It cannot be denied that Hakka earth buildings, or Kejia tulou, are totally different to traditional architectural styles both in China and abroad
Beyond their giant size, earth buildings are unique for their robust(坚固的)architecture. The multi-storey buildings were built with a mixture of earth, sand, glutinous rice , bamboo and wood chips, solidly tamped(夯实)into walls up to two metres thick. Each building could shelter hundreds of people——all sharing the same surname. If danger approached, the doors would be swiftly bolted(闩上)shut. Weapons would then be distributed among the men. Food would be stockpiled in advance and water drawn from the wells located within the building.
Though sometimes called roundhouses, not all earth buildings are doughnut-shaped. Oval square and rectangular ones can be found as well. Some earth buildings bunch up in picturesque clusters, but many stand alone
While some of the oldest existing earth buildings date back to the 12th century, the most recent examples were built in the last century. In a typical earth building, rooms are arranged in a ring-like formation, which face onto a circular central courtyard.
For anyone numbed by the impersonal nature of modern Chinese apartment blocks or the rapid pace of urban China, the earth buildings are charming reminders of what communal village life was like in the past. The Chinese frequently say, “A nearby neighbour is better than a distant relative.” The earth-building-living Hakka have the best of both worlds, as neighbours are also relatives.
Despite their sturdy defences, the earth buildings are falling victim to a gradual hollowing out from within. Like so many villages across China, grandparents and grandchildren can be found playing together, but there is often less and less indication of the presence of the labouring generation between the two. The young and the middle-aged have left to earn money in the country’s cities and towns, leaving many earth buildings largely depopulated.
1. According to the article, which of the following statements about Hakka earth buildings is true?| A．Most earth buildings are round—shaped. |
| B．Most earth buildings are built to be the same size. |
| C．The first earth building was built in the 12th century. |
| D．A typical earth building is occupied by one large family clan of the same surname. |
| A．close neighborhood ties | B．scenery of the countryside |
| C．vast living space | D．communal way of life |
| A．Because fewer and fewer babies are being born in the villages |
| B．Because they have to make way for modern apartment blocks. |
| C．Because they have been worn down by the years without repair. |
| D．Because more and more people are moving into the cities and towns. |
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【推荐1】There’s a reason humans have been building homes from wood for 10,000 years. It’s an excellent building material. But since it’s not transparent (透明的), we’re still in the habit of cutting windows in our houses.
But what if wood could be made transparent?
Researchers in Sweden have been trying to do just that. They’ve created a clear wood material they hope could one day be used for more energy-saving building.
“We chemically made wood transparent”, says Celine Montanari, a researcher at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
Montanari and her team took wood and removed its lignin(木质素), and filled the resulting micro holes with a special chemical. Then the wood looked rather like the frosted glass of a shower door. They took the material one step further, mixing it with polyethylene glycol, a material that melts at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. When it melts, it absorbs energy and becomes transparent, then releases energy when cooled. In theory, this means the new wood material could be used to make windows that absorb energy during the hot part of the day and release it into the home when it gets cold at night. It makes the new wood an even more eco-friendly material by keeping indoor temperatures constant.
This is not a new technique, says Mark Swihart, a professor at University at Buffalo. Materials that store and release energy are not new either. “The thing that seems to be new is their way of the energy storage.” Swihart says.
Using wood as a base material is attractive because it has strength that’s hard to reproduce in other materials at the same cost, Swihart says. Whether or not the new transparent wood will be successful will depend in large part on how cheaply it can be made, he says. It’s also difficult to get new material widely used by the building industry, as there are existing supply chains for things like glass.
Montanari and her team are currently looking at increasing the heat storage capacity(储热性能) of the transparent wood, for greater energy savings. They’re also studying how to increase production to an industrial scale(规模). They hope to have a product ready for market within five years.
