Question

    The noble tree house—all natural materials, strong construction, aloof from the troubles of the world. In a more dangerous time in human history, their position above the ground would protect the inhabitant against environmental difficulties and possible predators. As modern construction has improved, these arboreal places have become less of a practical housing and more of a children’s fun—a secret place erected in many a back garden. But now, these fun shelters are appealing to adults too and many are booking themselves in for a few nights among the treetops.

These tree house hotels can be found From Europe to Australia. Best of all, they come in a variety of interesting designs! From the traditional four walls and a roof habitation, such as at TreeHouse Point, in Washington, North America, to the more artistic Nothofagus Hotel in Chilean Patagonia, whose twelve-sided walls make it look like a beehive. If that doesn’t appeal, how about a tree container? The Free Spirit Spheres resort on Vancouver Island in Canada allows guests to stay in one of three yellow spheres (圆球), which are suspended from trees. The company was founded in 1998 by Tom Chudleigh, who hand built the container from cedar wood and fibre glass, and then added fixtures and fittings. Not only are they as safe as houses, they’re popular! Visitor numbers have probably doubled in the past five years, Mr. Chudleigh tells the BBC.

And how about an office? Microsoft, hoping to give its employees thinking space, has commissioned (委托) a three-building structure from Pete Nelson, designer and builder of tree houses. “Studies show people can work better in nature. They are more productive,” says Mr. Nelson. If you’ve no head for heights, then maybe a tree house getaway isn’t going to be your home away from home. But the sense of adventure, the freshness of the setting and the opportunity to return to nature has given an increasing number of tree house-staying adults something to write home about.

1.The underlined word “arboreal” in paragraph one means “    ”.

A.relating to history B.of or relating to trees

C.of danger D.of secret

2.The Free Spirit Spheres resort is mentioned to prove    .

A.the company has profited a lot from tree houses

B.tree houses come from interesting places

C.Tom Chudleigh has an eye for safety

D.tree houses are becoming fashionable

3.According to Pete Nelson, why is Microsoft building a tree house structure?

A.Because people are more productive working in nature.

B.Because the sense of adventure make people work harder.

C.Because the freshness of the setting make people cooperate well.

D.Because people need the opportunity to return to nature.

4.The passage is mainly about    .

A.how a tree house is built B.the trend for tree houses

C.peoples’ opinions about tree houses D.the history of tree houses

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了树屋的流行趋势。

1.词义猜测题。根据上文The noble tree house—all natural materials, strong construction, aloof from the troubles of the world. In a more dangerous time in human history, their position above the ground would protect the inhabitant against environmental difficulties and possible predators.高贵的树屋，全部采用天然材料，坚固耐用，远离尘世的纷扰。在人类历史上一个更危险的时期，它们高于地面上的位置将保护居民免受环境困难和可能的捕食者。由此可知As modern construction has improved, these arboreal places have become less of a practical housing and more of a children’s fun—a secret place erected in many a back garden.意思是随着现代建筑技术的进步，这些树栖的地方已不再是实用的房屋，而更多的是孩子们玩耍的地方——一个秘密的地方，矗立在许多后花园中。“arboreal”的意思是与树有关的，故选B。

2.推理判断题。根据第二段Not only are they as safe as houses, they’re popular! Visitor numbers have probably doubled in the past five years, Mr. Chudleigh tells the BBC. （它们不仅像房子一样安全，而且很受欢迎!Chudleigh先生告诉BBC，过去五年游客数量可能翻了一番。）由此推断出，提到The Free Spirit Spheres报告是为了证明树屋正变得流行起来。故选D。

3.细节理解题。根据最后一段 “Studies show people can work better in nature. They are more productive,” says Mr. Nelson.（“研究表明，人们在大自然中可以更好地工作。他们更多产，”尼尔森先生说。）由此可知，根据Pete Nelson的说法，微软要建造树屋是因为人们在大自然中工作效率更高。故选A。

4.主旨大意题。第一段As modern construction has improved, these arboreal places have become less of a practical housing and more of a children’s fun—a secret place erected in many a back garden. But now, these fun shelters are appealing to adults too and many are booking themselves in for a few nights among the treetops.（随着现代建筑技术的进步，这些树栖的地方已不再是实用的房屋，而更多的是孩子们玩耍的地方——一个秘密的地方，矗立在许多后花园中。但现在，这些有趣的庇护所也吸引了很多成年人，许多人都在树顶住了几个晚上。）是全文的主题句，结合全内容，可知这篇文章主要讲了树屋的流行趋势，故选B。