At Dallin /Fort Worth Airport, the lights are controlled by sensors that measure sunlight. They dim immediately when it’s sunny and brighten when a passing cloud blocks the sun.
A wall of windows at a University of Pennsylvania engineering building has built-in blinds (百页窗) controlled by a computer program that follows the sun’s path.
Buildings are getting smarter -- and the next generation of building materials expected to do even more.
Windows could catch the sun’s energy to heat water. Sensors that measure the carbon dioxide breathed out by people in a room could determine whether the air conditioning needs to be turned up.
Many new materials and technology have been designed in the last 15 years. They are now being used in a wave of buildings designed to save as much energy as possible. They include old ideas, like "green roofs," where a belt of plants on a roof helps the building keep heat in winter and stay cool in summer, and new ideas, like special coating for windows that lets light in, but keeps heat out.
As technologies such as sensors become cheaper, their uses spread.
The elevators (电梯) at Seven World Trade Center, which is under construction in New York, use a system that groups people traveling to nearby floor into the same elevator, thus saving elevator stops. People who work in the building will enter it by swiping (刷) ID cards that will tell the elevators their floor; readouts will then tell them which elevator to use. The building also has windows with a coating that blocks heal while letting in light.
More new building materials and technology are in development. A Philadelphia building farm is now working on "smart wrap" that uses tiny solar collectors to catch the sun’s energy and transmitters (传感器) the width of a human hair to move it. They are expected to change the face of the construction industry in the next ten years or so.
1._______ will be developed and used in the construction industry.
A. "Green mops" that cool or heat buildings
B. "Smart wrap" that catches the sun’s energy
C. Sunlight-measuring sensors that control lights
D. Window coating that lets light in, but keeps heat out
2.The elevators at Seven World Trade Center are special because they can ___
A. send people to floors with fewer stops
B. teach people how to use their ID cards
C. make people stay very cool in summer
D. help people go traveling in the building
3.The underlined word "it’ in the last paragraph refers to _____.
A. a human being B. smart wrap
C. the sun’s energy D. a transmitter
4.What might be the most suitable title for the text?
A. Buildings Are Becoming Smarter
B. Buildings Are Getting More Sunlight
C. Buildings Are Lacking in Much Energy
D. Buildings Are Using Cheaper Materials
From Mr. Ward Hoffman.
Sir, I was halfway through Professor Raj Persaud’s article “What’s the tipping point" (Financial Times Weekend, April 9-l0) when it occurred to me that what I was reading was not ironic(讽刺的). If Prof Persaud wants to know why Americans tip in restaurants, he need only ask the first American he meets in London.
Americans tip in restarts for one reason, and one reason only: we tip to supplement (补贴) the salary of restaurant workers. Quality of service does not enter into it, beyond the fact that one may tip a bit less for poor service, or a little more for good service.
Not tipping at all in a non-fast-food restaurant is not a choice. In the US, one used to tip about 15 per cent for dining in a family-style restaurant or in an up-market (高档的) restaurant. Here, in San Francisco Bay area restaurants, we are encouraged to tip 20 per cent or more, to help restart workers live in this very expensive area.
After eating at an Italian restart in my city, I left a tip of 20 per cent on the non-tax part of our dinner bill. It was expected. There is nothing more complicated (复杂的) than that about Americas tipping in restaurants.
Ward Hoffman,
Palo Alto, CA 94306, US
* * *
From Mr. Philip McBride Johnson.
Sir, I agree with most of Raj Persaud’s opinion about the doubtful value of tipping, but with one exception(例外). Tips can be very useful when one is a repeat customer or diner.
It is only when the tipper is a stranger and likely to remain so that the system does not work to his or her advantage. But frequent a hotel or a restaurant, always tip a bit more, and the difference in service and treatment will be easily felt.
Philip McBride Johnson,
Great Falls, VA 22066, US
1.What can we learn from Hoffman’s letter?
A. Quality of service determines tipping in the US.
B. Americans don’t tip in non fast-food restaurants.
C. Tipping in US up-market restaurants is unnecessary.
D. How to tip in the United States is not complicated.
2.Johnson’s letter shows ________.
A. a stranger in a restaurant is likely to tip a bit more
B. diners receive better service if they frequent a restaurant
C. repeat dinners may get good service if they tip a bit more
D. the tipping system works to the advantage of new customers
3.From the two letters, we can learn Professor Raj Persaud ______ .
