Question

    Britain’s first zero-carbon homes are being built—and they look like something from a science-fiction movie.

There are 25 eco-friendly homes currently being built in Southmoor, near Abingdon, Oxon. Buyers are able to have the final say on floor layouts，kitchens and bathrooms. One three-bedroom home is on the market for￡801 ,000,with a custom build available to suit your own specification. These eco-friendly houses are powered entirely by electricity from solar panels around the houses. They also have advanced ventilation (通风) systems, making sure that temperatures inside the building don’t go beyond 25℃ for more than 10% of hours annually, as well as mini heat pumps to generate (产生) the heating and hot water on-site. Part of the cooling design includes avoiding east-or west-facing windows, and window shading.

And they’re in high demand. Ian Pritchett, of Ssassy Property, thinks the Government should do more to promote the construction of this type of housing. “Unfortunately, the Government relaxed the proposed 2016 zero-carbon targets after being lobbied(游说)by house builders,” Ian explained. “At present, the main house-building corporations control the land and only build at the rate they are sure will sell, keeping the UK’s housing shortage so that the normal rules of ‘supply and demand’ don’t apply. When there is a shortage of housing, buyers have to purchase what is available rather than what they might want.”

In any sensible society, we would expect the planning system to actively encourage zero-carbon houses，and he tough on anyone failing to deliver the necessary standard. Instead, we have a planning system that focuses on other aspects such as numbers of bedrooms, garden sizes, and parking places. These are important aspects, but they pale into insignificance compared to the catastrophic consequences of climate change.

1.What can a purchaser do before buying the type of housing?

A.Negotiate its price. B.Choose where to build it.

C.Decide how the inside of it looks. D.Design its ventilation.

2.How do people react to the zero-carbon homes?

A.Welcome. B.Uncaring.

C.Skeptical. D.Demanding.

3.What do house-building companies intend to do?

A.Balance the “supply and demand” of houses.

B.Purchase more land to stop climate change.

C.Build more houses powered by the sun.

D.Make it more difficult to buy houses.

4.What’s the author’s attitude to the Government’s planning system?

A.Satisfied. B.Disapproving.

C.Worried. D.Ambiguous.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。介绍了英国首个零碳家园的建设。涉及了零碳家园的基本特点、供求情况以及政府对此的态度。

1.细节理解题。由第二段中的“Buyers are able to have the final say on floor layouts，kitchens and bathrooms. One three-bedroom home is on the market for￡801 ,000,with a custom build available to suit your own specification.（买家可以对楼层布局、厨房和浴室拥有最终决定权。市场上有一套三居室的房子，售价为80.1万英镑，可以根据自己的需求定制。）” 可知买家可以决定这种房屋的内部布局。故选C。

2.细节理解题。由第三段中的“And they’re in high demand. Ian Pritchett, of Ssassy Property, thinks the Government should do more to promote the construction of this type of housing.（这种房子需求量很大。Ssassy房产公司的伊恩·普里切特（Ian Pritchett）认为，政府应该为促进这类住房的建设做出更多努力。）”可知，人们很欢迎这类房子。故选A。

3.细节理解题。由第三段中的“At present, the main house-building corporations control the land…buyers have to purchase what is available rather than what they might want. （目前，主要的房屋建筑公司控制着土地，只按他们确信会出售的速度建造房屋，这使得英国的住房短缺，使房屋“供应和需求”难以达到的正常要求。当房屋短缺时，购房者不得不购买现在所有的，而不能买他们想要的。）”可知，房屋建造公司想让购房更为困难。故选D。

4.推理判断题。最后一段作者谈到：在任何一个理性的社会，我们都希望房屋规划系统积极鼓励零碳排放的住房，并对任何未能达到必要标准的人采取严厉措施。相反，我们的房屋规划局却专注于其他方面的规划，比如卧室数量、花园面积和停车位。这些都是重要的方面，但与气候变化的灾难性后果相比，它们就显得微不足道了。由此可知，作者对政府的房屋规划持不同的意见。A. Satisfied满意的；B. Disapproving 不赞同的；C. Worried担心的，担忧的；D. Ambiguous模棱两可的。故选B。