这篇听力文章是来源与建筑学的知识。其中有一些不常用的词汇：aluminum：铝，Vinyl：乙烯基，cladding ：镀层
Windows usually look like they're all made of glass and wood. However, there is more to windows than meets the eye. Things that look like "wood" could be aluninum, vinyl or some other composite material. As people prefer things that are "low-maintenance", there has been and explosion in materials that look kile wood being used for frames ; they don't need sanding and painting and still look like high quality wood. Sometimes a layer of aluminum is used to coat the exterior surfaces of a window to provide a long-lasting, low-maintenance surface. It is called "cladding". I think I should write down the word on the board. It refers to the application of one material over another to provide a weather-proof layer. For aluminum is the more durable it is. However, it doesn't have the insulating qualities of windows made of other materials so they're not widely used. Vinyl is another popular low-maintenance option. It can also be applied over other materials, like wood or wood products. Like aluminum, the thicker the vinyl the more durable it will be. Composite windows and vinyl windows are gaining popularity nowadays as non-wood, energy efficient and low-maintenance alternatives which don't warp or rot like wood windows can in extreme conditions.
窗户总让人们认为由玻璃和木头组成。 但是，其实是有比我们认为的更多种。 看起来像是木头的其实可能是铝制的， 乙烯基的或这其他的一些合成材料。 就像人们都喜欢低维护的东西，有些材料像木头一样用做框架，他们不需要打磨，上涂料仍然像高质量的木头。有时候，一层铝包裹在窗户外部表面提供更持久更低维护的表面。它被叫做镀层。我认为我应该把这个词写到黑板上。它代表用一种材料覆盖到另一种上以提供一个防水层。对于铝来说就会有更少的颜色选择与木头的相比，而且通常薄薄的一层铝使它更耐久。然而，它没有其他材料制成的窗户的质量，所以他们没有广泛的使用。乙烯基是另一种比较流行的低维护的选择。 它也能被覆盖到其他材料上，如木头或木制品。像铝一样，薄薄的一层乙烯基试它更耐久。合成的窗户和乙烯基的窗户现在很流行作为非木的，节能的，低维护的选择，它们像木窗户一样在极端的条件下不会弯曲或生锈。