A、Straw is an unlikely material for building. B、In securing foundations, metal pins are more sustainable than wooden ones. C、Dri

Good evening. I’ve come here to talk to you about the buildings I design and build, using what some people view as a somewhat unlikely material: straw. Now as you know, straw is the dried stalks of grain plants, like wheat and barley, long used for making things like baskets and hats, and in many parts of the world as a traditional roofing material. And it makes good walls too. Although what you see is a solid wall, it’s actually constructed out of blocks made of compressed straw which are then plastered and painted.
   I’ve only been building in the material for five years, but interest is certainly on the increase. I’ve completed sixteen projects in that time. everything from retirement houses on the coast of Scotland to stable blocks in central London, and my latest project is an extension which I’m building onto a barn at a Scottish farm. The owner is converting it into a bed and breakfast hostel, for walkers in particular, because this area attracts a lot of visitors. It’s a fairly exposed spot, so I’ve gone for a round construction, which will be more stable in the heavy winds that are common here than, say, a rectangular one would be.
   I used bales of straw which are largish compact blocks, manufactured in regular sizes, which you place one on top of another in a set pattern. It’s not unlike laying bricks. A wide range of skills is needed because although the construction is wholly straw-based, other materials are used to hold the .blocks in place. The first row of straw bales I secure into the foundations using metal pins, but after that all the pinning is done with wooden pins. I prefer them because it’s a much more sustainable material and it works just as well.
   Then, when the wall is in place, it’s covered with plaster on both the outside and inside, so what you see is a normal wall, there’s no straw showing anywhere. We’ve put all the water pipes and the electrical wiring in behind the plaster as we build, so it’s very nearly ready for use. Now the thing that surprises most people about his project is the fact that this extension is actually going to be used as a shower room, and you’re all probably thinking the same thing, "But won’t it affect the straw?" Well, surprisingly, this is not a problem. Indeed with these walls it’s not necessary for us to waterproof, because straw breathes naturally, unlike concrete, and wetness is not usually a problem. Of course, bearing in mind the eventual use of the structure, we are also fitting extractor fans. That’s called for under government regulations whatever material you build in.
Questions:
23.What is most probably the speaker’s job?
24.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
25.Which of the following is the man’s latest project?
26.Which of the following things surprises most people about the man’s project?