2019-2020学年湖南省娄底市第一中学高一上学期期末考试英语试题含

2019-2020学年湖南省娄底市第一中学高一上学期期末考试英语试题含

娄底一中2019-2020 高一上学期期末考试英语试卷 (新高考卷)‎ 注意事项:‎ ‎1. 答卷前，考生务必将自己的姓名、考生号等填写在答题卡和试卷指定位置上。‎ ‎2. 回答选择题时，选出每小题答案后，用铅笔把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其他答案标号。回答非选择题时，将答案写在答题卡上。写在本试卷上无效。‎ ‎3. 考试结束后，将本试卷和答题卡一并交回。‎ 第一部分 ‎ 听力（共两节，满分30分）‎ 第一节（共5小题，每小题1.5分，满分7.5分）‎ 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。‎ ‎1. What did the woman plan to do this weekend?‎ A. Have a swim. B. Camp in the mountains. C. Go hiking. ‎ ‎2. Who catches the fish?‎ A. Jason. B. The man. C. The woman. ‎ ‎3. How many people will go to the park?‎ A. 2. B. 3. C. 4. ‎ ‎4. What are the speakers mainly talking about?‎ A. A festival. B. Foods. C. TV programs. ‎ ‎5. What does the woman suggest the man do?‎ A. Buy neither of the two items. ‎ B. Save money for a better laptop. ‎ C. Make a quick decision. ‎ 第二节（共5小题，每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）‎ 听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。‎ 听下面一段对话，回答第6和第7两个小题。‎ ‎6. What happened to the man?‎ A. He had a terrible weekend. B. He was hit by a car. C. He fell off his bike. ‎ ‎7. How is the bike now?‎ A. It is in good shape. ‎ B. It is under repair. ‎ C. It is completely damaged. ‎ 听下面一段对话，回答第8和第9两个小题。‎ ‎8. How does the woman help the man?‎ A. By opening the door for him. ‎ B. By carrying the box for him. ‎ C. By putting the books into the box. ‎ ‎9. What will the speakers do in the evening?‎ A. Do some shopping. B. Visit their aunt. C. Go to the cinema. ‎ 听下面一段对话，回答第10至第12三个小题。‎ ‎10. What’s the date today?‎ A. August 17th. B. August 27th. C. September 5th. ‎ ‎11. Why is the woman going to China?‎ A. To be on business. B. To take a vacation. C. To visit her relatives. ‎ ‎12. What surprises the woman?‎ A. Amanda’s visit. ‎ B. The first-class flight. ‎ C. An amazing travel book. ‎ 听下面一段对话，回答第13至第16四个小题。‎ ‎13. What does the woman want to find out?‎ A. The suitable work for the man. ‎ B. The information on building. ‎ C. The nearby workplace. ‎ ‎14. What are the man’s interests?‎ A. Buying and selling things. ‎ B. Building and fixing things. ‎ C. Repairing and collecting things. ‎ ‎15. What has the man been doing this year?‎ A. Delivering newspapers. ‎ B. Helping build a house. ‎ C. Selling advertising space. ‎ ‎16. In which column does the woman write down “sales”?‎ A. “Education”. B. “Interests”. C. “Experience”. ‎ 听下面一段独白，回答第17至第20四个小题。‎ ‎17. What is the most important in looking for an apartment?‎ A. Enough time. B. Lots of patience. C. A little preparation. ‎ ‎18. What does the speaker suggest people do first?‎ A. Make some time in your schedule. ‎ B. Decide the price range. ‎ C. Think about the facilities. ‎ ‎19. What should people consider first when picking out apartments?‎ A. Location. B. Price. C. Traffic. ‎ ‎20. What may disappoint people?‎ A. All the great apartments are expensive. ‎ B. It will take a long time to find a perfect apartment. ‎ C. Apartments don’t look as good as described on the website. ‎ 第二部分 阅读 (共两节，满分35分)‎ 第一节 (共10小题；每小题2.5分，满分25 分)‎ 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。‎ A If you are a teenager without a job, you probably do not have much extra money. Sometimes parents will give their children a pocket money for doing small housework, but it is often not enough once the children grow into teenagers and want to do things with their friends all of the time. How to make money is an important thing for teens to learn. If you’re wondering how a ‎ teenager can make good money, some ideas might be:‎ Getting a part-time job at a local restaurant or store is always a sure way to make money as a teen. But getting a job somewhere like this might be hard, considering many jobs in local stores are being taken by adults more and more often. ‎ Doing landscaping (绿化) is something that most adults do not like to do, and teens can usually find jobs around their neighborhood doing the landscaping of friends and family.‎ Some teens are good at something such as writing or photography. These teens can make money by doing things such as writing articles for newspapers or magazines or selling their photos online.