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 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" 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 shoreline are required_________.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：细节题。根据题干中After the tragedy caused by Hurricane Hugo定位到第三段第二句：In Hugo’s wake，all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter，better—enforced codes(飓风“雨果”过后，所有滨海新建房屋的建设都要求遵循更严格的、更有力的法规)。由此可确定C项为正确答案，C项中的standards对应文中的codes。
单选题
The award-winning beach house is quite strong because_________.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析：细节题。本题的答题依据在第四段末句：The house’s wooden frame is reinforced with long steel rods to give it extra strength(这所房子的木质框架都用长钢筋加固，使其增加了承受力)。由此可确定A项为正确答案，A项中的is strengthened by对应文中的is reinforced with以及to give it extra strength。
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】解析：细节题。本题的答题依据在第五段第四句：The pilings allow the surges to run under the house instead of running into it(这些木桩使得潮水从房子底下流过而不是冲到房中)。由此可确定D项为正确答案。
单选题
The main function of the shell is_________.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析：细节题。本题的答题依据在最后一段第二句：The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn’t like its pant legs pulled up(外壳遮住了木桩，这样房子看起来就不像是挽着裤管站着似的)。由此可确定B项为正确答案。
单选题
It can be inferred from the passage that the shell should be______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：推理题。本题的答题依据在文章末句：In the event of a storm surge，the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house(当暴风巨浪冲来时，这个外壳会裂开，以使海浪从房子底下冲过)。由此可推断，外壳很容易裂开，C项为正确答案。