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Grade 2
3
C
Building a Better Future
Estonia is a country in northern Europe. Before World War II, it was an independent
country, but by the end of the war, it was part of the Soviet Union. In those days, there
was a shortage of houses in many parts of the Soviet Union, so the government built
many apartment buildings. These were meant to be temporary homes, and they were not
designed or built well. After the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, Estonia and other
countries became independent again. Most of these countries have been destroying their
old apartment buildings.
Estonia, however, is turning its apartment buildings into environmentally friendly
homes that use energy efficiently. The project began in 2016 with 17 apartment buildings
in Tartu, a city in the south of the country, and is known as SmartEnCity. Estonia is now
a member of the European Union (EU), and it received financial help from the EU for the
project. The aim is not only to reduce the amount of energy consumed by the apartments,
but also to turn them into modern, good-looking homes.
Work on the 17 apartment buildings in Tartu has now been completed. Changes
have been made to prevent heat from escaping through the walls and windows. A new,
efficient heating system has been added. Each apartment has a control panel which lets
residents monitor and control the amount of energy they consume. As a result, the
residents now use 80 percent less gas to heat their apartments. Also, solar panels have
been installed on the buildings, and these produce three times more electricity than the
residents need.
Some critics said the project would be a waste of money. However, so far, it seems
to be working. The EU paid for half of the cost, and the rest was paid for by residents
using money borrowed from banks. The residents are spending 1less than_they used to on
energy bills,/ so they have extra money to repay the loans. Moreover, the work on the
apartments has improved the way the city looks. The Estonian government hopes to
upgrade some of the other 6,000 old apartment buildings in the country in a similar way.
CDE 22 公益財団法人日本英語検定協会
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2021年度第1回検定一次試験(2級)
I2
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