Question

A few years ago, Paul Gerner began to gather a group of architects in Las Vegas to ask them what it would take to design a public school that used 50 percent less energy, cost much less to build and obviously improved student learning. “I think half of them fell off their chairs,” Gerner says.

Gerner manages school facilities （设施） for Clark County, Nevada, a district roughly the size of Massachusetts. By 2018, 143,000 additional students will enter the already crowded public-education system. Gerner needs 73 new schools to house them. Four architecture teams have nearly finished designing primary school prototypes （样品）; they plan to construct their schools starting in 2009. The district will then assess how well the schools perform, and three winners will copy those designs in 50 to 70 new buildings.

Green schools are appearing all over, but in Clark County, which stands out for its vastness, such aggressive targets are difficult because design requirements like more natural light for students go against the realities of a desert climate. “One of the biggest challenges is getting the right site orientation （朝向）,”Mark McGinty, a director at SH Architecture, says. His firm recently completed a high school in Las Vegas. “You have the same building, same set of windows, but if its orientation is incorrect and it faces the sun, it will be really expensive to cool.”

Surprisingly, the man responsible for one of the most progressive green-design competitions has doubts about ideas of eco-friendly buildings. “I don’t believe in the new green religion,” Gerner says. “Some of the building technologies that you get are impractical. I’m interested in those that work.” But he wouldn’t mind if some green features inspire students. He says he hopes to set up green energy systems that allow them to learn about the process of harvesting wind and solar power. “You never know what’s going to start the interest of a child to study math and science,” he says.

How did the architects react to Gerner’s design requirements?

A. They lost balance in excitement.                B. They showed strong disbelief.

C. They expressed little interest.                     D. They burst into cheers.

Which order of steps is followed in carrying out the project?

A. Assessment — Prototype — Design — Construction.

B. Assessment — Design — Prototype — Construction.

C. Design — Assessment — Prototype — Construction.

D. Design — Prototype — Assessment — Construction.

What makes it difficult to build green schools in Clark County?

A. The large size.                                          B. Limited facilities.

C. The desert climate.                                    D. Poor natural resources.

What does Gerner think of the ideas of green schools?

A. They are questionable.                               B. They are out of date.

C. They are advanced.                                    D. They are practical.

Answer 1

【小题1】B

【小题2】D

【小题3】C

【小题4】A

解析:

【小题1】推理判断题。根据第1段I think half of them fell off their chairs可知建筑师们对Gerner的要求感到不可思议，不可相信。应选择B。A“他们激动得失去了平衡”，C“他们几乎不感兴趣”，D“他们突然大哭”都不符合本意。

【小题2】文章结构理解。根据第2段的描述，工程的实施应按照“设计—提供样品—评估—建设”的程序。其它程序都不符合标准的建筑要求。

【小题3】细节理解题。根据第3段…such aggressive targets are difficult because design requirements like more natural light for students go against the realities of a desert climate可知建筑绿色校园的难题是沙漠气候。而并非巨大的面积、有限的设施或贫瘠的自然资源。

【小题4】细节推理题。根据最后1段“I don’t believe in the new green religion,” “Some of the building technologies that you get are impractical…”可知Gerner对上面提到的计划感到怀疑，应选择A。