If you are planning to study in the United States, you need to consider several factors. Everyone has different opinions about where the best places to live in also; the best places to live are not always home to the best schools. Finally, many schools specialize in different areas of study. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, is a great school for computer science and technology-based fields of study, However, if you want to study oceanography, your interests may be better served by attending school in a place that is on a coastline or near the ocean.

Now I am sure that you know which schools are considered the best in the country. So I will tell you about which states I believe are the best to live in.

California is a nice state. Northern California specifically has very good weather. Los Angeles in southern California is another story though. Life in LA is full of excitement and fast, and sometimes—dangerous. As for me, I enjoyed the history and culture. The weather is not as perfect as California, but it is still quite nice. My favorite area of America is the Mid-west. Middle America, I think, is home to the true American sense of values. In addition, there are many good universities there.  

Also, you need to think about your likes and dislikes and then research the various states. You like sunshine and hate snow? Then you probably won’t like the Midwest or even the Northeast. Open space, nature and peace and quiet? Then you should stay away from America’s larger cities. Are you interested in government? Then Washington D.C. is the only place for you. Whatever you decided put some thought into it. The place you live could be the difference between a great study abroad experience and a state of great suffering on earth.

From the first paragraph we can conclude that in the U.S.A. __________.

all colleges and universities lie in big cities

all colleges and universities lie in beautiful places

famous colleges and universities lie in nice places

famous colleges and universities may not lie in nice places

What should be considered first if you want to study in the U.S.A.?

A. The climate.       B. The scenery.        C. The study condition.       D. The living condition.

If you study in Middle America, you can probably _______.

find the best universities

feel the real character of the nation

meet the most famous professors there

face more difficulty

From the last paragraph of this passage we can get to know that ________.

Washington is the largest city in the U.S.A.

Washington is the political center of the U.S.A.

you can’t find sunshine in the Midwest

you can’t find any universities out of big cities in the U.S.A.

On any weekend throughout the year one can spend hours browsing through neighborhood flea markets(跳蚤市场). These are very popular for those who are in search of bargains and who have a keen eye for picking through what others have discarded. They hunt and search for something they can reuse. Americans love secondhand merchandise (商品) which can be bought cheaply and restored to its original use. In many cases the condition and the quality are still good, though the style might be outdated.

    For some people searching through flea markets is a hobby which reaps rewards. They look for possible antiques among the items for sale or for old furniture which can. be restored with, a little care and used again. Many wise collectors often find rare items worth much more than their bargained price. Since prices are usually not fixed, if one is persistent a bargain can easily be struck. The owner may be selling a rare collectable and may not even be aware of its value. One of the great pleasures of shopping at such markets is the chance to bargain with the shop owner and settle for a price which one can afford and is willing to pay.

    Perhaps even more enjoyable than flea markets are the weekend outdoor garage sales which have now become very much a part of American culture. These are held usually in the spring and fall when the weather is still good. Usually a homeowner, having decided that he would like to clear his residence of accumulated items which are no longer useful to him, advertises in a local paper that he is holding a garage sale. More than likely the goods on display are in good condition and great buys can be found if one has the time and patience to search carefully. The home owner places items for sale on display along the driveway leading to his garage or on his front lawn and waits for people to look at what he has to sell. Old magazines, books, paintings, bicycles, ice-skates, items of clothing and electrical appliances of every sort appear on a regular basis. If the owner is in a position where he must sell his home or plans to move soon, then he may be forced to practically give things away at a price far below their true worth.

What's the attitude many Americans have for flea markets?

    A) They don't like them because it's a waste of time.

    B) They suspect the goods sold there.

    C) They don't trust the sellers of the goods.

    D) They like them very much especially for good bargains.

What do Americans like to do with secondhand goods?

    A) Resell them at a higher price.

    B) Restore them and make them look new.

    C) They use them as furniture in their homes.

    D) They use them for a while and then discard them.

When people shop at a flea market, how can they settle on a price?

    A) They can question their value.

    B) They can compare with the other sellers.

    C) They can bargain on a price acceptable to both.

    D) They can expect a fifty percent discount.

Which of the following is TRUE about the garage sales?

    A) Only in spring and fall can people enjoy them.

    B) The goods orb display are all totally useless.

    C) All the goods are selling far below their true worth.

    D) One may buy a TV on a regular basis.

On any weekend throughout the year one can spend hours browsing through neighborhood flea （跳蚤） markets．These are very popular for those who are in search of bargains and who have a keen eye for picking through what others have discarded．They hunt and search for something they can reuse．Americans love secondhand merchandise （商品） which can be bought cheaply and restored to its original use．In many cases the condition and the quality are still good, though the style might be outdated．

       For some people searching through flea markets is a hobby which reaps rewards．They look for possible antiques among the items for sale or for old furniture which can be restored with a little care and used again．Many wise collectors often find rare items worth much more than their bargained price．Since prices are usually not fixed, if one is persistent a bargain can easily be struck．The owner may be selling a rare collectable and may not even be aware of its value．One of the great pleasures of shopping at such markets is the chance to bargain with the shop owner and settle for a price which one can afford and is willing to pay．

       Perhaps even more enjoyable than flea markets are the weekend outdoor garage sales which have now become very much a part of American culture．These are held usually in the spring and fall when the weather is still good．Usually a homeowner, having decided that he would like to clear his residence of accumulated items which are no longer useful to him, advertises in a local paper that he is holding a garage sale．More than likely the goods on display are in good condition and great buys can be found if one has the time and patience to search carefully．The home owner places items for sale on display along the driveway leading to his garage or on his front lawn and waits for people to look at what he has to sell．Old magazines, books, paintings, bicycles, ice-skates, items of clothing and electrical appliances of every sort appear on a regular basis．If the owner is in a position where he must sell his home or plans to move soon, then he may be forced to practically give things away at a price far below their true worth．

What do you usually do before holding a garage sale?

