2021年高考英語二輪復(fù)習(xí)閱讀理解第十模塊 健康環(huán)保類閱讀（原題卷）

沖刺2021年高考英語二輪復(fù)習(xí)閱讀理解

第十模塊：健康環(huán)保類

Passage1.（2021?宜昌模擬）

Zero-emission（零排放）largepassengeraircraftpoweredbyhydrogenwillbetechnicallypossiblein

fiveyears,accordingtoAirbus,buttheywillnotenterservicefbratleastadecadeasthepriceofthefuel

needstocomedown.

ThepredictioncomesfromGlennLlewellyn,vice-presidentofzero-emissionstechnologyatthepan

-Europeanplane-maker.HesaidthatwhileAirbusplannedtodemonstratehydrogen-poweredaircraftin

2025,overthenext10years,hydrogenwon'tbemoreeconomicalthanthefossilfuel.

Forpassengerstobeflyinggenuinelyemissionsfreeaboardhydrogen-poweredplanes-whichemit

onlywaterandheat-theirfuelneedstocomefromhydrogenproducedviarenewablesourcessuchaswind

andsolar,headded.

InaninterviewaheadoftheBloombergNEFLondonSummit,Mr.Llewellynsaid,“Wealreadysee

massiveincreasesintheamountofrenewableenergybeingproducedacrosstheworld.Windenergyproduction

hasmultipliedbytwooverthelastfiveyearsandsolarenergyproductionhasmultipliedbyfour.',

Afurtherchallengeisbuildinguptheecosystemthathydrogenaircraft,alongwithotherformsof

transport,willneed.Thisrangesfromcreatingthefuelfromelectrolysis（電解）tosplitwaterintohydrogen

andoxygenpoweredbyrenewableenergy,totheactualtransportofthegasandfuelingsystemsforitat

airports.

However,Mr.Llewellynpredictedthattherewasenoughinterestinthesectortomakethishappen.He

added,“Thereareanumberofindependentinstitutesthathavemappedouthowhydrogencostscancome

downoverthenextdecades.Weseea30pcreductioninrenewablehydrogencostsin2030comparedtowhereit

istoday,anda50pcreductioninrenewablehydrogencostsby2050."

（1）Whatcanweknowaboutthehydrogen-poweredaircraftaccordingtothepassage?

A.Ilwillbeanunrealisticdream.B.Thecostofitsfuelkeepsrising.

C.Itwillbeaccessiblewithinadecade.D.Renewableenergymakesitenvironmentallyfriendly.

(2)WhatdidMr.Llewellynsayaboutrenewableenergy?

A.Itgainsgrowingpopularitythroughouttheworld.

B.Morewindenergyhasbeenproducedthansolarenergy.

C.Hydrogencanonlybegeneratedfromwindandsolarenergy.

D.Hydrogenwillbecheaperthanfossilfuelinthecomingtenyears.

(3)Whatdoestheunderlinedword"this"inparagraph5referto?___

A.EcosystemB.ChallengeC.AircraftD.Prediction

(4)WhatisMr.Llewellyn'sattitudetowardsthefutureofhydrogen-poweredaircraft?

A.Objective.B.Optimistic.C.Doubtful.D.Pessimistic.

Passage2.(2021?成都模擬)

Big,oldtreesaredyingfasterthaninthepast,leavingyounger,lessbiodiverseforeststhatstoreless

carbonworldwide.Theygiveuspaperandfuel,aswellasvitalecologicalservices-likecleaningtheair,

storingcarbonandprovidinghabitat.We'retalkingabouttrees,ofcourse.Buthumanchangestothe

environmentappeartobecausingprofoundchangestotreesaroundtheworld.

Inanewstudy,scientistsreviewedglobalresearchontrendsintreeseedlingsgrowthanddeath.They

combinedthosedatawithananalysisofdeforestation.Andtheyfoundthatworldwide,oldertreesaredyingat

ahigherratethaninthepastduetofactorslikerisingairtemperature,wildfires,droughtandpathogens(病

原菌).

