题目

Consider this: Building use 40% of all energy consumed by people. How is it that in nature, species such as termites (白蚁) create remarkable temperature-control systems to keep themselves cool, without air conditioners? Imagine for a moment a termite mound (丘) on the African grassland, where temperatures swing between 40oC during the day and 10C at night. Termite survive, though, only if their environment has a constant6 temperature of 30oC. So how do the termites keep a mound at a consistent temperature? Let’s take a look at how the mounds are built. Termites mounds are tall, often reaching up to 7.6m high and rooting 3m underground. The mounds are built with a long tube at the top that looks like a small chimney. When termite mounds are found to be in the way of building project, explosive is often needed. Termites create small openings in the wet mud at the bottom of the mounds. These tunnels act as wind catchers, lowering the temperature of the air as it moves through the tunnels of wet mud. This process is called evaporative (蒸发) cooling. When dry it passes over water, the air absorbs some of that water. This occurs as the vapor pressure and the temperature of the air and the water try to become equal. The heat moves from the higher air temperature to the lower water temperature, thus cooling the air. The termite mound also makes use of natural air currents. Because warm air rises, the air currents draw air from the tunnels at the bottom up and out through the opening at the top of the mound. To regulate the heat and dampness in the mound, the termites work constantly to change the position of the tunnels, opening up new tunnels and blocking others. Architect Michael based his design of the Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe, on that of termite mounds. Like the termite mound, Eastgate is ventilated (通风), cooled, and heated entirely through natural mean. Its ventilation costs one-tenth of that of a standard air-conditioned building and uses 35% less energy than six conventional building. 49.       Termites can survive on the African grassland mainly because of ________. A. the constant temperature there                               B. their temperature-control systems C. the height and length of their mounds                   D. their heat stored in the bodies 50.       What does the sentence underlined in Paragraph 3 imply about termite mounds? A. They are designed skillfully.                                    B. They are strong enough. C. They are harmful to people.                                      D. They are constructed grandly. 51.       The tunnels of wet mud in termite mounds are built to ________. A. cool down the temperature                                      B. let in fresh currents C. warm up the air                                                            D. block the openings 52.       What’s the best title for the passage? A. Principle of Ventilation                                              B. Structure of Termite Mounds C. Wisdom of Termites                                                   D. Inspiration from Termite Mounds 答案：BBAD

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