At Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, the lights are controlled by sensors that measure sunlight. They dim immediately when it's sunny and brighten when a passing cloud blocks the sun.
A wall of windows at a University of Pennsylvania engineering building has built-in blinds (百叶窗) controlled by a computer program that follows the sun's path.
Buildings are getting smarter -- and the next generation of building materials is expected to do even more.
Windows could catch the sun's energy to heat water. Sensors that measure the carbon dioxide breathed out by people in a room could determine whether the air conditioning needs to be turned up.
Many new materials and technology have been designed in the last 15 years. They now being used in a wave of buildings designed to save as much energy as possible. They include old ideas, like "green roofs," where a belt of plants on a roof helps the building keep heat in winter and stay cool in summer, and new ideas, like special coating for windows that lets light in, but keeps heat out.
As technologies such as sensors become cheaper, their uses spread.
The elevators (电梯) at Seven World Trade Center, which is under construction in New York, use a system that groups people traveling to nearby floor into the same elevator, thus saving elevator stops. People who work in the building will enter it by swiping (刷) ID cards that will tell the elevators their floor; readouts will then tell them which elevator to use. The building also has windows with a coating that blocks heat while letting in light.
More new building materials and technology are in development. A Philadelphia building firm is now working on "smart wrap" that uses tiny solar collectors to catch the sun's energy and transmitters (传输器) the width of a human hair to move it. They are expected to change the face of the construction industry in the next ten years or so.
72. ______ will be developed and used in the construction industry.
A. "Green roofs" that cool or heat buildings
B. "Smart wrap" that catches the sun's energy
C. Sunlight-measuring sensors that control lights
D. Window coating that lets light in, but keeps heat out
73. The elevators at Seven World Trade Center are special because they can ___
A. send people to floors with fewer stops
B. teach people how to use their ID cards
C. make people stay very cool in summer
D. help people go traveling in the building
74. The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to _____.
A. a human hair B. smart wrap
C. the sun's energy D. a transmitter
75. What might be the most suitable title for the text?
A. Buildings Are Becoming Smarter
B. Buildings Are Getting More Sunlight
C. Buildings Are Lacking in Much Energy
D. Buildings Are Using Cheaper Materials
“Fire! Fire!” What terrible words to hear when one wakes up in a strange house in the middle of the night! It was a large, old, wooden house and my room was on the top floor. I jumped out of bed, opened the door and stepped outside the house. There was full of thick smoke.
I began to run, but as I was still only half-awake, instead of going towards the stairs I went in the opposite direction. The smoke grew thicker and I could see fire all around. The floor became hot under my bare feet. I found an open door and ran into a room to get to the window. But before I could reach it, one of my feet caught in something soft and I fell down. The thing I had fallen over felt like a bundle of clothes, and I picked it up to protect my face from the smoke and heat. Just then the floor gave way under me and I crashed to the floor below with pieces of burning wood all around me.
I saw a doorway in fire, then I put the bundle over my face and ran. My feet burned me terrible, but I got through. As I reached the cold air outside, my bundle of clothes gave a thin cry, I nearly dropped it in my surprise. Then I was in a crowd gathered in the street. A woman in a night-dress and a borrowed man’s coat screamed as she saw me and came running madly.
She was the Mayor’s wife, and I had saved her baby.When the fire arose in the middle of the night, the author was _______.
| A．at home | B．sleeping | C．sitting in bed | D．both A and B |
The author saved the baby _____.
| A．because he was very brave. |
| B．because he liked the baby very much. |
| C．but he just happened to save it. |
| D．because it was the Mayor’s baby. |
He ran in the wrong direction because he _______.
| A．was a stranger there | B．could see nothing |
| C．was not completely awake | D．Both A and C |
He put the bundle over his face and ran in order to ______.
| A．save the baby | B．call for help |
| C．protect his face | D．run quickly |
Form which group of words, we can learn the fire took place out of people’s surprise?
| A．old and wooden house, a bundle |
| B．crashed to, fell down |
| C．terrible, half-awake |
| D．bare feet, a borrowed man’s coat |
阅读下列短文，根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
In many parts of the world, cars play an important role in daily life and many societies would not exist without them. 1 But this is the prediction made by a team of transport researchers who are taken seriously, not only by government but also by car manufacturers(制造商).
