An Earthship is a home that is built of materials such as old tires and aluminum cans. It is the idea of a man named Michael Reynolds. Many Earthships are more or less self-sufficient because they provide their own heat, air and water. They often have gardens watered and fed by waste water. They are fortable and ecologically friendly.
The main material used in building Earthships is tires. Tires are plentiful and
can't be recycled like paper, plastic, and metal. While building supplies for most houses can be very expensive, old used tires are free.
First, the tires are packed tightly with dirt. Each full tire weighs as much as
400 pounds. The tires are then stacked like bricks. The walls are extremely strong. They also help keep an even temperature in the house (between 60 and 70 degrees) without heating and cooling systems.
The walls inside the Earthship are made of aluminum cans that are held together by cement. Then they are coated with adobe or stucco.
The roofs of Earthships are sloped so that rain and snow run into large tanks. These tanks hold all the water for the house, and pumps push the water through the pipes. Sometimes, water flows in certain areas of the house as waterfalls! Water that has been used is pumped out into the gardens where owners grow much of their own food.
In most of these houses, the southern side has huge windows that take in winter sunlight as a source of heat. Summer sun does not e in through the south windows, so it doesn't get too hot in the summer. The house also has solar panels that gather energy for lights and hot water and cooking. The Earthships have all the forts of a regular house without the high cost of electric bills!
In a time when we are running out of energy resources, pollution is bad, and waste is piling up, Earthships are the best places to live in. For people who truly care about the environment,Earthships provide a great alternative to traditional houses. You won't be giving up any forts, and the styles are attractive. We all hope that more and more people will build Earthships and take a huge step toward helping the environment and saving our planet.
【小题1】What is the main idea of this passage?A．Earthships are a good way to live and protect the environment.B．Tanks hold water collected from rain and snow.C．It's important to grow your own food in a vegetable garden.D．People who live in Earthships usually live in the desert.【小题2】Which of the following is NOT explained in the passage?A．How an Earthship is built.B．What an Earthship is mainly made of.C．Why the Earthship is so called.D．How an Earthship is heated in winter.【小题3】Which evidence best supports the idea that Earthships are environmentally friendly?A．They were invented by Michael Reynolds.B．Water that has been used is pumped out into the garden.C．They are fortable and ecologically friendly.D．The tires are packed tightly with dirt.【小题4】It can be inferred from the passage that . A．a large population are already living in EarthshipsB．the idea of Earthships will attract the attention of governmentsC．the materials for the Earthships will be harmful to the dwellers(居住者)D．the northern side of the Earthship has no window
【小题1】A
【小题2】C
【小题3】B
【小题4】B
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(答案→)
【小题1】A
【小题2】C
【小题3】B
【小题4】B
解析：
【小题1】归纳主旨题。全文主要介绍Earthship这种新概念住房：以废旧轮胎为建筑材料，巧妙利用太阳能，水资源循环利用，根本特点是节能环保。
【小题2】细节理解题。Earthship的建筑材料、建筑过程以及采暖方式文中都有明确介绍，只有为什么称该房子为“Earthship”在文中没有明确解释。
【小题3】分析判断题。本题要求选出最能说明Earthship的环境友好功能的证据，注意C项是主观意见而非客观证据。
【小题4】推理判断题。迄今为止Earthship仅仅是一个环保人士推出的新概念住房，根据文章无法推出已有很多人使用该种住房（A）；没有证据说明Earthship的建筑材料对人体有害（C）；房子的南面设计了大窗户，目的是在冬天吸收阳光的热量，但无法据此推断北面不设窗户（D）；能源危机、环境恶化已成为世界性难题，各国政府都在努力寻求解决该问题的途径，Earthship如此节能、环保，可能会引起各国政府的注意。