Passage Two Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage. In the late 1960’s, many people in North America turned their attention to environmental problems, and new steel-and-glass skyscrapers were widely criticized. Ecologists pointed out that a cluster of tall buildings in a city often overburdens public transportation and parking lot capacities.Skyscrapers are also lavish consumers, and wasters, of electric power. In one recent year, the addition of 17 million square feet of skyscraper office space in New York City raised the peak daily demand for electricity by 120,000 kilowatts——enough to supply the entire city of Albany, New York, for a day. Glass-walled skyscrapers can be especially wasteful. The heat loss (or gain) through a wall of half-inch plate glass is more than ten times that through a typical masonry wall filled with insulation board. To lessen the strain on heating and air-conditioning equipment, builders of skyscrapers have begun to use double-glazed panels of glass, and reflective glasses coated with silver or gold mirror films that reduce glare as well as heat gain. However, mirror-walled skyscrapers raise the temperature of the surrounding air and affect neighboring buildings. Skyscrapers put a severe strain on a city’s sanitation(卫生) facilities, too. If fully occupied, the two World Trade Center towers in New York City would alone generate 2.25 million gallons of raw sewage(污物) each year —— as much as a city the size of Stamford, Connecticut, which has a population of more than 109,000. Skyscrapers also interfere with television reception, block bird flyways, and obstruct air traffic. In Boston in the late 1960’s, some people even feared that shadows from skyscrapers would kill the grass on Boston Common. Still, people continue to build skyscrapers for all the reasons that they have always built them —— personal ambition, civic pride, and the desire of owners to have the largest possible amount of rentable space. 26. The main purpose of the passage is to ____. A) discuss the advantages and disadvantages of skyscrapers B) compare skyscrapers with other modern structures C) describe skyscrapers and their effect on the environment D) illustrate various architectural designs of skyscrapers
27. According to the passage, what is one disadvantage of skyscrapers th at have mirrored walls? A) The exterior surrounding air is heated. B) The building materials are very expensive. C) Construction time is increased. D) Extra air-conditioning equipment is needed. 28. According to the passage, which aspect of skyscrapers were some resi dents of Boston concerned with in the late 1960’s ? A) The poor reception of radio and TV signals. B) The removal of trees and grass from building sites. C) The harmful effects on the city’s plants. D) The obstruction of air traffic.
29. Which of the following groups would the skyscraper issue most concern? A) Electricians. B) Environmentalists. C) City planners. D) Television viewers.
30. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? A) Skyscrapers provide more usable space than other buildings. B) The skyscrapers first appeared in the late 1960’s. C) Where there are skyscrapers, television reception is poor. D) The two World Trade Center towers are skyscrapers.