出自:国家开放大学-理工英语3
Amphibious Architecture: Flood-Proof Home Designs
Instead of trying to beat back the rising flood, innovative amphibious buildings can adapt to the rising flood. These buildings are ready for whatever Mother Nature might throw at them– even 10-foot floodwaters. Let.s take a look at just two of them.
The UK.s First Amphibious House
The UK.s first amphibious house is located on the Thames River. And the first amphibious building in Britain will be completed soon. Baca Architects designed this home for a couple who wanted to live on a flood-prone island, an island easy to be attacked by floods, in the Thames River. This building is equipped with a terraced landscape. And this terraced landscape acts as an early warning system when the waters are rising. The terraces will be filled with water before the ‘wet dock’ under the house does, and then the home itself will slowly rise to stay above the water.
Solar Powered Floating School in Nigeria
Residents of Makoko in Nigeria have been building houses on stilts for generations. People there go from one house to another by canoe. As sea levels are rising, officials threaten to tear down the entire community. If these houses are tore down, 250,000 people will be homeless and have to look for a new place to live. Architects found a solution in floating structures with improved sanitation conditions. The first completed example is a three-storey solar-powered school.
This amazing floating school addresses social, physical and ecological needs. Built on top of 256 recycled blue barrels, the school buildings are made of triangular bamboo and wood. Makoko.s residents made full use of their skills when building these structures. With three levels, the solar-powered high school has room for 100 local kids and recycles rainwater to flush the toilets. And the cost for the whole school structures was under $7,000.
Innovative amphibious buildings have adaptation to the rising flood. 1
2.The first amphibious building in Britain has been completed. 2
3.250,000 residents of Makoko in Nigeria will be homeless if officials tear down their houses. 3
4.The first completed floating school has three floors. 4
5.In the opinion of the writer, the cost for the floating school was quite high. 5
The fridge is considered necessary. It has been so since the 1960s when packaged food list appeared with the label: "Store in the refrigerator."
In my fridgeless Fifties childhood, 1 was fed well and healthy. The milkman came every day, the grocer, the butcher (肉商), the baker, and the ice-cream man delivered two or three times each week. The Sunday meat would last until Wednesday and surplus(剩余的) bread and milk became all kinds of cakes. Nothing was wasted, and we were never troubled by rotten food. Thirty years on food deliveries have ceased, fresh vegetables are almost unobtainable in the country.
The invention of the fridge contributed comparatively little to the art of food preservation. Many well-tried techniques already existed -- natural cooling, drying, smoking, salting, sugaring, bottling...
What refrigeration did promote was marketing --- marketing hardware and electricity, marketing soft drinks, marketing dead bodies of animals around the world in search of a good price.
Consequently, most of the world.s fridges are to be found, not in the tropics where they might prove useful, but in the rich countries with mild temperatures where they are climatically almost unnecessary. Every winter, millions of fridges hum away continuously, and at vast expense, busily maintaining an artificially-cooled space inside an artificially-heated house -- while outside, nature provides the desired temperature free of charge.
The fridge.s effect upon the environment has been evident, while its contribution to human happiness has been not important.
The statement "In my fridgeless fifties childhood, I was fed well and healthily." suggests that the author was well-fed and healthy even without a fridge in his fifties. 1
2. The author says that nothing was wasted before the invention of fridges because people had effective ways to preserve food. 2
3. Consumers benefited the most from fridges according to the author? 3
4. What refrigeration did promote was food-preserving. 4
5. The author is critical to fridges. 5
In 1909 an English newspaper offered ￡ 1,000 to the first man to fly across the English Channel in an aeroplane. Today, modern jets cross it in minutes. But at that time it still seemed a good distance. The race to win the money soon became a race between two men. Both were very colorful.
One was Louis Bleriot. He owned a factory in France that made motor car lamps. He was already well known as a pilot because he had had accidents several times. Some people laughed at him. One man said, “He may not be the first to fly across the Channel but he will certainly be the first to die in an accident!” But Bleriot was really a good and brave pilot. He also had many good ideas about aeroplane design.
The other man was Hubert Latham. He was half French and half English. He took up flying when his doctors told him he had only a year to live. “Oh, well,” he said, “if I.m going to die soon, I think I shall have a dangerous and interesting life now.”
Latham was the first to try the flight across the Channel. Ten kilometres from the French coast, his plane had some trouble. It fell down into the water and began to sink under the water. A boat reached Latham just in time. He was sitting calmly on the wing and was coolly lighting a cigarette. Bleriot took off six days later. He flew into some very bad weather and very low cloud. He somehow got to the English side and landed in a farmer.s field. When he did so, a customs (海关) officer rushed up to his plane. Planes have changed since then, but customs officers have not. “Have you anything to declare?” The officer demanded.
The story took place 1 .
A. in the early 20th century
B. in the 19th century
C. at a time not mentioned in the passage
2. Bleriot was well known as a pilot because 2 .
A. he was unusually brave
B. he had many good ideas about aeroplane design
C. he had had a few accidents
3. Why did Hubert Latham want to fly across the Channel? 3
A. He thought he could manage it easily.
B. He knew he only had a year to live.
C. He had always been interested in flying.
4. Why did the customs officer rush to the plane? 4
A. To ask if Beriot had anything to declare.
B. To make sure that the pilot was not hurt.
C. To ask why the plane had landed in a farmer’s field.
5. “Do you have anything to declare?” means 5 .
A. “Do you want any help?”
B. “Is there anything wrong?”
C. “Have you brought anything on which custom duties must be paid?”
Man is a land animal, but he is also closely tied to the sea. Throughout history the sea has served the needs of man. The sea has provided man with food and a convenient way to travel to many parts of the world. Today, nearly two—thirds of the world.s population live within 80 kilometers of the sea coast.
In the modern technological world, the sea offers many resources to help mankind survive. Resources on land are beginning to be used up. The sea, however, still can be hoped to supply many of man.s needs.
The list of riches of the sea yet to be developed by man.s technology is impressive. Oil and gas explorations have been carried out for nearly 30 years. Valuable amounts of minerals exist on the ocean floor ready to be mined (开采).
Fish farming promises to be a good way to produce large quantities of food. The culture of fish and shellfish is an ancient skill practiced in the past mainly by Oriental people.
Besides oil and gas, the sea may offer new sources of energy. Experts believe that the warm temperature of the ocean can be used in a way similar to the steam in a steamship. Ocean currents (水流) and waves offer possible use as a source of energy.
Technology is enabling man to explore ever more deeply under the sea. The development of strong, new materials has made this possible.
The technology to harvest the sea continues to improve. Experts believe that by the year 2000 the problems that prevent us from exploiting fully the food, minerals, and energy sources of the sea will be largely solved.
The major things that the sea offers man are 1 .
A. fish and oil
B. warm temperature and ocean currents
C. the food, energy sources, and minerals
2. The sea serves the needs of man because 2 .
A. in provides man with food
B. it supplies man with minerals
C. all of the above
3. We can conclude from this passage that 3 .
A. the sea resources have largely been used up
B. the sea, in the broad sense, has not yet been developed
C. the problems that prevent us from using the food, minerals, and energy sources of the sea have already been solved.
4. The underlined words Oriental people in the fourth paragraph probably mean 4 .
A. the people in Asia B. African people C. European people
5. The best title for this passage is 5 .
A. Sea Harvest
B. Technology for Exploiting the Sea
C. Man and the Sea