The race skywards began in America. In the late1800s, industrialization had driven urban populations and land prices up, making tall buildings increasingly cost-effective, according to Carol Willis, director of the Skyscraper Museum in New York, “The very first tall buildings were office buildings that concentrated a work force, piled one on top of the other in order to make business very efficient, ”she says.
Like all major changes in architecture, the trend was underpinned by engineering. The development of steel framework, which could be used instead of load-bearing stones, made it easier and cheaper to build tall. The coming of the elevator, meanwhile, made living on higher floors far more convenient.
Though similar in shape, today's skyscrapers (摩天大楼) look little like those built in the first half of the 20th century. This is mostly thanks to architecture's next major technological shift：the curtain wall.
Postwar developments in manufacturing meant that huge panes of glass could be produced quickly and uniformly, and glass windows soon became the front of choice for high-rises. As well as allowing for greater floor space and more natural light, glass exteriors (外部) help. buildings resist greater wind loads.
There are now 191 completed skyscrapers that are at least 300 meters tall. But that doesn't mean our cities will grow taller indefinitely. While each additional story adds sellable floor space, construction costs also rise. All buildings reach a point where adding an extra floor will cost more money than it brings.
“Every city wants to have this landmark that gives that sense of distinct culture, ”but it also needs places for people to live and work in urban settings“without the city sprawling (无序扩张), ”explains Hong Kong architect Simon Chan.
The next big challenge facing architects goes beyond height：At a time when buildings and their construction account for more than a third of the world's energy consumption and contribute about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions(排放), there are new costs to consider.
Whether it's employing more energy-efficient materials, encouraging natural air or using buildings themselves to generate solar or wind energy, reducing carbon emissions is the new frontier for many skyscraper architects.
1. What does the underlined word“underpinned” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Created. | B．Prepared. | C．Suggested. | D．Supported. |
| A．The development of steel framework. | B．Load-bearing stones. |
| C．The use of the elevator. | D．The curtain wall. |
| A．Our cities will grow taller definitely. |
| B．All skyscrapers are at least 300 meters tall. |
| C．Construction cost rises as the stories increase. |
| D．The profit for builders will be greater as the building becomes higher. |
| A．How to build the greenest building. | B．How to build the strongest building. |
| C．How to build the tallest building in the world. | D．How to build the most comfortable building. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Dandelion (蒲公英) seeds can travel for miles before finally floating down and settling somewhere new. Researchers recently discovered how the plants decide to spread. “We noticed that the dandelion parachute (降落伞) is closed in foggy mornings but then open again when the sun is up during the day,” according to Naomi Nakayama, a researcher of bioengineering. “The dandelion uses a bunch of hairs to improve air drag and aid its flight. Unlike insects or birds, they don’t need any energy input to fly a long distance- even hundreds of kilometers—they simply catch the wind.”
Researchers discovered the parachutes open and close using what they say is like an actuator (触动器), a device that changes energy and signals into movement. But this actuator doesn’t use any energy. The middle of the dandelion’s parachute is able to sense the amount of humidity (湿度) by absorbing water molecules (分子) in the air. Using signals about humidity information, they either open their parachutes and fly off or they close them and stay where they are.
“The center of the parachute changes its shape, moving the hairs altogether in harmony,” Nakayama says. “It’s basically a sponge made of no-longer living plant cells, which are arranged in a tube empty inside. The inner side and the outer side swell with water to different degrees, and that drives the movement.”
Knowing what causes dandelions to spread their seeds could help scientists learn how they deal with climate change. They say understanding the response could help researchers design new soft robots, which are those made from flexible materials that imitate soft bodies. “How plants move their body parts are different from animals and a simple, localized expansion could be enough to move arms,” Nakayama says. “Movement of a few arms has been achieved, but this is the first of many arm actuators. It is simple in design, so there is a lot of space for biomimicry (仿生学)”.
1. What makes the dandelion fly?| A．Energy. | B．Wind. | C．Fog. | D．Parachute. |
| A．By spreading their seeds. | B．By changing energy into movement. |
| C．By feeling humidity information. | D．By staying where they are. |
| A．Scientists make a robot out of dandelion. | B．Plants move just like the animals. |
| C．Dandelions move with arms. | D．Plants can inspire biomimicry. |
| A．Observing Dandelions | B．Dandelions and Climate Change |
| C．Making Soft Robots | D．Dandelions and Biomimicry |
【推荐2】Fishy Weather Conditions
Laj amanu, Australia, is a dry little town, sitting right on the edge of the Tanami desert. Can you imagine how surprised people were when live fish rained down on them from a dark gray cloud. It happens that there are similar cases in England and Honduras.
How do clouds make fishy? The simple answer is that they don’t. There is a particular weather phenomenon (现象) called a waterspout. A waterspout is just like a tornado (龙卷风), only it forms above oceans, lakes, or rivers. Like a tornado, a waterspout moves in a circle at high speeds. When it moves above the water, it tends to carry the fish with it, as well as frogs or other small plants or animals.
