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Windows not only let light in to cut down
an electricity use for lighting, but the light coming through the window also
provides heat. However, windows are not something people typically associate
with being a cutting edge technology. Researchers are now working on new
technologies that enable a window to quickly change from clear to dark and
anywhere in between with a turn of a switch.
“It took us a long time to figure out what
a window really is,” says Claes Granqvist, a professor of solid—state physics
at Uppsala University in Sweden.“It’s contact with the outside world. You have
to have visual contact with the surrounding world to feel well.” So, windows
and natural light are important for improving the way people feel when they’re
stuck indoors.
Yet, windows are the weak link in a
building when it comes to energy and temperature control. In the winter, cold
air leaks in. When it’s hot and sunny, sunlight streams in. All of this
sunlight carries lots of heat and energy. And all of this extra heat forces
people to turn on their air conditioners. Producing cold air, which can feel so
refreshing, actually suck up enormous amounts of electricity in buildings around
the world.
Windows have been a major focus of energy
research for a long time. Over the years, scientists have come up with a
variety of strategies for coating, glazing, and layering windows to make them
more energy efficient. Smart windows go a step further. They use some
technologies involving changes of color.
Electrochromic windows use electricity to
change color. For example, a sheet of glass coated with thin layers(层) of tungsten oxide(氧化钨) works a bit like a battery.
Tungsten oxide is clear when an electric charge is applied and dark when the
charge is removed, that is, when the amount of voltage(电压) is decreased, the window
darkens until it’s completely dark after all electricity is taken away. So
applying a voltage determines whether the window looks clear or dark.
One important feature that makes a smart
window so smart is that it has a sort of “memory”. All it takes is a small
shock of voltage to turn the window from one state to the other. Then, it stays
that way. Transitions take from 10 seconds to a few minutes, depending on the
size of the window. The development of smart windows could mean that massive
air conditioning systems may no longer need.“In the future,” Granqvist
says,“our buildings may look different.”
67.Which statement does not indicate the
importance of windows as described in the first two paragraphs?
A.Windows can change from clear to dark to
save energy.
B.Windows help to save energy by letting
light in.
C.Windows help to save energy by providing
heat.
D.Windows enable people to have contact
with the outside world.
68.According to the passage, smart windows
are windows_______.
A.that are
coated
B.that use electricity
C.the color of which can be
changed D.that have many layers
69.To make electrochromic windows change
color, what is applied to the window glass?
A.Electricity.
B.Tungsten oxide. C.A
battery. D.A voltage.
70.What will be the benefit if the research
on smart windows turns out to be successful?
A.The buildings will look different.
B.Windows can be as large as you want.
C.We may not need air conditioners any
more.
D.They are less expensive than traditional
windows.
t is well worth seeing again.