Can you imagine living in a house built by recycled waste? Texas home builder Dan Phillips transforms trash into artful treasures, creating beautiful floors with wood pieces, kitchen counters from ivory -colored bones and roofs out of license plates  . The fantastic houses which spring from his imagination are made almost entirely of materials which would otherwise have ended up in a garbage area. " People have been doing this for hundreds of thousands of years; using whatever is available to build shelter, " Phillips said."If you think about carefully what could be used, then building materials are everywhere. The thirteen homes he has built so far would fit better in an art museum than the residential streets of Huntsville, a conservative town of about 35 ,000 people. Living in these houses is a bit like living in a roadside attraction."Almost every day, somebody knocks on the door and says ' Is there any way that we could see?' "said Edie Wells, an artist who rents a room in the Bone House.Her home features a stairway made of bones, floors covered in wine corks   and beer bottle caps.Wells said visitors are most impressed when they see a bathroom with its walls, floor and ceiling entirely covered with broken mirror pieces. In addition, each house is highly energy efficient with plenty insulation   , an on-demand solar hot water heater and a system that can collect and recycle rainwater to clean the toilet and wash clothes. Phillips founded Phoenix Commotion 12 years ago with the aim of creating a new model for sustainable housing.For as little as $ 10,000 it builds affordable homes for single parents, low-income families and artists. The company has used hundreds of tons of construction waste by recycling the materials into habitable buildings. Phillips tries to spread his recycled-house idea by speaking at events across the United States, and by using the Internet to reach out to like-minded individuals.Phillips said: "I'm not going to be saving the world anytime soon.But there needs to be at least some... What do we know about Dan Phillips? A) He is serious and hard-working. B) He is full of imagination and intelligence. C) It didn't take him long to build the houses. D) He didn't give speeches in the United States.
B


Pat came over from Ireland to England with his wife one year ago to find work. He got quite a good job with a building company, and as he did not drink or smoke, he saved up quite a lot of money. His wife's parents were still in Ireland, and one day she got a telegram saying that her mother was ill, so Pat gave her some money and she went to Ireland to see her mother. After a week, Pat wanted to write a letter to her, but he could not read or write very well, so he went to his priest and asked him to do it for him. Pat told the priest what he wanted to say, and the priest wrote it down. After a few minutes Pat stopped, and the priest said," Do you want to say more?" "Only ," 'Please excuse the bad writing and spelling'," Pat said. Pat's wife had to go back to Ireland   _  . A) to see her father B) to see his mother C) to see her mother D) to see her husband
C


Q: At one time it was the dream of many little girls to become a nurse. Today, however, America is facing its worst nurse shortage since World War I. Recently about 2, 000, 000 nurses are needed and 60 percent of all hospitals in the US have shortages large enough to threaten the quality of care provided. The demand for nurses spreads widely throughout the nursing field. What has become of these women in white? The answer lies in not one but several causes. One possibility is the fact that women have greater career options . In the past, women who chose to work outside the home had two basic choices: nursing or teaching. Today, more women than ever are in the work force, but their options have greatly increased. There are women doctors, lawyers, firefighters and police officers. In fact, women today are found in nearly every field of work. Nursing has been left behind, as women move on to jobs with higher pay and greater status . A woman or man in the nursing field is often looked down upon as "merely a nurse". Teachers may be also at fault. Many high school students are actually being persuaded to keep away from nursing, told by teachers that they are "too bright to be a nurse". Americans are living longer than ever and requiring more medical attention. In fact, the number of elderly patients has almost doubled in the past twenty years. Obviously a larger population requires more nurses. AIDS and other diseases have caused more and more people to need nursing care. Usually fatal diseases mean long drawn-out hospital stay, that is to say, more nurses are needed to care for these patients. It is said that the demand for nurses will be doubled in the coming ten years. Which of the following is true according to the passage? A) High school students think themselves too bright to be nurses. B) Women in the US have greater career choice than in other countries. C) Nursing used to be an ideal job for women in the US at one time. D) 60 percent of hospitals in the world are faced with nurse shortage.
A: C


When Taylor Swift first came to the attention of the public,she was a 17yearold newcomer who loved singing to her guitar.She seemed far more enthusiastic than skillful. Four years later,Swift became a multiaward winner.This month,she was crowned "Woman of the Year" by Billboard magazine,the youngest singersongwriter ever to receive the honor."Aged only 21,Taylor has already made a maior impact on music and has been an unbelievable role model for hopeful artists and young women everywhere," said Bill Werde,Billboard's director.  _ Unlike many pop singers,especially those who do not write their own material,Swift has the power of turning her ideas into lyrics that will set people thinking."Hidden beneath Taylor Swift's notagirl,notyetawoman sweetness is a very skillful songwriting technique," wrote Leah Greenblatt in an American magazine. Songwriting,as Swift explains,is to cope with issues."I tend to write about things that really impact me most." There certainly seems to be something true and honest running through every one of the 14 songs on her album,Speak Now,about "the lessons and confusion and heartbreak and all the different things that go along with being 18,19 and 20." "For the audience too young to have experienced real passion or heartbreak,Swift's songs are like a potential road map,promising things will work out OK," commented Dorian ynskey in a British newspaper. Now Swift is getting ready to go further and has so far written about 10 songs for her 2012 album,which is about feelings of growing up and becoming an adult."They're sad,if I'm being honest.""They're about my heartbreaks and my moving on.But more importantly,they are about achieving contentment.You're not always going to be perfectly happy as you grow up." Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? A) Swift has the ability to write songs with deeper meanings. B) Swift is both enthusiastic and skillful now. C) Swift became a multiaward winner when she began to sing on the stage. D) Swift's album Speak Now has 14 songs.

C