A. feels doubtful about the value of tipping
B. believes tipping improves quality of service
C. wants to ask Hoffman about tipping in the US
D. thinks tipping a bit more one can get good service
4.The two letters most probably appears in a ______.
A. notice B. handbook C. book review D. newspaper
Paula Radcliffe, chasing (角逐) a third London marathon title(冠军), says she has became a stronger person after her terrible experience at the 2004 Athens Gaines.
Radcliffe, who failed to complete the Olympic marathon and the 10,000m last August, said: "Athens made me a stronger person and it made me care less about criticism (批评)"
"In the past I wanted to please everyone, but now I am going to listen even more to the people around me."
She didn’t care about criticism made at the weekend by Liz McCulgan, who felt Radcliffe should have rested and let her body recover after her failure in Athens.
"Liz is someone I look up to but she hasn’t spoken to me since last year and if she really cared for me, I’m sure she would have contacted (联系) me."
Instead Radcliffe won the New York City marathon just 11 weeks after Athens.
“In New York I wasn’t in my best state but I did know I was good enough to win the marathon.” Radcliffe insisted her only goal in Sunday’s race would be winning a third title and not chasing world records.
However, RadcIiffe has not ruled out(排除) in the future chasing her "final" world record time and questioned sayings that marathon runners have the ability in their career to produce only four or five world-class times.
"I don’t think that -- although I can’t put a number on it," said. RadcLiffe. "That changes from person to person."
Radcliffe is sure she can better her winning London 2003 performance at some point in the future. Following a successful three-month training period in the United States, the 31-year-old will chase a third title on Sunday after her first victory in 2O02 and again 12 months later.
Radcliffe clocked a time of 2:18:56 in her first 42.2-kilometre race three years ago.
Afterwards she set a "mixed course" mark of 2:17:18 five months later In Chicago before lowering that to a time of 2:15:25 in the 2003 London event.
1.Radcliffe’s failure in Athens made her ________
A. develop respect for Liz B. love people around her more
C. rest for five months D. face criticism calmly
2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Radcliffe broke the world record in the New York City marathon.
B. Radcliffe didn’t fully recover before the New York City marathon.
C. Radcliffe won her first marathon title in the New York City marathon.
D. Radcliffe had a 3-month training before the New York City marathon.
3.By saying "I can’t put a number on it," Radcliffe means she’s not sure _____ .
A. if she has the ability to set a new world record
B. if she can win another race though she has won many tunes
C. how many times a marathon runner can set the world record
D. if she has the ability to produce four or five world-class times
4.According to the text, Redcliffc has won ____ London marathon title(s).
A. four B. three C. two D. one
5.What can we learn from Radcliffe’s story?
A. Practice makes perfect. B. Well begun is half done.
C. A friend in need is a friend indeed. D. Where there is a will there is a way.
Collections were the inspiration(灵感) for a project at Thomas Tallis School, which formed part of the Imagine Children’s Literature Festival last autumn. Each child (aged 12-13) beautified a box and wrote a story on the subject of collections to throw inside it. The boxes were spread within the Royal Festival Hall’s Ballroom. Some were left empty to encourage
The subject chosen by Lauren was an imaginative one. "It’s a sort of Cinderella (灰姑娘) story," she told me, inspired by a collection of letters from her cousin, in the story these become love letters, burned by a cruel stepmother. Lauren’s best friend Charlotte is the stepmother. "I’m in Charlotte’s story too," says Lauren, "and I get run over." Charlotte’s tale was inspired by the girls’ coin collection. "We’ve collected foreign coins for years – since our families went on holiday to Tenerife." she explains. "That was before the Euro, so we put pesetas in." Lauren continues: "I find a coin in the road, go to get it and get run over, I’m in hospital and then I die." Charlotte adds: "or she might not die. I haven’t decided yet”
Millie Murray, who is a tea-novel author, thinks that setting the subject of collections was a useful inspiration to their creativity rather than a restriction(限制). "In the beginning I thought, ‘Will the children be able to do it?’" she says. "But it’s been fruitful. Some have their own collection, some have parents who do, and some have written complete stories. It’s made them think about something they wouldn’t have otherwise, which can only be a good thing."
1.What were the children asked to do in the project?
A. To meet friends at Thomas Tallis School
B. To write stories on the subject of collections.
C. To encourage visitors to write their own stories.
D. To have their friends for characters in the stories.
2.The underlined word "pesetas" in Paragraph 2 is a kind of _____.
A. story B. collection C. inspiration D. foreign coin
3.From the stories by Lauren and Charlotte, we know that _____ .