       A．Put on an advertisement in a local newspaper．  

     B．Display your goods in front of the garage．

       C．Find rare items and fix their prices．                    

       D．Clear your garage and front lawn．

The underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________．

       A．distributed          B．rejected            

       C．discovered         D．stored

When people shop at a flea market, how can they settle on a price?

       A．They can bargain on a price acceptable to both．   

       B．They can question their value．

       C．They can expect a 50% discount．                 

       D．They can compare with the other sellers．

What do we know about the garage sale?

       A．It is only held in the spring of the year．        

       B．The goods on display are totally useless．

       C．Garage sales are popular with Americans．       

       D．All the goods are selling far below their real value．

If, for some reason, you had 2,010 empty plastic bottles, what would you do? You’d probably sell them cheaply, right? But Xia Yu collected 2,010bottles and built a boat with them, As you read this, Xia is, in fact, on a river somewhere in Anhuai, slowly going towards his destination: the Expo Garden in Shanghai．2,010 plastic bottles was to celebrate Expo (世博会) 2010 Shanghai．On the opening day of the Expo, Xia, together with five friends, went on a 1,500 – km journey from Xiangtan to the Expo Garden, in spite of the doubt whether they’ll make it．After all, the boat they are on can hardly be called a boat．It cost only 2,000 yuan to build in a month.

What’s keeping Xia going is a major cause behind the trip．“We are examining water pollution through our journey and trying to promote a low – carbon (低碳) lifestyle．Before we started, no one believed we could sail the boat to the Dongting Lake．But we made it.” But as they expected, the journey has not always been smooth．Of the six from Xiangtan, four gave up．As of the press time (到发稿时), only Xia and his friend Huang Ying were on the boat．Huang suffered from a disease when they reached Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, Xia said, “There are so many things that can stop up from making it to Shanghai, like the weather, health, and sometimes swift rive water.”

“The boat was produced in a factory according to our design, and perhaps it’s not in a very good condition．But,” Xia said, “we are wearing life jackets”．“Some boats passing by offered help.” What is more of a reward for Xia and Huang is that the Yangtze Rive truned out much cleaner than they had expected．Although Xia and Huang are uncertain about the journedy ahead, they are “quite happy” with what they have already achieved．“After all, it’s not the destination that counts．It’s always the course that matters the most.”

Xia Yu doubts the success of the journey because of        .

    A．such a 1ong journey on the river

    B．the poor boat and the bad weather

    C．few people taking part in the journey

    D．the seriously polluted river in some parts

Which of the following is NOT the purpose of the journey?

A．To examine water pollution．   

B．To celebrate Expo 2010 Shanghai.

C．To win a race on the water． 

D．To promote a low－carbon lifestyle.

From the text we know that       .

    A．They stay on the boat at night．

    B．Three people gave up due to their bad health.

    C．Xia Yu and his mate have arrived in Shanghai

    D．Huang suffered from a disease on the journey.

The last paragraph tells us Xia Yu and Huang Ying         .

A．pay more attention to the process.

B．are sure to arrive at the destination.

C．helped turn the Yangtze River cleaner.

D．are happy because of their final success.

On any weekend throughout the year one can spend hours browsing through neighborhood flea (跳蚤) markets. These are very popular for those who are in search of bargains and who have a keen eye for picking through what others have discarded. They hunt and search for something they can reuse. Americans love secondhand merchandise (商品) which can be bought cheaply and restored to its original use. In many cases the condition and the quality are still good, though the style might be outdated.
For some people searching through flea markets is a hobby which reaps rewards. They look for possible antiques among the items for sale or for old furniture which can be restored with a little care and used again. Many wise collectors often find rare items worth much more than their bargained price. Since prices are usually not fixed, if one is persistent a bargain can easily be struck. The owner may be selling a rare collectable and may not even be aware of its value. One of the great pleasures of shopping at such markets is the chance to bargain with the shop owner and settle for a price which one can afford and is willing to pay.
Perhaps even more enjoyable than flea markets are the weekend outdoor garage sales which have now become very much a part of American culture. These are held usually in the spring and fall when the weather is still good. Usually a homeowner, having decided that he would like to clear his residence of accumulated items which are no longer useful to him, advertises in a local paper that he is holding a garage sale. More than likely the goods on display are in good condition and great buys can be found if one has the time and patience to search carefully. The home owner places items for sale on display along the driveway leading to his garage or on his front lawn and waits for people to look at what he has to sell. Old magazines, books, paintings, bicycles, ice-skates, items of clothing and electrical appliances of every sort appear on a regular basis. If the owner is in a position where he must sell his home or plans to move soon, then he may be forced to practically give things away at a price far below their true worth.
1. What do you usually do before holding a garage sale?
A. Put on an advertisement in a local newspaper.  
B. Display your goods in front of the garage.
C. Find rare items and fix their prices.         
D. Clear your garage and front lawn.
2. The underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 1 probably means ____.
A. distributed                B. rejected               C. discovered          D. stored
3. When people shop at a flea market, how can they settle on a price?
A. They can bargain on a price acceptable to both. B. They can question their value.
C. They can expect a 50% discount.             D. They can compare with the other sellers.
4. What do we know about the garage sale?
A. It is only held in the spring of the year.
B. The goods on display are totally useless.
C. Garage sales are popular with Americans.  
D. All the goods are selling far below their real value.