Question

The extraordinary Eastgate Building in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city, is said to be the only one in the world to use the same cooling and heating principles as the termite mound(白蚁堆).

????????????? Architect Mick Pearce used precisely the same strategy when designing the Eastgate Building, which has no air-conditioning and almost no heating. The building—the country’s largest commercial and shopping complex—uses less than 10% of the energy of a conventional building of its size. The Eastgate’s owners saved $3.5 million on a $36 million building because an air-conditioning plant didn’t have to be imported.

The complex is actually two buildings linked by bridges across a shady, glass-roofed atrium(天井) open to the air. Fans suck fresh air in from the atrium, blow it upstairs through hollow spaces under the floors and from there into each office through baseboard vents(通风口). As it rises and warms, it is drawn out via ceiling vents and finally exists through forty-eight brick chimneys.

????????????? During summer’s cool nights, big fans blow air through the building seven times an hour to cool the empty floors. By day, smaller fans blow two changes of air an hour through the building, to circulate the air which has been in contact with the cool floors. For winter days, there are small heaters in the vents.

????????????? This is all possible only because Harare is 1600 feet above sea level, has cloudless skies, little dampness and rapid temperature swings—days as warm as 31℃ commonly drop to 14℃ at night. “You couldn’t do this in New York, with its fantastically hot summers and fantastically cold winters,” Pearce said.

The engineering firm of Ove? Arup&Partners monitors daily temperatures. It is found that the temperature of the building has generally stayed between 23℃ and 25℃, with the exception of the annual hot period just before the summer rains in October and three days in November, when a doorkeeper accidentally switched off the fans at night. And the air is fresh—far more so than in air-conditioned building, where up to 30% of the air is recycled.

1.What’s the meaning of “complex” in the second paragraph??

A. Something that is difficult to understand.

B. A group of buildings together in one place.

C. A group of things that are connected.

D. A mental state that is not normal.

2.How is fresh air from outside drawn out?

A. By fans.????????????? ????????????? ?????? B. Via ceiling vents.????????????? ?????????????

C. Through chimneys.????????????? ?? D. Via ceiling vents and through chimneys.

3.What is NOT the factor that makes Eastgate Building work well?

A. Skies without clouds.

B. Little dampness.

C. Daily rapid temperature changes

D. Seasonal rapid temperature changes.

4.In general, how is the daily temperature of the building?

A. It changes in a certain range with some exception.

B. It changes from one extreme to another.

C. It remains the same without any exception.

D. It is hard to endure.

5.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. The engineering firm of Ove Arup&Partners.

B. How air-conditioning works.

C. Fans make Eastgate Building’s temperature comfortable.

D. How Eastgate Building’s temperature control system works.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.B

2.D

3.D

4.A

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲新型的建筑Eastgate,它比传统的建筑省钱，因为不需要装空调，它是利用天井和风扇把外面新鲜空气吸到办公室里面，这样空气即新鲜又经济。

1.B? 细节理解题。根据第二段提到The building—the country’s largest commercial and shopping complex—uses less than 10% of the energy of a conventional building of its size这个建筑物，用了传统建筑物尺寸的10%，全国最大的商业购物中心，意思所有的建筑物在同一个地方，所以选B项。

2.D 细节理解题。根据第三段提到Fans suck fresh air in from the atrium, blow it upstairs through hollow spaces under the floors and from there into each office through baseboard vents(通风口). As it rises and warms, it is drawn out via ceiling vents and finally exists through forty-eight brick chimneys.可知新鲜空气一个通过通风口，另外当它上升变暖，最后通过被烟囱从天花板吸走，所以得知有两个途径，一通风口二烟囱，所以选D项。

3.D 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段提到This is all possible only because Harare is 1600 feet above sea level, has cloudless skies, little dampness and rapid temperature swings—days as warm as 31℃ commonly drop to 14℃ at night. “You couldn’t do this in New York, with its fantastically hot summers and fantastically cold winters,得知只有一定海拔高度，并且白天的气温30度而夜晚气温14度的条件才能实现，而纽约的天气是近季节变化而不是天，所以D不是主要因素。

4.A 细节理解题。根据最后一段提到It is found that the temperature of the building has generally stayed between 23℃ and 25℃, 除了 the annual hot period just before the summer rains in October and three days in November, when a doorkeeper accidentally switched off the fans at night得知建筑物内的温度保持在23到25度，除10月与11月的雨季之外。所 以选A项。

5.D 主旨大意。本文讲新型的建筑Eastgate,它比传统的建筑省钱，因为不需要装空调，它是利用天井和风扇把外面新鲜空气吸到办公室里面，尤其是最后三段讲其是如何工作的，所以D项符合题意。

考点? 科普类阅读。