Question

Today we bring you an old tale. It’s the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf that blew down a house made of straw and one made of sticks. The only house left standing was the one made of bricks. Now there is new evidence to suggest that houses built with bales of straw can be very strong. They are also very environmental.

Pete Walker is a professor at the University of Bath in Britain. He and a team of researchers there have built a house made out of straw bales and hemp material. During the next twelve months the team will study the effectiveness of these materials in home building. Professor Walker says there are many good reasons for using straw.

Professor Walker: “One of the benefits is it’s a relatively inexpensive renewable material that’s readily available.” He also agrees that straw takes in carbon dioxide as it grows and helps the environment in other ways. So it can be seen as having no harmful effects on the environment.

Professor Walker: “The straw bale walls are relatively thick and so all that straw provides very good thermal insulation. So we make buildings that require very little heating in the winter or indeed very little cooling in the summer. So they require very little additional energy.”

Professor Walker says this reduces home operating expenses. It also reduces the effect on the environment. He says the current interest in straw bale houses is a direct response to the problem of climate change.

David Lanfear owns an eco-friendly home building service in the United States called Bale on Bale Construction. He says he laughed when some friends first told him about houses built of straw. But after doing his own research, he learned that building with straw bales made a lot of sense. He has now helped to build more than ten straw bale houses and says the building material is becoming more widely accepted.

To build the houses, he fills a wood frame with tightly packed bales of straw. Next he coats the walls inside and out with layers of clay plaster. He says the common ideas about straw houses continue, including stories about the threat of fire. Mr. Lanfear says straw bale houses have done well when tested for fire resistance. And he says his builders use the same building methods as traditional builders to keep out rain.

David Lanfear: “We use what we call good shoes and a good hat, and that would be a solid foundation and a really good roof.”

1.What’s David Lanfear’s attitude towards the straw houses at last?

A. Ridiculous.       B. Approving.

C. Defensive.        D. Unbelievable.

2.What can we infer from the passage?

A. Using straw to build houses is dearer than using bricks.

B. The houses built with bales of straw are stronger than those built with bricks.

C. Straw which is convenient to get is much cheaper than thick bricks.

D. Houses made of bricks are no better than those made of straw.

3.According to the passage, we know that ________________.

A. there is some experience in building the straw houses

B. the house made of straw bales is the same as the traditional one

C. the house made of straw bales is still under research

D. it’s uncertain that the straw house can be very strong

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.A

【解析】

试题分析:文章介绍了用稻草建设房屋的各种好处。

1.B细节理解题。从文章第二段Professor Walker says there are many good reasons for using straw.可知David Lanfear觉得用稻草建造的房屋有很多好处。所以他的态度应该是支持的，故选B。

2.C推理判断题。根据文章第三段One of the benefits is it’s a relatively inexpensive renewable material that’s readily available.和第四段The straw bale walls are relatively thick and so all that straw provides very good thermal insulation. So we make buildings that require very little heating in the winter or indeed very little cooling in the summer. So they require very little additional energy.可知用稻草建的房子很便宜，并且草提供了很好的保温，不需要额外的能量，推理可知稻草房比砖房方便，并且建造费用便宜。故选C。

3.

考点：考查议论文阅读