Section A Directions: In this section, there is a short
passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully.
Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible
words on Answer Sheet 2.
When Toyota Motor Corp. moved one of its divisions into an
environmentally friendly, or "green", building in Torrance three years ago, it
expected to save on its energy bills. The building offered natural lighting,
electricity-generating rooftop solar panels and water recycling.
But something else also happened. Employee morale jumped while absenteeism
(旷工) fell. The overall energy and worker productivity savings more than offset
the added cost of making the facility environmentally friendly. "The lighting is
easier on the eyes and on the nerves," Toyota employee Mary Jo Moutsios said. "I
take a sense of pride in working in this building. It’s pleasant and feels more
productive." Results like Toyota’s are helping to spark a
budding "green revolution" in American workplaces. The movement is starting to
change how office buildings are designed and could render thousands of existing
offices obsolete (陈旧的，荒废的). Employers including Goldman,
Sachs& Co., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Harley-Davidson Inc. are starting to
ask for buildings with more natural light, fresher air and fewer toxic materials
in the paint, carpeting and other finishes. Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and
Chicago are among many cities requiring new public buildings to be green.
Municipalities are offering incentives, such as faster construction approvals
and reduced permit fees, to get the private sector to follow suit.
Although the green movement is in its infancy, its endorsement (认可) by a
growing number of prestigious employers, developers and cities is seen as
giving a shot in the arm to the nation’s environmental movement as concern
about the effects of global warming and environmental pollution
spread. More than ＄ 7.7 billion of office buildings nationwide
are up for official green certification, versus about ＄790 million in
2000. Among the more notable new green towers is World Trade Center in New York,
a 52-storey skyscraper that replaced a building at the same address that was
destroyed in the 2001 terrorist attacks. Municipalities are taking some measures, such as faster construction approvals and reduced permit fees to make the other private companies ______.