The behavior of a building’s users may be at least as important as its design when it comes to energy use, according to new research from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). The UK promises to reduce its carbon emissions (排放）by 80 percent by 2050, part of which will be achieved by all new homes being zero-carbon by 2016. But this report shows that sustainable building design on its own — though extremely important- is not enough to achieve such reductions: the behavior of the people using the building has to change too.
The study suggests that the ways that people use and live in their homes have been largely ignored by existing efforts to improve energy efficiency (效率)，which instead focus on architectural and technological developments.‘Technology is going to assist but it is not going to do everything explains Katy Janda, a UKERC senior researcher，‘consumption patterns of building users can defeat the most careful design. ’In other words，old habits die hard, even in the best-designed eco-home.
Another part of the problem is information. Households and bill-payers don’t have the knowledge they need to change their energy-use habits. Without specific information，it’s hard to estimate the costs and benefits of making different choices. Feedback (反馈） facilities, like smart meters and energy monitors，could help bridge this information gap by helping people see how changing their behaviour directly affects their energy use; some studies have shown that households can achieve up to 15 percent energy savings using smart meters.
Social science research has added a further dimension (方面），suggesting that individuals’ behaviour in the home can be personal and cannot be predicted — whether people throw open their windows rather than turn down the thermostat (恒温器) , for example.
Janda argues that education is the key. She calls for a focused programme to teach people about buildings and their own behaviour in them.As to energy use, the new research from UKERC stresses the importance of________.
| A．the behaviour of building users |
| B．zero-carbon homes |
| C．sustainable building design |
| D．the reduction of carbon emissions |
What are Katy Janda’s words mainly about?
| A．The necessity of making a careful building design. |
| B．The importance of changing building users’ habits. |
| C．The variety of consumption patterns of building users. |
| D．The role of technology in improving energy efficiency. |
The information gap in energy use _______.
| A．affects the study on energy monitors |
| B．can be bridged by feedback facilities |
| C． brings about problems for smart meters |
| D．will be caused by building users’ old habits |
What does the dimension added by social science research suggest?
| A．The social science research is to be furthered. |
| B．The education programme is under discussion. |
| C．The behaviour preference of building users is similar. |
| D．The behaviour of building users is unpredictable. |
Facebook means never having to say goodbye. The social media web site has earned a reputation for reconnecting old friends. Last week, a guy whom I hadn't seen since my bachelor party five years ago sent me a friend request. I accepted and waited for him to send me a greeting of some kind. He had sought me out, after all.
I learned from his profile that he was in a relationship and had a son. However, I'm pretty sure we won’t ever write wall-to-wall, let alone e-mail each other. But he'll remain a friend of online until one of us makes a point of removing the other from his official list.
My pool of friends consists of family members, college buddies, co-workers from past and present, and friends of friends. There are 35 in all. If I spent some time uploading old e-mail addresses, I'm confident that I could increase my friend count actually.
A person could make a mission out of reconnecting with childhood friends, former classmates, distant cousins, and those one would like to get to know better. And some people can even handle hundreds of on-screen relationships, keeping up with the daily happenings of their small army of companions. After all, there are worse fates than having too many friends.
Thanks to e-mail, the inability to schedule face-to-face meetings no longer means a friendship must come to a close. But even with e-mail, people will lose touch if one or both parties stop writing back. That's normal. People move from school to school, job to job, city to city. You never have to feel guilty for breaking away.
Every day, the masterminds of Web 2. 0 find new ways of making human communication easier. However, convenience can be a crutch. Some things shouldn't be simplified. When it comes to friendship, there can be no shortcuts.According to Paragraph l, the web site is famous because _______.
| A．it has an interesting name of “Facebook” |
| B．it helps people get in touch with old friends |
| C．it can send people a greeting of some kind |
| D．it reminds people of events in the past |
From the second paragraph we can learn that the writer _______.
| A．would write to the friend quite often |
| B．asked the friend to e-mail him |
| C．did get some information about the friend |
| D．would keep in touch with the friend forever |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．There are 35 people in the author's list of friends right now. |
| B．The author communicates with all the 35 friends by e-mails. |
| C．The list of 35 friends doesn't include the old e-mail addresses. |
| D．It is not difficult for the author to increase his friend count. |
What does the author think of the convenience of communicating on line?
| A．The technology could not keep true friendship forever. |
| B．The social web site of Facebook means nothing at all. |
| C．There will be no ways of making real friends on line. |
| D．People will not lose friends with the help of the Facebook. |
Most young people enjoy some form of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some form---football, basketball, hockey, golf or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often
looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains? This astonishment is caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as others, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of different kind which it would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year after year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty. But it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they perhaps climb with more skill and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment.Mountaineering is a sport, not a game because ________.
| A．it has man-made rules |
| B．it is too dangerous for climbers |
| C．it can’t bring people joy and leisure |
| D．it is free for climbers to use their own methods |
A mountain climber must be strong both mentally and physically because _______.