The Human Science and Advanced Technology Institute at Loughborough in the UK is part of an international research program. 2 That will mean much saving, no accidents and better use of roads. The super-intelligent car of the 21st century will drive itself, 3 . Instead，we will have a choice of cars and change them as frequently as we change our clothing．
According to Dr．David Davis，who leads the research team，these predictions are based on the rising cost of the car culture，which had blocked up our cities，polluted our air, and caused more deaths than both world wars put together．
Davis says，cars will be fitted with some intelligent devices(装置) to regulate(调节) the distance between one car and another. 4 Computers are much safer drivers than people，so cars in a road train will be able to drive much closer together than cars driven by people.
By 2010，Dr．David Davis believes，car technology will give motorists a clear view of the road，whatever the weather conditions，by projecting an image（影像）of the road ahead on to the car’s windscreen． 5 Cars will be connected by an electronic bar to the car in front to form “road-trains”. “The front vehicle in such a train burns the normal amount of fuel.” says Davis. “ But all the others in the train would burn about ten percent of the normal amount，and so produce about ten percent of the pollution.”
| A．The team there believes that by 2030 all cars will be computerized. |
| B．They believe that cars will become more important in 20 years. |
| C．And it will not be owned by one individual. |
| D．And by 2030, cars will travel in line, linked to each other electronically. |
E．So the idea that in 20 years’ time, no one will own cars may be hard to believe.
F．Every driver will use less fuel in the car he owns.
G．The car will automatically speed up, or slow down, to match the speed of the car in front.
The quest for success always begins with a target. As Berra once said , ＂you get to be very careful if you don＇t know where you＇re going, because you might not get there.＂
Too many people wander through life like sleepwalkers. Each day they follow familiar routines, never asking, ＂What am I doing with my life?＂and they don＇t know what they＇re doing because they lack goals.
Goal-setting is a focus of the will to move in a certain direction. Begin with a clear conception of what you want. Write down your goals and date them---putting them into words clarifies them. Rather than concentrating on objects to acquire and possess, focus on fulfilling your desires to do, to produce, to contribute to goal-setting that yields the true sense of satisfaction we all need.
It’s important to visualize(想象)yourself accomplishing your goal. While losers visualize the penalties(不利) of failure, winners visualize the rewards of success. I’ve seen it among athletes, statistics contrasting air and highway safety, but it made no difference. I had read too many articles describing crash scenes and imagined these scenes vividly. I had programmed myself, without realizing it ,to stay off planes.
Then one summer I had the opportunity to fly on a private plane with friends to a resort; I didn’t want to miss out on a great vacation. So I spent two weeks imagining a smooth flight on a beautiful sunny day and an easy landing.
When the day arrived, I was eager to go . To everyone＇s surprise, I got on the plane and I loved every minute of it , and I still use the techniques I employed that day.According to the passage, if you want to be successful ,the first thing for you to do is to .
| A．find the right methods | B．be careful about everything |
| C．know your ability | D．have a clear goal |
The problem with the author before he overcame his fear of air travel is that .
| A．he didn’t know air travel is safer than highway travel |
| B．he couldn’t imagine himself accomplishing his goal |
| C．he read too much about plane crashes and tried to avoid flying |
| D．he wanted to take a private plane instead of a public one |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Defining Your Goal | B．Visualizing Reward of Success |
| C．Overcoming the Fear of Air Travel | D．Sleepwalking Through life |
Restaurants in Europe, the United States and Japan are testing technology to let diners order their food direct from a screen at their table instead of depending on a fellow human being to note their choice.
