Using less energy around the home is easier than you might think, saving your money while creating a healthier, more comfortable living space for you and your family. Changing a few old habits can make an impact on your energy bill, your comfort and the environment. Here are some handy tips to make your house more energy-efficient.
Lower the heat
If your home has adjustable central heating, lowering the room temperature even slightly can make a difference. You may not feel it, but your wallet will. It is even more advisable to control temperatures at different times of the day.
Hang clothes out to dry
If the weather allows it, head outside and dry your laundry on a clothesline. The sunlight will help eliminate (除去) bacteria and dust. While clothes dryers get the job done faster, they also use up energy. By hanging your clothes out, you' ll be cutting greenhouse gases by about three kilograms per load.
Take advantage of natural light
Installing (安装) large windows on the northern side of your house can help you make use of sunlight's natural warmth. To stay cool indoors on hot summer days, install blinds (百叶窗) to block the heavy sun. Put your desk near the window, then you don't need a lamp in the daytime.
Wrap (裹) your pipes
Be sure your hot-water pipes are properly wrapped. In an average home, heating water accounts for more than one-quarter of the energy bill. Why let warmth go to waste before it reaches you?
Choose the right size for appliances (家用电器)
When the time comes to replace (更换) appliances, select those that are both energy-efficient and of the appropriate size for your needs. Don' t buy bigger ones just because you can.
1. What benefit may using less energy at home bring about?| A．Enlarging your living space. | B．Keeping old habits unchanged. |
| C．Having a healthier living environment. | D．Improving your work efficiency. |
| A．It gets clothes dry much faster than clothes dryers. |
| B．It uses half the energy that clothes dryers do. |
| C．It may help to build a greenhouse. |
| D．It helps remove bacteria in clothes. |
| A．Shades. | B．Windows. | C．Blinds. | D．Curtains. |
| A．Proper size. | B．Good quality. | C．Replacing time. | D．Reasonable price. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】The right way to give children money
If you want your children to learn the right way to handle money, they need to have some money to handle first. Many gifts have limited usefulness, and many toys are quickly replaced by new ones.
Before giving money, you should understand why you want to do it. You might intend to fund a future goal like college or teach a child how to invest. You might want to see the joy in your child’s face when they realize they have cash of their own to spend.
You might accidentally let a seven-year old grandchild at Christmas down by putting a check in their stocking. Younger children generally don’t understand the concept behind a check, and won’t react too much when receiving it.
| A．Cash works better. |
| B．Want to give a gift of cash? |
| C．Many gifts cost too much money |
| D．Then give them a few suggestions on its use. |
| E．Or perhaps you know your child lacks money. |
| F．Or perhaps you have no idea what to buy for your child. |
| G．The gift of money gives your children the benefit of making choices |
【推荐2】How to Discover Your Talent
Talent tends to refer to that inborn skill that everyone seems to be born with.
Revisit your childhood. A good way to figure out where your talents lie is to go back to your childhood.
Consider what it is you do when you lose track of time. One of the chief things you can do is focus on what you love to do so much that you have a tendency to forget everything else for a while.
Try new things. Especially if you’re not sure what your talents might be, you should get out and try new things. This way you’re more likely to hit on what it is that you’re really good at and that really makes you happy.
| A．Consider what you loved to do as a child |
| B．Ask others for better advice |
| C．You can use your talents in the service of kindness |
| D．Focus on the areas that you’re less talented in |
| E．Not all talents are going to be super obvious |
| F．Observe and enjoy the talents of other people |
| G．It’s true that having a talent can help you in life |
【推荐3】Success in life comes from the action you take on a consistent basis and only self-discipline allows you to do that. Here are several powerful ways to build unbreakable self-discipline.
People often think that their lives will suddenly change through some magical event in the future, but that is not the case. Your life changes only to the extent that you change. If you are not happy with your current circumstances, are you taking action to change them?
The great tragedy of life is that most people give up right before achieving success. They already made it to the five-yard line, and all they need is one final push to make the touchdown and bring home the sweet victory. But right before they do that, there is one final obstacle standing in their way—one last failure that they need to overcome. Whenever you encounter failure and difficulty, keep going! No matter how long it takes or how hard it gets, always remember the words of motivational speaker Les Brown: “
If you make these, you will succeed at anything you set your mind to. Maybe not immediately, but definitely.
| A．It's not over until I win. |
| B．If not, you are just daydreaming. |
| C．The real secret of success is enthusiasm. |
| D．Once you answer these questions, you know what to do. |
| E．That's because every great victory requires great sacrifice. |
| F．The biggest enemy to success is the path of least resistance. |
| G．It's not what we take up but what we give up that makes us rich. |
【推荐1】Newly published research shows that frogs are laying their eggs in the rain-filled footprints of Asian elephants, which then provide a safe home for growing tadpoles. The footprints eventually fade away, but they last for a year or more on the forest floor and can serve as important habitats during dry seasons and even as “stepping stones” between frog populations, No adult frogs were observed taking advantage of these foot-shaped puddles,although these eggs obviously came from somewhere.
