2971． 更不用說，且不說

2972． n.夸大；夸張

2973．The government has taken measures to bring down the high prices of daily goods to keep the market（穩(wěn)定的）．

2974．vt. & vi.除雜草

2975．注意．

2976． （勞動(dòng)者） shortages have forced the Japanese into making heavy use of industrial robots.

2977．高峰季節(jié)

2978．George Nakashima always insisted that he was a simple woodworker，not an artist.Even though major museums exhibited his works and the director of the American Craft Museum called him a national treasure，Mr Nakashima rejected the label of artist.For almost fifty years he simply went on shaping wood into beautiful chairs，tables，and cabinets.
   Nakashima had a clear goal.He intended each piece of furniture he made to be as perfect as possible.Even making a box was an act of creation，because it produced an object that had never existed before.Initially Nakashima used local wood，sometimes from his own property.Later，he traveled to seek out English oak，Persian walnut，African zebra wood and Indian teak.He especially liked to find giant roots that had been dug out of the ground after a tree was taken down.Nakashima felt that making this wood into furniture was a way of allowing the tree to live again.
   Most furniture makers prefer perfect boards，but Nakashima took pleasure in using wood with interesting knots（節(jié)疤）and cracks.These irregularities gave the wood personality and showed that the tree had lived a happy life.
   He never failed to create an object that was both useful and beautiful.One early piece Nakashima designed was a three-legged chair for his small daughter，Mira，to use when she sat at the table for meals.The Mira chair became so popular that Nakashima later made both low and high versions.Another famous piece，the Conoid chair，has two legs supported by bladelike feet.Always，Nakashima's designs were precise and graceful，marked by a simplicity that revealed his love for the wood.
   As the years passed，Nakashima's reputation grew and his work received many awards.His children Mira and Kevin，now adults，joined the team of crafts-people in their father's studio.Nakashima's dream of integrating work and family had come true.

（1）Which of the following best describes Nakashima？
A．Generous and outgoing.
B．Honest and simple.
C．Capable and friendly.
D．Creative and modest.
（2）Why was Nakashima called a national treasure？
A．His art work made trees live again.
B．He used precious wood materials.
C．His chairs were beautifully designed.
D．He was devoted to making furniture.
（3）What can we learn about Nakashima from the last two paragraphs？
A．He loved his work and family.
B．He made chairs of the same style.
C．He sought for a simple life and art.
D．He was lost in researching the wood.
（4）What can be inferred about Mira and Kevin？
A．They had an art studio of their own.
B．They still lacked the ability to create art works.
C．They had a common interest with their father.
D．They enjoyed the same reputation with their father.

2979．檢驗(yàn)；測試

2980．Last summer holiday，I went back to my hometown，________ the neighbours and the house ________ I used to be familiar with were gone．（　?。?/div>