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.

Passage ThreeQuestions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.A. It reflects American people’s view of French politics.B. It is first published in Washington and then in Paris.C. It explains American politics to the French public.D. It is popular among French government officials.

Watch the video clip “Water Changes Everything.” Complete the following statements with what you've heard.The water crisis:Nearly 1 billion people live without clean 1) _______ water.They don’t have a faucet. Instead the women and children go off to 2) ______ water.Some women spend more time collecting water than any other activity they do in the day, and the walk isn't just hard; it's 3) ______________. Many get hurt; sometimes they're even 4) ___________ .Their water is contaminated with germs that cause diarrhea, dehydration, even death, but what 5) ______ do they have?The solutions:Some solutions are brand-new and innovative, like water filtration 6) _________; some are age-old, like drilled or hand dug 7) _________.Significance of the solutions:These solutions bring clean water much closer to the people who need it.Africa alone could save 40 billion hours each year.That's less money spent on 8) ___________, which means more money for books and school 9) ____________.A water project built near a school can 10) ____________ attendance, especially among young girls.

Directions: Fill in the blanks by selecting suitable words from the word bank. You may not use any of the words more than once.填写答案时请填单词前的大写选项字母。A. anticipate F. diminishes K. mutualB. approval G. furnishes L. obsessionC. attain H. immersed M. removalD. concentrate I. lure N. scenarioE. continual J. maintain O. succession<|im_end|>Through online interactions, young people can share ideas, acquire information, and be exposed to many opportunities out there. Social media gives them the avenue to make new friends and allows them to 1) _______ contact with their old friends.However, too much social media also leads to addiction. We are quite familiar with the 2) _______ of people sitting next to each other, not talking, but just staring at their phones. Young people are more likely to be 3) _______ in social media rather than spend time with their families and friends. They may check their social media accounts first thing in the morning and check social media updates last thing before going to sleep. With too many distractions, they cannot fully 4) _______ on their tasks.Social media also leads to 5) _______. Some people are crazy about likes and comments and they will do anything to get them on a daily basis. Everything they do, they want to post on social media to get some form of 6) _______ from strangers. They work tirelessly to buy the latest clothes, eat expensive meals, and visit unusual places, just for a show. They even do things that they would never do in real life just to impress people. Since they cannot get the same popularity in real life as they do in social media, they yield to the 7) _______ of social networks. However, many of them live in 8) _______ fear of being less popular. Everything falls apart when their popularity really 9) _______ , and they may even get into serious psychological problems.The creators of social networks perhaps did not 10) _______ that their creations would bring these problems. Doing away with social media may not be practical, but some form of regulation should be put into place to ensure that people can really benefit from the technology.

Why is an organized daily routine helpful for managing anxiety?A. It helps you develop new hobbies.B. It helps you avoid any potential distractions.C. It helps you avoid working too hard.D. It helps you develop a sense of stability and control.

Isabel has turned down two job offers in the past year. In 2006, she started her own consulting practice, but by 2008, most of her larger clients had to drop her because of the economy. In 2011, she was undertaking irregular assignments and knew she needed a steady job. The first job she considered was Director of HR for a company in Utah. After the initial interviews, she felt the job fit her except for the location. Still, she flew west to meet the hiring manager. The hiring manager explained that Isabel was the top candidate for the job but that, before she continued with the process, she should better understand the firm's culture. She directed Isabel to several videos of the company's CEO, who regularly appeared in front of the company in costume as part of morale building exercises and expected his senior leaders to do the same. "Even though I was desperate for a job, I knew I couldn't do that," Isabel says. She called the recruiter to turn down the job and explained that she didn't feel there was a cultural fit.　　A few months later, she interviewed for another job: a director of employee relations at a local university. After several interviews, the hiring manager told her the job was hers if she wanted it. The job had many positives: it was a low-stress environment, it offered great benefits, and the university was an employee-friendly place. But the job was relatively junior despite the title and Isabel worried it wouldn't be challenging enough. Finally, she turned it down. "It would be great to have a paycheck and great benefits but I would definitely have trouble sleeping at night," she says.　　In both cases, she was frank with the hiring managers about why she wasn't taking the jobs." In the past, it felt like dating, I was worried about hurting people's feelings," she says. However, they appreciated her frankness and thanked her for her honesty. She says it was hard to turn down the jobs and it was a risk for her financially but she felt she had to.(1) (单选题)1. In 2011, Isabel _______.A.. did consulting now and then B.. found a job close to her homeC.. refused several job interviews D.. ran a successful consulting firm(2) (单选题)2. Isabel turned down the first job offer mainly because of its_______A.CEO B.culture C. location D.recruiter(3) (单选题)3. Isabel was dissatisfied with the second job due to its_______A.junior rifle B.low benefits C. Environment D.lack of challenge(4) (单选题)4. Isabel believed that her rejection of the jobs was______A.harmful B.surprisingC. justifiable D.troublesome(5) (单选题)5. According to Isabel, it is important to______A.look for jobs with little stress B.look for jobs with great benefitsC.be truthful in declining job offersD.be cautious in declining job offers

History is a record of mankind; different historians, _ , interpret it differently.A. thereforeB. on the contraryC. howeverD. consequently

Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.A. The sleep a person needs varies from day to day.B. The amount of sleep for each person is similar.C. One can get by with a couple of hours of sleep.D. Everybody needs some sleep for survival.

1. retail A. underline(零)售；underline(零)卖 B. underline(批)发；大规模underline(销)售 C. underline(拍)卖；underline(竞)卖 D. underline(分)发；underline(发)放

Questions are based on the following passage. 【小题1】 A．Fill in an application form. B．Send in an application letter. C．Make an appointment for an interview. D．Make a brief self-introduction on the phone. 【小题2】 A．Someone having a college degree in advertising. B．Someone experienced in business management. C．Someone ready to take on more responsibilities. D．Someone willing to work beyond regular hours. 【小题3】 A．Travel opportunities. B．Decent pay. C．Prospects for promotion. D．Flexible working hours. 【小题4】 A．It is to be negotiated. B．It is about 500 pounds a week. C．It depends on the working hours. D．It will be set by the Human Resources.

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