This represents an important step in understanding the role of Asian elephants as“ecosystem engineers.”African elephants have long been recognized for the way they affect the natural systems around them—a similar study published in 2016 found tadpoles and dozens of insect species living in elephant footprints in Uganda—but Asian elephants have not benefited from the same level of scientific study.
“There is surprisingly little known about Asian elephants as ecosystem engineers, at least in comparison to African elephants,” says lead researcher Steven Platt, a wildlife expert.“That said, I think our study and several others indicate that Asian elephants play an important role as ecosystem engineers. Not only do elephants expand vegetation—knocking down trees, removing bamboos, spreading seeds,etc.—but they also affect the ecosystem in ways that might not be readily obvious, such as creating temporary ponds and waste piles used as food and cover.”
Platt says this shows the vast interplay between species and explains why it’s important to protect entire ecosystems and their full range of biodiversity. Meanwhile, the study further shows the need to protect elephants and the species that live around them, much like the previous study in Uganda. More importantly,Platt says the study in Myanmar also stresses the need to look for similar relationships in other nations where endangered Asian elephants still wander. No one knows exactly how many Asian elephants remain in the world, but all indications suggest their populations continue to shrink throughout their range. That decline, obviously, is caused bya creature with a much bigger footprint; humans.
1. What can we learn about Asian elephants’ foot prints?| A．They serve as habitats for tadpoles. |
| B．They provide habitats for adult frogs. |
| C．They are used to store bird eggs. |
| D．They become puddles and destroy the land. |
| A．It challenges the 2016 study done in Uganda. |
| B．It recognizes African elephants’ role in nature. |
| C．It indicates the importance of Asian elephants. |
| D．It starts the scientific study on Asian elephants. |
| A．It shows the need to study elephants’ living patterns. |
| B．It offers suggestions for protecting elephants from extinction. |
| C．It proves the need to calculate elephant numbers in the world. |
| D．It stresses the importance of treating the ecosystem as a whole. |
| A．Frogs Make Friends with Elephants |
| B．Frogs are Fond of Elephants’ Feet |
| C．Humans’ Footprints Matter a Lot |
| D．Ecosystem Engineers are Influenced by Challenges |
【推荐2】Off the coast of Formentera, an island, lives seagrass that stretches 15 km. The seagrass, covering several kilometers, is made up of a single organism. The grasses are also long-lived, for tens or hundreds of thousands of years. Along with two other kinds of coastal ecosystem—mangrove swamps and tidal marshes—seagrass fields are particularly good at taking carbon dioxide from the air.
This role was highlighted in a report published on March 2nd by UNESCO, on “blue carbon” —the carbon stored by Earth’s oceanic and coastal ecosystems. In total around 3,300 million tons of carbon dioxide (about three-quarters of the world’s emissions in 2019) are locked away in the planet’s blue-carbon sinks. Research by Carlos Duarte, the report’s author and an ecologist, has shown that one hectare of seagrass can suck as much carbon dioxide each year as 15 hectares of rainforest.
One reason that blue-carbon ecosystems make such effective sinks is that underwater forests are thicker than the land-based woods. They can also trap floating pieces and organic matter, which settles on the sea floor and can double the amount of carbon stored away. They possess another advantage, too. Climate change is leading to more wildfires around the world. As forests burn, their carbon stocks are sent back into the atmosphere. Unlike forests on land, blue-carbon ecosystems do not burn.
Blue-carbon ecosystems may not be fired, but they remain affected by other sorts of disasters. In May 2020 cyclone Amphan destroyed 1,200 square kilometers of mangrove forests. A marine heatwave in Australian waters in 2010 and 2011 damaged around one third of the world’s largest seagrass field in Shark Bay. Mangrove forests can weaken or control waves and provide natural barriers to storm surges. Protecting and expanding them, then, appears to be a must.