‎ Teens who live in a country area can earn money by helping out on farms, or they can try raising their own animals such as chickens, and selling them or their products.‎ Looking for jobs can seem hard at first, but if you have a try, it should not be too hard to find a job or way to make money.‎ 21. What problem do teenagers have to face when finding a job in local stores?‎ A. Low pay. B. Heavy work.‎ C. Long working hours. D. Competition with adults.‎ ‎22. What can we learn from the text?‎ A. Most adults hate doing landscaping.‎ B. Getting a part-time job is hard for teens.‎ C. Pocket money from parents is often enough for teens.‎ D. Teens can’t make money by writing articles for newspapers or magazines .‎ ‎23. What can be the best title for the text?‎ A. The Necessary Skills to Make Money.‎ B. How Important Is Money to a Teenager?‎ C. How Can a Teenager Make Extra Money?‎ D. Teenagers Should Depend on Themselves.‎ B ‎“Farm to table” is the name of a movement that encourages people to eat locally grown food.‎ ‎ The farm-to-table idea has become more popular in recent years. But there is also a movement that brings “table to farm”. Its purpose is to connect people to the land and to honor local farmers by creating a sort of restaurant without walls.‎ Its founder, Jim Denevan, got the idea for this kind of “culinary adventure (美食探险)”, as he called it, ten years ago. He recently prepared tables for more than a hundred people at Briars Farm in Virginia. He and his eight-member team arrived the night before. Chefs (厨师) from a local restaurant prepared the dinner.‎ Jim Denevan’s brother is a farmer and he himself is a chef. He thought that the idea of a meal served right on the farm made sense, though not everyone agreed.‎ ‎“But I wanted to make the idea work, so I decided to cross the country, ” said Denevan. “I went all the way across the United States and set the table on farms, ranches (大牧场) and beaches, and all the places where food came from. ”‎ ‎“This kind of event connects us with a lot of enthusiastic people, people that we can form relationships with, ” said Matt Szechenyi, who operates Briars Farm.‎ The tour of the farm ends at the dinner table. The meats in the meal come from Matt Szechenyi’s farm. The vegetables come from nearby farms. Guests and local farmers sit together.‎ Annoica Ingram came with a friend. “The food is wonderful. I appreciate their hard work. I see everything they have to do to take care of the animals and make sure they are well-cared-for. Without them, I think, we’ll have big problems, ” she said.‎ ‎24.What is the main purpose of the movement “table to farm”?‎ A．To provide people with healthy food.‎ B．To help farmers earn more money.‎ C．To honor farmers for their hard work.‎ D．To encourage people to work less and practice more.‎ ‎25. Annoica’s attitude towards farmers’ work is ______.‎ A．worried 　　‎ B．grateful C．doubtful 　　‎ D．supportive ‎26. What kind of writing is the passage likely to be?‎ A．A travel guide. 　‎ B．A news report.‎ C．A diary.‎ D．Popular science.‎ C A couple in their 60s has travelled 12,000 miles across 16 countries from Britain to China — riding their bikes all the way. Grandparents Peter and Chris stepped on the long journey after deciding to “do something a bit different”. They traversed (横穿) cities, deserts, mountains and everything in between across Europe, the Middle East and the East Asia. ‎ Peter, 66, said the moment they finally had a look at the famous Great Wall after a year and a half of cycling 30 miles a day was “really exciting”. At the end of their journey, the special pair didn’t fly home but instead choose to book a cabin (舱) inside a ‎400m-long ship. ‎ ‎“You never know what the day is going to bring. All you know is that you are going to get on your bike and cycle. Every day is an adventure and every day is new. Overall, the experience is unbelievable, ” Peter said.‎ At first Peter and Chris set out to cycle from Britain in January 2017 but were forced home. They had cycled all the way to Hungary when Peter slipped and broke his leg. After seven months of recovery, the couple set out again in Britain. They finally arrived in China in November 2018.