Besides cutting costs, companies that sell the “e-menus” argue the bytes-for-bites way has a new value that can attract younger customers, and various photographs of steaks and gooey desserts attract diners to order more. It also could extend the TV dinner. How about a computer game dinner?
“It's about impulse-buying,” said Adi Chitayat, Conceptic’s CEO. “If a person starts looking at pictures of chocolate cake, the chances are he'll order it.” Frame, a restaurant in Tel Aviv with the system, is said to have its sales on tables with the e-menu increased by about 11% . Customers often call ahead to reserve （预定）spots equipped with screens, manager Natalie Edry told Reporters.
At one of the e-menu tables, IT worker Gil Uriel and his young family were enthusiastic as they checked out pictures of the dishes on offer and squabbled（争吵）overdesserts. “It’s more visual,” says Uriel, as his children clicked away furiously on a games function between courses. “We can still choose, we can still argue —but it’s much easier when we can all see it.”The following are the advantages of “restaurants with” EXCEPT that .
| A．eating in them is more comfortable |
| B．the restaurants can save a lot of money |
| C．they can attract more youngsters to the restaurants |
| D．customers can see the pictures of their ordered foods |
The underlined word “impulse—buying” in the 3rd paragraph means .
| A．having no idea in buying things |
| B．being uninterested in buying things |
| C．having no patience in buying things |
| D．being encouraged in buying things |
According to the last paragraph, we know that .
| A．customers feel little interest in the e-menus |
| B．e-menus only attract a small number of customers |
| C．it still takes time for e-menus to be widely accepted |
| D．restaurants of this kind are refused by customers |
This passage might be taken from .
| A．a food guide | B．a website |
| C．a traveling magazine | D．classic advertisements |
Prison Break is a huge hit thanks to its handsome star, Wentworth Miller. His character, Michael Scofield, is the engine that drives the show.
Having committed a crime to get into prison and break out with his innocent brother, Michael Scofield is one of the most interesting personalities on TV today. But what about the man behind the character?
Miller,35, is a hard guy to figure out. He does not come from a normal background and has never lived his life in a typical way.
Miller didn’t take direct path to fame and fortune. He graduated from Princeton University in 1995, not with a degree in theatre of film, but in English. He didn’t even act when he was in college. His only performance experience was in his university’s singing group. Yet , at graduation Miller still decided to make the move to Hollywood.
Miller has always been different. Although he is American, he was in Britain when his father was studying there. His family background is also a special mix of cultures. “My father is black and my mother is white. That means I have always been caught in the middle. I could be either one, which can make you feel out of place,” Miller says.
Following his unusual path, Miller did not start trying out for films and TV shows when he
first went to Hollywood. Instead, he worked as a lowly production assistant. Not what you would expect from a Princeton graduate. However, it all paid off for Miller in the end.
In 2002, Miller played a role in the drama Dinotopia（《恐龙帝国》）. He starred as a thoughtful and shy man. Producers remembered his performance when they were casting Prison Break two years later. With a golden globe nomination（提名）and another season of Prison Break on his resume, Miller seems ready to take over all of Hollywood. What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Michael Scofield in Prison Break . |
| B．Hollywood’s recent big hit—Prison Break. |
| C．Miller’s unusual path to fame and fortune. |
| D．The man who will take over all of the world. |
The writer thinks “Miller is a hard guy to figure out” because .
| A．it’s difficult to tell him from others |
| B．he is a shy man and hard to cooperate with |
| C．he always has ideas hard for people to understand |
| D．his family background and life experience are very special |
Which is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence “it all paid off for Miller in the end”?
| A．Miller put a lot of extra work for his final success. |
| B．Miller gained fame and fortune at last with his first film. |
| C．Miller finally succeeded even if he has been in low position. |
| D．Miller managed to pay off his debts with his small income in the end. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about Miller?
| A．He is chosen to play the Michael Scofield due to his interesting personality. |
| B．His performance in Dinotopia makes some contributions to his success. |
| C．He has the same experience with the character Michael Scofield. |
| D．He is angry about his being born into a mixed-cultural family. |
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