1. What do the blue-carbon ecosystems consist of?| A．The carbon stored in coastal ecosystems. |
| B．Seagrass living off the coast of Formentera. |
| C．A single organism, seagrass fields and forests on land. |
| D．Seagrass fields, mangrove swamps and tidal marshes. |
| A．The concrete role of “blue carbon”. | B．The special features of the seagrass. |
| C．The storage ability of the blue-carbon sinks. | D．The findings about the blue-carbon ecosystems. |
| A．Because they aren’t influenced by disasters. | B．Because there is more carbon in water than on land. |
| C．Because their carbon stocks are released back. | D．Because they have greater absorbing ability. |
| A．To add background information. | B．To give suggestions. |
| C．To list influential examples. | D．To offer scientific data. |
【推荐3】For many people who live in cities, parks are an important landscape. They provide a place for people to relax and play sports, as well as a shelter from the often severe environment of a city. What people often overlook is that parks also provide considerable environmental benefits.
One benefit of parks is that plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. According to one study, an acre of trees can absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide that a typical car emits in 11,000 miles of driving. Parks also make cities cooler. Scientists have long noted what is called the Urban Heat Island Effect: building materials such as metal and concrete (混凝土) absorb much more of the sun’s heat and release it much more quickly than trees and grass. Because city landscapes contain so much of these building materials, cities are usually warmer than surrounding rural areas. Parks and other green spaces help to lessen the Urban Heat Island Effect.
Unfortunately, many cities cannot easily create more parks. However, cities could benefit from many of the positive effects of parks by encouraging citizens to create another type of green space: rooftop gardens. While most people would not think of starting a garden on their roof, human beings have been planting gardens on rooftops for thousands of years. Some rooftop gardens are simple container gardens that anyone can create with the investment (投资) of a few hundred dollars and a few hours of work.
Rooftop gardens provide many of the same benefits as other urban parks and garden spaces, but without taking up the much-needed land. In the summer, rooftop gardens prevent buildings from absorbing heat from the sun, which can significantly reduce cooling bills. In the winter, gardens help control the heat that materials like brick and concrete release so quickly, leading to savings on heating bills. Rooftop vegetables and herb gardens can also provide fresh food for city settlers, making their diets healthier. Rooftop gardens are not only something everyone can enjoy but also a smart environmental investment.
1. The underlined word “emits” in the second paragraph probably means _________.| A．takes up | B．gives out |
| C．carries away | D．breathes in |
| A．More rooftop gardens. | B．More trees and grass. |
| C．More parking lots. | D．More building materials. |
| A．They make people much happier. |
| B．They provide more benefits from urban parks. |
| C．They help to save money and keep a healthy diet. |
| D．They have become very popular in recent years. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Critical. | D．Objective. |
【推荐1】Among the many things that Brisbane(布里斯班)，Australia, does really well is the care for kids. Here’s a list of places that we think will be suitable for your kids.
Swimming pools
Simple way for happiness: mix kids with water. Of course, this is a choice for the hot summer months.
Parks
Outdoor fun—that’s what Brisbane’s parks offer kids of all ages. Parks encourage imagination and activity for little people and a place for parents to let them run wild.
The Children’s Art Centre
The Children’s Art Centre has proven very popular with their programs and exhibitions. We love the artist-run workshops and performances(unusually you must pay some money)specially designed for children too.
South Bank Parklands
South Bank Parklands has everything you need to keep little ones amused. Take them for a swim at the man-made beach, play on one of the playgrounds by the river. On weekends, go through the arts market or go to a cheap movie at the South Bank cinema. South Bank Parklands often hosts free events and performances too.
Roma Street Parkland
Close to bus transport, this inner city parkland is easily accessible(可进入的)and ideal for kids of all ages. Younger kids can take a trip on the Jelly Bean Express, a 1. 3 km trackless train ride around the parkland or there’s a playground to explore. Free entry and open daily.
Skating and climbing
We love the places that let the kids expend all that youthful energy. Take them roller skating or ice skating. Or try rock climbing at a variety of indoor and outdoor places around Brisbane.
1. If your kids want to watch performances for free, you can take them to ________.| A．Parks South | B．Roma Street Parkland |
| C．The Children’s Art Centre | D．South Bank Parklands |
| A．We need not buy tickets for a visit. |
| B．Only younger kids can visit it. |
| C．It opens only at weekends. |
| D．You have to walk when visiting it. |
| A．How to travel in Brisbane. |
| B．Some interesting places for kids in Brisbane. |
| C．The best time to visit Brisbane. |
| D．Brisbane—a beautiful city in Australia. |
【推荐2】If you're after cheap UK train tickets, check the suggestions below and see how you could bag yourself a bargain. We'll even highlight the cheapest prices!
·Booking in advance
Train tickets in the UK usually go on sale 3 months before the date of travel. Look out for advance tickets, as these tend to be cheaper when they're first released. Be quick though, as they may sell out on busier routes.