Scientists couldn’t work it out at first. To make matters stranger still, the fish in Honduras were very much alive when they rained down to the ground, but they were all blind. In England and Australia, it rained fish and snakes, and none were blind. It was difficult to puzzle out, but the blind fish gave them a place to start.
Scientists knew that some fish that lived in deep, underground caves with no light sources often lost their eyesight. So when blind fish rained down on Honduras, scientists began to connect some clues (线索，提示). Clearly, these particular fish were pulled from an underground water source by force.
It has rained fish on every continent, and each time, people have tried in various ways to explain this strange phenomenon. Historically, villagers thought the “fishes from the heavens” might be answers to prayers (祈祷) for food. Others suggested that floods overran river banks and oceans, leaving the fish on the city streets. No scientist had actually seen the rain as it occurred, only the fish left on the ground. But in 1990, a National Geographic team happened to be in Honduras when the Rain of Fishes began. They recorded what was happening and made history by finally proving that the fish really did fall from the sky.
This huge breakthrough wasn’t just a spot of good luck. It changed thousands of years of myths (虚构的事；谬论) and legends into true stories and provided scientific explanations for how fish came to live in deep caves. It explained ancient cave paintings and cast (投射光线) new light on how species have spread over time. It turned out to be a lot more than just a little fishy weather.
1. According to the passage, a waterspout ________.| A．can make animals blind |
| B．is difficult to catch on film |
| C．can carry items (物品) with it |
| D．is a dangerous sea creature |
| A．raining fish was a warning of natural disasters |
| B．animals changed to match their environments |
| C．the weather system differed from place to place |
| D．the waterspout theory seemed more possible |
| A．waterspouts came to be a center of scientific research |
| B．the scientists were fortunate to have made their discoveries |
| C．hard work went into determining the cause for the raining fish |
| D．the scientists relied heavily on unusual events to drive their studies |
| A．explain what caused the fishy weather |
| B．describe the magic phenomenon |
| C．persuade people to protect the environment |
| D．encourage people to do scientific research |
【推荐3】Dogs can tell how other dogs are feeling from the way their tails are wagging (摇摆), according to researchers who monitored the animals’ heart rate as they watched dogs’ movies. The Italian team found that dogs had higher heart rates and became more anxious when they saw others wag their tails more to the left, but not when they wagged more to the right, or failed to wag at all.
The curious form of communication is probably not intentional, or consciously understood, but is instead an automatic behavior that arises from the structure of the brain, said Giorgio. “It’s not something they clearly and exactly understand,” Giorgio told The Guardian. “It’s just something that happens to them.”
Giorgio traces the effect back to the way the two halves of the brain process different experiences. In a previous study, his team showed that when a dog had a positive experience, activity rose in the left side of the brain, bringing about more tail wagging to the right. Or else more tail wagging to the left. The effect is barely visible to the human eye because dogs tend to wag their tails too fast, but it can be seen with slow motion video, or in some larger types.
In the latest study, the researchers wanted to find out whether the direction of tail wagging had any effect on other dogs. To get an answer, they fitted dogs with vests that recorded their heart rates, and played them movies of other dogs wagging their tails one way and then the other. To ensure the dogs reacted only to tail wagging, and not appearance, they repeated the experiment with dogs that appeared only as shadows.
“When dogs saw other dogs wagging their tails to the right, there was quite a relaxed reaction and no evidence of an increased heart rate. But when the wagging was to the left we saw an increase in heart rate and a series of behaviors typically associated with stress, anxiety and being more watchful,” Giorgio said. The anxious animals held their ears up, breathed, and kept their eyes wide open. The study appears in the latest issue of Current Biology.
1. What does the text focus on?| A．Animal protection. | B．Animal psychology. |
| C．Animal tests. | D．Animal welfare. |
| A．Their automatic behavior. | B．Their conscious response. |
| C．Their increasing heart rate. | D．Their selective preference. |
| A．When they run quickly. | B．When they feel hungry. |
| C．When they feel stressed. | D．When they play with their owners. |
| A．Giorgio did the research on his own. |
| B．The effect of dog’s wagging tails can be seen by human eyes. |
| C．A dog keeping his eyes wide open may show he is nervous or worried. |
| D．The findings of the study will help with wildlife protection. |
【推荐1】Thanks to its cold environment, Antarctica (南极洲) remained largely untouched by humans for thousands of years. However, since the 1990s, the last true wilderness on the planet is becoming an increasingly popular destination for tourists. Now, a new study shows that the visitors may be bringing harmful bacteria (细菌) which could reduce the area’s native bird population.
Researchers believed that the Antarctic creatures were not affected by the danger due to the continent’s extreme weather. However, microbiologist Martà Cerdà-Cuéllar didn’t believe this was true. She and some colleagues decided to examine samples from Antarctic birds for evidence of human bacteria. To ensure the waste was not polluted, the scientists had to collect it from the birds themselves. This was no easy task. If they missed catching a skua at first go, the bird never came close again.
It took the scientists four years, from 2008 to 2011, to collect fecal (粪便) samples of 666 adult birds from 24 local species. The results of their study showed the presence of several types of human bacteria in the bird waste.
