阅读理解
Some houses are designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second type of house won an Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Architects.
Located on the shore of Sullivan''s Island off the coast of South Carolina, the award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane (飓风) Hugo 10 years ago. In September 1989, Hugo struck South Carolina, killing 18 people and damaging or destroying 36,000 homes in the state.
Before Hugo, many new houses built along South Carolina''s shoreline were poorly constructed, and enforcement of building codes wasn''t strict, according to architect Ray Huff, who created the cleverly-designed beach house. In Hugo''s wake, all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter, better-enforced codes. The new beach house on Sullivan''s Island should be able to withstand a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.
At first sight, the house on Sullivan''s Island looks anything but hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it resemble "a large party lantern (灯笼) "at night, according to one observer. But looks can be deceiving. The house''s wooden frame is reinforced with long steel rods to give it extra strength.
To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings -- long, slender columns of wood anchored deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also elevate the house above storm surges. The pilings allow the surges to run under the house instead of running into it. "These swells of water come ashore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings," said Huff.
Huff designed the timber pilings to be partially concealed by the house''s ground-to-roof shell. "The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn''t look like it''s standing with its pant legs pulled up," said Huff. In the event of a storm surge, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained.
单选题
After the tragedy caused by Hurricane Hugo, new houses built along South Carolina''s shore line are required ________.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】根据题目中的专有名词Hugo到文中查找，第四次出现此词时，是第3段第2句“In Hugo''s wake(相当于题目中的after Hugo)，all new shoreline houses are required too meet stricter，better-enforced codes.”。
单选题
The award-winning beach house is quite strong because ________.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】第4段开始具体介绍the house，根据该段最后一句The house''s wooden frame is reinforced with long steel rods to give it extra strength.选A项。
单选题
Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings in order to________.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】根据第5段前3句，其中有To further protect the house from hurricane damage，Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground... 及elevate the house above storm surges字眼。D项是对这些信息的概括。
单选题
The main function of the shell is________.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】根据最后一段第2句The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn''t look like it''s standing with its pant legs pulled up.它主要起“粉饰”作用。
单选题
It can be inferred from the passage that the shell should be________.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】根据最后一句In the event of a storm surge，the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house.(当大风浪涌来时,外壳应该破裂，让海浪从房子下面流过)，因此外壳应该是“易碎的”。