1. What are researchers in Sweden trying to do?| A．Construct all-glass buildings. |
| B．Develop see-through wood. |
| C．Create new frosted glass for future buildings. |
| D．Figure out the reason people use wood for buildings. |
| A．By giving example. |
| B．By analyzing reasons. |
| C．By describing processes |
| D．By making comparisons. |
| A．It costs too much |
| B．It uses a brand-new technique. |
| C．It will face uncertainty in the market. |
| D．It will be widely used in the building industry. |
| A．Making it cheaper. |
| B．Improving its performance. |
| C．Putting it into production. |
| D．Building a supply chain. |
【推荐2】At age 65, my grandfather decided to build a new house. He wasn't quite sure what to do with the old house. It seemed a waste to pull it down, but it sat where the new house would be. So he hired a bulldozer to push the old house far out into a grove of trees.
My grandfather passed away, and I took over his farm. My wife and I raised our sons on this farm and have lived here for more than 30 years.
When we first moved in, my wife took one look at the old house and thought it was a hazard. I agreed and planned on a huge bonfire. But I thought it necessary to check out the old house first, just in case something of value had been left behind.
Our two young sons came along. Most of the windows were gone, and the siding was falling off. We entered through an open window.
Here lay the waste of my grandparents’ lives. A broken chair. The stove. Some old clothes in a large bag. But the thing that drew my eye was a cardboard box filled with papers. I dug through its contents and was immediately transported back in time. There was a tax return from 1957. Canceled checks from June 1962. Greeting cards from old friends and relatives. My uncle's third-grade spelling book.
I spent most of an enjoyable hour going through that box. All the while, I had to answer questions from my sons about the old house. They were surprised that nine people once lived in the tiny house.
As I left the old house that day, I took a look at it over my shoulder. I don't care what anyone thinks, I decided. That old house gets to stay there until it rots into the earth.
1. What do we know about the old house from paragraph 1?| A．It was difficult to move. | B．It was in no condition to live in. |
| C．It would be used for other purposes. | D．It had to make room for a new house. |
| A．He disliked it. | B．He was amazed at it. |
| C．He was interested in it. | D．He paid little attention to it. |
| A．A broken chair. | B．Some old clothes. | C．The stove. | D．A cardboard box. |
| A．It is a fine example of a new house | B．It is a favourite of his sons. |
| C．It holds valuable memories. | D．It helps the environment. |
【推荐3】These days a green building means more than just the color of the paint. Green buildings can also refer to environmentally friendly houses, factories, and offices.
Green building means "reducing the effect of the building on the land", Taryn Holowka of the U.S. Green Building Council(评议会) in Washington, D.C., said. According to Holowka, building account for 65 percent of total U.S. electricity use.
But green building can reduce energy and water use. Also, the building are often located near public transportation such as buses and subways, so that people can drive their cars less. That could be good for the environment, because cars use lots of gas and give off pollution. Green building are often built on developed land, so that the buildings don't destroy forests.
Marty Dettling is project manager for a building that puts these ideas into action. The Solaire has been called the country's first green high-rise building. According to Dettling, "We've reduced our energy use by one-third and our water by 50 percent."
The Solaire cuts energy in past by using solar power. "On the face of the building we have solar panels(光板) which change the sun's energy into electricity," Dettling explained.
The Solaire also has lights that automatically turn off when people leave the room. In addition, the building has lots of windows, allowing people to use the sun for light during the day. The Solaire cuts water by reusing it.
Not everyone is eager to move into a green building, however. Some people think that things like solar panels cost more money than more traditional energy sources. Anyhow, Holowka said, "It's going to be big."
1. A green building means .
| A．a building that uses no electricity | B．a building occupying |
| C．a building that saves energy and water | D．a green-colored building |
| A．which has already been for buildings |
| B．which has thick forests around |
| C．where people of high income live |
| D．where traveling around by car is most convenient |
| A．will be more comfortable |
| B．will become popular in future |
| C．will be more environmentally friend |
| D．will take the place of traditional building |
| A．Dettling designed the first green building in the U.S. |
| B．The Solaire serves as a model of high building |
| C．Green buildings help save environment |
| D．Energy shortage calls for buildings of new design |
【推荐1】A Dutch collector who says he bought the Zhang Gong Patriarch—an ancient Buddha statue(佛像)containing the mummified(木乃伊化的)remains of a famous monk—has been ordered to return the stolen relic to its original owners, two villages in Fujian province. The Fujian Provincial High People’s Court announced the order on Wednesday, upholding the original ruling(裁决)made by a lower court about two years ago.