“While we should do as much as possible to reduce transmission (传播), it’s hard to believe that we can stop tourism and science at these sites, and so it is hard to believe that humans won’t continue to transmit pathogens (病原体),” said Kyle Elliott.
Experts, including González-Solís, believe the only way to prevent the destruction of the birds, is to introduce stricter regulations or, at least, obey the ones already in place. For example, while the Antarctica Treaty states clearly visitors carry their waste back home to protect the original environment, the regulation is rarely obeyed. Hopefully, officials will take steps to protect the easily injured birds as soon as possible.
1. What can be said about scientists finding the waste from the birds?| A．This was not an easy task. | B．This proved their conclusion. |
| C．Their tempers contributed a lot. | D．They found polluted human bacteria. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Difficult. | C．Possible. | D．Delighted. |
| A．Make new strict rules. | B．Take measures as soon as possible. |
| C．Quit the Antarctic Treaty | D．Encourage officials to strengthen cooperation. |
| A．Technology. | B．Life. | C．Art. | D．Science. |
【推荐2】Alibaba Cloud and the Hangzhou city government announced the launch of ET City Brain 2.0, a cloud-powered and AI-driven urban traffic-management system that aims to increase the city’s efficiency.
After over two years of testing in Alibaba’s home base, ET City Brain has become the new infrastructure (基础设施) for Hangzhou, with a total coverage of 420 square kilometers in area, including over 1,300 traffic lights. Over 200 traffic officers are connected via mobile phones, enabling them to receive real-time alerts on any traffic-related emergencies.
In version 2.0, the system will optimize the city’s firefighting abilities by providing key information to firefighters, such as water pressure, the number and position of fire hydrants (消防栓) in a given area, the location of gas pipes and other details they need to know. The information is instant, making the entire firefighting process faster, safer and more accurate.
City Brain gives meaning to data. By using AI and advanced algorithms (计算程序), City Brain is able to analyze a large amount of data and turn them into useful information in real-time speed.
As a result of City Brain’s ability to predict traffic flow, detect accidents and provide instant feedback, Hangzhou has dropped from 5th to the 57th on the list of China’s most congested cities. Hangzhou is probably the only city that can tell you how many cars are on the street at any given time.
In the case of medical emergencies, City Brain is able to change traffic lights, so emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks can head to the scene without interruption, accelerating their arrival time by 49%.
Dr. Wang Jian, head of Alibaba’s Technology Steering Committee who invented the term “City Brain”，said the system is designed to empower a city to act quickly and directly. It is more than just about traffic management. It’s really about how to make city more livable at a time of shrinking natural resources around the globe. “It is a matter of sustainability, while using as little natural resources as possible,” Wang said, “This is just the beginning.”
1. What benefit will ET City Brain bring?| A．Less traffic jam. |
| B．Lower crime rates. |
| C．Efficient government. |
| D．Improved medical care. |
| A．Predicting traffic flow. |
| B．Giving quick feedback. |
| C．Changing traffic lights. |
| D．Handling traffic accidents. |
| A．Practise. | B．Better. |
| C．Operate. | D．Emphasize. |
| A．ET City Brain 2.0 is a mature version. |
| B．Alibaba targets environment-friendly development. |
| C．The government is devoted to improving the system. |
| D．The system can solve the problem of lack of resources. |
【推荐3】These days scientists have been looking beyond diet and lifestyle to genetic factors when it comes to long life. The small village of Molochio in Calabria, Italy, has a population of about 2,000. And of these, there are at least eight people over a hundred years old. Researchers ask people about the secret of their long life. The answer is mainly to do with diet and is almost always the same, “I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.” “A little bit, but of everything.” “No smoking, no drinking.”
Eric Topol is one researcher who questions the received wisdom, saying,“ There must be genes that explain why some people are protected from the harmful genes that affect the aging process.”
In one small region, Ecuador, there are a number of people with a genetic condition called Laron syndrome (综合症), which limits a person’s growth to a little more than a meter, but seems to protect them against cancer. Those with Laron syndrome live longer than the rest of their families. Meanwhile, on the Hawaian island of Oahu, there’s a completely separate group of Japanese-American men who are particularly long-lived. And it turns out that they have a variant (变异) of the same gene as the Laron syndrome group.
Back in Calabria, scientists have been trying to work out exactly how much of the local longevity (长寿) is due to genetics and how much to environmental factors. Researchers built the family trees of the 100-year-old people. They looked at family information from the 19th century to today. They conclude that there are genetic factors that give health benefits to the men—a surprising result because generally, in Europe, women over a hundred years old outnumber (超过) men by five to one.
1. What can we learn about the research into the long life?| A．It has found out new factors recently. |
| B．It looks mainly at people’s diet. |
| C．It has denied traditional ideas on longevity. |
| D．It has linked people’s lifestyles to their genes. |
| A．It is reasonable. | B．It is doubtful. |
| C．It is worth studying. | D．It is common sense. |
| A．It affects the rest of a family. | B．It helps people grow healthily. |
| C．It is hard to cure. | D．It is connected with long life. |
| A．The idea of genes isn’t supported. |
| B．More women lives longer than men. |
| C．Genes and environment work equally. |
| D．There is an unexpected longevity pattern. |
