Somehousesaredesignedtobesmart.Othershavesmartdesigns.AnexampleofthesecondtypeofhousewonanAwardofExcellencefromtheAmericanInstitutesofArchitects.246

Question

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

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       Located on the shore of Sullivan′s Island off the coast of South Carolina the award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane Hugo 10 years ago. In September 1989 Hugo struck South Carolina killing 18 people and damaging or destroying 36 000 homes in the state.

       Before Hugo many new houses built along South Carolina′s shoreline were poorly constructed and enforcement（强制执行）of building laws wasn′t strict according to architect Ray Huff who created the cleverly-designed beach house. In Huff′s opinion all new shoreline houses should meet stricter better-enforced building laws. The new beach house on Sullivan′s Island should be able to stand a Gategory（级）3 hurricane with the strongest winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.

       At first sight the house on Sullivan′s Island looks anything but hurricane-proof（防风）.Its redwood shell makes it look like“a large party lantern”at night. But looks can be cheating. The house′s wooden frame is extra strengthened with long steel bars. To further protect the house from hurricane damage Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on a wooden structure set deep in the sand. The structure might appear unsafe but it is strong enough to support the weight of the house. It can also lift the house above storm waves. The structure allows the waves to run under the house instead of running into it.“These waves come ashore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings ”said Huff. 

       Huff designed the wooden structure to be partially hidden under the house′s ground-to-roof shell（外壳）.“The shell covers the structure so that the house doesn′t look like it′s standing with its pant legs pulled up ”said Huff.“In the event of a storm the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house ”the architect explained.

1．After the Hurricane Hugo new houses built along South Carolina′s shoreline are required     .

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

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

2．The award-winning beach 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 wood and concrete

3．Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground in a wooden structure in order to       .

       A．stand strong winds of about 200 km/hr  B．build a strong structure deep in the sand

       C．break huge waves into smaller ones       D．prevent water from rushing into the house

4．The main function of the shell is        .

       A．to strengthen the structure of the house

       B．to give the house a better look

       C．to protect the wooden frame of the house

       D．to slow down the speed of the strong waves

5．It can be inferred from the passage that the shell should be       .

       A．fancy-looking                                      B．waterproof         

       C．easily breakable              D．extremely strong

Answer 1

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