Question

    When it comes to green buildings, we tend to think of new ones – the kind of high-tech, solar-paneled masterpieces that make the covers of architecture magazines. 1.They are the witness of the country. And it would be incredibly wasteful to tear them all down and replace them with greener versions. 2.What’s   more, it would take an average of 65 years for the reduced carbon emissions from a new energy-efficient home to make up for the resources lost by destroying an old one. 3.

But there is an unavoidable fact that nearly half of U. S. carbon emissions come from heating, cooling and powering those aged houses. "You can't deal with climate change without dealing with existing buildings," says Richard Moe, the president of the National Trust. With some exceptions, the oldest homes tend to be the least energy- efficient.  4.Houses built before 1939 use about 50% more energy per square foot than those built after    2000.

5.Historic ones like Lincoln's Cottage can be transformed through efficiency upgrades. They can not only help protect property owners from rising power costs; They can save the earth.

A.But how to change their conditions?

B.But the U.S. has more than 100 million existing homes.

C.Some effective measures should be taken by government.

D.So some people say that the greenest way is to maintain old ones.

E.Fortunately, some relatively simple changes can green older homes.

F.Vast energy and resources went into the construction of those houses.

G.The main cause is the cracks that expand over time and let outside air in.

Answer

1.B

2.F

3.D

4.G

5.E

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。美国现有超过1亿套住房，大量的能源和资源被用于建造这些房屋，而一个节能的新房子所减少的碳排放平均需要65年才能弥补因破坏旧房子而损失的资源。所以有些人说最环保的方法是维护旧的。文章分析了这些老房子不节能的原因以及解决方案。

1.根据上文When it comes to green buildings, we tend to think of new ones – the kind of high-tech, solar-paneled masterpieces that make the covers of architecture magazines.可知说到绿色建筑，我们往往会想到新建筑——那种出现在建筑杂志封面上的高科技、太阳能面板的杰作。再结合后文主要在说明美国住房过多的问题，由此可知，本句与上文发生转折，表明与那些高科技的新建筑不同的是，美国目前有超过1亿套住房。后文中they可对应到B选项中100 million existing homes。故B选项“但美国现有超过1亿套住房”符合上下文语境。故选B。

2.根据上文And it would be incredibly wasteful to tear them all down and replace them with greener versions.可知如果把它们都拆了，换成更环保的，那就太浪费了。由此可知，本句应当说明这些房屋所投入的大量能源和资源，不应当直接拆除换成更环保的。故F选项“大量的能源和资源被用于建造这些房屋”符合上下文语境。故选F。

3.根据上文What’s more, it would take an average of 65 years for the reduced carbon emissions from a new energy-efficient home to make up for the resources lost by destroying an old one.可知更重要的是，一个节能的新房子所减少的碳排放平均需要65年才能弥补因破坏旧房子而损失的资源。由此可知，美国目前的住房投入了大量的能源和资源，同时一个节能的新房子需要耗费很长时间才能弥补因破坏旧房子而损失的资源，由此可知，有些人会认为最环保的方法就是维护这些旧的房子。故D选项“所以有些人说最环保的方法是维护旧的”符合上下文语境。故选D。

4.根据上文With some exceptions, the oldest homes tend to be the least energy- efficient.可知除了一些例外，最古老的房子往往是最不节能的。由此可知，本句应当承接上文说明老房子不节能的原因。故G选项“主要原因是随着时间的推移，裂缝会扩大，让外面的空气进来”符合上下文语境。故选G。

5.根据后文Historic ones like Lincoln's Cottage can be transformed through efficiency upgrades.可知像林肯小屋这样的历史建筑可以通过提高能效来改造。由此可知，本段是在说明解决对这些旧房子的方案，即通过一些改变来让这些老房子变得更加环保节能，故E选项“幸运的是，一些相对简单的改变就可以绿化老房子”符合上下文语境。故选E。