In a ruling in late 2020, the Sanming Intermediate People’s Court demanded that Oscar van Overeem, the Dutch architect and collector who bought the statue, return it to Yangchun and Dongpu villages. For local villagers, the statue is a significant cultural relic that had been at the Puzhao Temple in Sanming, Fujian province, where they could honor and worship it before it was stolen in December 1995, according to the high court. The lawyer for Van Overeem did not comment or give a statement over the ruling.
After further investigation and trial, the high court said on Wednesday that although Van Overeem has said he bought the statue in Amsterdam in 1996, he could not provide a receipt. In March 2015, he allowed the statue to be exhibited at the Hungarian Natural HIistory Museum in Budapest, the high court said.
The high court upheld the lower court’s ruling that the statue was stolen and is an illegally exported cultural relic. The high court added the statue reflects the traditional customs of southern Fujian and has a special meaning for the villagers, and, therefore, should be returned. Lawyers from both sides were present when the ruling was announced on Tuesday. A number of legislators(立法者), political advisers and journalists were also on hand for the ruling.
Lin Kaian, a villager from Yangchun who was present at the court when the ruling was announced on Tuesday, said,“I’m glad to hear the high court ruled in favor of us demanding the return of the statue. We respect the ruling, and we hope the statue will be back with us as soon as possible.”
1. What does the underlined word“upholding”in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Doubting. | B．Supporting. | C．Reviewing. | D．Changing. |
| A．He paid for it in Amsterdam. |
| B．He asked someone else to steal it. |
| C．He got it from a villager in Sanming. |
| D．He took it from the Puzhao Temple. |
| A．The statue is a significant cultural relic that had been at the villager’s house. |
| B．The lawyer for Van Overeem expressed his disagreement with the ruling in 2020. |
| C．In March 2015, Van Overeem allowed the statue to be exhibited in Amsterdam. |
| D．The lower court announced it is an illegally exported cultural relic. |
| A．Buddha statue reflects traditional customs of southern Fujian |
| B．Villagers look for Buddha statue ever since its disappearance |
| C．Dutch collector warned to provide receipt for Buddha statue |
| D．Dutch collector ordered to return Buddha statue |
【推荐2】The UNESCO has recognized the Chinese art of paper cutting on its Intangible Cultural Heritage List. But paper cutting is at the risk of disappearing.
Voyo Woo, a Chinese immigrant, who loves paper cutting, worked hard to celebrate the ancient art form. With a keen interest in paper cutting, Ms Woo held a paper cutting exhibition at a shopping center near Washington. “I really love it. I get so much fun by doing it. So I’m just kind of hoping that more people will learn about this art which is about to disappear. I think it’s time to take action. So I held it.”
Voyo Woo began to study paper cutting when she was a 14-year-old girl in southeastern China. Voyo Woo’s teacher gave her extra training after class because Voyo Woo discovered a special love for it. Later, her beautiful paper cuttings won second prize in a national painting competition. “Paper is the easiest material that you can find. You can just turn it into beautiful art. I think it is like magic to me.”
Ms Woo came to the US after she finished college in 2008. She has been invited to show the art at a wide collection of events. She also has shown her skill and works at famous museums like the Smithsonian Institution’s Freer and Sackler art galleries in Washington.
“I saw so many people coming to me and asking me. They were amazed. I think it’s important to introduce the art form to American people or anyone who is interested.”
Ms Woo placed examples of her art around her as she displayed paper cutting at the shopping center. Ann Russ, a shopper, was attracted by the nature of the work. She said it put her at ease. “I like to know about Chinese art, specifically because it’s almost relaxing to put that much effort into it,” Russ said.