"Andmostofthedriversofthatdecreaseinlarge,oldtreesareincreasingthemselves,suchas

temperatureisgoingup,droughtsaremoresevere,wildfires,windstormsanddeforestationareallonthe

increase-althoughvariableacrosstheglobe-they*regenerallyincreasing.Andsoforboththelosshasalready

occurred,butweexpectmorecontinuedlossofbig,oldtrees."saidNateMcDowell,anearthscientistat

PacificNorthwestNationalLab,whowasoneofthestudy'sauthors.

nSoifwehaveanincreasingrateofdeath,particularlyofthelarger,oldertrees,what'sleftarethe

youngertrees.Sothat,swhy,onaverage,throughthelossofbigger,oldertrees,ourforestsarebecoming

inherently(天生地)youngerandshorter.1'

Thistrendisaproblem,becauseoldtreesarevitallyimportant.

nForsure,theincreaseindeathdoeslimitthecarbonstorageofanecosystemandcanforcethesystemto

becomeacarbonsourcetotheatmosphere.Thesecondreasonwecareisfromabiodiversityperspective：old

treestendtohouseahigherbiodiversitythanyoungforestsdo.Andthethirdreasonisaesthetic：asasociety,

wecareaboutthesetrees.Wehavenationalparksnamedafterthesebigtrees.Sothere*sapersonalreasonfor

peopletocareaboutthisaswell."

(1)Whathasthenewstudyfoundabouttheforests?

A.Forestsaregettingyoungerandshorter.B.Manyfactorscausethedeathofbigoldtrees.

C.Oldtreesarebeneficialtohumansinmanyways.D.Thedeathofbigoldtreesinfluencesbiodiversity.

(2)Whatdotheunderlinedwords"thedrivers"inParagraph3referto?

A.Thedeathratesofbigoldtrees.B.Thetrendsinthedeathofbigoldtrees.

C.Thehumanchangestotheenvironment.D.Thefactorscausinghighdeathrateofoldtrees.

(3)Howisthesignificanceofbigoldtreesillustrated?___

A.Bygivingexamples.B.Byanalyzingreasons.C.Bylistingfacts.D.Byprovidingfigures.

(4)What*sthepurposeofthetext?___

A.Tocallonpeopletoprotectoldtrees.B.Toillustrateaphenomenonaboutoldtrees.

C.Tosharethefindingsofanewstudyabouttrees.D.Toanalyzethereasonswhysometreesaredyingfaster.

Passage3.（2021?樂山模擬）

Humanillumination（照明）oftheplanetisgrowinginrangeandintensitybyabout2%ayear,creating

aproblemthatcanbecomparedtoclimatechange,accordingtoateamofbiologistsfromtheUniversityof

Exeter.

Hormone（激素）levels,breedingcyclesandactivitypatternsarebeingaffectedacrossabroadrangeof

species.Inalltheanimalspeciesexamined,theyfoundreducedlevelsofmelatonin一ahormonethat

regulatessleepcycles一asaresultofartificiallightatnight.Behaviouralpatternswerealsodisturbed.

Rodents,whichmostlysearchforfoodatnight,wereactiveforashorterperiod?whilebirdsstartedsinging

andsearchingforwormsearlierintheday.

Theoutcomeswerenotpurelynegative.Thescientistssaidcertainspeciesincertainlocationsbenefited

fromnight-timelight：someplantsgrewfasterandsometypesofbatsthrived（興旺）.Buttheysaidthe

overalleffectwascatastrophic,particularlytotheinsectsdrawntofast-movingcarlamps.

SatelliteimagesoftheEarthatnightshowhowrapidlytheproblemisexpandinggeographically,but

lightsarealsobecomingmoreintenseasexpensivesoftamberbulbsarereplacedbygreaternumbersofcheap

brightwhiteLEDs.Thisisbiologicallyproblematicbecausethewhitelighthasawiderrange,likesunlight.

Unliketheclimatecrisis,however,theleadauthor,KevinGastonsaidsolvingthelightingproblem

wouldsaveratherthancostmoney.Butitwouldrequireachangeofmindset."Attheheartofthisisadeep-

rootedhumanneedtolightupthenight.Wearestillinasenseafraidofthedark,"hesaid,"Theabilitytoturn

thenight-timeintosomethinglikethedaytimeissomethingwehavepursuedfarbeyondthenecessityofdoing

so.

