Text 2
The twin English passions for gardening and long muddy walks may seem puzzling to foreigners, yet they are easily explained in terms of a favourite economist’ s concept: scarcity. Most other nations have lots of countryside. England doesn’ t, and therefore its people prize the stuff. One consequence of the rural romance is a word which exists only in English and describes those with a particular sort of hostility to development: Nimbys, who don’ t mind new housing so long as it is Not In My Back Yard. Another consequence is a problem for the government.
Compared with its neighbours’ economies, Britain’ s has been doing very nicely in recent years. Only one big threat looms: the possibility of a bust in the overheated and volatile housing market, which could feed through to the rest of the economy and lead to recession, as happened in the early 1990s. The government reckons that one reason why house prices have been risin
A. unselected regional bodies side with Nimbys.
B. most of the first new towns get the go-ahead.
C. elected local authorities fuels the hostility to development.
D. local planning powers are undermined by Nimbyism.
Text 2
The twin English passions for gardening and long muddy walks may seem puzzling to foreigners, yet they are easily explained in terms of a favourite economist’ s concept: scarcity. Most other nations have lots of countryside. England doesn’ t, and therefore its people prize the stuff. One consequence of the rural romance is a word which exists only in English and describes those with a particular sort of hostility to development: Nimbys, who don’ t mind new housing so long as it is Not In My Back Yard. Another consequence is a problem for the government.
Compared with its neighbours’ economies, Britain’ s has been doing very nicely in recent years. Only one big threat looms: the possibility of a bust in the overheated and volatile housing market, which could feed through to the rest of the economy and lead to recession, as happened in the early 1990s. The government reckons that one reason why house prices have been risin
A. real estate development.
B. gardening expansion.
C. hostility to scarcity.
D. economic recession.
Text 2
An English schoolboy would only ask his friend:"Wassa time, then"To his teacher he would be much more likely to speak in a more standardised accent and ask: "Excuse me, sir may I have the correct time please" People are generally aware that the phrases and expressions they use are different from those of earlier generations; but they concede less that their own behaviour also varies according to the situation in which they find themselves; People have characteristic ways of talking, which are relatively stable across varying situations. Nevertheless, distinct contexts, and different listeners, demand different patterns of speech from one and the same speaker.
Not only this, but, in many cases, the way someone speaks affects the response of the person to whom he is speaking in such a way that "modelling" is seen to occur. This is what Michael Argyle has called "response matching". Several studies have shown that
A. Nowadays, English schoolboys are impolite towards people except towards their teachers
B. The way of asking time is different from that of earlier generations
C. People's speaking styles vary according to the different situations
D. People's ways of speaking are relatively stable on varying occasions
Passage One
Vegetable gardening is the relaxing art and science of turning a love for growing plants into a meaningful activity. Having vegetables in the backyard makes home gardening appealing for many people. In addition, vegetable gardening provides exercise and fun for both urban and suburban families.
Vegetable gardeners agree that many home-grown vegetables are superior to those purchased from markets. From spring through late fall, a well-planned and well-kept garden can provide a supply of fresh vegetables, thus increasing the nutrition of the family diet.
Freezers make it possible to keep some of the vegetables to be enjoyed at a later date. Other vegetables can be stored for a few months in a cool area.
Although the money spent for a garden may be little, one cannot escape the fact that gardening requires hard work and time. Many of the gardening tasks must be performed at times that are most inconvenient. Not doing jobs that shoul
A. vegetables need little care while growing
B. vegetables can be grown on almost any kind of soil
C. vegetable gardening is an indispensable part of life for urban and suburban people
D. vegetable gardening is a good pastime for retired people
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