阅读训练

Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

　　When we think of green buildings, we tend to think of new ones – the kind of high-tech, solar-paneled masterpieces that make the covers of architecture magazines. But the U.S. has more than 100 million existing homes, and it would be __47__ wasteful to tear them all down and __48__ them with greener versions. An enormous amount of energy and resources went into the construction of those houses. And it would take an average of 65 years for the __49__ carbon emissions from a new energy-efficient home to make up for the resources lost by destroying an old one. So in the broadest __50__, the greenest home is the one that has already been built. But at the same time, nearly half of U. S. carbon emissions come from heating, cooling and __51__ our homes, offices and other buildings. "You can't deal with climate change without dealing with existing buildings," says Richard Moe, the president of the National Trust.
　　With some __52__, the oldest homes tend to be the least energy-efficient. Houses built before 1939 use about 50% more energy per square foot than those built after 2000, mainly due to the tiny cracks and gaps that __53__ over time and let in more outside air.
　　Fortunately, there are a __54__ number of relatively simple changes that can green older homes, from __55__ ones like Lincoln's Cottage to your own postwar home. And efficiency upgrades (升级) can save more than just the earth; they can help __56__ property owners from rising power costs.
　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

A) accommodations B) clumsy C) doubtful D) exceptions E) expand F) historic G) incredibly H) powering I) protect J) reduced K) replace L) sense M) shifted N) supplying O) vast

参考答案

section A
文章大意：本文关注的是绿色建筑与对待现存房屋的问题。根据文意，所谓绿色建筑即为节能减排的建筑。绿色建筑在节能减排方面意义重大，但是将所有现存房屋替换成绿色建筑是否可行呢？文章给出的答案是不可行的，因为推倒这些房屋进行重建也需要大量能量。那么，如何处理这些能耗大的旧房屋呢？文末给出的建议是对它们进行整修和升级。

47. G incredibly
首先这里需要的是一个副词。根据文意，将这些房屋推倒代之以绿色建筑是极度浪费的。因此选incredibly.
48. K replace
replace A with B, 意思是用B 替换A. 这里是用绿色建筑取代现存房屋。
49. J reduced
这一句话较难理解，翻译成中文即：绿色建筑带来的碳排放量的减少平均需要65年才能够补偿推倒房屋所用掉的能量。reduced, 这里用作形容词，指减少了的。
50. L sense
in the broadest sense, 在最广义上，这里是一个固定搭配。
51. H powering
这里的and 引导的是平行结构，因此横线上需要填入一个动词的ing形式。在根据句意可知这里选powering，指为某物提供动力，使某物得以运行。
52. D exceptions
联系下文可知本段意思是老房子基本上是最不节能的。但话不能说得这么绝对，因此用 with some exceptions, 指除一些特殊情况外。
53. E expand
tiny cracks and gaps 指的是小的缝隙和缺口。小的缝隙和缺口随着时间流逝，会扩大，从而使得外面空气流入，因而加大了能耗。这里选expand表示扩展，增大。
54. O vast
a number of 表示大量的，number前面可加一些形容词，如great等，表示数量极大的。这里填入vast，意为数量巨大的。
55. F historic
句中有from……to……, 从什么到什么，联系整句话，意思是从一些历史上的古老建筑到你自己的战后的房子。postwar 指二战后，是一个较近的时间，与之对应的则是historic.
56. I protect
首先，从句意判断，可知这一分句仍是陈述为老房屋进行升级的好处。此外，后半句中有介词from. 据此我们可以判断，此处应填入的词是protect.