‎ Both Peter and Chris agreed that the best part of the entire trip was coming across the kindness of strangers along the way, many of whom invited the couple for food and drink. Chris, 64, said, “It was a wonderful experience, particularly wonderful because of the amazing people we met along the way.”‎ 27. What’s the couple’s purpose of taking the long journey?‎ A. To try something new.‎ B. To break the world record.‎ C. To go across 16 countries by bike.‎ D. To celebrate their 37-year marriage.‎ ‎28. How did the couple go back to their home after the trip to China?‎ A. By cycling.‎ B. By train.‎ C. By plane.‎ D. By sea.‎ ‎29. Why did the couple put off their trip in 2017?‎ A. Peter had an accident.‎ B. They ran out of their money.‎ C. They met with a heavy snow.‎ D. Peter fell ill suddenly in Hungary.‎ ‎30. What’s the best part of the trip for the couple?‎ A. The beautiful scenes.‎ B. The help from others.‎ C. The delicious food and drink.‎ D. The kindness from other cyclists.‎ 第二节 (共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)‎ 阅读下面短文，从短文后的选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。‎ You probably know you should exercise, get enough sleep and eat right. But you are telling yourself that you don’t have the time. If you are wondering how to develop healthy habits, these pieces of advice will help you feel great.‎ Change sleep time.‎ If you need to work all night, you can sleep seven to nine hours a night several days before you stay up. It can help reduce the bad influence of a single sleepless night. When you stay up, consider a powerful nap. 31 ‎ Improve creativity.‎ ‎ Eating more fruits and vegetables makes us more creative, which in turn improves our work. 32 .Time management is key. Exercise is another one. Just two minutes of physical activity can make you more creative.‎ Fit in with some high-intensity (高强度) but short exercise.‎ If you don’t have a lot of time, try some high-intensity exercise. 33 Research suggests that exercising regularly is highly effective in burning fat and building muscle.‎ ‎ 34 ‎ To protect yourself, start taking vitamin C and B a few days before your flight. To make you feel less travel-related stress, try some quick ways to relax, such as drinking green tea.‎ Doing great work is important to you, but your health should be at the top of your list. So you should be honest with yourself. 35 Find time for exercise, healthy meals and some quality rest by cutting down useless activities.‎ A. Get prepared for traveling. ‎ B. Remember to avoid taking flights.‎ C. Even a 10-minute nap will make you energetic.‎ D. How to fit a healthy diet into a busy plan?‎ E. In other words, no good health makes no sense.‎ F. Many people dislike staying up.‎ G. Some simple but high-intensity ways like jumping rope will work well.‎ 第三部分 语言运用 (共两节，满分45分)‎ 第二部分 英语知识运用（共两节，满分45分）‎ 第一节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分） ‎ 阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。‎ It was a normal Monday morning at an assembly, and the old headmaster was giving the students a speech about important things in life and about 36 ourselves to what is important to us. This is 37 the story went: An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he 38 wake up every morning and go to the 39  , where he got the train right to Central London, and then sat at the street corner,  40  . He did this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years.  His house was dirty, and it smelled 41  . The neighbors could not   42  the smell anymore, so they asked the police officers to  43   the place. The officers knocked down the 44 and cleaned the house. There were small bags of   45  all over ‎ the house that he had   46  over the years. The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a   47 . They waited outside his house expecting to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more 48 he was a rich man now. He said   49  at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the street and 50 to beg. 51 , this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything important for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying   52   the things we enjoy doing. We should remain true to our course, which may mean devoting yourselves to things that people around you may disapprove . Let nothing prevent us from being happy, let nothing else decide our fate (命运), but 53 . What makes us happy is what  54  in the end…not what we gain.