Many do-it-yourself homeowners are interested in
trying out solar power to leam about the technology and
perhaps to provide energy for limited-use applications．
There are a variety of ways to find cheap solar panels
（板）, including buying used and building your own
with factory seconds．Both methods will save money
while forcing you to learn the ins-and-outs of a solar
power array （陣列）．  
We've all seen solar-powered street signs or PV
panels being used for various purposes at remote locations．
When those units become cracked or chipped and are considered "unsafe", companies are forced to replace them, generally to avoid responsibility issues．Because it's difficult to get rid of PV panels, many companies, if approached, are willing to give them away or to sell them for modest prices．Depending on the degree of damage present, expect to see performance degradation （降級） in the range of 10% to 60%．A multimeter （萬用表） can be used to test the panel before buying．If the panel's free, take it anyway．It could still be useful in a home solar project．
A solar panel is really nothing but a box serving as a container for a large group of solar cells．Factory second solar cells are usually sold on eBay at a small part of their regular cost．The cells come in a variety of sizes．You will need to figure out how much power a single cell produces to determine how many will need to be wired together to form an array．
A simple search of the Internet will show numerous sites detailing home solar panel projects．Do-it-yourself lovers are generally quite generous in supply photographs of their work and description of what went wrong and right with the project．
Getting cheap solar panels with slight imperfections, either used or through sales of factory seconds, is a perfect solution for home-built renewable energy projects．The high number of solar lovers online provide a wealth of useful information．Only limited skills are required, plus an understanding of the basic wiring involved．All are well within the talents of almost any home handyman．Beyond the satisfaction of having completed the project, you'll come away with a functional solar panel that will be a source of power for use around the house or at remote locations．
Solar energy systems are quickly becoming more popular with homeowners as prices continue to decline．
72．The author writes the passage to introduce ____．
A．ways of finding cheap solar panels B．ways of saving energy
C．a way of making a solar panel     D．a home-built energy system
73．What does the phrase "factory seconds" in the passage refer to?
A．Second-hand factory products．  B．Cheap but perfect factory products
C．Faulty factory solar cells．        D．The second best factory solar cells
74．From Paragraph 5, we can learn about home-built energy projects that ____．
A．none of them are beyond home handymen
B．a lot of useful information is available on the Internet
C．a perfect solution is to get cheap and perfect solar panels
D．understanding electrical wiring is not necessarily needed
75．What is the author's attitude towards the future of solar energy systems?
A．Optimistic．  B．Pessimistic.      C．Indifferent．         D．Doubtful

We've all heard the old saying，“Sticks and stones can break my bones，but words can never hurt me.” Don't you believe it？Words are powerful，and they can hurt—a lot. In fact，if you're not careful，you can even hurt yourself，by using the wrong word in your writing.

    Recently a friend sent me a copy of an e-mail she received from the customer service department of her credit card company，after she contacted them with a question about her account. She was happy with their positive response. But as I read the e-mail，one line jumped out at me：“In lieu of good customer service...”

    Did they really mean they were offering her a few extra reward points instead of good customer service？I doubt it. More likely，what the customer service department meant to say was，“Because good customer service is important to us...” followed by the details of what they were doing to make sure she remained a happy customer.

    So why didn't the writer say that？I can only guess that perhaps the writer liked the phrase “in lieu of”，thought it sounded more interesting than saying “because”，and so used it—without bothering to check the true meaning.

    Have you ever done that？Try to impress others with a big word，only to find out you've used the word incorrectly？It's just the opposite effect，isn't it？You may impress people all right，but it's not the impression you were going for.

    When you write，remember to choose your words carefully. People may still disagree with what you say，but they won't be able to dismiss you because you made careless mistakes in how you said it.

1.What's the writer's purpose in giving the saying?

    A．To amuse the reader.     B．To persuade the reader.

    C．To support a conclusion.  D．To lead to the topic.

2.What does the phrase “in lieu of” most probably mean?

    A．Because of   B．In honour of   C．Instead of      D．In favour of

3.According to the writer，the customer service department ______.

    A．didn't prefer to use familiar words to attract customers

    B．didn't express what they really meant

    C．didn't need to offer their customers extra reward points

    D．succeeded in impressing their customers

Not too long after I had begun to drive as a teenager, someone pulled out of a parking lot onto the road in front of me. I reacted   36  and pulled up very close behind her--- just to show my irritation(怒氣) and let her know she didn't "just   37   with that!" We've all been there with      38   incidents and reactions. My mother was with me, and told me to turn into the   39  parking lot. Safely there, she asked me why I   40   that lady had pulled out in front of me purposely.   41   rude, power play--- I guessed. Mom said that maybe she had just had some bad   42  , maybe she was late picking up her child and was distracted(分心). Think of all the   43   of why someone does something like that. It's usually not on purpose--- but what I do as a reaction is on purpose. She always said that I   44   to think about the other side before I   45  . Usually the reaction causes more of a   46  .

I am in my fifties now, and to this day, that has always   47   my head whenever those   48   happen. I've   49   my children the same thing. We often see and hear about "road rage." No matter to what   50    that "rage" is taken, my children will say something like, "They need Grandma's words!" As adults, I don't see them react as most of us do   51   their first reaction is always anger and irritation --- they   52   it and   53   what the other person's problem might be. Even if the other driver really might be   54   or doing a "power play," no more   55  reactions will occur because of their irritation.

閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C、D）中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
We recently treated our new-adult son and his girlfriend to a seafood feast, near Cocoa Beach, Florida. Our server, a grandmotherly woman skilled in the art of___36_____, flew around the ___37_____juggling dishes and drinks while treating customers as individuals. She remembered their ____38_____tastes likes and dislikes –all of which she’d learned after only the briefest ____39_____.
At the end of the meal, she presented the bill, and then went to____40_____ the growing crowd of other dinners. My husband ___41____with a credit card, added her___42____, and we were off.  
“Mr. Goldsmith!” our waitress ran out of the dining room waving a receipt at him, “Thank you.”
He looked at her as though he didn’t __43_____. We’ve all seen that universal___44___ of confusion—eyebrows drawn together and head cocked to one side
“What did you give her?” I asked in a stage whisper, ____45___if he had done something __46___ or made a calculation error.
“Wow, Dad,” our son said, ___47___like an awestruck 10 –year-old. “I’ve never seen a waitress ____48____anyone out of the restaurant to say ‘thank you’ for the tip.
“She gave us great service. I just thought she deserved a little bump __49_____ what I usually give.”
It wasn’t until later, when I accidentally heard our ___50____retelling the story of the ___51___waitress, that I realized she had given my family something___52___ a “thank you”. She showed our son the importance of ___53_____hard work and the rewarding sound of “thank you”. Her show of thanks helped a dad earn a bit more ___54___from a loving son. And it reminded me just why I ___55____this thoughtful, caring man.