2013年12月四级真题及答案(第1套).pdfVIP

Section B Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice. The Gatais used to frown when they received power bills that routinely topped $200. Last September the couple moved into a 1,500-square-foot home in Premier Gardens, a subdivision of 95 zero-energy homes(ZEH)just outside town. Now theyre actually eager to see their electricity bills. The grand total over the 10 months theyve lived in the three-bedroom house: $ 75. For the past two months they havent paid a cent. ZEH communities are the leading edge of technologies that might someday create houses that produce as much energy as they consume. Premier Gardens is one of a half-dozen subdivisions in California where every home cuts power consumption by 50% , mostly by using low-power appliances and solar panels. Aside from the panels on the roof, Premier Gardens looks like a community of conventional homes. But inside, special windows cut power bills by blocking solar heat in summer and retaining indoor warmth in winter. The rest of the energy savings comes from the solar units. They dont just feed the home they serve. If they generate more power than the home is using, the excess flows into the utilitys power grid( 电网 ). The residents are billed by net metering : they pay for the amount of power they tap off the grid, less the kilowatts( 千瓦 )they feed into it. If a home generates more power than it uses, the bill is zero. That sounds like a bad deal for the power company, but its not. Solar homes produce the most power on the hot sunny afternoons when everyone rushes home to turn up the air conditioner. It helps us lower usage at peak power times, says solar expert Mike Keesee. That l