Some houses are designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of t

Some houses aredesigned to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second typeof house won an Award of Excellence from the American Institutes of Architects.

2,4,6

       Located on the shore ofSullivan’s Island off the coast of South Carolina, the award-winningcube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane（飓风）Hugo 10 years ago. InSeptember 1989, Hugo struck South Carolina, killing 18 people and damaging ordestroying 36,000 homes in the state. Before Hugo, many new houses built alongSouth Carolina’s shoreline were poorly constructed, and enforcement of buildinglaws wasn’t strict, according to architect Ray Huff, who created thecleverly-designed beach house. In Huff’s wake all new shoreline houses arerequired to meet stricter, better-enforced requirements. The new beach house onSullivan’s Island should be able to withstand(经受) a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometersper hour.

       Atfirst sight, the house on Sullvan’s Island looks anything but hurricane-proof.Its redwood shell makes it resemble “a large party lantern” at night, accordingto one observer. But looks can be cheating. The house’s wooden frame isreinforced with long steel bars to give it extra strength.

       Tofurther protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters offthe ground on timber pilings – long, slender columns of wood anchored deep inthe sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to supportthe weight of the house. They also elevate the house above storm attacks. Thepilings allow the waves to run under the house instead of running into it.“These swells of water come on shore at tremendous speeds and cause most of thedamage done to beach-front buildings,” said Huff.

       Huffdesigned the timber pilings to be partly masked by the house’s ground-to-roofshell. “The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn’t look like it’sstanding with its pant legs pulled up,” said Huff. In the event of a stormsurge, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, thearchitect explained.

1.After the tragedy caused by Hurricane Hugo, new ho uses builtalong South Carolina’s shore line are required           .

       A．to be easily reinforced                          B．to look smarter in design

       C．to meet stricter building standards         D．to be designed in the shape of cubes

2.The award-winningbeach house is quite strong because         .

       A．it is strengthened by steel bars               B．it is made of redwood

       C．it is in the shape of a shell                    D．it is built with stone and concrete

3.Huff raised thehouse 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings in order to            .

       A．withstand peak winds of about 200 km/hr

       B．strike stronger pilings keep into thesand

       C．break huge sea waves into smaller ones

       D．prevent water from rushing into thehouse

4.The main functionof the shell is              .

       A．to strengthen the pilings of the house

       B．to give the house a better appearance

       C．to protect the wooden frame of the house

       D．to slow down the speed of the swellingwater

 

试题答案

【答案】

 

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.B

【解析】略