1 . Architects often spend months or even years perfecting a design to express their ideas more clearly, convey additional information, or outline the right proportions for a building. However, the urgent issue of climate change is placing new demands on their work. For example, in July, Super Typhoon Doksuri battered China, affecting more than 2.66 million people in Fujian Province alone.
Green architecture that conserves energy and reduces carbon dioxide emissions offers a solution, and concerted efforts have been made in diverse research fields over the past three decades to minimize heat loss. In addition, new buildings have to be tailored to the needs of people’s lifestyles.
Ren Jun, a professor at Tianjin University’s School of Architecture, who designed the first near-zero energy house in China in December 2019, said, “You can construct low-energy, environmentally-friendly houses, but if the interior design and environmental quality don’t meet residents’ requirements, these properties won’t be suitable to live in.”
The near-zero energy house, located-in Banbidian village in Beijing’s southern district of Daxing, won the International Design Award in the United States in January last year. The 400-square-meter property, which stands at the entrance to the village, runs on solar power gathered from rooftop panels, with the addition of a small amount of power from the grid (电网).
Ren said the first obstacle to conserving energy in the property was heat retention, which he attempted to achieve by keeping the indoor temperature at a certain level. The property is divided into five areas: a solar garden in the front yard, a central lounge, a water courtyard, a sponge zone, and a back room. For the exterior walls, Ren used three types of insulation (隔热层), including plastic foam, each about 25 centimeters thick.
Ren also looked for ways to deal with emissions at the house. He decided to install a ventilator, which pipes air that is polluted and replaces it with fresh air from outside in every room at the property.
Ren said it would take three to five years before more ultralow or near-zero energy buildings appeared in Chinese cities.
1. Which is not an important factor for designing green houses?| A．Energy consumption. | B．Carbon emission. |
| C．People’s lifestyle. | D．Architecture style. |
| A．The house consumes little electricity. |
| B．The house is deliberately designed to keep heat. |
| C．The house is equipped with many intelligent facilities. |
| D．The house is the first International Design Award-winning building in China. |
| A．He designed the house in five stories to trap heat in it. |
| B．He applied 75 centimeters of plastic foam to exterior walls. |
| C．He tailored the interior design to the demand of local people. |
| D．He installed a ventilator to cut down carbon dioxide emissions. |
| A．Green Homes Offer Hope amid Climate Change |
| B．Green Houses Feature Near-Zero Energy Consumption |
| C．Ren Jun Won the International Design Award |
| D．China Strives for Low Carbon Strategy with Green Houses |
1. What mainly made the man hesitate to visit the White House?
| A．Lack of interest. | B．The tight security. | C．The historical atmosphere. |
| A．From the website. | B．From the local paper. | C．From the travel guide. |
| A．In the White House. | B．In a dining hall. | C．At an airport. |
| A．Serious. | B．Humorous. | C．Careful. |
3 . Suspension bridges, with their high towers and elegant spans (跨度), are achievements of engineering. This list covers the longest main spans of suspension bridges around the world, not longest total lengths, as those main central spans are where the real engineering magic happens.
Osman Gazi Bridge, TürkiyeThe Osman Gazi Bridge is a splendid suspension bridge. The bridge was finished on July 1, 2016, and at the time, it was the longest suspension bridge in Türkiye and the fourth longest in the world by the length of its main central span, which measures 1,550 meters. It reduced travel time between Istanbul and Izmir from six hours to around five.
Great Belt Bridge, DenmarkThe Great Belt Bridge connects the Danish islands Zealandand Funen. The suspension bridge has a total length of 6,790 meters and a main central span of 1,624meters, making it the world’s sixth longest main span — for now. It enabled a direct driving route from mainland Europe to Sweden through Denmark.
1915 Çanakkale Bridge, TürkiyeThe bridge’s construction, which began in March 2017 and concluded in March 2022, was ambitious from the get-go. Spanning the historic Dardanelles Strait in northwestern Türkiye, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge is a symbol of national pride. Officially the world’s longest suspension bridge, it stretches a remarkable 2,023 meters in its main central span.
Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge, ChinaOpened to traffic in October 2019, the Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, is the longest suspension bridge in China and the third longest suspension in the world. It spans 1,700 meters across the famous Yangtze River. The bridge notably has the world’s longest double-level bridge span, accommodating various forms of transportation on its two levels.
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?| A．To praise the engineers of suspension bridges. |
| B．To introduce some suspension bridges fit for tourism. |
| C．To present the challenge of building suspension bridges. |
| D．To show suspension bridges with the longest main spans. |
| A．Osman Gazi Bridge. | B．Great Belt Bridge. |
| C．1915 Çanakkale Bridge. | D．Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge. |
| A．Its name’s origin. | B．Its double-level design. |
| C．Its splendid views. | D．Its construction difficulties. |
The British Museum,
As one of the most popular national museums, it charges no
| A．A new gym. | B．A film museum. | C．A larger music hall. |
Situated above the Xiao River in the south of Zhao County of Hebei Province, the well-known Zhaozhou Bridge
The construction of Zhaozhou Bridge lasted almost ten years in Sui Dynasty,
The bridge is 50.82 meters in length and has a
Regarded as the combination of ancient Chinese architectural art and superb techniques, the Zhaozhou Bridge is a delicate art treasure of China,
7 . The Sydney Opera House has become, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney’s best-known landmark and international symbol.
The base for the building was started in 1959 — years before the designs were finished. It took four years to design by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and by 1962 the designs were finalized and construction began. In total, it took 14 years to build and was officially opened on the 20th of October 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II.