A. Charlotte hurt herself when getting a coin
B. both of them developed their imagination
C. both of them will die in each other’s stories
D. Lauren’s cousin posted her some love letters
4.Millie Murray thinks ________.
A. collections could inspire writing creativity
B. it was good for parents to have collections
C. inspirations were very useful in writing stories
D. setting collection subjects restricted inspirations
We were on tour a few summers ago, driving through Chicago, when right outside of the city, we got pulled over. A middle-aged policeman came up to the car and was really being troublesome at first. Lecturing us, he said, "You were speeding. Where are you going in such a hurry?" Our guitarist, Tim, told him that we were on our way to Wisconsin to play a show. His way towards us totally changed. He asked, "Oh, so you boys are in a band (乐队)?" We told him that we were. He then asked all the usual broad questions about the type of music we played, and how long we had been at it. Suddenly, he stopped and said, "Tim, you want to get out of this ticket, don’t you?" Tim said, "Yes." So the officer asked him to step out of the car. The rest of us, inside the car, didn’t know what to think as we watched the policeman talk to Tim. Next thing we knew, the policeman was putting Tim in the back of the police car he had parked in front of us. With that, he threw the car into reverse(倒车), stopping a few feet in back of our car. Now we suddenly felt frightened. We didn’t know if we were all going to prison, or if the policeman was going to sell Tim on the black market or something. All of a sudden, the polliceman’s voice came over in a loudspeaker. He said, "Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever, we have Tim here singing on Route 90.” Turns out, the policeman had told Tim that the only way he was getting out of the ticket was if he sang part of one of our songs over the loudspeaker in the police car. Seconds later, Tim started screaming into the receiver. The policeman enjoyed the performance, and sent us on our way without a ticket.
1.The policeman stopped the boys to ______.
A. put them into prison B. give them a ticket
C. enjoy their performance D. ask some band questions
2.The policeman became friendly to the boys when he knew they ____
A. had long been at the band B. played the music he loved
C. were driving for a show D. promised into a performance
3.The boys probably felt ______ when they drove off.
A, joyful B. calm C. nervous D. frightened
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When I was thirteen, my family moved from Boston to Tucson, Arizona. 1the move, my father 2us in the living-room on a freezing January night. My sisters and I sat around the fire, not 3that the universe would suddenly change its course. "In May, we’re 4to Arizona."
The words, so small, didn’t seem 5enough to hold my new life. But the world changed and I awoke on a tram moving across the country. I watched the 6_ change from green trees to flat dusty plains to high mountains as I saw strange new plants that 7mysteries(奥秘) yet to come. Finally, we arrived and 8into own new home.
9my older sisters were sad at the loss of friends, I 10explored(探索) our new surroundings.
One afternoon, I was out exploring 11and saw a new kind of cactus(仙人掌). I crouched (蹲) down for a closer look. "You’d better not 12that."
I turned around to see an old woman
"Are you new lo this neighborhood?" I explained that I was, 13, new to the entire state.
"My name is Ina Thorne. Have you got used to life in the 14? It must be quite a _15after living in Boston."
How could I explain how I 16the desert? I couldn’t seem to find the right words.
"It’s vastness," she offered. “That vastness 17you stand on the mountains overlooking the desert -- you can 18how little you are in comparison with the world. _19, you feel that the possibilities are limitless.”
That was it. That was the feeling I’d bad ever since I’d first seen the mountains of my new home. Again, my 20would change with just a few simple words.
"Would you like to come to my home tomorrow? Someone should teach you which plant you should and shouldn’t touch."
1.A. During B. Until C. Upon D. Before
2.A. gathered B. warned C. organized D. comforted
3.A. hoping B. admitting C. realizing D. believing
4.A. going B. moving C. driving D. flying
5.A. good B. simple C. big D. proper
6.A. picture B. ground C. scene D. area
7.A. suggested B. solved C. discovered D. explained
8.A. settled B. walked C. hurried D. stepped
9.A. If B. After C. once D. While
10.A. bitterly B. easily C. proudly D. eagerly
11.A as well B. as usual C. fight away D. on time
12.A. move B. dig C. pull D. touch
13.A. of course B. in fact C. after all D. at least
14.A. desert B. city C. state D. country
15.A. luck B. doubt C. shock D. danger
16.A. found B. examined C. watched D. reached
17.A. why B. when C. how D. where
18.A. prove B. guess C. sense D. expect
19.A. However B. Otherwise C. Therefore D. Meanwhile
20.A. idea B. life C. home D. family
