Question

【題目】Global warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but—regardless of whether it is or isn’t — we won’t do much about it. We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed.

Al Gore calls global warming an “inconvenient truth,” as if merely recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we don’t know enough to relieve global warming, and—without major technological breakthroughs—we can’t do much about it.

From 2003 to 2050, the world’s population is estimated to grow from 6.4 billion to 9.1 billion, a 42% increase. If energy use per person and technology remain the same, total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (mainly, CO2) will be 42% higher in 2050. But that’s too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy. We need economic growth unless we condemn（注定）the world’s poor people to their present poverty and freeze everyone else’s living standards. With modest economic growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050.

No government will adopt rigid restrictions on economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel) that might cut back global warming. Still, politicians want to show they’re “doing something.” Consider the Kyoto Protocol (京都議定書). It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn’t. But it hasn’t reduced CO2 emissions (up about 25% since 1990), and many signatories (簽字國) didn’t adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-2012 targets.

The practical conclusion is that if global warming is a potential disaster, the only solution is new technology. Only an aggressive research and development program might find ways of breaking our dependence on fossil fuels or dealing with it.

The trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem when it’s really an engineering one. The inconvenient truth is that if we don’t solve the engineering problem, we’re helpless.

【1】What is said about global warming in the first paragraph?

A. It may not prove an environmental crisis at all.

B. It is an issue requiring worldwide commitments.

C. Serious steps have been taken to avoid or stop it.

D. Very little will be done to bring it under control.

【2】According to the author’s understanding, what is A1 Gore’s view on global warming?

A. It is a reality both people and politicians are unaware of.

B. It is a phenomenon that causes us many inconveniences.

C. It is a problem that can be solved once it is recognized.

D. It is an area we actually have little knowledge about.

【3】Greenhouse emissions will more than double by 2050 because of ________.

A. economic growth

B. wasteful use of energy

C. the widening gap between the rich and poor

D. the rapid advances of science and technology

【4】The author believes that, since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, ________.

A. politicians have started to do something to better the situation

B. few nations have adopted real tough measures to limit energy use

C. reductions in energy consumption have greatly cut back global warming

D. international cooperation has contributed to solving environmental problems

【5】What is the message the author intends to convey?

A. Global warming is more of a moral issue than a practical one.

B. The ultimate solution to global warming lies in new technology.

C. The debate over global warming will lead to technological breakthroughs.

D. People have to give up certain material comforts to stop global warming.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】C

【3】A

【4】B

【5】B

【解析】

試題分析: 本文主要將關(guān)于全球變暖的問題。關(guān)于全球變暖在當(dāng)前如何解決，作者指出了兩點，一是它已經(jīng)演變成了道德問題，二是只能通過技術(shù)突破來解決。

【1】D 推理判斷題。根據(jù)第一段Global warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but—regardless of whether it is or isn’t — we won’t do much about it可知全球變暖可能成為危機也可能不會變成危機，但不管會否變?yōu)�，我們都不會采取什么措施。這是一個轉(zhuǎn)折句，通常情況下，轉(zhuǎn)折之后的句子具有更重要的意義�？芍�焦點是我們不會采取措施來應(yīng)對它。故選D.

【2】C 推理判斷題。第二段提到Gore的觀點只用了一個詞組，即inconvenient truth，字面意思是“會給人們帶來不方便的真相”，從這個詞組無法判斷出其具體含義。此后作者使用了一個as if從句As if merely recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution對這個詞組進(jìn)行描述，“好像僅僅承認(rèn)它就會使我們走上解決它的道路”，意思也就是承認(rèn)它就能解決它。這應(yīng)該是作者對Gore觀點的全部理解，此后的幾句以But引出轉(zhuǎn)折，是作者開始表達(dá)自己的觀點，與Gore無關(guān)。故選C.

【3】A 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第三段With modest growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050可知溫室排放翻倍的原因是modest growth，即適度增長。這里的增長當(dāng)然是指經(jīng)濟(jì)增長，economic作了承前省略處理。故選A.

【4】B 推理判斷題。根據(jù)第四段No government will adopt rigid restrictions on economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel) that might cut back global warming可知沒有政府抵制經(jīng)濟(jì)增長和限制個人的自由(限制用電，駕車和旅行)。再根據(jù)后文But it hasn’t reduced CO2 emissions (up about 25% since 1990), and many signatories didn’t adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-2012 targets可知它沒有減少二氧化碳排放量，許多簽署國沒有采取足夠嚴(yán)格的措施來實現(xiàn)2008-2012的目標(biāo)。這里所說的目標(biāo)即是限制能源使用。故選B.

【5】B 態(tài)度觀點題。根據(jù)文章最后一段the trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem when it’s really engineering one。engineering one是指工程問題，也就是實際問題�？芍�作者更傾向于認(rèn)為全球變暖是一個實際問題，只是現(xiàn)實情況使它變成了一個道德問題，體現(xiàn)出作者的一種無奈感。故選B.