考研英語閱讀材料匯編之社會類(3)

復(fù)習(xí)緊張，焦頭爛額？逆風(fēng)輕襲，來跨考秋季集訓(xùn)營，幫你尋方法，定方案！ 了解一下>>

閱讀是考研英語的重要題型之一，也是保障英語成績的關(guān)鍵題目。因此，考研學(xué)子們要充分重視英語閱讀，除了平時多多閱讀英語雜志、報紙外，還需要針對閱讀進(jìn)行專項訓(xùn)練。小編整理了關(guān)于考研英語閱讀題源的系列文章——考研英語閱讀材料匯編之社會類(3)，請參考!

Making Your Grass Greener

Kermit the frog should love it. Everybody wants to be green. Now it's the real-estate industry, out to save energy, save the planet and save money for their clients. With only a little effort, you can find green brokers, green homes, green contractors, even green mortgages. Top that off with green tax credits and you, too, might acquire a tint.

Commerce follows the Zeitgeist. Some greenies are moved by conscience, others by fears of rising energy costs. In numbers, they're still a niche market, but their influence is pushing into the mainstream. Here's where the green grass grows:

Real-estate firms. What happens when they go green? First, they advertise as pro-planet, to attract like-minded clients and stand out from the crowd. Second, they're up on your issues: how to cut energy bills, find tax breaks or state grants for green remodeling, qualify for a green mortgage (more on this below) and connect with sympathetic architects and contractors. There's even a new designation-EcoBroker -for agents and brokers who take special online courses in environmental and energy issues. So far, nearly 250 people have qualified in 38 states, the District of Columbia and parts of Canada (listings at ecobroker.com). Some 500 more are in the pipeline. If energy prices keep rising, you'll see a stampede.

Ecobuilders. Various labeling programs exist for new houses built with energy savings in mind: Energy Star Home, Built Green, Build It Green and so on. To qualify, they have to be more efficient than homes built to ordinary building codes, You can expect tight construction, superior insulation, advanced heating and cooling equipment, high-performance windows, good ventilation and-for those who go further--recycled components and building materials containing fewer chemicals and less glue. More than 10 percent of new homes last year were labeled Energy Star, says Steve Baden, head of the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). And they're not just high-end. John Beldock, EcoBroker's CEO, says that green residential building now teaches almost every price range.

Existing homes are getting greener, too. To help with energy improvements, your stare may offer low-interest loans or grants. State and federal tax credits are on the table. To find a green builder or remodeler, click on "Partner List" at energystar.gov, Also, put "build green" and the name of your state into a search engine and see what comes up.

Home energy ratings. Your utility may offer free or low-cost energy audits to suggest ways of cutting your heating and cooling bills. For more formal audits, green builders and lenders are turning to certified "raters." Homes are awarded points on a scale of one to 100, depending on their energy efficiency. Each rating comes with a list of possible improvements you might want to make, as well as an estimate of your savings in energy bills

Why would you pay $350 to $600 for a rating? Lenders might require it, if you're borrowing money to add energy-efficient systems to your home. States might require it for people applying to affordable-home lending programs. In bum real-estate markets, a good rating might help sell your house-especially if you're listing with with a green broker. For certified raters, go to resnet. us and energystar.gov(But try any freebie from your utility first.)

Green mortgages-otherwise known as Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs). You usually qualify if you're buying a new Energy Star home or planning cost-efficient upgrades on an older home. Various types of loans exist; often, they let you borrow more money than would normally be the case. If the loan is done right, you'll be able to handle the higher monthly payments because you’re saving so much on your energy bills. You might also get reduced closing costs. The largest program allows loans up to $417,000, depending on where you live, but it's possible to borrow up to $1 million or more. If you're upgrading a home, part of the money goes into escrow until the job is done.

In theory, any lender can offer EEMs. In practice, they're hard to find. Few banks have bothered with the programs or trained lending officers to handle them. People don't know they exist, so there's slim demand. And besides, most buyers can already borrow as much as they need.

But EEMs are good for extra financing, and lenders should soon catch on to their value as marketing tools. To find these loans, it's helpful to use a green mortgage broker. Look for the names of lenders and brokers on the Energy Star site. The Indigo Financial Croup serves five states and is preparing to go nationwide. Indigo's Joel Wiese says his clients are saving 20 percent to 50 percent on their utility bills--more than enough to cover their higher mortgage payments.

One warning: beware the "greenwashers". Those are brokers and builders who say they're saving the planet but-like the Wizard of Oz-just give out green glasses, to turn a brown world into an emerald shade. Go beyond the press release. Be sure to get real green for your green.