（1）Whatisparagraph2mainlyabout?

A.Thewideuseofartificiallight.B.Thebadeffectsofartificiallight.

C.Theabnormalbehaviourofspecies.D.Thebiologicaldiversityofspecies.

（2）Whatdotheunderlinedwords"theproblem"inparagraph4referto?

A.Theamountoflighting.B.Thechangeofsunlight.

C.TherangeofwhiteLEDs.D.Thepressureofclimatechange.

(3)WhatcanwelearnfromKevinGaston'swords?

A.Ittakestimetogettheproblemsolved.B.Tolightupthenightskyisnotnecessary.

C.Itcostsmoneytosolvethelightingproblem.D.Theproblemisdeeplyrootedinthehistory.

(4)Whatdoestheauthortrytoconveythroughthispassage?

A.Weshouldprotectourenvironmentinascientificway.

B.Weshouldsolveclimatecrisiswithabiologicalapproach.

C.Weshouldconserveournaturewithmaximumeffort.

D.Weshouldtreatartificiallightlikeotherformsofpollution.

Passage4.(2021?全國模擬)

Inmyeverydaylife,Iamonanongoingjourneytofigureoutdifferentwaystoreducemycarbon

footprintontheplanet.Acarbonfootprintisthemeasureofinfluenceouractivitieshaveontheenvironment,

inparticularclimatechange.Itiscalculatedbytheamountofgreenhousegasweproduceinourdailylives.

Fortunately,nowadaysitismucheasiertomakeeco-friendlylifestylechoicesthan,let'ssay,20years

ago.Butonequestionhasbeenonmymindalotlately：isitbettertobuyneweco-friendlyproductsorused

traditionallyproducedgoods?

Afterdoingsomeresearch,Ihavedecidedthatsomethingsarebetternewandothersarebetterused.Let

metrytoexplain.

Acarbonfootprintismadeupoftwoparts,theprimaryfootprintandthesecondaryfootprint.Theprimary

footprintisameasureofourdirectemissions(排放)ofcarbondioxide(CO2)fromtheburningoffuels,

includinghouseholdenergyconsumptionandtransportation.Thesecondaryfootprintisameasureofthe

indirectCO2emissionsfromthewholelifecycleofproductsweuse-thoserelatedtotheirproductionand

breakdown.

Basedonthisunderstanding,wehaveagooddealofcontrolandresponsibilityoverourcarbonfootprint.

Thingslikedishes,clothesandfurniturefallintothe"secondaryfootprint'*group,solessismoreandwecan

focusonfindingusedgoodstoavoidtheaddedproduction.However,forthecarandtheotherappliances(設(shè)

備)thatweneedwecangowithnew,energy-savingmodels.Iheardsomewherethatelectronicsand

appliancesgiveoff90%oftheircarbonfootprintaftertheyleavethefactory.Soitseemsmostreasonabletogo

fortheenergy-savingmodels.Themainconcernhereistheamountofenergythatgoesintothemakingofnew

productsandwhetherornotthatextracarbonisworththefootprinttheproductwillmakeonceitgetstoyou.

(1)Whatisthetextmainlyabout?

A.Whatappliancestobuytosaveenergy.B.Whatacarbonfootprintmeansinourlife.

C.Howtoidentifydifferentcarbonfootprints.D.Howtomakeeco-friendlylifestylechoices.

(2)Whatdoweknowaboutthesecondarycarbonfootprint?

A.Itisrelatedtoourconsumptionoffuels.B.Itismadewhenwearebuyingtheproducts.

C.Itislessharmfulthantheprimarycarbonfootprint.D.Itiscountedasoursthoughnotdirectlymadebyus.

(3)Whichofthefollowinghelpsreduceourcarbonfootprintaccordingtotheauthor?

A.Usingsecond-handtextbooks.B.Usingoldandexpensivecars.

C.Buyingnewbutcheapclothes.D.Buyingnewwoodenfurniture.

