A US Department of Energy report calls for incentives to boost coal-fired and nuclear power plants following a stream of closures that it said undermined reliable sources of electricity. The findings of the study, released late on Wednesday, drew scorn from renewable energy advocates but praise from the coal and nuclear industries. The report dovetails with (与……相吻合) President Donald Trump's promise to revive the ailing mining sector. But it differs from conclusions presented in an earlier draft, which had said big increases in renewable power generation remained possible without undermining grid reliability. The administration had not yet reviewed the early draft, which was written by department staff.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry commissioned the study in April to evaluate whether 'regulatory burdens' imposed by past administrations, including that of former President Barack Obama, had hurt the grid by forcing shutdowns of baseload (基本负载) plants, which provide nonstop power, like those fired by coal and nuclear fuel. Obama had introduced a number of regulations intended to slash emissions of carbon dioxide, which are blamed for climate change. This accelerated the retirement of coal-fired power plants and bolstered the newly-developed solar and wind sectors, which depend heavily on weather conditions for their power output.
'It is apparent that in today's competitive markets certain regulations and subsidies are having a large impact on the functioning of markets, and thereby challenging our power generation mix,' Perry said in a letter introducing the study. 'It is important for policy makers to consider their intended and unintended effects.'
The study, conducted by the department's staff, said cheap natural gas was the main driver of the closure of baseload coal and nuclear plants, a trend that was putting areas of the country at greater risk of power outages. The department recommended giving baseload plants pricing advantages for their power, as well as making it easier and cheaper to get permits to build more such projects.
Howard Crystal, a spokesman for the Center for Biological Diversity which advocates for clean energy, called the recommendations 'dangerously misguided'. 'The reality is that we can protect our planet and our energy supplies by embracing wind and solar,' he said.
Some coal and nuclear energy groups welcomed the final report's findings. 'This is a much-needed, pragmatic look at US electricity reliability and resilience (复原力), including the priority of maintaining critical clean baseload power as electricity markets change,' said Rich Powell, director of ClearPath, which advocates for nuclear and hydropower. Last week, Neil Chatterjee, the newly appointed chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said coal plants needed to be 'properly compensated to recognize the value they provide to the system.'
It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ______.
推理判断题。由题干中的from the first paragraph定位到原文第一段。本题考查文章首段的隐含信息。由定位段第二句可知，周三发布的这份研究结果遭到可再生能源拥护者的鄙视，但却得到煤炭和核能行业的赞誉。由此推测，这份报告引发了不少争议，故答案为B。
What is the attitude of Rick Perry toward regulations Obama introduced in the energy industry? ______
观点态度题。由题干中的关键词Rick Perry和Obama定位到原文第二段最后两句和第三段第一句。本题考查美国能源部长佩里对前总统奥巴马相关法规的态度。第二段最后两句提到，美国前总统奥巴马曾经制定的法令加速了废除燃煤发电厂的进程。紧接着在第三段首句提到，某些法令对市场运作影响巨大，导致发电能源结构面临挑战，可见他对这些法令是持批评态度的，故答案为C。
According to the Department of Energy, what makes it necessary to boost coal-fired and nuclear power plants? ______
事实细节题。由题干中的Department of Energy和necessary to boost定位到原文第一段第一句和第四段第一句。本题考查美国能源部提议支持传统电厂的必要性。第一段第一句提到，美国能源部指出，燃煤发电厂和核能发电厂的大量关闭影响了电力的稳定供应，故而提议对此类发电厂给予支持；而第四段第一句再次强调，关闭基荷燃煤发电厂及核能发电厂将国家的众多地区置于电能短缺的更大危机之中。可见，美国能源部支持这类传统电厂是保持电力供应持续稳定的迫切需要，故答案为B。
What did Mr. Crystal criticize as 'dangerously misguided'? ______
事实细节题。由题干中的Mr. Crystal和“dangerously misguided”定位到原文第五段第一句。本题考查清洁能源支持者霍华德·克里斯特尔的观点。定位句提到，支持清洁能源的生物多样性中心发言人霍华德·克里斯特尔称，这些建议受到了“很危险的误导”。根据上下文承接关系，这些建议应该就是第四段最后一句中所提到的美国能源部建议给予基荷发电厂定价优势，同时令此类项目的获批建设更容易和成本更低，故答案为A。
The debate between supporters and opponents of the report focuses on ______.
事实细节题。由题干中的supporters和opponents定位到原文各相关段落。本题考查美国能源部报告的支持者和反对者双方争论的焦点。通过梳理可知，首段前半部分和第四段提到的美国能源部的新近报告、第二段和第三段中能源大臣佩里的看法以及最后一段中煤炭和核能能源集团的观点都是赞成对传统电厂给予支持与鼓励，而反对派的观点则集中在第五段，代表性的看法是风能和太阳能既能满足能源供应，也能保护环境，因此反对再次复兴传统电厂，可见双方争议的焦点为是否应该支持传统电厂，故答案为C。