The U. K.'s rapid shift to renewable energy, which has helped it cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 44% in the past 30 years, is lauded by many in the industry. But the country's experiences offer a reminder that decarbonizing (脱碳) an economy must be carefully managed. U.K. natural-gas prices have risen more than fivefold over the past year, which is slightly lower than the price in the Netherlands—the benchmark for continental Europe—but more than four times the price in the U.S. But the U.K. is more vulnerable than most to gas shortages, some analysts say.
High reliance on renewable energy, mainly wind, and low coal use has left the country heavily dependent on imported natural gas for electricity generation when the wind doesn't blow. A jump in energy prices leaves the U.K. a victim of its own progress on lowering emissions.
Lack of storage follows a decision back in 2013 by the U.K. government not to subsidize loss-making gas-storage facilities. Output from the North Sea gas fields was declining, leaving the country more dependent on imports, at the same time as a transition from coal-powered electricity to renewables was under way. At a meeting with the then climate-change minister, energy-company lobbyists had urged the government to subsidize storage. After a consultation, the government said no.
By 2020, the U.K. relied on wind for 24% of its power-generation mix but didn't have a backup plan when it fell to 2% of supplies in late summer this year. Meanwhile, a series of local mishaps (小事故) curtailed other sources of energy. A fire disrupted the flow of electricity through a subsea electricity cable linking the U. K. and France. Some nuclear plants in Britain were offline while undergoing maintenance. In late summer, it was less windy than normal, resulting in turbines (涡轮机) sitting idle.
Britain's gas policy is based on faith that the market would produce a robust supply. But the government has intervened, imposing a moratorium (暂停) on fracking projects and capping domestic energy prices to protect consumers from higher bills. A British government spokeswoman said domestic storage had little bearing on the price of gas and that the U.K. 'benefits from access to gas reserves in British territorial waters and secure sources from reliable import partners.' As a result, the country doesn't have to rely on natural gas storage, the government added.
British customers will pay more for energy in October after the market regulator announced it would increase a price cap on gas and electricity prices. Some smaller consumer-energy providers have gone bust after failing to hedge against rising wholesale prices. 'The energy system is not a light switch,' said Daniel Yergin, an author and vice chairman of consulting firm IHS Markit. 'When you go too fast, you hit the bumps.'
What can be learned from the passage about Britain's decarbonization? ______
事实细节题。由题干中的Britain's decarbonization定位到首段第二句。文章首段第二句提到脱碳，而之前的一句说明了英国迅速脱碳的情况，并指出这样的做法赢得了业界的诸多嘉许，故答案为D项“它赢得了一些好评”。本题要注意理解第二句中所说的decarbonizing an economy与首句中陈述的现象之间的对应关系。
What do we learn about the power of wind? ______
事实细节题。由题干中的power of wind定位到第二段首句和第四段。根据文章第二段首句可知，风能并非在任何情况下都是可以利用的，而第四段首句更是提到了今年夏末风力发电量下降的情况，由此可知，风力发电不是随时可用，用量也不稳定，故答案为B项“它不是一种稳定的能源”。
Why have UK natural gas prices gone higher? ______
推理判断题。由题干中的natural gas prices gone higher定位到第二段第二句。文章第二段第二句提到了英国的能源价格飞涨，而之前一句说该国无法利用风能的时候依赖进口天然气发电，而随后的第三段前两句明确提到，英国政府未给储气设施予以补贴，导致天然气储备不足，而北海气田产量也在下降，使该国更加依赖进口，可推知国内天然气储备与价格是存在因果关联的，故答案为B项“国内天然气储备不足”。
What does the author try to illustrate by citing the government spokeswoman? ______
推理判断题。由题干中的government spokeswoman定位到第五段最后两句。第五段最后两句引用了英国政府女发言人的话，说国内储备与天然气价格关系不大，该国不必依赖天然气储存。而由前文可知，作者认为天然气价格上涨就是因为国内储备不足，过度依赖进口，可知作者引用的这位政府女发言人的话并不符合现实情况，故答案为A项“英国的天然气政策与现实不符”。
What do Daniel Yergin's words imply? ______
推理判断题。由题干中的人名关键词Daniel Yergin定位到最后一段最后两句。文章最后两句引用了作家、埃信华迈咨询公司副主席丹尼尔·耶金所说的话：能源系统不是一个电灯开关。走得太快时，就会遇到颠簸。该句置于文末，起总结评论的作用。结合前文，作者讲到了英国政府在快速减排的同时，能源政策失当，国内储备不足，可知他认为英国政府没有为快速减排做好管理和政策方面的准备，故答案为D项“他对英国能源管理的批评”。