(4)"Thefootprint"underlinedinthelastsentencereferstotheCO2producedin.

A.usingtheproductB.recyclingtheproductC.makingtheproductD.transportingtheproduct

Passage5.(2021*山東模擬)

Whilethenovelcoronavirusisdangerousforeveryone,itisparticularlysoforthefirstresponderswhoare

beingexposedtotheillnessdaily.IntheUSalone,almost5,500nurses,doctors,andotherhealthcare

professionalshavebeeninfectedwithCOVID-19.Now,hospitalworkersworldwidemaygetsomerelief

thanksto.Spot,asemi-autonomousfour-leggedrobotdevelopedbyWaltham,Massachusetts-based

roboticscompany,BostonDynamics.

“StartinginearlyMarch,BostonDynamicsstartedreceivinginquiriesfromhospitalsaskingifourrobots

couldhelpminimizetheirstaffsexposuretoCOVID-19,Mthecompanywritesinablogpost."Oneofthe

hospitalsthatwespoketosharedthat,withinaweek,asixthoftheirstaffhadcontractedCOVID-19and

thattheywerelookingintousingrobotstotakemoreoftheirstaffoutofrangeofthenovelvirus.

Inresponse,thecompanyreconfiguredthe3-foottalk70-poundrobottooperateasamobile

telemedicineplatform,enablinghealtheareproviderstodetermineapatient'sconditionremotely.Thefirstfour

-legged''medicalpractitioner'*wasdeployedtotheBrighamandWomen'sHospitalofHarvardUniversityon

April9,2020.EquippedwithaniPad"face"andatwo-wayradiothatallowsforreal-timeconversation,

Spothelpsdoctorstospeaktopatientswithoutcomingincontactwiththem.

nWithcurrentprotocolsatlocalhospitals,patientssuspectedtohaveCOVID-19areaskedtolineupin

tentsoutsidetoanswerquestionsandgetinitialassessmentsfortemperature.Thisprocessrequiresuptofive

medicalstaff,placingthoseindividualsathighriskofcontractingthevirus,"BostonDynamicsexplains.''With

theuseofamobilerobot,hospitalsareabletoreducethenumberofnecessarymedicalstaffatthesceneand

conservetheirlimitedPPE[personalprotectiveequipment]supply."Thecompanysaysthedoctorscanevenuse

Spottotalktopatientsfromthesafetyoftheirownhomes.

ThoughSpothasalreadyprovedextremelyhelpful,theroboticsmanufacturerbelievesitcanbeeven

moreso.Theengineersarecurrentlyworkingon"teaching”therobottoperformtasksliketemperaturechecks

andrespiratoryratecalculationsusingthermalcameratechnology.

(1)Whatdoweknowabouttherobotaccordingtothepassage?

A.AIcoulddiagnosediseasescorrectlyfrommedicalimaging.

B.Humanhealthcareexpertshadacompetitionwiththerobot.

C.AIcanbeusedtoofferassistancetomedicalworkers.

D.Therobotisperformedbyexpertsthroughouttheworld.

(2)Whatdoestheunderlinedword"reconfigured"inParagraph3mean?

A.Rearranged.B.Restored.C.Fixed.D.Invented.

(3)Whatisthefurtherintentionofthecompany?___

A.Itshouldbemorescientificallybased.B.Itcanmakerobotscarryoutmoretasks.

C.Itwillinvolvebetterdiseasediagnosis.D.Itshouldincreasetheproductionofrobots.

(4)Whichcolumnofthenewspaperisthistextmostlikelyfrom?___

A.Sciencestudy.B.Ourworld.C.Campuslife.D.Starstories.

Passage6.(2020?陽泉模擬)

ResearchersstudieddatafromtheNationalHealthandNutritionExaminationSurvey,organizedbythe

CenterforDiseaseControl(CDC)intheUnitedStatesandlookedattherelationshipbetweencupsofcoffee

drunkperday,andbothtotalbodyfatpercentageandabdominal(腹部)or'trunk1fat.

