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 projected 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, CO
2
) 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 the world's poor to their present poverty and freeze everyone else's living standards. With modest 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 Protoco(京都协定书). It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn't. But it hasn't reduced CO
2
emissions(up about 25% since 1990) ,and many signatories(签字国) 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.
单选题
What is said about global warming in the first paragraph?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：判断题。根据题干将本题定位到文章首段。该段首句提到，不管全球变暖是否是21世纪最大的环境危机，我们都不会为之付出太多。D项与第二个破折号后的句子we won’t do much about it意思一致，故为正确答案。
单选题
According to the author's understanding, what is Al Gore's view on global warming?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：细节题。第二段首句中Al Gore表明了自己对全球变暖的观点：global warming an“inconvenient truth”，(全球变暖是一个“不愿面对的真相”)，其后merely recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution为作者对Al Gore的观点的理解，即：好像仅仅认识到全球变暖便能找到解决之道似的。故C项为正确答案。
单选题
Greenhouse emissions will more than double by 2050 because of_________.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析：细节题。根据关键词2050定位到第三段。该段对温室气体的排放量做了预测：如果人均能源消耗和技术水平维持现状，到2050年，能源消耗总量和温室气体排放量将会增加42％，接着转折，指出这只是保守估计，实际数字将会翻番(double)，而造成这一数据上升的原因是我们需要经济增长(we need economic growth)，故A项为正确答案。
单选题
The author believes that, since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, _________.
单选题
What is the message the author intends to convey?
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析：主旨题。作者第一段提出问题：面对全球变暖，我们将无能为力。第二段中作者谈到认识到这一问题并不代表找到解决方案，然后提出论点：and—without major technological breakthroughs—we can’t do much about it．(没有重大的技术突破，我们仍将无能为力)。第三段讲到全球变暖的原因：人口增长和经济发展，并预测未来发展趋势。第四段说明政府行为收效甚微。第五段和第六段重申论点：the only solution is new technology(解决问题的唯一办法就是新技术)。B项是对全文的高度概括，与作者论点相同，故为正确答案。