It must have been after two o'clock in the morning when the last guests【B1】their leave, and although we had enjoyed their【B2】, my wife and I were quite thankful to shut the door【B3】them. We【B4】all the dirty dishes and glasses as they were, and after opening a few windows to let some fresh air in and the【B5】smell of tobacco out, we climbed into bed and fell asleep. I could not have been【B6】for more than half an hour when I woke with a【B7】smell of smoke in my nose. Still half asleep, I【B8】into the sitting room, and, there through【B9】clouds of smoke, I saw that one of the curtains was【B10】fire. I should have closed the windows then without delay, but【B11】I tried to beat out the flames with a folded newspaper.【B12】this failed I hastened into the kitchen to【B13】a bucket and fill it with water. At the same time I shouted to Barbara, who【B14】dialed 999 to summon the fire brigade【B15】coming to my aid. We had to work at top speed carrying buckets of water from the kitchen to prevent the flames,【B16】by the breeze from the windows, from spreading. We were unable to【B17】out the fire but we managed to keep it【B18】in check until the arrival of the firemen. Fortunately, they arrived Promptly and they had little difficulty【B19】putting out the flames. For most of the【B20】of the day we worked hard.
【B1】
A. asked
B. took
C. got
D. waited
Iron production was revolutionized in the early eighteenth century when coke was first used instead of charcoal(木炭) for relining iron ore. Previously the poor quality of the iron had restricted its use in architecture to items such as chains and tie bars. for supporting arches, vaults(拱顶),and walls. With the improvement in refining are, it was now possible to make cast-iron beams and columns. During the nineteenth century further advances were made, notably Bessemer's process for converting iron into steel, which made the material more commercially feasible,
Iron was rapidly adopted for the construction of bridges, because its strength was far greater than that of stone or timber, but its use in the architecture of buildings developed more slowly, By 1800 a complete internal iron skeleton for buildings bad been developed in industrial architecture replacing traditional timber beams, but it generally remained concealed. Apart from its low cost, the appeal of iron as a building material lay in its strength, its resistance to fire, and its potential to span vast areas. As a result, iron became increasingly popular as a structural material for more traditional styles of architecture during the nineteenth century, but it was invariably concealed.
Significantly, the use of exposed iron occurred mainly in the new building types produced by the Industrial Revolution: in factories, warehouses, commercial offices, exhibition halls, and railroad stations, where its practical advantages far outweighed its lack of status. Designers of the railroad stations of the new age explored the potential of iron, covering huge areas with spans that surpassed the great vaults of medieval churches and cathedrals. Paxton's Crystal Palace, designed to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, covered an area of 1848 feet by 408 feet in assembled units of glass set in iron frames. The Paris Exhibition of 1889 included both the widest span and the greatest height achieved so far with the Halle des Machines, spanning 362 feet, and the Eiffel Tower 1,000 feet high. However, these achievements were mocked by the artists of Paris as expensive and ugly foolishness. Iron, despite its structural advantages, had little aesthetic(审美的) status, The use of an exposed iron structure in the more traditional styles of architecture was slower to develop.
What does the passage mainly discuss?
Advances in iron processing in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
B. The effects of the Industrial Revolution on traditional architectural styles.
C. Advantages of stone and timber over steel as building materials.
D. The evolution of the use of iron in architecture.
Section B
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.
Four months before Crown Prince Felipe says "si"("yes" in Spanish) to television journalist Letizia Ortiz, royal wedding fever is gripping Spain.
Shops are offering the biggest variety of wedding souvenirs(纪念品), from plates and bottle-openers to copies of the couple's engagement ring.
The couple have made only a few carefully staged public appearances to reduce the scrutiny(仔细检查).
Spanish people waited for more than a decade for the 36-year-old son of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia to find a suitable bride. And more important, the May 22 wedding will be a landmark event in other ways.
Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, 31, is the daughter of a nurse and a journalist. So, she will be the first commoner on a throne once occupied by Queen Isabella, who sent Christopher Columbus to the Americas.
The pretty, elegant former news anchor(新闻主持人) will also become Spain's first home-grown queen in more than a century. The lively and professionally accomplished Letizla has been welcomed by Spanish people as a new type of queen for a modern monarchy. Spanish people were accustomed to seeing her in television news broadcasts and she arouses tremendous curiosity. Journalists are investigating even the most ordinary aspects of her past which resembles that of so many other young Spanish professional women.
Spanish people have also taken note that she tried to interrupt the prince when they talked to the press after getting engaged in November. "Let me talk," she told the heir to the Bourbon throne.
Such behavior. is regarded as understandable in a woman who went to Mexico by herself at age 23 and later reported on the September 11 terrorist attacks and the Iraq war for state television TVE.
Her strong character, frankness and critical mind could also be disadvantages for a royal who is rarely expected to speak her mind, reporters have said.
The palace has struggled to protect her from scrutiny and to give her time to adapt to her new role.
By saying "royal wedding fever"(Para.1), the author means"______".
A. a lot of royal weddings follow
B. the Spanish people are surprised at the royal wedding
C. the royal wedding makes a stir in the whole country
D. the royal wedding becomes a fashion
A.News around the world.B.Issues and policies of England.C.Criticism on the Church.D.M
A. News around the world.
B. Issues and policies of England.
Criticism on the Church.
D. Mixture of various contents.