A．there are no regular man-made rules for him to follow |
| B．there is no teamwork and he has to depend on himself |
| C．his component is not one or several people but nature |
D．mountaineering requires the s kills practiced year after year |
We know from the passage that _______.
| A．mountaineering has no appeal to people |
| B．physical quality is more important than mental one for climbers |
| C．it is possible for an old man in his fifties to climb the Alps |
| D．a mountain climber would pass his best by the age of thirty |
Name: Off the Beaten Path
Cover price: $30.00
Our price: $l9.80
The best-selling Reader’s Digest travel book has 40% new content including over 200 new sites, over 200 new full-color photographs, and all-new, up-to-date maps. It spotlights over l, 000 of the United States’ most overlooked must-see destinations.
Name: Container Gardens by Number
Cover price: $l5.95
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A unique book contains 50 easy-to-follow container designs. Each design provides a simple numbered planting plan that shows exactly how to create each display, with an instruction of the finished planter and in-depth (深入的) plant information. The plans are easy to follow and for any type of living space or garden.
Name: Best Weekend Projects
Cover price: $l7.95
Our price: $l3.96
Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone.
Name: l80l Home Remedies
Cover price: $40.00
Our price: $29.96
Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every remedy will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound.
Dozens of conditions are covered, from headaches, sunburn, bad breath, and blisters (水泡) to allergies (过敏), and hiccups (打嗝). You can most probably read the passage in a ________.
| A．newspaper | B．travel guide | C．reference book | D．textbook |
Which of the following could help you to improve your home environment?
| A．Off the Beaten Path & l80l Home Remedies. |
| B．Container Gardens by Number & Best Weekend Projects. |
| C．l80l Home Remedies & Container Gardens by Number. |
| D．Best Weekend Projects & Off the Beaten Path. |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To share his opinion about the books with readers. |
| B．To advise readers to read more in spare time. |
| C．To share the pleasure of reading with readers. |
| D．To advise readers to buy their books. |
阅读理解（共14小题；每小题2分，满分28分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的（A、B、C和D）四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项标号涂黑。
A
I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and when I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”.
When I reached the hospital, my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911, thank God! If he had moved Daddy, there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib（肋骨）might have pierced（穿透）a lung...”
My mother may have said more, but I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear anything except 
those terrible words: Leave me alone. My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more. How much had I hurt him when I hurled those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him.
“Daddy… I am so sorry…”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll be okay. ”
“No,” I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly. He looked at me and said. “Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though. ”He managed a weak smile.
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on. The author was in bad mood that morning because _______.
| A．his father had a terrible accident |
| B．he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends |
| C．his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema |
| D．his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends |
Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?
| A．Because he didn’t go along with his father. |
| B．Because he was rude to his father that morning. |
C． Because he failed to come earlier after the accident. |
| D．Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital. |
The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that _______.
| A．he had a poor memory | B．he didn’t hear what his son said |
| C．he just wanted to comfort his son | D．he lost his memory after the accident |
What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?
| A．Don’t treat your parents badly. |
| B．Don’t hurt others with rude words. |
| C．Don’t move the injured in an accident. |
| D．Don’t be angry with friends at small things. |
An 18-year-old high school student who had just learned to swim in the last summer vacation saved the life of a drowning Ohio boy on Friday
afternoon.
Tom Erickson was credited with (因．．．．．．而受赞扬
)saving the life of Jason Pryor,10, in Mill Creek (小河) Park. Young Jason Pryor, from Chillicothe, was visiting relatives from Anchor Point when he fell into Mill Creek.
The Pryor boy had no business playing near the edge of the river, but he had no idea of the danger.
The creek, with much more water than usual for the recent spring rains, flowed fast and carried the boy around a bend and out of sight from his parents, who took Jason out there and said they had not even witnessed the incident.
Luckily for Jason, one of the most unselfish students from Brentwood’s Central High School was taking a walk alone through the park.
As soon as he found the boy struggling in the water, Erickson jumped into the creek and managed to pull the drowning boy out of the water. And it was reported that Erickson had never received any life-saving instruction before.
“I wasn’t sure I could do it,” Erickson said. “I didn’t know if I could swim through the river by myself, not to mention getting another person out with me.”
This incident should be a lesson to young children who do not know how to swim. Stay away from dangerous bodies of water. Young Jason Pryor lives at _______.
| A．Anchor Point | B．Chillicothe, Ohio | C．Mill Creek | D．Brentwood |
Which of the following sentences is true according to the passage?
| A．Life-saving instruction helped a lot in the incident. |
| B．Jason’s parents saw him fall into the creek but couldn’t help. |
| C．The creek flowed fast because it was very straight without any bends. |
| D．Erickson was not sure if he could save the boy when jumping into the creek. |
What’s the possible meaning of the underlined sentence “The Pryor boy had no business playing near the edge of the river,” in the third paragraph?
| A．The accident was none of the boy’s business. |
| B．The boy had no friends to play with him. |
| C．The boy shouldn’t have played near the creek. |
| D．The boy was very busy and had no time to play. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Did You Know the Danger of Water | B．Be Responsible Parents |
| C．The Fast Running Mill Creek | D．Beginning Swimmer Saved Drowning Boy |