题目内容

Imagine a house that keeps itself warm in the wintertime. Think of the savings in terms of fuel bills and unfriendly emissions. Such houses in fact exist, called “passive houses”. The concept of these highly energy-efficient buildings took root in the 1990s, before slowly consolidating as a niche construction (生态位构建) concept in the 2000s. Are passive houses now actively moving into the mainstream as sustainable buildings?

For Brian Mc Garry, an economics lecturer who built a family house based on passive housing criteria in the Pyrenees this year, the arguments look convincing. As his first full winter in the low energy house draws in, we asked him to keep us informed. Do passive houses work?

I had never heard of a passive house in February 2012, when I purchased a plot of land. Nor did I expect that I would be persuaded to build a pre-constructed, custom-designed house based on energy-efficient passive house criteria. It promised to be easier and quicker to build, cheaper to run, and more comfortable to live in. The objective was to incorporate the fundamental concepts of passive energy management into my project: an airtight and highly insulated building envelope; large south facing double or triple-glazed windows (if possible, filled with argon gas) that passively capture the energy of the sun; a heat recovery ventilation system to provide fresh air; and a simple, low-cost heating system consisting of a modern wood-burning stove, a bathroom heater and a portable radiator backup for when the sun doesn’t shine and temperatures decline. No significant limitations were placed on the design, and it had excellent environmental credentials. Moreover, the cost was no more than a conventional build.

After six months in use, the house is proving to be both cheap to run and remarkably comfortable–staying cool in the hot summer was effortless, as long as the windows were shuttered or shaded from the sun. Nowstaying warm in the cold, high-altitude December climate also seems easy, so far.

Winter arrived in force in the Pyrenees in November, with abundant snowfalls and temperatures as low as minus 8° Celsius. Though early days, the house has responded well: the stove is lit during cold evenings but the portable radiator has not yet been needed. This type of construction seems not only to make economic and environmental sense, but to enhance our quality of life, too.

1.We can learn from Paragraph one that passive houses __________.

A. consume extra energy to keep warm in winter and cool in summer

B. had been introduced for a decade before the birth of the theory

C. appeal to both the self-builders and those constructors

D. refer to a certain house comfortable, costly and also pleasing

2.Regarding the passive energy management, the houses have characteristics EXCEPT _______

A. using south-facing windows to take in solar energy

B. Providing energy for taking a shower when it’s rainy

C. supplying fresh air with a special heat recovery system

D. placing more demands and restrictions on the design

3.How did Brian McGarry find his self-built passive house?

A. very unaffordable

B. Energy-consuming

C. comfortable to live in

D. Awkward to use

4.What is the writer’s attitude towards the passive housing?

A. supportive B. critical

C. oppositive D. doubtful

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CANYOUMAGINEHOWHARDITWOULDBETOREADSENTENCESLIKES?

Every one of us gets so used to punctuation marks that not many of us give them a secondthought.Actually,the ancient Greeks wrote this way.The lack of punctuation marks probably didn’t bother good readers,though.As they read,they just put pauses where they fit best. Also at this time,sentences switched directions.A sentence read from leftto right.The next one read right to left,and then left to right again,etc.The ancient Romans sometimes punctuatedlike this:They put somethingthat can separate words in a sentence.The wordpunctuationactually comes from this idea andthe Latin word“punctum”which means a lot.

When the 5th century arrived,there were just twopunctuation marks:spaces and points.The spaces separated words while the points showed pauses in reading.Then in the 13th century,a printer named Aldus Manutius tried to standardize punctuation.He always used a period for a complete stop at the end of a sentence.He used a slash(/)toindicate a short pause.Over time.that slash was shortened and curled,and it became the modern comma(逗号).

Since that time,other marks have enlarged the punctuation family.The exclamation mark(感叹号)comes from the Latin word“io”.It means “exclamation of joy”.The question mark originally started out as the Latin word“questio”,meaning“question”.Eventually,scholars put it attheend of a sentence to show a question.