Theyfoundthatwomenaged20-44whodranktwoorthreecupsofcoffeeperdayhadthelowestlevels

ofobesity,3.4%lowerthanpeoplewhodidnotconsumecoffee.Amongwomenagedbetween45-69,

thosewhodrankfourormorecupshadanobesitypercentage4.1%lower.

Overall,theaveragetotalbodyfatpercentagewas2.8%loweramongwomenofallageswhodrank

twoorthreecupsofcoffeeperday.

Thefindingswereconsistentwhetherthecoffeeconsumedwascaffeinatedordecaffeinated,andamong

smokers/non-smokersandthosesufferingfromchronic(慢性的)diseaseswhencomparedtothoseingood

health.

Inmen,therelationshipwaslesssignificant,althoughmenaged20-44whodranktwoorthreecupsper

dayhad1.3%lesstotalfatand1.8%lesstrunkfatthanthosewhodidnotconsumecoffee.

Around7milliontonsofcoffeeisconsumedgloballyeveryyear.DrLeeSmith,ReaderinPublicHealth

atAngliaRuskinUniversityandseniorauthorofthestudy,said："Ourresearchsuggeststhattheremaybe

activecompoundsincoffeeotherthancaffeinethatmanageweightandwhichcouldpotentiallybeusedasanti

-obesitycompounds."

"Itcouldbepossiblethatcoffee,oritseffectiveingredients(原料?)couldbeintegrated(使整合)intoa

healthydietstrategytoreducetheburdenofchronicconditionsrelatedtotheobesity."DrLeeSmithadded,

"Itisimportanttointerpretthefindingsofthisstudyinlightofitslimitations-thestudywasataspecificpoint

intimesotrendscannotbeestablished.However,wedon'tbelievethatsomeone'sweightislikelyto

influencetheircoffeeconsumption.”

(1)WhatincoffeemainlyinfluencesbodyfataccordingtoDrLeeSmith?

A.Thecaffeine.B.Thedecaffeinated.C.Theeffectivecompounds.D.Therichnutrition.

(2)Whatcanbeinferredfromthetext?___

A.Coffeehaslesseffectonmenthanwomeninfataccordingtothefinding.

B.Thewomenaged20-44liketodrinktwoorthreecupsofcoffeeperday.

C.Theresearchersfoundthatthecoffeeconsumerspreferredcaffeinatedcoffee.

D.Trendswillbeestablishedtolimitpeople'sweightsbytheircoffeeconsumption.

(3)Whereisthistextmostlikelyfrom?

A.Adiary.B.Aguidebook.C.Anovel.D.Amagazine.

(4)Whatisthebesttitleforthetext?___

A.ChronicDiseasesRelatedtotheObesityB.CoffeeLinkedtoLowerBodyFat

C.CoffeeRelatedtoHeartDiseaseD.StudyDisclosestheBenefitsofCoffee

Passage7.(2020?高密市模擬)

Playingtennisregularlycouldhelpkeeppeopleoffdeath,butfootball,rugbyandrunningmaynothelp

peopletolivelonger,astudysuggests.

Astudyfollowedmorethan80,000peopleforanaverageofnineyearstofindoutifcertainsports

protectedthemagainstearlydeath.Itfoundthatpeoplewhoplayedracketsportsregularlyweretheleastlikely

todieoverthestudyperiod,reducingtheirindividualriskby47percentcomparedwithpeoplewhodidno

exercise.Swimmersalsoreducedtheirchanceofdeathby28percent,aerobics(有氧運(yùn)動(dòng))fansby27

percentandcyclistsby15percent.Yetrunningappearedtohavenoimpactatallondyingearly,andneither

didplayingfootballorrugby.

Scientistssaythedifferencemaylieinthesocialaspectwhichgoesalongsidesportsliketennisandsquash

(壁球)，whichofteninvolveclubsandorganizedactivitiesoutsideofthegame.Itmeansthatpeopleoften

havelargersocialnet-worksandtendtokeepupactivitiesintolaterlife,bothofwhichareproventobegood

forhealth.

Incontrast,peoplewhoplayteamsportsoftendonotmoveontoanewsportoncetheirteamsbreakupfor

family,orinjuryreasons.Theybecomewatchersratherthanparticipantsintheirchosenactivity.

