These days a green building means more than just the color of the paint. Green building can also refer to environmentally friendly houses, factories, and offices.
Green building means" reducing the impact(影响)of the building on the land", Taryn Holowka of the U. S. Green Building Council in Washington,@D@C, said.
According to Holowka, building account for(占了)65 percent of total U.S. electricity use.
But green building can reduce energy and water use. Also, the building are often located near public transportation such as buses and subways, so that people can drive their cars less. That could be good for the environment, because cars use lots of gas and give off pollution. Green building are often built on developed land, so that the buildings don't destroy forests.
Marty Dealing is project manger for a building that put these ideas into action. The Solaire has been called the country's first green high-rise building. According to Dettling, "We've reduced our energy use by one-third and our water by 50 percent." The Solaire cuts energy in past by using solar power. "On the face of the building we have solar panels which change the sun's energy into electricity," Dealing explained.
The Solaire also has lights that automatically turn off when people leave the room. In addition, the building has lots of windows, allowing people to use the sun for light during the day. The Solaire cuts water reusing it.
Not everyone is eager to move into a green building, however. Some people think that things like solar panels cost more money than more traditional energy sources. Anyhow, Holowka said, "It's going to be big."
In the second paragraph, the underlined words "the building" most probably refer to ______.
A. an ordinary building
B. an energy-saving building
C. a green-colored building
D. a water-reducing building
听力原文:M: Hi, Jane. It's nice to see you again. I heard that you went to the US during the vacation.
W: Yes. I went to New York to attend a summer course in English.
M: Wow. You were lucky. How long did you stay there?
W: About 50 days. I went there on July 5th and crone back on August 25th.
M: How about the course?
W: The course was very good. The teachers were nice. They taught us to listen, speak, read and write in English, but it was mostly speaking. One interesting thing l found was that the American classes are different from our classes here because they are very free. You can sit anywhere you like in the classroom. You can ask the teacher questions at any time during the class, and you are welcome to share your ideas with the class. I really like this kind of class.
M: How interesting! Maybe our teacher should try that.
What was the girl's main purpose in going to New York during the vacation?
A. To learn English.
B. To visit an American family.
C. To do business.