1 . I looked out of the door of my 100 year-old house and saw my newly built garden. I realized nothing is rubbish. I was full of
I
My neighbors would put the autumn
Nothing has to be really
| A．joy | B．sympathy | C．doubt | D．regret |
| A．refused | B．hesitated | C．liked | D．started |
| A．wealth | B．garbage | C．investments | D．necessities |
| A．packed up | B．brought up | C．threw away | D．gave away |
| A．value | B．request | C．confusion | D．consequence |
| A．own | B．find | C．forget | D．lose |
| A．collecting | B．recovering | C．recycling | D．competing |
| A．sorting | B．picking | C．spotting | D．recording |
| A．uniform | B．broken | C．limitless | D．separate |
| A．fruit | B．rice | C．leaves | D．vegetables |
| A．compare | B．deal | C．communicate | D．fit |
| A．platform | B．garden | C．picture | D．schedule |
| A．building | B．tent | C．sign | D．show |
| A．piled | B．polished | C．decorated | D．cleaned |
| A．unwillingly | B．hardly | C．seriously | D．casually |
| A．submitted | B．sowed | C．removed | D．reserved |
| A．smelly | B．annoying | C．imaginary | D．attractive |
| A．useless | B．careless | C．priceless | D．defenseless |
| A．pleasant | B．vivid | C．violent | D．disgusting |
| A．trouble | B．treasure | C．terror | D．trade |
2 . Although we're surrounded by millions of bricks every day, most of us don't think about them too often. For thousands of years, the humble clay-fired bricks haven't changed.
They're made from natural materials, but there are problems with bricks at every step of their production. Bricks are made from clay—a type of soil found all over the world. Clay mining is harmful to plant growth. In conventional brick production, the clay is shaped and baked in kilns(窑) mostly heated by fossil fuels, which contributes to climate change. Once made, bricks must be transported to construction sites, generating more carbon emissions. With so many bricks produced globally, their impact adds up.
Gabriela Medero, a professor at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University, decided to find solutions to that. With her university's support, Medero set up Kenoteq in 2009. The company's signature product is the K-Briq. Made from more than 90% construction waste, Medero says the K-Briq—which does not need to be fired in a kiln—produces less than a tenth of the carbon emissions of conventional bricks. With the company testing new machinery to start scaling up production, Medero hopes her bricks will help to build a more sustainable world.
The K-Briq will be comparably priced to conventional bricks. Additionally, as a new product, the K-Briq has been subjected to strict assessment and authoritative certification. Reusing old bricks is an expensive process and there is no standardized way to check the strength, safety or durability (耐久性) of recycled bricks. Medero says that K-Briq could solve both these problems. She claims that K-Briq is stronger and more durable than fired clay bricks.
Over the next 18 months, Medero plans to get K-Briq machines on-site at recycling plants. "This will reduce transport-related emissions because trucks can collect K-Briq when they drop off construction waste," says Medero.
1. What inspired Medero to invent the K-Briq?| A．The poor quality of the conventional bricks. |
| B．The outdated style of the conventional bricks. |
| C．The high cost of manufacturing conventional bricks. |
| D．The problems with the conventional brick production. |
| A．It won't produce waste. |
| B．It brings no pollution to the air. |
| C．The plants occupy much less land than before. |
| D．The K-Briq is mainly made from construction waste. |
| A．The popularity of the K-Briq. |
| B．The advantages of K-Briq over traditional bricks. |
| C．The special materials used in K-Briq. |
| D．The advanced technology used for K-Briq. |
| A．To ensure fewer emissions. |
| B．To speed up the production. |
| C．To lower the production cost. |
| D．To collect more construction waste. |
3 . More than half the world’s population live in cities, and by 2050 the UN expects that proportion to reach 68%. This means more homes, roads and other infrastructure. In India alone, a city the size of Chicago will have to be developed every year to meet demand for housing. Such a construction increase is a bad sign for dealing with climate change, because making steel and concrete, two of the most common building materials, generates around 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions (排放). If cities are to expand and become greener at the same time, they will have to be made from something else.
Wood is one of the most promising sustainable (可持续的) alternatives to steel and concrete. It is not, however, everyday wood that is attracting the interest of architects.
Rather, it is a material called engineered timber. This is a combination of different layers, each designed to meet the requirements of specific parts such as floors, panels and beams (横梁). Designers can use it to provide levels of strength like steel, in a product that is up to 80% lighter. In addition, engineered timber is usually made into large sections in a factory for future use, which reduces the number of deliveries to a construction site.
According to Michael Ramage of the University of Cambridge, a wooden building produces 75% less CO2 than a steel and concrete one of the same size. However, if building with wood takes off, it does raise concern about there being enough trees to go round. But with sustainably managed forests that should not be a problem, says Dr Ramage. A family-sized apartment requires about 30 cubic metres of timber, and he estimates Europe’s sustainable forests alone grow that amount every seven seconds. Nor is fire a risk, for engineered timber does not burn easily. Besides, fireproofing layers can be added to the timber. All in all, then, it looks as if wood as a building material may get a new lease of life.
1. Why is India mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To point out the severe pollution. |
| B．To predict the population increase. |
| C．To indicate the high degree of urbanization. |
| D．To show the great need for building materials. |
| A．It is produced at a low cost. |
| B．It hardly appeals to architects. |
| C．It helps save energy in transportation. |
| D．It possesses greater strength than steel. |
| A．Becomes cheaper. | B．Gains popularity. |
| C．Requires less work. | D．Proves sustainable. |
| A．Making Future Cities More Attractive |
| B．Living in a World with Less Emission |
| C．Building Sustainable Cities with Woods |
| D．Growing More Trees for Future Building |
