Question

The behavior of a building’s users may be at least as important as its design when it comes to energy use, according to new research from the UK Energy Research Center(UKERC). The UK promised to reduce its carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, part of which will be achieved by all new homes being zero-carbon by 2016. But this report shows that sustainable(可持续的) building design on its own, though extremely important, is not enough to achieve such reductions: the behavior of the people using the building has to change too.

The study suggests that the ways that people use and live in their homes have been largely ignored by existing efforts to improve energy efficiency, which instead focus on architectural and technological developments.

“Technology is going to assist but it is not going to do everything,” explains Katy Janda, a UKERC senior researcher, “consumption patterns of building users can defeat the most careful design.” In other words, old habits die hard, even in the best-designed eco-home.

Another part of the problem is information. Households and bill-payers don’t have the knowledge they need to change their energy-use habits. Without specific information, it’s hard to estimate the costs and benefits of making different choices. Feedback(反馈) facilities, like smart meters and energy monitors, could help bridge this information gap by helping people see how changing their behavior directly affects their energy use; some studies have shown that households can achieve up to 15 percent energy savings using smart meters.

Social science research has added a further dimension(方面), suggesting that individuals’ behavior in the home can be personal and cannot be predicted—whether people throw open their windows rather than turn down the thermostat(恒温器), for example.

Janda argues that education is the key. She calls for a focused program to teach people about buildings and their own behavior in them.

1.As to energy use, the new research from UKERC stresses the importance of ________.

A. zero-carbon homes    B. the behavior of building users

C. sustainable building design    D. the reduction of carbon emissions

2.The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refers to “________”.

A. the ways    B. their homes    C. developments    D. existing efforts

3.What are Katy Janda’s words mainly about?

A. The importance of changing building users’ habits.

B. The necessity of making a careful building design.

C. The variety of consumption patterns of building users.

D. The role of technology in improving energy efficiency.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

【解析】本文是一篇说明文。主要介绍了减少碳排放量、倡导低碳生活，不能只靠科技进步，还需要人们改变自己的行为，采用绿色的生活方式。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段第一句The behavior of a building’s users may be at least as important as its design when it comes to energy use.可知，这项新研究主要强调的是The behavior of a building’s users。故B选项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段The study suggests that the ways that people use and live in their homes have been largely ignored by existing efforts to improve energy efficiency, which instead focus on architectural and technological developments.可知，which引导的是by后面接的方式，即existing efforts。故D选项正确。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段中Katy Janda 的话“consumption patterns of building users can defeat the most careful design.” In other words, old habits die hard, even in the best-designed eco-home.可知，原有的消费模式可以打败最仔细的设计，即旧的习惯很难消失，所以她的意思是说改变原有的习惯是很重要的。故A选项正确。