Find out more about our advance ticket alarm tool.
·Traveling off-peak
When travelling by train in the UK, you can benefit from reduced fares by choosing the time periods of day that are less busy. When searching for tickets with us, we'll display all available ticket options, highlighting the cheapest ones.
Learn more about off-peak train time from our website.
·Using the price prediction tool
Our clever little price prediction tool will predict the future and let you know when ticket prices are about to go up, meaning you'll never miss out on the best value fares. Beat the rush and save on price too (Currently available in the UK app only).
Discover the magic of price prediction.
·Choosing the season ticket calculator
If you travel on the same route more than three times a week, then season tickets could help you to save both valuable time and money. Besides that, they're also available in a number of flexible options to suit different time frames.
Check out our season ticket calculator today to get started.
1. What is the characteristic of traveling off-peak by train in the UK?| A．The trains are too crowded. | B．Train tickets are often sold out. |
| C．There are more passengers at this time. | D．The travel time periods are less busy. |
| A．Call ahead and ask. | B．Check the advance ticket alert tool. |
| C．Refer to a piece of price prediction tool. | D．Download the season ticket calculator. |
| A．To advertise train services. |
| B．To encourage passengers to travel abroad. |
| C．To offer services to the train passengers on the way. |
| D．To help visitors spend less money on railway tickets. |
【推荐3】A good book is indeed the best friend of a person. The same goes for high-profile CEOs of world recognized companies as well. Let’s have a look at the favorite books of some of the world-famous CEOs.
Apple CEO—Tim Cook, Competing against Time by George Stalk Jr. and Thomas M. Hout
This book is based on 10 years of valuable research done by the authors. It talks about how new concepts of managing time in new product development, production and sales provide companies with the advantages to succeed in this highly competitive world.
Microsoft CEO(Former)—Bill Gates, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
A few themes explored in the novel are rebellion（叛逆）, anxiety and confusion. It tells that young people are a little confused, but can be smart about things and see things that adults don’t really see. Gates said, “ I didn’t actually read The Catcher in the Rye until I was 13, and ever since then I’ve said that's my favorite book.”
Oracle CEO—Larry Ellison, Napoleon by Vincent Cronin
This book is considered by far the best biography ever written on Napoleon Bonaparte. Ellison said, "It's interesting to read about him for a couple of reasons: to see what an ordinary man can do with his life and to see how history can distort（歪曲）the truth entirely."
OWE CEO— Oprah Winfrey, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This book talks about how a little girl observes the people around her. Winfrey said, “ I read it in eighth or ninth grade, and I was trying to recommend the book to other kids. So it makes sense to me that now I have a book club, because I have been doing that probably since I read this book.”
1. What is the theme of Competing Against Time?| A．How to increase production. | B．How to improve efficiency. |
| C．How to enrich experience. | D．How to save energy. |
| A．Competing against Time. | B．The Catcher in the Rye. |
| C．Napoleon. | D．To Kill a Mockingbird. |
| A．She loved reading when young. |
| B．She read the book with other kids. |
| C．The book has an influence on her career. |
| D．The book is about a girl’s thoughts. |
The answer depends largely on cultural values as well as personal experiences. To the Egyptians, green was a color that represented the hope and joy of spring, while for Muslims, it means heaven. Red is a symbol (象征) of good luck in many cultures. In China, children are given money in a red envelope to bring good fortune in the New Year. For many nations, blue is a symbol of protection and religious beliefs. Greek people often wear a blue necklace hoping to protect themselves against evils (灾祸).
People’s choice of colors is also influenced by their bodies’ reactions (反应) toward them. Green is said to be the most restful color. It has the ability to reduce pain and relax people both mentally and physically. People who work in green environment have been found to have fewer stomach aches.
Red can cause a person’s blood pressure to rise and increase people’s appetites (食欲). Many decorators will include different shades of red in the restaurant. Similarly, many commercial websites will have a red “Buy Now” button because red is a color that easily catches a person’s eye.
Blue is another calming color. Unlike red, blue can cause people to lose appetite. So if you want to eat less, some suggest that eating from blue plates can help.
The next time you are deciding on what to wear or what color to decorate your room, think about the color carefully.