Theresearchersfoundthatplayingracketsportswasassociatedwitha56percentlowerriskfromheart

death.Similarly,swimmersloweredtheirheartdiseaseorstrokeriskby41percent,andpeoplewhotook

partinactivitieslikeaerobics,danceorgymnasticsloweredtheirriskby36percent.Butagainrunning,

footballandrugbyhadnosignificantimpactonheartdeaths.

However,otherexpertsarguethatthisstudymustnotbemisinterpretedasshowingthatrunningand

footballdonotprotectagainstheartdisease.Inthisstudybothrunnersandfootballershadalowerrateofdeath

fromheartdisease.

(1)Whichsporthashardlyanyimpactonprotectingpeopleagainstearlydeath?

A.Cycling.B.Swimming.C.Rugby.D.Tennis.

(2)Accordingtothestudy,whichmakesabigdifferenceinkeepinghealthy?

A.Playingbasketballwiththeirfriendsoccasionally.B.Watchingfootballgameseveryday.

C.Takingupgymnasticsandjoiningaclub.D.Doingrunningintheparkeveryday.

（3）Whatisconsideredmoreimportanttopeople'shealth?

A.Socialnetworks.B.Stayingathome.C.Physicalexaminations.D.Settingupfamilies.

（4）Whatisthemainideaofthetext?

A.Thousandsofpeopleparticipatedina9-yearresearch.

B.Studyfindsplayingtennishelpspeoplelivelonger.

C.Itiswrongtosayrunninghasnoimpactonheartdisease.

D.Therearedifferencesbetweenracketsportsandteamgames.

Passage8.（2020?黑龍江模擬）

Foodblogs,celebrities,andnutritionistsalladvocatethebenefitsofeatingorganic（有機(jī)的）fruitsand

vegetables.ButanewstudypublishedinScienceAdvancespaintsamorecomplexpicture.Whileperhaps

organicproduceisslightlyhealthiertoeatand,insomeways,moresustainabletogrow,therearealso

downsides.

Organicfruitsandvegetablestypicallycostmorethanconventionalones.Togetacertificateasorganic,

farmersmustmeetspecificcriteria,includinggrowingproducewithouttheuseofgeneticengineeringand

chemicalinputs.Withoutthesemethods,thegrowingprocesstypicallyrequiresmorelabor,time,andmoney,

acostthatispasseddowntoconsumers.

It'struethatinmanyways,organicfarmingismoresustainablethanconventionalfarming.Butwhenit

comestoenvironmentalconcernssuchasgreenhousegasoutputandwaterloss,thecomparisongetscomplex.

Organicfarmsproducelessgreenhousegasoutputperacre.However,becausetheyarebannedfromusing

geneticengineering,pesticides（殺蟲齊lj）,andothermethodsthatincreaseefficiency,organicfarmsalso

produceanestimated19%to25%lessyieldthanconventionalfarms.Whilethereisn'tawholelotresearchon

thetopic,thefewstudiesthatdoexistsuggestgreengasoutputandwaterlossmightactuallybehigheron

organicfarms,onaperunitbasis,saysstudyauthorVerenaSeurfert.

Inaddition,whileorganicproduceislikelymorenutritiousthanconventionalfruitsandvegetables,

there'snotalotofevidencetosupporttheclaimthattheseoftenslightdifferencesinfluenceconsumerhealth.

Thesameistrueforpesticideremainder(殘留).Indevelopedcountries,wherepesticideuseistightly

regulated,there'snoscientificconsensusonhowtheseoftenslightdifferencesinfluencehumanhealth.

StilbSeurfertstressesthatifyoucanaffordtoeatorganic,youshoulddoso.Organicfarmsprovidesafer

workingenvironmentsforworkers,plustheysupportgreatbiodiversity.Therealtakeawayfromherstudyis

notthatorganicisbadbutthatthepracticeneedsmorestudiestoincreaseyieldwithoutloweringsustainability.

Butifyoucan'taffordtobuyorganicproduce,don'tstresstoomuch,particularlyfromanutritional

perspective.