Punctuation even keeps changing nowadays.New marks are coming into existence,and old punctuation marks are used in new ways.Take for example the“interrobang”.This 1962 invention combines the question mark and exclamation mark for times when writers want both.For example.“She did what?!”or“How much did you pay for that dress?!”Obviously,the interrobang is not widelyused or recognized yet,but its invention shows that English is not yet finishedwith its punctuation.

1.From the first paragraph,we can know that__________.

A.good readers had trouble reading without punctuation marks

B.a sentence always read from left to right in ancient Greece

C.ancient Greeks switched the direction of punctuation marks

D.the use of punctuation marks can date back to ancient times

2.We can learn from the passage that___________.

A.ancient Romans didn’t use any punctuation marks

B.exclamation and question marks came from Latin

C.spaces and slashes were already used before the 5th century

D.Aldus Manutiusfast started to use commas

3.What can be concluded from the last paragraph?

A.The combinationoftwo marks will not work.

B.It takes time for people to accept new punctuation marks.

C.Old punctuation marks need to be standardized.

D.Punctuation marks are still changing today.

E

Before we start a voyage, we usually try to find out more or less definitely where we are bound and how we are supposed to get there.

I happen to have the “Concise Oxford dictionary” on my desk and that will do as well as any other. The word I am looking for appears at the bottom of Page 344. edition 1912.

“Geography: the science of the earth's surface, form, physical features, natural and political divisions, climate, productions and population.”

I could not possibly hope to do better, but I still stress some of the aspects of the case at the expenses of others, because I intend to place man in the centre of the stage. This book of mine will not merely discuss the surface of the earth and its physical features, together with its political and natural boundaries. I would rather call it a study of man in search of food and shelter and leisure for himself and for his family and an attempt to his background or has reshaped his physical surroundings in order to be comfortable and well nourished and happy with his limited strength.

Among the two million human beings in the world, there is of course the widest possible range for all sorts of experiments of an economic and social and cultural nature. It seems me that those experiments deserve our attention before anything else. For a mountain is after all merely a mountain until it has been seen by human eyes and has been walked on by human feet and until its and slopes and valleys have been occupied and fought over and planted by a dozen generation of hungry settlers.

The Atlantic Ocean was just as wide and deep and as wet and salty before the beginning of the 13th century as after, but it took the human touch to make it what it is today—a bridge between the New World and the Old, the highway for the commerce between East and West.

For thousands of years the endless Russian plains lay ready to offer their abundant harvest to whoever should take the trouble to sow the first grain. But the aspect of that country today would he a very different one if the hand of a German or a Frank, rather than that of a Slav, had guided the iron-pointed stick that plowed the first furrows (犁沟).

The island of Nippon would shake and quake just as continually, whether they happened to be settled by Japanese or by the Tasmanian race, but in the latter case they would hardly be able to feed 60,000,000 people.

Generally speaking, I have paid more attention to the purely “human” side of geography than to the commercial problems which are so important in a day and age devoted to mass production.

1.In the first four paragraphs, the author wants to share with the readers ______.

A. his approach to planning a voyage

B. his emphasis on using a dictionary

C. his definition of the word “geography”

D. his altitude to the earth's physical features

2.Which of the following will the author NOT consider to be on experiment according to Paragraph 5?

A. Exploring a mountain.

B. Climbing a mountain.

C. Planting on slopes and valleys.

D. Becoming hungry.

3.Which of the following is implied about the Atlantic Ocean?

A. It is wide, deep, wet and salty.

B. Human touch makes it important.

C. There is a bridge over it.

D. The highway is busy there.

4.The author mentioned the Russian plains and the island of Nippon to show that _____.

A. they both feed a lot of people

B. they enjoy very good natural conditions

C. different people may make the same place different

D. their natural conditions haven't changed for many years

Somebody Loves You

One miserable rainy night,a man named Mark decided to end his life.In his mid-fifties,Mark had never been married. the joy of having children or spent holidays with his family.Wet and unhappy,he walked along the streets,feeling as if there was in the entire world that cared whether he lived or died

,1 was sitting in my room watching the rain hit my window.When I heard the doorbell ring,I jumped from my chair and Out.But my mother was already at the door.Opening it,she found herself face-to-face with a very dirty-looking man with tears streaming down his face.My mother,overcome by ,invited the man inside,and he sat with my parents in our living room.

