For the past few weeks, we have been discussing national
energy conservation alternatives for the future. Today I’m going to talk about
what one community is presently doing to conserve (保存) energy. The people of
Davis, California, have succeeded in cutting their energy consumption by 1/3
since 1973. The first energy saving action that was taken in the early 70’s was
the legislation (立法) of street building codes. All new houses in Davis must have
the proper insulation (绝缘) so that heat will not escape unnecessarily during the
winter. New houses must also face north or south, so that they will not be
overheated by the sun in summer. The law has definitely had an effect. Since
1976, there has been a 50 percent saving in the amount of natural gas and
electricity used in healing and air conditioning. There are other energy saving
features about Davis. Buses partially supported by the city transport university
students throughout the area. There are 24 miles of bicycle paths, and today
there are twice as many bicycles as cars in the city. By reducing the available
parking space, the city council has succeeded in reducing the number of cars in
the city every day. Another benefit of the reduced parking is the greater number
of small cars. People are saving gas because they are choosing not to drive, or
because they are driving fuel-economic car. Davis, California has become an
energy saving model for other cities. Time is up for today.
Next week, we’ll return to our regular topic of national energy
alternatives. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage
A. Buses are privately owned in the city.
B. Buses carry students throughout the city.
C. There are many more bicycles than cars in the city.
D. Bicycle paths are longer than bus routes in the city.