(1)Whatdoestheunderlinedword''downsides"inParagraph1mostprobablymean?

A.Dangers.B.Drawbacks.C.Benefits.D.Differences.

(2)Whichkeyfactormakesithardtocompareorganicfarmingandconventionalfarmingwhenitcomesto

environmentalconcerns?____

A.Theyield.B.Theprice.C.Thewaterloss.D.Thelabor.

(3)Whichofthefollowingwillthestudyauthormostprobablyagreewith?___

A.Farmers'workingenvironmentshouldbeimproved.B.Organicproduceshouldbemademoreefficiently.

C.Itisn*twiseforconsumerstobuyorganicproduce.D.Pesticideremainderdoesgreatharmtopeople'shealth.

(4)InSeurfert'sopinion,whyshouldwesupportorganicproduce?

A.It*sofgreaterbenefittohealth.B.It'smorenutritious.

C.Ithelpskeepthevarietyofplants.D.It'ssaferforconsumers.

Passage9.(2020?天津二模)

TheGataisusedtofrownwhentheyreceivedpowerbillsthatroutinelytopped$200.LastSeptemberthe

couplemovedintoa1,500-square-foothomeinPremierGardens,asubdivisionof95"zero-energy

homes"(ZEH)justoutsidetown.NowtheyYeactuallyeagertoseetheirelectricitybills.Thegrandtotalover

the10monthsthey'velivedinthethree-bedroomhouse：$75.forthepasttwomonthstheyhaven'tpaida

cent.

ZEHcommunitiesaretheleadingedgeoftechnologiesthatmightsomedaycreatehousesthatproduceas

muchenergyastheyconsume.PremierGardensisoneofahalf-dozensubdivisionsinCaliforniainCalifornia

whereeveryhomecutspowerconsumptionby50%,mostlybyusinglow-powerappliancesandsolarpanels.

Asidefromthepanelsontheroof,PremierGardenslookslikeacommunityofconventionalhomes.But

inside,specialwindowscutpowerbillsbyblockingsolarheatinsummerandretainingindoorwarmthinwinter.

Therestofenergysavingcomesformthesolarunits.Theydon'tjustfeedthehometheyserve.Ifthey

generatemorepowerthanthehomeisusing,theexcessflowerintotheutility'spowergrid.Theresidents

arebilledby"netmetering"：theypayfortheamountofpowertheytapoffthegrid,lessthekilowatts(千瓦)

theyfeedintoit.Ifahomegeneratemorepowerthanituses,thebilliszero.

Thatsoundslikeabaddealforthepowercompany,butit*snot.Solarhomesproducethemostpoweron

thehotsunnyafternoonswheneveryonerusheshometoturnuptheairconditioner."Ithelpsuslowerusageat

peakpowertimes.'*sayssolarexpertMikeKeesee."Thatletsusavoidbuildingcostlyplantsorbuying

expensivepoweratpeakusagetime.”

What'snottolike?Mostlythecosts.Thespecialfeaturescanadd$25,000ormoretothepurchase

priceofahouse.Taxbreaksbringthecostdown,especiallyinCalifornia,butinmanystatesZEHscanbe

prohibitivelyexpensive.Fortheconsumer,it'samatterofpayingnowforthehardwaretosavelateronthe

utilities.

(1)WhyaretheGataiseagertoseetheirelectricitybillsnow?

A.Theywanttoseehowmuchtheyhavesaved.B.Thewanttocutdowntheirutilityexpenses.

C.Theywanttoknowiftheyareabletopay.D.Theywanttoavoidbeingovercharged.

(2)WhatisspecialabouttheZEHcommunities?___

A.Theyhavecreatedcutting-edgetechnologies.B.Theyaimtoproduceenoughpowerthemselves.

C.Theyaresubdividedintohalfadozensections.D.Theyarebuiltinharmonywiththeenvironment.

(3)HowaretheresidentsintheZEHcommunitiesbilledforelectricityuse?

A.Theyareonlychargedfortheamountofpowertheyconsumeonrainydays.

B.Theyneedn'tpayasinglecent