.A. relaxing B. disappointing C. pleasant D. regular
10.A. agents B. buyers C. managers D. owners
11.A. already B. generally C. still D. ever
12.A. so B. or C. for D. but
13.A. apologized B. complained C. criticized D. explained
14.A. increase B. difference C. interest D. average
15.A. kind B. polite C. smart D. energetic
From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don’t cook more often: ability, money, and time 16 Money is a topic I’ll save for another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spent in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule:
Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I’m already hungry and there’s nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials already? 17
Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread? 18 It takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for future meal.
19 This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking worth your time is experimentation. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.
Hopefully that gives you a good start. 20 And don’t let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!
A. Try new things.
B. Ability is easily improved.
C. Make three or four instead.
D. Understand your food better.
E. Cooking is a burden for many people.
F. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.
G. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.
The Science of Risk-Seeking
Sometimes we decide that a little unnecessary danger is worth it because when we weigh the risk and the reward, the risk seems worth taking. 21 Some of us enjoy activities that would surprise and scare the rest of us. Why? Experts say it may have to do with how our brains work.
The reason why any of us take any risks at all might have to do with early humans. Risk-takers were better at hunting, fighting, or exploring. 22 As the quality of Risk-taking was passed from one generation to the next, humans ended up with a sense of adventure and a tolerance for risk.
So why aren’t we all jumping out of airplanes then? Well, even 200,000 years ago, too much risk-taking could get one Killed. A few daring survived, though, along with a few stay-in-the-cave types. As a result, humans developed a range of character types that still exists today. So maybe you love car racing, or maybe you hate it. 23
No matter where you are on the risk-seeking range, scientists say that your willingness to take risks increases during your teenage years. 24 To help you do that, your brain increases your hunger for new experiences. New experiences often mean taking some risks, so your brain raises your tolerance for risk as well.
25 For the risk-seekers a part of the brain related to pleasure becomes active, while for the rest of us, a part of the brain related to fear becomes active.
As experts continue to study the science of risk-seeking, we’ll continue to hit the mountains, the waves or the shallow end of the pool.
A. It all depends on your character.
B. Those are the risks you should jump to take.
C. Being better at those things meant a greater chance of survival.
D. Thus, these well-equipped people survived because they were the fittest.
E. This is when you start to move away from your family and into the bigger world.
F. However, we are not all using the same reference standard to weigh risks and rewards.
G. New brain research suggests our brains work differently when we face a nervous situation.
答案：
1- 5 BACCA 6-10 BDCBD 11-15 CCDDBA
16-20 BGCAF 21-25 FCAEG
One agent 17 a house in particular. Although her description sounded wonderful, the price was 18 our range, so we declined. But she kept urging us to have a look at least.
We finally did and it was 20 at first sight. It was Our Home, small and charming, overlooking a quiet lake. Walking through the rooms and talking with the owners, a nice elderly couple, we felt the warmth and 21 of the marriage within that home. Perfect as it was, the price remained too high for us. But every day, we would sit by the lake, looking at the house and dreaming of what it would be like to live there.
Days later, we made a(n) 23 — far below the asking price. Surprisingly, they didn’t 24 us. They renewed their offer instead. It was also much more than we could afford, but far 26 than the original asking price.
The next day, we got a 27 message that another buyer had offered a much higher price. Even so, we decided to talk with the 28 directly. We made our final offer, which 29 was thousands of dollars less than the other buyer’s bid. We knew it, 30 we had to try.
“Sold!” said the owner. Then he 31 : He’d seen us sitting by the lake all those times; he knew how much we loved the place and we were the people they wanted to live there. He told us to consider the 34 in the price “an early wedding present.”
That’s how we found our home and how I learned that when people are 35 they are not strangers, only friends we haven’t yet met.
1.A. needed B. limited C. enough D. large
2.A. recommended B. decorated C. sold D. rented
3.A. below B. within C. beyond D. between
4.A. relief B. concern C. love D. curiosity
5.A. happiness B. pride C. challenge D. desire
6.A. effort B. offer C. promise D. profit
7.A. come across B. look after C. depend on D. laugh at
8.A. worse B. better C. less D. higher
9.A. relaxing B. disappointing C. pleasant D. regular
10.A. agents B. buyers C. managers D. owners
11.A. already B. generally C. still D. ever
12.A. so B. or C. for D. but
13.A. apologized B. complained C. criticized D. explained
14.A. increase B. difference C. interest D. average
15.A. kind B. polite C. smart D. energetic
From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don’t cook more often: ability, money, and time 16 Money is a topic I’ll save for another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spent in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule:
Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I’m already hungry and there’s nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials already? 17
Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread? 18 It takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for future meal.
19 This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking worth your time is experimentation. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.
Hopefully that gives you a good start. 20 And don’t let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!
A. Try new things.
B. Ability is easily improved.
C. Make three or four instead.
D. Understand your food better.
E. Cooking is a burden for many people.
F. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.
G. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.
The Science of Risk-Seeking
Sometimes we decide that a little unnecessary danger is worth it because when we weigh the risk and the reward, the risk seems worth taking. 21 Some of us enjoy activities that would surprise and scare the rest of us. Why? Experts say it may have to do with how our brains work.
The reason why any of us take any risks at all might have to do with early humans. Risk-takers were better at hunting, fighting, or exploring. 22 As the quality of Risk-taking was passed from one generation to the next, humans ended up with a sense of adventure and a tolerance for risk.
So why aren’t we all jumping out of airplanes then? Well, even 200,000 years ago, too much risk-taking could get one Killed. A few daring survived, though, along with a few stay-in-the-cave types. As a result, humans developed a range of character types that still exists today. So maybe you love car racing, or maybe you hate it. 23
No matter where you are on the risk-seeking range, scientists say that your willingness to take risks increases during your teenage years. 24 To help you do that, your brain increases your hunger for new experiences. New experiences often mean taking some risks, so your brain raises your tolerance for risk as well.
25 For the risk-seekers a part of the brain related to pleasure becomes active, while for the rest of us, a part of the brain related to fear becomes active.
As experts continue to study the science of risk-seeking, we’ll continue to hit the mountains, the waves or the shallow end of the pool.
A. It all depends on your character.
B. Those are the risks you should jump to take.
C. Being better at those things meant a greater chance of survival.
D. Thus, these well-equipped people survived because they were the fittest.
E. This is when you start to move away from your family and into the bigger world.
F. However, we are not all using the same reference standard to weigh risks and rewards.
G. New brain research suggests our brains work differently when we face a nervous situation.
答案：
1- 5 BACCA 6-10 BDCBD 11-15 CCDDBA
16-20 BGCAF 21-25 FCAEG
