E
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.
D
Time spent in a bookshop can be most enjoyable, whether you are a book—lover or merely go there to buy a book as a present. You may even have entered the shop just to find shelter from a sudden shower. Whatever the reason, you can soon become totally unaware of your surroundings.
The desire to pick up a book with an attractive dust jacket is irresistible, although this method of selection ought not to be followed, as you might end up with a rather dull book.
You soon become interested in some book or other, and usually it is only much later that you realize you have spent far too much time there and must dash off to keep some forgotten appointment—without buying a book, of course.
This opportunity to escape the realities of everyday life is, I think, the main attraction of a bookshop. There are not many places where it is possible to do this. A music shop is very much like a bookshop. You can wander round such places to your heart’s content. If it is a good shop, no assistant will approach you with the inevitable greeting:“Can I help you, sir?” You needn’t buy anything you don’t want. In a bookshop an assistant should remain in the background until you have finished browsing. Then, and only then, are his services necessary. Of course, you may want to find out where a particular section is, but when he has led you there, the assistant should retire discreetly(谨慎地) and look as if he is not interested in selling a single book.
You have to be careful not to be attracted by the variety of books in a bookshop. It is very easy to enter the shop looking for a book on, say ancient coins and to come out carrying a copy of the latest best-selling novel and perhaps a book about brass—rubbing—something which had only slightly interested you up till then. This volume on the subject, however, happened to be so well illustrated and the part of the text you read proved so interesting that you just had to buy it. This sort of thing can be very dangerous. Apart from running up a huge account, you can waste a great deal of time wandering from section to section.
63.The underlined phrase “dust jacket” means_______.
A.a kind of clothes B.a paper cover of a book
C.a dusty book D.a title of a book
64.You may spend too much time in a bookshop because_______.
A.the dust jackets are very attractive
B.you start reading one of the books
C.it is raining outside
D.you have to make sure you won’t buy a dull book as a present
65.In a good bookshop_______.
A.all the books there are interesting B.the assistant greets you in a warm way
C.your heart is satisfied D.you feel that you are in a music shop
66.The best title for this passage may be_______.
A.The Attraction of Bookshops B.How to Spend Your Time
C.Bookshops and Their Assistants D.How to Select Books
C
Researchers have just offered evidence in a study that says obesity appears to spread through social ties, much like a virus. When one person gains weight, their close friends often follow. But the findings might also offer hope.
If friends help make obesity acceptable, then they might also be influential in losing the fat. The researchers note that support groups are already an effective tool in dealing with other socially influenced problems, like alcoholism.
The findings appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers used information collected from? 12 000 people. It was collected between 1971 and 2003 as part of the Framingham Heart Study.
The information was highly detailed. There was even contact information for close friends of the people in the study.
The researchers examined more than 40 000 social ties. They found that a person’s chances of becoming severely overweight increased by 57% if a friend had become obese.
A sister or brother of a person who became obese had a 40% increased chance of becoming obese. The risk for a wife or husband was a little less than that.
Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School was a lead investigator in the study. He says there is a direct causal relationship between a person getting fat and being followed in weight gain by a friend.
The study found that the sex of the friends was also an influence. In same—sex friendships, a person had a 71% increased risk of becoming obese. Men had a 44% increased risk of becoming obese after weight gain in a brother. In sisters, it was 67%.
The researchers also considered the effect of where people lived in relation to each other. James Fowler of the University of California,San Diego, was the other lead investigator. He says a friend who lives a few hundred kilometers away has as much influence as one in the same neighborhood. He says the study demonstrates the need to consider that a major part of people’s health is tied to their social connections.
Both investigators say their research shows that obesity is not just a private medical issue, but a public health problem.
59.What does the underlined sentence in Para. 2 mean?
A.Obesity has a negative influence on a close friend.
B.Friends might also play a part in losing weight.
C.One might have a positive influence on one’s friend.
D.Friends usually don’t follow each other to lose weight.
60.Who is mostly likely to gain weight?
A.A man who has a fat brother. B.A husband who has a fat wife.
C.A wife who has a fat husband. D.A woman who a fat female friend.
61.Which of the following statements doesn’t the passage agree with?
A.You are sure to lose weight if you have a skinny friend.
B.If one gains weight, one’s friends are likely to get fat.
C.A person’s health is closely linked with his/her social relationship.
D.Even if the friend lives far away, the influence still remains.