,1 walked secretly downstairs so that I could get a better look.I couldn't understand what they were saying,but the of the man,holding his head in his hands and crying,made my chest ache.I raced back upstairs to my room and my hand into my money jar.Pulling out my only half-dollar coin,I ran back downstairs.

When I the door of the living room,I walked right in.The three adults looked at me in as I quickly made my way over the stranger.I put the half-dollar in his hand and told him that I wanted him to have it.Then I gave him a ,turned and ran as fast as I could out of the room and back upstairs.I felt excited but happy

Downstairs,Mark sat quietly with his head .Tears streamed down his face as he tightly held that coin.Finally looking up at my parents,he said,"It’s that I thought nobody cared.For the last twenty years,I have been so .That is the first hug I have ever got.It’s hard to believe that somebody_ .”

Mark's life changed that night.When he left our house,he was to live instead of die. we never saw Mark again,we received letters from him every once in a while,letting us know that he was doing fine

My life changed that night,too,as I witnessed the hue healing power of .even if it’s only a gift of fifty cents.

Before Mark left,my parents asked him why he had knocked on our door.Mark said that he'd walked along the streets that rainy night,helpless and ready to ,he had noticed a sticker on the car.It read:SOMEBODY LOVES YOU.

1.A. believed B. noticed C. experienced D. understood

2.A. everybody B. somebody C. anybody D. nobody

3.A. Later B. First C. Afterwards D. Meanwhile

4.A. looked B. raced C. spoke D. broke

5.A. pity B. anxiety C. guilty D. fear

6.A. Worried B. Curious C. Puzzled D. Annoyed

7.A. sense B. thought C. sight D. look

8.A. shook B. Luck C. pushed D. forced

9.A. answered B. fixed C. found D. reached

10.A. anger B. delight C. peace D. surprise

11.A. hug B. kiss C. smile D. handshake

12.A. held B. turned C. bowed D. raised

13.A. just B. still C. also D. even

14.A. anxious B. stressed C. lonely D. bored

15.A. cares B. gets C. makes D. knows

16.A. lucky B. proud C. hesitant D. ready

17.A. Since B. When C. Although D. Unless

18.A. receiving B. giving C. loving D. taking

19.A. if B. as C. until D. before

20.A. die B. cry C. leave D. regret

Welcome to Arundel Castle which is situated in West Sussex, England. The castle has a history of nearly 1000 years and has welcomed visitors traveling from all over the world. Arundel Castle also plays a starring role in many films.

The Gardens

The White Garden is planted with soft white Iceberg Roses, and Snow White Lilies.

The Rose Garden is newly planted with lovely old-fashioned English roses that are at their very best in June and July.

The Organic Kitchen Garden produces a wide range of seasonal fruit and vegetables, pears, cherries and apples.

The Castle Shop

In the Castle Shop, you will discover a wide and interesting range of gift ideas for everyone. It offers gifts and souvenirs designed to appeal to all tastes and pockets. Foods, china, books, and stationery (文具)are all available. Many are sold in this Castle Shop only.

At Arundel Castle we pride ourselves on supporting local suppliers and actively encourage environmentally friendly products.

The Arundel Festival 2014

Saturday 16th to Monday 25th August

The annual Arundel Festival gets bigger and better every year. It is one of the most amazing, diverse and easily accessible arts festivals in the UK, offering a mix of visual arts, music, theatre and street entertainment.

Parking

Coaches and mini-buses can drop off at the main Castle entrance in Mill Road and park in the main town car park that is opposite the Castle entrance. Please inform us when making your booking of how many parking permits are required.

1.When visiting the castle, you can________.

A. get old-fashioned English roses as gifts

B. buy eco-friendly products in the Castle Shop

C. get seasonal fruit and vegetables for free

D. see how the local gifts are being made

2.How long does the Arundel Festival last this year?

A. 10 days B. One week C. 16 days D. One month

3.Where can you park the coach?

A. In Mill Road

B. Inside the Castle

C. In the main town car park

D. At the main Castle entrance

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