1. Muslims regard green as a symbol of heaven mainly because of their______.
| A．cultural values | B．commercial purposes |
| C．personal experiences | D．physical reactions to the color |
| A．To relax people physically. |
| B．To increase people’s appetites. |
| C．To encourage people to make a purchase. |
| D．To cause a person’s blood pressure to rise. |
| A．Red. | B．Green. | C．Blue. | D．Purple. |
| A．Colors and Human Beings |
| B．The Cultural Meaning of Color |
| C．The Meaning and Function of Color |
| D．Colors and Personal Experiences |
【推荐2】Who needs friends? According to most psychologists (心理学家), we all do, especially nowadays when so many other aspects (方面) of modern life are changing. It seems that having friends keeps us both healthy and happy.
The number of TV series about groups of friends shows just how important friendship is to us. Psychologist Dorothy Rowe says that many of us now turn to our friends, instead of our families, for advice, comfort and security (安全感). One woman named Rebecca she interviewed even told her that if she had got to choose between her husband and her friend, she would choose her friend.
Since our friends mean so much to us, it is not surprising that the happiest marriages are also friendships. “Once the romantic stage of a relationship has passed, it is friendship that holds people together,” says Rowe. If the couple do not make some change, they will either get tired of each other and break up or stay together and seek friendship with others.
But is friendship equally important to women and men? According to author Rhonda Pritchard, women are more likely than men to have close friends. “You tell a friend things that you’d never tell a partner”, says one woman she interviewed. For men, friendship is usually based on doing things together rather than the private conversations that are typical of women friend. Men share time and activities like building a fence or a business, running, riding a bike, fishing or watching football, but they don’t often share their feelings.
Although many women find their relationships with a husband or boyfriend is not enough, many men say that their partner is their best friend. Even women who are very happily married are likely to become very unhappy without a close friend and can even find the breakup of a close friend as painful as the end of a marriage.
1. What did Rebecca think about friendship?| A．Families are reliable forever. |
| B．Her friend means more to her than her husband |
| C．One needn’t have too many friends. |
| D．Friends are as important as families. |
| A．they are encouraged by their partners. |
| B．they are not fairly treated by their partners |
| C．they don’t get what they need from their partners. |
| D．they think their friends are more romantic. |
| A．Women often do things together. |
| B．Women often talk about business with friends. |
| C．Men seldom talk about their feelings. |
| D．Men often talk to their friends about work and family. |
| A．feel as upset as when a marriage ends. |
| B．share feelings with their partners. |
| C．treat their partners as friends. |
| D．turn to their husband for comfort. |
【推荐3】I’ve spent over a year in India, and in those 365 plus days, I’ve learned a lot about getting around Indian cities. My biggest lessons have been learned through being cheated, particularly by taxi and rickshaw (人力车) drivers, but that doesn’t mean those are bad ways to travel, as long as you know what you’re doing. Below are the best ways to get around the city of Delhi, India, and tips for how to keep from being the victim of scams (欺骗).
Taking taxis is a great way to get around the city of Delhi and chances are, if you arrive in Delhi by plane, as soon as you make it through customs, you’ll be swarmed by Indian taxi drivers. At the Delhi airport, be sure to arrange for a taxi to your hotel at one of the two Delhi Traffic Police Taxi Booths. One is inside the airport, and one is outside. The key is to make sure to go to a booth run by the police rather than by independent taxi drivers.
Rickshaws are one of my favorite ways to get around Indian cities, in part because it’s how the locals often travel. Auto-rickshaws are more common, but bicycle rickshaws are still used in Old Delhi. If you do have a chance to take a bicycle rickshaw, you should do it at least once for a unique experience that should only set you back about 15 rupees. Auto-rickshaw rates around Delhi range between 30 and 80 rupees, depending on distance.
If you really want to travel around Delhi like the locals, take a public bus. Indian buses become very crowded and most do not have air conditioning. They are, however, very cheap. A bus trip won’t set you back any more than 15 rupees, as long as you stay within the city limits. Since Indian buses get so crowded, try to board the bus at the start of the route so you can get a seat.
The train is a great way to get around within the city of Delhi. Fares are reasonable, between six and 22 rupees. All departure announcements are in both Hindi and English, and tokens can be purchased for between six and 22 rupees.
1. The author is trying to __________ in Delhi through this text.| A．explain the difficulties of traveling | B．expect us to travel around |
| C．show his/her experiences | D．give some advice of traveling |
| A．go out of the airport | B．go to a police-run booth |
| C．show your ticket to the driver | D．pay more to the drivers to keep safe |
| A．help the local rickshaw drivers | B．enjoy the comfortable trip |
| C．gain some unique experience | D．save some money |
| A．You’ll have to speak English if you travel around in India. |
| B．It will be difficult for you to get a seat if you get on the bus halfway. |
| C．A rickshaw driver only charges whatever amount you give him. |
| D．You won’t have to pay much if you travel around by bus in India. |
