12．
A problem is only a problem until there is a solution（解决办法）．We find solutions by thinking creatively．（76）GIn other words，we think outside the box．Sometimes，thinking outside the box solves not just one，but two problems．
Amsterdam is one of the most crowded cities in Europe．As a result，housing is very expensive，especially for students．
（77）A However，finding this type of apartments was almost impossible until recently．
While the colleges in Amsterdam were trying to solve the housing problem，thousands of shipping contains（集装箱）were lying quietly in ports（港口）around the world．These huge steel containers carry products from one country to another．The life of each container is about 10years．（78）E Yet they can't recycle all of them because there are so many．
Back in Amsterdam，a company came up with an amazing idea．Why not reuse these shipping containers as student apartment？（79）BThey are all the same size and fit together perfectly．The steel is strong．Moreover，these containers are so widely available that they are quite cheap to buy．For all these reasons，they can be used to build apartments quickly and cheaply．Building began in 2005，and after only a few weeks，hundreds of Amsterdam students had new homes．
When students first heard about this idea，they thought the container apartments would be small，noisy，and cold．（80）DEach container apartment has a kitchen，a bedroom with a study area，and a bathroom．The apartments are warm and quiet．They even have a high-speed Internet connection．Living in a shipping container has become popular．Today，3，000Amsterdam students live in the container village．
A．Students need low cost apartments．
B．The containers are great for building apartments．
C．In fact，these apartments are not in good condition．
D．However，they were surprised when they saw them．
E．Steel companies recycle some of the old containers．
F．Recycling the steel containers has many advantages．
G．We use our imagination and come up with creative ideas．