‎ This particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I don’t focus on courses, I   55  myself of this story.‎ ‎36. A. attracting B. agreeing C. devoting D. believing ‎37. A. why B. how C. where D. when ‎38. A. might B. would C. should D. must ‎ ‎39. A. street   B. factory         C. airport D. subway ‎40. A. begging B. waiting C. attempting D. sleeping ‎41. A. pleasant B. delicious       C. terrible D. serious ‎ ‎42. A. bear B. forget C. judge D. get ‎43. A. control B. remove C. clear D. look ‎44. A. old man B. door C. neighbor D.wall ‎45. A. rubbish B. waste C. money D. food ‎46. A. earned B. collected C. managed D. stole ‎47. A. manager B. gentleman C. millionaire D. gift   ‎ ‎48. A. as B. unless C. until D. though ‎49. A. something B. anything C. nothing D. everything ‎50. A. discouraged B. found C. managed D. continued ‎51. A. Actually    B. Obviously C. Surprisingly D. Generally ‎52. A. focused on B. called on         C. turned to   D. acted out ‎53. A. others B. us               C. some D. ourselves ‎ ‎54. A. considers B. matters C. achieves D. faces ‎55. A. reminded B. admitted C. warned D. tired 第二节 (共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分)‎ 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词) 或括号内单词的正确形式。‎ Once there lived a rich man 56 wanted to do something for the people of his town. But first he wanted 57 (find ) out whether they deserved his help.‎ In the centre of the main road into the town, he placed 58 very large stone. Then he 59 (bury) himself behind a tree and waited. Soon an old man came along with his cow.‎ ‎“Who put this stone in the centre of the road?” said the old man,but he did not try to remove the stone. Instead , with some difficulty he passed around the stone 60 (slow) and continued on his way. Another man came along and did the same thing ; then another came, and another . All of them complained about the stone but not tried to remove 61 . Late in the afternoon a young man came along . He saw the stone, 62 (say) to himself ,”The night will be very dark. Some 63 (neighbor) will come along later in the dark and will fall against the stone.”‎ ‎ Then he began to move the stone. He pushed with all his 64 (strong) to move it. How great his surprise was at last! He found a bag of money 65 the stone ,.‎ 第四部分 写作 (共两节，满分40分)‎ 第一节 (满分15分)‎ 假定你是李明，你的澳大利亚朋友Steven向你咨询如何才能学好中文。请你根据下列要点给他写一封建议信。要点： ‎ 1. 参加中文学习班； ‎ 2. 看中文书刊、电视；‎ 3. 学唱中文歌曲； ‎ 4. 交中国朋友。 ‎ 注意：1. 词数100左右；‎ ‎  2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；‎ ‎3. 开头语已为你写好。‎ Dear Steven ‎_______________________________________________________________________________‎ ‎_______________________________________________________________________________‎ ‎_______________________________________________________________________________‎ ‎_______________________________________________________________________________‎ ‎_______________________________________________________________________________‎ ‎_______________________________________________________________________________‎ ‎_______________________________________________________________________________‎ ‎_______________________________________________________________________________‎ Best wishes.‎ Yours sincerely,‎ Li Ming 第二节 读后续写（满分25分）‎ 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。‎ A friend of mine whose name was John Smith had a bad memory, which made him famous. He was so forgetful that he sometimes forgot what he was talking about in the middle of a sentence. His wife had to constantly remind him about his meetings, his classes — even his meals! Once he forgot he had eaten breakfast twice, at home and at school. His wife liked to remind her neighbors, “If John didn’t have his head tied on, he would forget that too!” Since Smith was a professor at a well-known university, his forgetfulness was often an embarrassment to him. It wasn’t that he was not clever, as some critical people tended to say, but just very very absent-minded.