The Sydney Opera House is a fascinating building and heart of the city’s cultural scene. It opened with a concert hall, an opera theatre, a drama theatre and a recital (音乐演奏会) hall, as well as restaurants and bars. A fifth theatre was added within the structure in 1998.
The Sydney Opera House cost some $160 million to build and was paid for by the public who bought $10 tickets in a series of lotteries with a first prize of $1million.
More information about the Sydney Opera House:
Conducts 3,000 events each year
Provides guided tours to 200,000 people each year
Has an annual audience of 2 million for its performances
includes 1,000 rooms
Is 185 metres long and 120 metres wide
Has 2.194 pre-cast concrete sections as its roof
Has roof sections weighing up to 15 tons
Has roof sections held together by 350 kms of tensioned steel cable
Has over 1 million tiles on the roof
Uses 6,225 square metres of glass and 645 kilometres of electric cable
1. When were the designs of the Sydney Opera House started?| A．In1960. | B．In1962. | C．In1958. | D．In1973. |
| A．a drama theatre | B．an opera theatre |
| C．a concert hall | D．a reception hall |
| A．The Sydney Opera House has an audience of 2 million per year for its performances. |
| B．There are about 3,000 events held in the Sydney Opera House each year. |
| C．The Sydney Opera House is made up of more than 1,000 rooms. |
| D．The roof of the Sydney Opera House is made of concrete and steel. |
8 . The Golden Gate Bridge is a well-recognized landmark in the United States. It spans (横跨) the Golden Gate Strait — a mile-wide stretch of water that connects the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most beautiful bridges in the world. It is also one of the tallest.
The idea for a bridge across the strait had been around for many years, because San Francisco suffered from its isolated location. Planning for the Golden Gate Bridge began in 1916, but the design underwent many changes before construction finally started in 1933.
Joseph Strauss was the chief engineer in charge of the bridge project. However, he had little experience with the construction of suspension bridges (吊桥). For this reason, other engineers, architects, and designers made great contributions to the design and construction of the bridge. For example, the bridge owes its art deco (装饰派艺术) style and distinctive orange color to the architects Irving and Gertrude Morrow. Charles Alton Ellis did much of the technical work necessary to build the bridge.
It was not easy to get the project started. Financing had to be found, and there was much opposition to the very idea of a bridge. The US Navy, for example, feared, that a bridge would block ship traffic. The Southern Pacific Railroad, which ran the ferry fleets (轮渡船队), feared competition from the bridge. Many experts did not believe that it would be possible to build such a long bridge under such difficult circumstances. There are strong currents and heavy winds on the bridge site, which made construction dangerous.
The construction of the bridge finally began in 1933. The construction work set new standards for safety — workers were among the first required to wear hard hats, and a safety net saved the lives of nineteen men while the bridge was built. The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937, when the bridge was opened to pedestrians (行人). It was opened to cars one year later. The bridge was finished ahead of schedule and cost much less than originally budgeted.
Because the Golden Gate Bridge is the first sight for many people arriving in the United States by ship, it is sometimes called the “Statue of Liberty” for the West Coast.
1. According to the text, the Golden Gate Bridge .| A．is the best-known symbol of America | B．crosses the Golden Gate Strait |
| C．crosses the San Francisco Bay | D．is about a mile wide. |
| A．To give the West Coast a new tourist attraction. |
| B．To connect San Francisco to the Pacific Ocean. |
| C．To set up a well-known landmark. |
| D．To compete with the ferry fleets. |
| A．was first suggested in 1916 |
| B．was first put forth by Joseph Strauss |
| C．was perfected by Gertrude Morrow in 1933 |
| D．was put forward long before construction started |
| A．It was finished under budget. |
| B．It was delayed for one year. |
| C．It was opened to the vehicles in 1937. |
| D．It was the first to set safety standards. |
9 . If you explore somewhere interesting, you should never miss the three beautiful bookstores in the world.
City Lights
City Lights, an independent bookstore-publisher combination specializing (专门从事) in world literature, the arts and politics, is still one of the world’s greatest bookstore since it was founded by the poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. It became well-known for publishing important poem Howl and Other Poems. Having been a gathering place for American literary icons (偶像), like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. City Lights is located at 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco.
Shakespeare and Company
Originally founded in 1919 by Sylvia Beach, Shakespeare and Company is a combination of a bookstore and a reading library, specializing in English-language literature. In the 1920s, the store was a meeting point for literary icons such as Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce. Located in the 5th arrondissement (郡，法国行政区), on Paris’s Left Bank, the current store was opened in 1951, named after and in honor of the earlier store that closed during World War II.
Selexyz Dominicanen Bookstore
The 800-year- old Domonican church in Maastricht has been turned into one of the most beautiful bookstore in the world- Selexyz Dominicanen Bookstore. The store keeps the character and charm of the old church. It houses the largest stock of books in English in the city. Reading here is a special experience.
1. Where is City Lights?| A．In Maastricht. | B．In Paris. | C．In San Francisco | D．In Berlin. |
| A．Sylvia Beach | B．Ernest Hemingway | C．James Joyce | D．Lawrence Ferlinghetti |
| A．It became well-known because of a poem. | B．It was closed during World War II. |
| C．It keeps the character of an old church. | D．It contains a great number of travel books. |
1. Where are the speakers?
| A．In a classroom. | B．On the street. | C．In a studio. |
| A．In 1898. | B．In 1883. | C．In 1869. |
