Question

B [2015 •湖北八校高三第二次聯(lián)考〗Imagine a house that keeps itself warm in the winter?time. Think of the savings in terms of fuel bills and unfriend?ly emissions. Such houses in fact exist, called "passive hou?ses". The concept of these highly energy-efficient buildings took root in the 1990s, before slowly consolidating as a niche construction (生態(tài)位構(gòu)建)concept in the 2000s. Are passive houses now actively moving into the mainstream as sustain?able buildings?

For Brian McGarry, 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 incor?porate the fundamental concepts of passive energy manage?ment into my project: an airtight and highly insulated build?ing envelope; large south-facing double or triple-glazed win?dows (if possible, filled with argon gas) that passively cap?ture the energy of the sun; a heat recovery ventilation(通風(fēng)設(shè)備)system to provide fresh air; and a simple, low-cost heat?ing 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 en?vironmental credentials (認(rèn)證).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. Now staying 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 en?hance our quality of life, too.

5.We can learn from Paragraph 1  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

6.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

7. 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.

8. What is the writer's attitude towards the passive house?
A. Supportive.                B. Critical.

C.  Oppositive.               D. "Doubtful.

Answer 1

B [文章大意]本文是一篇說(shuō)明文，主要介紹了生態(tài)位構(gòu)建房屋的好處。

5.B 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段第四句"The concept of these highly energy-efficient buildings took root in the 1990s, before slowly consolidating as a niche construction(生態(tài)位構(gòu)建)concept in the 2000s."可知B為正確答案。A項(xiàng)與文章內(nèi)容不吻合。C項(xiàng)說(shuō)非常受自建房者和建筑人員歡迎，這顯然與文章不一致。根據(jù)第一段第二句''Think of the savings in terms of fuel bills and unfriend?ly emissions."可知D錯(cuò)誤。

6. D 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第段倒數(shù)第二句"No significant limita?tions were placed on the design…，，可知，passive house對(duì)于設(shè)計(jì)并沒(méi)有特別明顯的限制。A、B、C均為其主要特征，由第三段均可找到相關(guān)依據(jù)。故選D項(xiàng)。

7. C 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段第一句"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…"可知選C項(xiàng)。A、B、D很明顯與文章意思不一致。

8.A推理判斷題。通讀全文，特別是第一段的關(guān)鍵詞savings, warm和最后一段最后一句可判斷作者持支持態(tài)度。故選A項(xiàng)。