‎ One hot summer day, Professor Smith decided to take his children to a seaside town about a three-hour train ride away. To make the trip more interesting for his young children, he kept the name of the town a secret. However, by the time they arrived at the station, Smith forgot the name of the town he was planning to visit. Luckily, a friend of his happened to be in the station. He offered to take care of the children while Smith hurried back home to find out where he was ‎ going.‎ The professor’s wife was surprised to see him again so soon.‎ ‎“Oh, my dear, I forget the name of the town.”‎ ‎“What? You forget the name? Maybe one day you will forget my name! Now I’ll write the name of that town on a piece of paper, and you put it in your pocket and please, please don’t forget where you put it.”‎ Satisfied that she had solved the problem, she sent her husband off again. Ten minutes later she was astonished to see him outside the house for the third time.‎ 注意：‎ 1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；‎ 2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；‎ 3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；‎ 4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。‎ Paragraph 1：‎ ‎“What is the matter now?” asked his wife. _________________________________________‎ ‎________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________‎ Paragraph 2：‎ Hearing the cry, out rushed their neighbors, trying to find out what had happened.________‎ ‎________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________‎ ‎ ‎ 参考答案 听力(30分)‎ ‎1-5 CBBAA 6-10 ABACA 11-15 BBABC 16-20 CBABC 阅读理解（25分）‎ ‎21-23 DAC 24-26 CBB 27-30 ADAB 七选五（10分）‎ ‎31-35 CDGAE 完形填空（30分）‎ ‎36-40 CBBDA 41-45 CACBC 46-50 BCACD 51-55BADBA 语法填空（15分）‎ ‎ 56. who/that 57. to find 58. a 59. buried 60. slowly ‎61. it 62. saying 63. neighbors 64. strength 65. under 书面表达：（40分）‎ ‎【参考范文】‎ Dear Steven,‎ I’m glad to receive your letter asking for my advice on how to learn Chinese well.‎ Here are my suggestions. First, it is important to take a Chinese course, as you will be able to learn from the teacher and practice with your fellow students. Then, it also helps to watch TV and read books, newspapers and magazines in Chinese whenever possible. Besides, it should be a good idea to learn and sing Chinese songs because by doing so you’ll learn and remember Chinese words more easily. You can also make more Chinese friends. They will tell you a lot about China and help you learn Chinese. ‎ Try and write to me in Chinese next time.‎ Best wishes.‎ Yours sincerely,‎ Li Ming 读后续写：‎ 参考范文 ‎“What is the matter now?” asked his wife. “I just can’t remember why I come back and where I am supposed to be going on such a hot summer day,” replied the professor. However, the real reason was that he forgot where he had left his children. Sensing something wrong, Mrs Smith didn’t believe his words, because whenever he told a lie, he would usually blink his eyes quickly. “Tell me the truth,” ordered his wife. “As you told me, I didn’t forget where I put the name of that town, but I forget the station where I left our children!” whispered the professor, his voice trembling. “What a bad memory!” shouted his wife.‎ Hearing the cry, out rushed their neighbors, trying to find out what had happened. A fight between the couple was about to start when the professor’s cell phone began to ring. His friend, whose patience had worn thin, phoned to complain. The professor apologized, got into his car and drove away, leaving behind a bunch of people outside the house. Being afraid that he would make matters worse again, Mrs Smith decided to follow him, who then called a taxi. By the time she caught up with her husband, their children had been already back home safe and sound.‎ 听力材料 Text 1‎ M: Hey, Lucy. I want to go swimming this weekend. Do you want to come with me?