1. The underlined word “keen” in paragraph 2 probably means .| A．strong | B．strange |
| C．similar | D．simple |
| A．To make money for her further education. |
| B．To keep and develop the ancient Chinese art. |
| C．To show off her perfect skill in paper cutting. |
| D．To explain paper cutting is a real art in China. |
| A．She went to the US mainly to teach the art. |
| B．She will come back to China to study the art. |
| C．She once showed the art at several museums in Washington. |
| D．She once held a competition for American paper cutting lovers. |
【推荐3】At Jenner Park primary School in Wales, pupils between the ages of seven and nine are writing letters to residents of a local care home. The initiative sees children and their elderly pen pals(笔友) exchange updates about their lives,helping to build relationships between generations while also giving the children an understanding of the value of writing letters by hand—an activity that's becoming less and less common.
Laura Johnson,the teacher who coordinates(协调) the scheme at Jenner Park,says:"All of our writing is for a purpose. That's the key in getting children to value handwriting. "As soon as you put an audience there, knowing that someone out there is going to be reading it—whether that's parents or another group of children—there's always the real sense of pride to go along with it,"says Johnson.
The school maintains a focus on handwriting throughout the years,from dedicated handwriting classes in the prep school to a calligraphy club offered to the older groups. It has created something called the pen license. It allows younger children to move from using a pencil to pen once they've reached a certain standard. "There's a lot of excitement about reaching that pen licence stage," says Johnson.
Johnson adds that developing students' writing in this way matters for their life after school:"For us, it's important that we create citizens of the future who have a set of life skills that can make them successful." The dominance of technology is a challenge,she admits, but she also believes both tools have their place."Obviously we're competing with technology continuously."she says."And I know there are people there saying you don't need to bother about handwriting because tech is out there. But we don't see it as competing. We're trying to get pupils to realize that there's a place for handwriting and to know when it's important to use each."
1. Why does the school launch the initiative?| A．To help children to find the meaning of handwriting. |
| B．To encourage children to show pity for the aged. |
| C．To persuade children to choose proper courses. |
| D．To urge children to acknowledge the audience. |
| A．Its after-class activities. | B．Its practice in handwriting. |
| C．Its academic achievements. | D．Its innovation in technology. |
| A．It will win against technology. | B．It will give way to technology. |
| C．It will co-exist with technology. | D．It will cause confusion to people. |
| A．Handwriting promotes the pen pal scheme |
| B．Slow communication reduces misunderstanding |
| C．Creative ideas for dealing with challenges gain popularity |
| D．Putting pen to paper contributes to a love of the written word |
【推荐1】September 21, 2050--At a press conference today it was announced that the first tourist heading for Mars will be the 38-year-old US businessman Patrick Clifford.He will leave the earth in the launching window of June 2052 and set his foot on the surface of Mars in November, together with the other 6 astronauts assigned for the mission to further explore the planet.
Patrick has now two years of training ahead of him to get ready for the trip. Not only will he spend five months in getting to Mars, but another 600 days there before he can go back home. Patrick was of course very excited, “This has been my dream since I was four, and seeing the first man on Mars 20 years ago made me realize that it was possible.”
To be able to pay the $ 1.3 billion for his ticket for the trip Patrick sold his majority stake(股份)in the company his father had built.“I know that my father would have been proud of me if he had still been alive today, he knew what this means to me”, says Patrick. There is no risk though that you will find Patrick begging in your street corner when he comes back, but it is said that he was paid twice as much for his part of the company.
So, how is he going to spend his 600 days on the red planet？“Well, since I don’t have a job when I get back after selling the company, I have plenty of time to come up with a new business idea”, he says and laughs. If he brings a shovel (铁锹) he can start building the first hotel there, but maybe he shouldn’t expect too many guests until someone can offer a cheaper ticket.