62.The reason why the study involves both family members and friends is that_______
A.researchers fail to find a more different sample
B.researchers have different ideas for family members and friends
C.researchers can meet these people regularly
D.researchers can compare the results
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
A
One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, they came to the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.
“Could you possibly give us a room here?” the husband asked.
The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town.“All of our rooms are taken,” the clerk said.“But I can’t send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o’clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It’s not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night.”
When the couple declined, the young man pressed on.“Don’t worry about me; I’ll make out just fine.” the clerk told them. So the couple agreed.
As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk,“You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn’t easy.
Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round—trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit.
The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.“That,” said the older man,“is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.”“You must be joking,” the young man said.“I can assure you I am not,” said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth.
The older man’s name was William Waldorf Astor, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf—Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C.Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world’s most glamorous hotels.
51.The purpose of the author writing this story is to_______.
A.give people a good laugh B.cover some facts
C.promote the business of Waldorf—Astoria Hotel D.deliver a lesson
52.Which of the statements about the story is NOT true?
A.The story took place at about one a.m..
B.The old couple was too poor to afford a luxurious room.
C.The clerk was willing to help those in need.
D.The clerk received an unexpected invitation from the old man.
53.The underlined word “conventions” in Para.3 can be replaced by_______?
A.rooms B.suites C.meetings D.hotels
54.Which of the following proverbs suits the story the best?
A.Every little thing helps. B.Make hay while the sun shines.
C.Man proposes； God disposes(处理,决定). D.One good turn deserves another.
第三节完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
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。
I teach economics at UNLV three times per week. Last Monday, at the beginning of class, I31asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been so good. He had his wisdom teeth32. The young man then proceeded to ask me why I33seemed to be so cheerful.
His question34me of something I’d read somewhere before:“Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to35life that day,” I said.“I choose to be cheerful.”
“Let me give you a(n)36,” I continued,37all sixty students in the class.“In addition to teaching here at UNLV, I also teach at the community college in Henderson, 17 miles down the freeway from where I live. One day a few weeks ago I drove to Henderson. I38the freeway and turned onto College Drive. I only had to drive another quarter mile down the road to the college. But just then my car39. I tried to start it again, but the engine wouldn’t40. So I put my flashers on, grabbed my books, and41down the road to the college.”
“As soon as I got there I called AAA(汽车协会) and42for a tow truck to meet me at my car after class. The secretary in the Provost’s office asked me what had happened.‘This is my43day,’ I replied, smiling.”
“‘But your car breaks down.’ She was puzzled.‘What do you mean?’”
“‘I live 17 miles from here.’ I replied.‘My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway. It didn’t.44, it broke down in the45place:off the freeway, within walking distance of here. I’m still able to teach my class, and I’ve been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class. If my car was46to break down today, it couldn’t have been arranged in a more convenient fashion.’”
“The secretary’s eyes opened wide, and then she smiled. I smiled back and headed for class.” So ended my story.
I47the sixty faces in my economics class at UNLV. Despite the early hour, no one seemed to be asleep.48, my story had touched them. Or maybe it wasn’t the story at all.49, it had all started with a student’s50that I was cheerful.
31.A.seriously B.cheerfully C.curiously D.coldly
32.A.cut B.broken C.lost D.removed
33.A.never B.seldom C.always D.sometimes
34.A.reminded B.asked C.informed D.mentioned
35.A.approach B.love C.give D.enjoy
36.A.lesson B.idea C.story D.example
37.A.addressing B.facing C.attracting D.lecturing
38.A.entered B.followed C.exited D.took
39.A.died B.destroyed C.settled D.parked
40.A.turn round B.turn over C.turn back D.turn away
41.A.moved B.marched C.struggled D.turned
42.A.required B.applied C.demanded D.arranged
43.A.good B.bad C.lucky D.hard
44.A.However B.Therefore C.Instead D.Besides
45.A.perfect B.empty C.terrible D.free
46.A.wished B.asked C.supposed D.meant
47.A.examined B.scanned C.studied D.analyzed
48.A.Somehow B.Anyhow C.Thus D.Therefore
49.A.In addition B.In all C.In fact D.In general
50.A.observation B.recognition C.judgment D.puzzle
The official said rescuers were working_____to find the missing miners in the coal mine blast.
|
A．round the clock |
B．in the clock |
C．around the time |
D．in the meantime |
