英语B-阅读理解

What kinds of people rent their home furnishings instead of buying them? Many kinds of people do: international business people, government officials, airline (航空公司) workers, young married couples - people whose job or business may force them to move frequently from one city (or country) to another. They are saved the trouble and cost of moving their furniture each time. They simply rent new furniture when they reach their new homes. Young people with little money do not want to buy cheap furniture that they won't like any more within a short time. They prefer to wait until they have enough money to buy furniture they really like. Meanwhile, they find that they can rent better quality furniture than they could afford to buy. 

One family, who now have a large, beautiful home of their own, liked their rented furniture so much that they decided to keep renting it instead of buying new things. But they don't like to tell people about it. The idea of renting home furnishings is still quite new, and they are not sure what their neighbors might think. 

1）、The text is mainly about why some people rent their furniture.

Another way is energy conservation（节能）, which means using energy more efficiently. In some very cold countries, people build special houses to save energy. They place materials between the inside and outside of the walls of the house to keep the cold out and the warmth in.

Finally, renewable energy sources are used even though they are often expensive to develop. One form of these is geothermal energy（地热）. In certain parts of the world, the temperature of the earth increases thirty degrees centigrade（摄氏） with each kilometer down. At six kilometers, therefore, it rises to nearly two hundred degrees. Heat from the earth is already used in some countries.

1）、Four different ways of dealing with energy problems are talked about in the passage.

Steel as a building material was then still new. The 984-foot tower was a lacy（网眼状的） network of girders（支架）. There were thousands of steel pieces. Two and a half million rivets（铆钉） joined them.

From four corners, the legs of the tower slope inward. They rise to form a pointed top. Lifts carry visitors to three platforms at different heights. On a clear day, countryside sixty miles off is viewed from the top platform（平台）.

As Eiffel planned, his structure is a landmark（地标） of Paris. It is even higher today. A station later constructed for radio and television has added almost fifty feet to the original height of the tower.

1）、The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1899.

The house was built by Smithson，and the story goes back to George，the son of King of Whales，who fell in love with the beautiful Lady Kitty，at one of the first Foulsham's wild woods (野外) parties. Many years ago many great men rode on the hills about Foulsham House, and many fine girls took tea in the Green Room. 

The house has eight bedrooms，three bathrooms，two living-rooms，and a dining-room with a real Adam fire-place. Its library has a good view over the park and the river. All rooms are light and airy，with good，high windows，and wood floors. 

At the back of the house there is room for four cars. The third Foulsham once kept horses there. In many other ways，this house of the l790s meets the needs of the 1990s. 

If you wish to know more about Foulsham House，write to: 

Harvey. Platt，Longford & Sons 6，Castle Green，Gilham，Byreside. 

1）、Foulsham House is a house with a history of more than two hundred years.