1. How long will Patrick Clifford be away before he comes back?| A．About five months. | B．About two years. |
| C．About 600 days. | D．About 750 days. |
| A．the trip will turn Patrick into a beggar |
| B．Patrick will get much money from the trip |
| C．we needn’t worry about Patrick’s economic condition |
| D．it’s likely that Patrick will be very poor after he comes back |
| A．Patrick is an optimistic man. |
| B．A total of six people will go to Mars. |
| C．Patrick’s father felt excited at the news. |
| D．Patrick will spend all his money on the trip. |
【推荐2】With intelligent systems and new-age networks, life in the big cities will likely be happier and more efficient. After all, more than 60 percent of the world’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050, according to a UN report.
These cities will use 5G networks to make everyday life safer and more convenient. Cities like Boston, Baltimore, Amsterdam and Copenhagen are already using smart technology to improve people’s lives.
But what exactly does a smart city do? Let’s look at a few examples. In the United States cities of Boston and Baltimore, smart trash cans can sense how full they are and inform cleaning workers when they need to be emptied. In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, traffic flow and energy usage are monitored and adjusted according to real-time data gathered from sensors (传感器) around the city. And in Copenhagen, Denmark, a smart bike system allows riders to check on air quality and traffic jam as they ride.
Smart cities will be interactive, allowing their residents to feel like they’re truly shaping their environment, instead of merely existing in it. “One of the most important reasons to have a smart city is that we can actually communicate with our environment in a way that we never had in the past,” Mrinalini Ingram told Tech Republic.
Of course, it will take time and money to turn our present cities into the smart cities of the future. But as we’ve already seen, more cities around the world are already using smart technology in small ways. China, for example, is making investments in big cities like Guangzhou to make them “smarter”. It won’t be long until even more cities start to develop their own smart infrastructure (基础设施).
1. What can a smart city actually do in people’s daily life?| A．A real-time traffic jam can be reported. |
| B．More and more people will live in big cities. |
| C．It can replace workers to empty a trash can. |
| D．People can ride bikes in an easier way. |
| A．People in big cities will benefit from intelligent systems. |
| B．More and more big cities will use smart technology. |
| C．We will show a deeper passion for building our new cities. |
| D．We will communicate with the environment in a new way. |
| A．Critical. | B．Neutral. | C．Positive. | D．Negative. |
【推荐3】Every year, billions of bars of partially used hotel soap are thrown away around the world. Those bars of soap finally end up in landfills, when they could be saving lives.
Worldwide, approximately 1.8 million people in underserved communities—including 1 in 4 children—die annually because of lack of access to soap and clean water. These heartbreaking statistics are what drove Hilton to launch a first-of-its-kind soap-recycling program.
The soap-recycling process starts with discarded soap that is collected from hotels and donated to a soap recycling center where it’s made into new bars and then donated to communities around the world. Not only are these new soap bars eco-friendly, but they also help prevent diseases and reduce death rates. Just one bar of recycled soap provides an estimated 180 handwashes.
Today, to mark Global Handwashing Day (October 15), Hilton is further expanding our life-saving program: Soap recycling will now be a brand standard in selected regions, with the program extending to include over 5,300 properties in more than 70 countries and territories.
Hilton’s role as a leader in soap recycling started back in 2009. Hampton Inn by Hilton in Orlando International Airport became the first hotel to donate discarded soap to Clean the World, which has since become the company’s largest soap-recycling partner. More of our hotels caught wind of the program’s success and began to recycle soap themselves.
As our founder, Conrad Hilton, once said: “To achieve big things, you must first dream big.” At Hilton, we are leading by example and making our dream of a cleaner world, a “greener” hotel industry and a more sustainable future a reality.
1. What was the purpose of Hilton to start recycling soap?| A．To meet the need of the hotels. | B．To clean the polluted water. |
| C．To reduce the waste of resources. | D．To add financial benefits. |
| A．Thrown-away. | B．Cleaned. | C．Gathered. | D．Discovered. |
| A．They wanted to be the leader of hotel industry. | B．They were motivated by Hilton’s success. |
| C．They wanted to learn from Conrad Hilton. | D．They were determined to clean the world. |
| A．Recycling Soap—a Way to Save the Earth | B．Hilton—a Leader of Recycling Soap |
| C．Hilton—the Example of Hotel Industry | D．Recycling Soap—a Trend in Hotel Industry |
