Although many of us may feel air-conditioners bring relief from hot, humid or polluted outside air, they pose many potential health hazards. Much research has looked at how the movement of air inside a closed environment―such as an office building―can spread disease or expose people in the building to harmful chemicals. One of the more widely publicized dangers is that of Legionnaire’s disease, which was first recognized in the 1970s. This was found to have affected people in buildings with air-conditioning systems in which warm air pumped out of the system’s cooling towers was somehow sucked back into the (通风口), in most cases due to poor design. The warm air, filled with bacteria, was combined with cooled, conditioned air and was then circulated around various parts of the building. Studies showed that even people outside such buildings were at risk if they walked past air exhaust pipes. Large air-conditioning systems add water to the air they circulate by means of (温度调节器). In older systems, the water used for this process is kept in special reservoirs, the bottoms of which provide breeding grounds for bacteria which can find their way into the (通风) system. The risk to human health from this situation has been highlighted by the fact that the immune systems of approximately haft of workers in air-conditioned office buildings have developed the ability to fight off the organisms found at the bottom of system reservoirs. But chemicals called "biocides" are added to reservoirs to make them germ-free, and they are dangerous in their own right in sufficient quantities, as they often contain compounds strongly linked to cancers. Finally, it should be pointed out that the artificial climatic environment created by air-conditioners can also affect us. In a natural environment, whether indoor or outdoor, there are small variations in temperature and humidity. Indeed, the human body has long been accustomed to these normal changes. In an air-conditioned living or work environment, however, body temperatures remain well under 37℃, our normal temperature. This leads to a weakened immune system and thus greater exposure to diseases such as colds and flu.What do we know about Legionnaire’s disease from the passage A. It was the most widely concerned office hazard.B. It can affect people both inside and outside the building.C. It happens only in air-conditioned office buildings.D. It does not develop in well-designed buildings.
Although many of us may feel air-conditioners bring relief from hot, humid or polluted outside air, they pose many potential health hazards. Much research has looked at how the movement of air inside a closed environment―such as an office building―can spread disease or expose people in the building to harmful chemicals. One of the more widely publicized dangers is that of Legionnaire’s disease, which was first recognized in the 1970s. This was found to have affected people in buildings with air-conditioning systems in which warm air pumped out of the system’s cooling towers was somehow sucked back into the (通风口), in most cases due to poor design. The warm air, filled with bacteria, was combined with cooled, conditioned air and was then circulated around various parts of the building. Studies showed that even people outside such buildings were at risk if they walked past air exhaust pipes. Large air-conditioning systems add water to the air they circulate by means of (温度调节器). In older systems, the water used for this process is kept in special reservoirs, the bottoms of which provide breeding grounds for bacteria which can find their way into the (通风) system. The risk to human health from this situation has been highlighted by the fact that the immune systems of approximately haft of workers in air-conditioned office buildings have developed the ability to fight off the organisms found at the bottom of system reservoirs. But chemicals called "biocides" are added to reservoirs to make them germ-free, and they are dangerous in their own right in sufficient quantities, as they often contain compounds strongly linked to cancers. Finally, it should be pointed out that the artificial climatic environment created by air-conditioners can also affect us. In a natural environment, whether indoor or outdoor, there are small variations in temperature and humidity. Indeed, the human body has long been accustomed to these normal changes. In an air-conditioned living or work environment, however, body temperatures remain well under 37℃, our normal temperature. This leads to a weakened immune system and thus greater exposure to diseases such as colds and flu.What do we know about Legionnaire’s disease from the passage A. It was the most widely concerned office hazard.B. It can affect people both inside and outside the building.C. It happens only in air-conditioned office buildings.D. It does not develop in well-designed buildings.
题目解答
答案
B
解析
考查要点：本题主要考查学生对文章细节信息的捕捉能力，需要结合上下文准确理解 Legionnaire’s disease 的传播途径及影响范围。
解题核心思路：
- 定位关键段落：文章第二段明确提到 Legionnaire’s disease 的传播机制。
- 锁定核心信息：需注意文中“even people outside such buildings were at risk”这一表述，表明疾病可能影响楼内和楼外人群。
- 排除干扰选项：需区分“most widely publicized”与“most concerned hazard”的差异，以及“ventilation systems”与“office buildings”的范围限制。
关键信息提取：
- 传播途径：空调系统冷却塔排出的暖空气被吸入通风口，与冷却空气混合后循环至建筑各处。
- 影响范围：文章明确指出“even people outside such buildings were at risk if they walked past air exhaust pipes”，说明楼外人群也可能通过接触排气管道感染。
- 选项分析：
- A：文中强调 Legionnaire’s disease 是“more widely publicized dangers”之一，而非“most widely concerned office hazard”，表述不准确。
- B：直接对应文中“people inside the building”和“people outside...at risk”，正确。
- C：文章未限定疾病仅在“air-conditioned office buildings”发生，范围过窄。
- D：文中未提及“well-designed buildings”可完全避免疾病，表述绝对化。