Heating and cooling equipment is the biggest user of energy in our homes. And homes can be responsible for up to 25 percent of a nation’s total energy use. But there are surprisingly simple ways to greatly reduce energy use, its cost, and its effect on the environment.A solution to this problem is called passive home (or passive house). An expert says the design of a passive house aims to reduce energy demand to its lowest possible level. Passive houses use no solar, geothermal (地热) or wind energy equipment, but they are really energy-efficient.Building a passive house needs some particular products. They also need to have special air treatment systems. Supporters say they cost about 5-8 percent more than traditional homes, but they use only 10 percent of the energy for heating and cooling. Even greater savings can be reached with additions like solar water heating systems.With continuous efforts and progress, an advanced passive home that can cut heating and cooling costs by about 90 percent now can look just like any other home despite using specialized materials. The expert says, “That is the beauty of the passive house approach. You don’t have to build in a particular way or style.”It is said that you can find passive homes all over the world. The first passive design was an apartment building in Darmstadt, Germany. Two physicists helped develop it about 30 years ago. A passive house was built in Arlington, Virginia, seals its windows against leaks so that they are airtight and each window has three layers of glass. On a cold winter day, the temperature inside the unfinished home is a comfortable 12 degrees. While in the area with high temperatures, North Africa, for example, there is a passive house community designed for very hot, dry climates. And that’s a whole other area of exploration for passive houses.1.According to the passage, what is the most important feature of passive houses?A. They use solar, geothermal and wind energy.B. They are built with advanced materials.C. They reduce energy use to a great extent.
Heating and cooling equipment is the biggest user of energy in our homes. And homes can be responsible for up to 25 percent of a nation’s total energy use. But there are surprisingly simple ways to greatly reduce energy use, its cost, and its effect on the environment.
A solution to this problem is called passive home (or passive house). An expert says the design of a passive house aims to reduce energy demand to its lowest possible level. Passive houses use no solar, geothermal (地热) or wind energy equipment, but they are really energy-efficient.
Building a passive house needs some particular products. They also need to have special air treatment systems. Supporters say they cost about 5-8 percent more than traditional homes, but they use only 10 percent of the energy for heating and cooling. Even greater savings can be reached with additions like solar water heating systems.
With continuous efforts and progress, an advanced passive home that can cut heating and cooling costs by about 90 percent now can look just like any other home despite using specialized materials. The expert says, “That is the beauty of the passive house approach. You don’t have to build in a particular way or style.”
It is said that you can find passive homes all over the world. The first passive design was an apartment building in Darmstadt, Germany. Two physicists helped develop it about 30 years ago. A passive house was built in Arlington, Virginia, seals its windows against leaks so that they are airtight and each window has three layers of glass. On a cold winter day, the temperature inside the unfinished home is a comfortable 12 degrees. While in the area with high temperatures, North Africa, for example, there is a passive house community designed for very hot, dry climates. And that’s a whole other area of exploration for passive houses.
1.According to the passage, what is the most important feature of passive houses?
A. They use solar, geothermal and wind energy.
B. They are built with advanced materials.
C. They reduce energy use to a great extent.
题目解答
答案
解析
本题考查对文章中被动房（passive house）特点的理解。解题思路是仔细阅读文章，提取关于被动房的关键信息，然后分析每个选项与文章内容的匹配度。
- 文章开篇指出家用供暖和制冷设备能源消耗大，而被动房是解决能源问题的方案，其设计目标是将能源需求降到最低。
- 第二段提到被动房不使用太阳能、地热能或风能设备，但能源效率高，供暖和制冷能耗仅为传统房屋的10%，成本仅增加5 - 8%。
- 第三段说明先进的被动房能将供暖和制冷成本降低约90%。
- 分析选项：
- 选项A：文中明确提到“Passive houses use no solar, geothermal (地热) or wind energy equipment”，所以选项A错误。
- 选项B：虽然文章提到被动房需要特殊材料，但这并非其最重要的特征，所以选项B不完全正确。
- 选项C：综合文章内容，被动房在能源使用上有显著的降低，所以选项C正确。