詞匯注解

重點(diǎn)單詞

real-estate /'riali'steit/

【文中釋義】adj.房地產(chǎn)的，不動產(chǎn)的

【大綱全義】n.不動產(chǎn)，房地產(chǎn)adj房地產(chǎn)的，不動產(chǎn)的

client /'klaiant/

【文中釋義】n.顧客，客戶

【大綱全義】n.律師等的當(dāng)事人，委托人;商店的顧客

tint /tint/ I

【文中釋義】n.色彩

【大綱全義】n.色彩 v.給淡淡地著色

conscience /'k?n??ns/

【文中釋義】n.良心

【大綱全義】n.良心，良知

qualify /'kw?lifai/

【文中釋義】v.使具有資格

【大綱全義】v.(使)具有資格，證明合格;限制，限定;修飾

sympathetic /simp?'θetik/

【文中釋義】adj.合意的

【大綱全義】adj.有同情心的;贊同的;和諧的 n.交感神經(jīng)

architect /'a:kitekt/

【文中釋義】n.建筑師

【大綱全義】n.建筑師;設(shè)計師;締造者;創(chuàng)造者

designation/,dezig’nei??n/

【文中釋義】n.名稱

【大綱全義】n.指出，指明;任命，選派;稱呼，名稱

label/'leib?l/

【文中釋義】v.標(biāo)注

【大綱全義】n標(biāo)簽 v.把…….稱為;用標(biāo)簽于;用標(biāo)簽標(biāo)明;標(biāo)注

ordinary /'?:din?ri/

【文中釋義】adj.普通的

【大綱全義】adj.普通的，平凡的，平常的;平庸的

code /k?ud/

【文中釋義】n.規(guī)劃

【大綱全義】n.代碼，代號，密碼;法典，法規(guī)，規(guī)劃 v.把……編碼

ventilation /venti’lei??n/

【文中釋義】n.通風(fēng)

【大綱全義】n.通風(fēng)，流通空氣

beware /bi’w??/

【文中釋義】vt謹(jǐn)防

【大綱全義】v.當(dāng)心，謹(jǐn)防

超綱單詞

like-minded adj.有興趣的 remodel v.改造

ecobroker n.生態(tài)經(jīng)紀(jì)人 pipeline n.審核中

stampede n.驚慌行為 emerald n.草綠色

重點(diǎn)段落譯文

青蛙柯米特(經(jīng)典木偶劇里的角色)應(yīng)該會喜歡這樣。人人都想變成綠色?，F(xiàn)在，為了節(jié)約能源、節(jié)省地球資源和為客戶省錢，在房地產(chǎn)業(yè)也出現(xiàn)了綠色。你很輕松就能找到綠色經(jīng)紀(jì)人、綠色房屋、綠色承包商甚至綠色抵押貸款;最后還有綠色稅收抵免——可能你自己也沾上了點(diǎn)綠色。

商業(yè)緊隨時代風(fēng)潮而行。一些環(huán)保產(chǎn)品的出現(xiàn)是出于良知，另一些是由于擔(dān)心增加能源成本。從數(shù)量上看，綠色環(huán)保市場仍然是一個縫隙市場，但其影響正波及主流市場。某些行業(yè)中的綠色產(chǎn)業(yè)正處于發(fā)展之中：

房地產(chǎn)公司。它們走綠色路線的表現(xiàn)是什么?首先，房地產(chǎn)公司在廣告中以“親近星球”自居，來吸引有此興趣的客戶并從眾多公司中脫穎而出。其次，它們了解你所關(guān)注的問題:如何減少能耗支出;如何尋求稅收減免或是得到州政府對房屋環(huán)保改造的補(bǔ)助;如何取得申請綠色抵押的資格(更多的抵押款);或是如何聯(lián)系到合意的建筑師和承包商。如今甚至出現(xiàn)了一個新的稱呼用于指那些上過有關(guān)環(huán)境和能源知識的專門網(wǎng)絡(luò)課程的代理商和經(jīng)紀(jì)人一一生態(tài)經(jīng)紀(jì)人。到目前為止，在美國的38個州、哥倫比亞特區(qū)和加拿大的部分地區(qū)，已有將近250人獲得了這種資格(名單所在網(wǎng)址為ecobroker.com )。還有500多人正在審核中。如果能源價格居高不下，可能會有更多的人對此趨之若鶩。

生態(tài)建筑者。針對那些新修建的、帶有節(jié)能理念的房屋，眼下有著各種各樣的標(biāo)簽，比如:能源之星家園、綠色家園、綠色建筑等等。為了達(dá)標(biāo)，這些房屋必須比按照普通建筑標(biāo)準(zhǔn)建造的房屋更加高效節(jié)能。它應(yīng)該具備緊湊的結(jié)構(gòu)、優(yōu)良的隔熱性能、先進(jìn)的供熱及制冷設(shè)備、高性能的窗戶、良好的通風(fēng)性以及—討于那些更高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的環(huán)保房屋而言—含較少化學(xué)成分及粘膠的再生部件及建筑材料。住宅能源服務(wù)網(wǎng)(RESNET)的老板史蒂夫·巴登說，去年有超過10%的新住宅被貼上了節(jié)能明星的標(biāo)簽。而且它們不全是高檔住宅。生態(tài)經(jīng)紀(jì)人公司的首席執(zhí)行官約翰·貝爾多克表示，現(xiàn)在的綠色環(huán)保住宅幾乎各種價位的都有。

您要注意的是:要謹(jǐn)防“綠色騙子”。很多經(jīng)紀(jì)人和建筑商說是在節(jié)省地球資源—其實就像童話故事《綠野仙蹤》里的巫女一樣——僅僅是給人們綠色眼鏡，使一個棕色的世界加上了綠色的遮蔽。不要盡信新聞報道。為了您的健康，要確保您得到的是真正的綠色。

希望各位考生能夠每天堅持閱讀，提高詞匯量和語感能力，為以后的系統(tǒng)復(fù)習(xí)打下堅實的基礎(chǔ)。最后提醒大家，夏季來臨，復(fù)習(xí)備考需注意防暑降溫。預(yù)?？佳谐晒?

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