Question

Last summer, two nineteenth-century cottages were rescued from remote farm fields in Montana, to be moved to an Art Deco building in San Francisco. The houses were made of wood. These cottages once housed early settlers as they worked the dry Montana soil; now they hold Twitter engineers.

   The cottages could be an example of the industry’ s odd love affair with “low technology,” a concept associated with the natural world, and with old-school craftsmanship (手艺) that exists long before the Internet era. Low technology is not virtual (虚拟的) —so, to take advantage of it, Internet companies have had to get creative. The rescued wood cottages, fitted by hand in the late eighteen-hundreds, are an obvious example, but Twitter’s designs lie on the extreme end. Other companies are using a broader interpretation (阐释) of low technology that focuses on nature.

   Amazon is building three glass spheres filled with trees, so that employees can “work and socialize in a more natural, park-like setting.” At Google’s office, an entire floor is carpeted in glass. Facebook’s second Menlo Park campus will have a rooftop park with a walking trail.

   Olle Lundberg, the founder of Lundberg Design, has worked with many tech companies over the years. “We have lost the connection to the maker in our lives, and our tech engineers are the ones who feel impoverished (贫乏的) , because they’re surrounded by the digital world,” he says. “They’re looking for a way to regain their individual identity, and we’ve found that introducing real crafts is one way to do that.”

   This craft based theory is rooted in history, William Morris, the English artist and writer, turned back to pre-industrial arts in the eighteen-sixties, just after the Industrial Revolution. The Arts and Crafts movement defined itself against machines. “Without creative human occupation, people became disconnected from life,” Morris said.

   Research has shown that natural environments can restore(恢复) our mental capacities. In Japan, patients are encouraged to “forest-bathe,” taking walks through woods to lower their blood pressure.

   These health benefits apply to the workplace as well. Rachel Kaplvin, a professor of environmental psychology, has spent years researching the restorative effects of natural environment. Her research found that workers with access to nature at the office—even simple views of trees and flowers—felt their jobs were less stressful and more satisfying. If low-tech offices can potentially nourish the brains and improve the mental health of employees then, fine, bring on the cottages.

1.The writer mentions the two nineteenth-century cottages to show that ________.

A. Twitter is having a hard time

B. old cottages are in need of protection

C. early settlers once suffered from a dry climate in Montana

D. Internet companies have rediscovered the benefits of low technology

2.Low technology is regarded as something that _______.

A.is related to nature                            B. is out of date today

C. consumes too much energy               D. exists in the virtual world

3.The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that human beings ________.

A. have destroyed many pre-industrial arts

B. have a tradition of valuing arts and crafts

C. can become intelligent by learning history

D. can regain their individual identity by using machines

4.The writer’s attitude to “low technology” can best be described as ________.

A. positive        B. defensive               C. cautious           D. doubtful

5.What might be the best title for the passage?

A. Past Glories, Future Dreams                

B. The Virtual World, the Real Challenge

C. High-tech Companies, Low-tech Offices      

D. The More Craftsmanship, the Less Creativity

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.A

5.C

【解析】

试题分析：这篇短文讲述的是关于现代科技公司运用“大自然对人们创造力产生作用”的理念，积极创设原生态的办公环境。这里提到的低科技指的是工业化之前的建造技术，它更贴近自然。在自然的办公环境下，职员们不会感到有压力，对他们的健康是有好处的。

1.1】D细节理解题。作者提到两个19世纪的村舍是为了表明什么？根据短文第二段中Low technology is not virtual (虚拟的) —so, to take advantage of it, Internet companies have had to get creative可知，低科技不是虚拟的，因此要充分的利用它，高科技公司需要有创造力。而短文开头提到的两个19世纪的小村舍就是低科技技术下的产物。现代的高科技公司也需要用低科技的理念创设原生态的办公室。故选D。

2.2】A 推理判断题。低科技被认为是什么样的事物？根据下文中作者给出的例子so that employees can “work and socialize in a more natural, park-like setting以及最后一段中Her research found that workers with access to nature at the office可以判断出，低科技跟大自然有关，即在一个天然的环境下，故选A。B选项意思是低科技已经过时了，这不符合文意，现在很多高科技的公司都在打造低科技的办公室，让职员们更接近自然；C选项的意思是低科技消耗很多能源，其实正好相反，低科技的东西都是很天然的，不需要消耗很多能源；D选项的意思说低科技是虚拟的，而短文短文中说它并不是虚拟的，故与文意不符。故选A。

3.3】B细节理解题。第五段主要是说人类怎样？根据这一段的第一句话This craft based theory is rooted in history, William Morris, the English artist and writer, turned back to pre-industrial arts in the eighteen-sixties可知，工艺基础理论是有其历史根源的，英国的艺术家、作家William Morris又回到了19世纪60年代的工业化之前的艺术。由此可知选B。

4.4】A推理判断题。作者对低科技的态度可以用哪一个词来形容？A是积极的；B是辩护的；C是谨慎的；D是怀疑的。通过作者给出的这些例子可以看出，利用低科技建造的原生态办公室对职员们的工作的积极性是有好处的。并且作者还引用了一项研究Research has shown that natural environments can restore(恢复) our mental capacities来说明自然环境对我们精神上的有利影响。故选A，是积极的。

5.5】C 主旨大意题。这篇短文中作者告诉我们低科技不是虚拟的，现代的高科技公司需要有创造力，所以要充分的利用以前的低科技技术，创设更加原生态的办公环境。故用High-tech Companies, Low-tech Offices作为题目是最合适的。

考点：科普类短文阅读。