‎ W: Jack and I planned to go for a hike in the mountains. ‎ Text 2‎ W: Do you have to clean the fish after you catch them?‎ M: Maybe Jason can clean them. ‎ W: OK. You catch the fish, Jason cleans them, and I eat them!‎ Text 3‎ W: Tom, if you don’t mind spending the day with two girls, you can come with us to the national park. ‎ M: I’d love to! Thanks!‎ Text 4‎ W: My family had dinner together on Chinese New Year’s Eve. We ate many special foods. ‎ M: What else did you do?‎ W: After dinner, we watched TV and played games. ‎ Text 5‎ M: I want to buy a laptop and an iPhone 6. But I can’t afford both. I can’t decide. ‎ W: Then don’t buy anything. Save your money!‎ M: Maybe you are right. ‎ Text 6‎ W: What’s the matter? Your bike is in bad shape. ‎ M: It was hit by a car yesterday. ‎ W: Oh, were you hurt?‎ M: Not in the least, because I wasn’t riding on it. The bike was in front of my house. Both wheels were damaged. They’re being repaired now. ‎ W: It was lucky you were all right. ‎ M: Thanks. But my weekend has been wasted. ‎ Text 7‎ W: Hello, Tom! Where are you going?‎ M: Hello, Julia! I’m going to my aunt’s. ‎ W: Is that box heavy?‎ M: No, it’s light. ‎ W: But it’s filled with books! Can I help you?‎ M: Of course. Could you open the door, please?‎ W: OK. ‎ M: Thanks. By the way, I have two tickets here for tonight’s film. Would you like to go with me?‎ W: That’s great!‎ Text 8‎ W: Jack! You are here! I’m going to China soon! I am excited about my trip. ‎ M: I’m excited for you too. Amanda is busy. So I am bringing you your tickets. ‎ W: Thank you!‎ M: Are the travel dates OK?‎ W: I fly to China on August 27th. That leaves me ten days to get ready. I come back on September 5th. These dates are great!‎ M: Did you ask your boss about those dates?‎ W: Yes. He is giving me those days off. I’m so glad! I really need a vacation!‎ M: Are you planning your trip?‎ W: Yes. I have some travel books about China. ‎ M: Can you look at your tickets again?‎ W: Sure. Is there a problem?‎ M: No. Amanda has a surprise for you. ‎ W: I love surprises! Wow! I’m traveling first class to China! This is so exciting!‎ Text 9‎ W: To find out which areas of work might be best for you, I need to ask you some questions. All right?‎ M: Sure. ‎ W: First, your interests. What do you like to do in your free time?‎ M: Well, I like to build things, like furniture. And I fix things, like TV sets. ‎ W: So you have an interest in study and creation. Would you consider engaging in foreign trade?‎ M: Yes, I would. But sales interests me too. I can usually persuade people to buy things. ‎ W: I see. You have an ability in sales. So you’re creative and you like sales. Any experience in these fields?‎ M: Well, one summer I helped some friends build a house. And this year I’ve been selling advertising space for the school newspaper. That’s been fun. I enjoy asking businesses to buy space in our paper. ‎ W: OK. I’ll mark “creation” and “sales” in the “Experience” column. ‎ Text 10‎ W: Finding an apartment is time-consuming and disappointing, but with a little preparation and most importantly, a lot of patience, you’ll get what you want. The first thing you need to do is to make some time in your schedule. If you are going to find the apartment that fits your requirements, then unless you’re really lucky, you are going to have to spend a lot of time hunting. The next thing is to decide exactly what you want and how much you can afford. Think about ‎ what cities or neighborhoods you’d like to live in and what you’d like for your local neighborhood. Write down what features are important to you, such as parking, public transportation and security. Then you start hunting. Search every website you can find, and start going through the ads. It is probably best to start by picking out all the apartments that are within your price range and then check the location and traffic. Then make the call — but prepare yourself for disappointment. Apartments that look good on the Internet often turn out to be disappointing. And of course, you find that all the really great apartments have just been taken. ‎