单选题 Priscilla Ouchida"s "energy-efficient" house turned out to be a horrible dream. When she and her engineer husband married a few years ago, they built a $ 100,000, three-bedroom home in California. Tightly sealed to prevent air leaks, the house was equipped with small double-paned (双层玻璃的) windows and several other energy-saving features. Problems began as soon as the couple moved in, however. Priscilla"s eyes burned. Her throat was constantly dry. She suffered from headaches and could hardly sleep. It was as though she had suddenly developed a strange illness. Experts finally traced the cause of her illness. The level of formaldehyde (甲醛) gas in her kitchen was twice the maximum allowed by federal standards for chemical workers. The source of the gas? Her new kitchen cabinets and wall-to-wall carpeting. The Ouchidas are victims of indoor air pollution, which is not given sufficient attention partly because of the nation"s drive to save energy. The problem itself isn"t new. "The indoor environment was dirty long before energy conservation came along," says Moschandreas, a pollution scientist at Geometry Technologies in Maryland. "Energy conservation has tended to accentuate the situation in some cases. " The problem appears to be more troublesome in newly constructed homes rather than old ones. Back in the days when energy was cheap, home builders didn"t worry much about unsealed cracks. Because of such leaks, the air in an average home was replaced by fresh outdoor air about once an hour. As a result, the pollutants generated in most households seldom build up to dangerous levels. (262 words)
单选题 It can be learned from the passage that the Ouchidas" house______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:本题属于综合推理题。根据题干中的关键词“Ouchida’s house”可以定位到文章的第一段,根据第一段中间对他们房子进行的描绘,从节约能源的角度来讲,他们的房子是建造得完美无缺的。文中Priscilla祸患不断并非因采用节能方法所造成,而是原有潜在的及后来采用新方法带来的问题才使室内空气污染问题变得严重。故D为正确答案。
单选题 What made the Ouchidas" new house a horrible dream?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:本题属于综合推理题。根据文章的最后一段的分析说明,房子的主要问题是由于室内的有害气体不能通过缝隙散发出去,积聚在室内造成的。“Fresh outdoor air”=“fresh air”,因此应选A“Lack of fresh air”“缺少通风换气”。B“建材质量低劣”与文章内容恰恰相反。C“厨房的煤气泄漏”,这是利用第二段的厨房内的甲醛气体进行干扰,文章中没有提到气体泄漏这一方面。D“墙新刷的油漆”,这在文章中没有提及。
单选题 The word "accentuate" (Line 5, Para. 3) most probably means "______".
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:本题属于词义推测题。根据上文所说的“The problem itself isn’t new”可以判断该词是“恶化、加剧”的意思,也就是说,在搞节能建房之前,室内污染就已存在,加之后来采用新的节能方法,使室内空气污染更严重,故A为正确答案。B“加速”、C“减轻,减缓”、D“提高,改善”都不合文意。
单选题 Why were cracks in old houses not a big concern?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:本题属于细节推测题。根据题干中的关键词“cracks in old houses”可以定位到文章的最后一段,因为当时能源价格不贵,所以房屋的建设者们并不担心房子的缝隙没有被堵上,“cheap”=“inexpensive”;因此,应选D“因为当时的能源价格不贵”。
单选题 This passage is most probably taken from an article entitled "______".
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:本题属于主旨推断题。通读全文可知,文章主旨不在讲能源节约,而主要论述室内空气污染问题。采用新的节能方法修建房屋(即房屋密封效果好)带来的室内空气污染及原有潜在的问题是本文论述的主要话题。最明显的标志词语是第三段第一句话中出现的indoor air pollution,因此应选B“室内污染”。