单选题 One of the questions that is coming into focus as we face growing scarcity of resources of many kinds in the world is how to divide limited resources among countries. In the international development community, the conventional wisdom has been that the 2 billion people living in poor countries could never expect to reach the standard of living that most of us in North America enjoy, simply because the world does not contain enough iron ore, protein, petroleum, and so on. At the same time, we in the United States have continued to pursue super affluence as though there were no limits on how much we could consume. We make up 6 percent of the world's people; yet we consume one-third of the world's resources.
As long as the resources we consumed each year came primarily from within our own boundaries, this was largely an internal matter. But as our resources come more and more from the outside world, "outsiders" are going to have some say over the rate at which and terms under which we consume. We will no longer be able to think in terms of "our" resources and "their" resources, but only of common resources.
As Americans consuming such a disproportionate share of the world's resources, we have to question whether or not we can continue our pursuit of super affluence in a world of scarcity. We are now reaching the point where we must carefully examine' the presumed link between our level of well-being and the level of material goods consumed. If you have only one crust of bread and get another crust of bread, your well-being is greatly enhanced. But if you have a loaf of bread, then an additional crust of bread doesn't make that much difference. In the eyes of most of the world today, Americans have their loaf of bread and are asking for still more. People elsewhere are beginning to ask why. This is the question we're going to have to answer, whether we're trying to persuade countries to step up their exports of oil to us or trying to convince them that we ought to be permitted to maintain our share of the world fish catch.
The prospect of a scarcity of, and competition for, the world's resources requires that we reexamine the way in which we relate to the rest of the world. It means we find ways of cutting back on resource consumption that is dependent on the resources and cooperation of other countries. We cannot expect people in these countries to concern themselves with our worsening energy and food shortages unless we demonstrate some concern for the hunger, illiteracy and disease that are diminishing life for them.

单选题 The writer warns Americans that ______.
A. their excessive consumption has caused world resource exhaustion
B. they are confronted with the problem of how to obtain more material goods
C. their unfair share of the world's resources should give way to proper division among countries
D. they have to discard their cars for lack of fossil fuel in the world
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】这是一道细节题。文章第一段指出：在我们面临世界上许多资源不断匮乏这个问题时，令人关注的问题之一就是——如何在各个国家之间分享有限的资源；生活在贫困国家的20亿人永远也达不到北美大部分人的生活水平；尽管我们在美国可以无限制地消费，但是，我们却仍然在追求着极度的富裕；我们虽然只占世界人口的6%，但是却耗费着世界1/3的资源。这说明，作者认为，美国人应该停止不公平地消费世界资源的做法，使得资源在世界上各个国家平等分享。C说“他们不公平地分享世界资源的做法应该改为国家之间平等的分配方法”，这与文章的意思相符。文中没有提到A和D；文中只是说“尽管我们在美国可以无限制地消费，却仍然在追求着极度的富裕”，并没有说面临如何获得更多的物资的问题，所以B不对。
单选题 According to the passage, it has long been believed that ______.
A. people in poor countries scarcely know how to enjoy a high standard of living
B. the world's resources being limited, people in underdeveloped countries are bound to live a poor life
C. most Americans know that the world's resources of many kinds are becoming scarce
D. it is impossible for all the people in the world to improve their living standards
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】这是一道细节题。题干中的信号词为it has long been believed，出自于文章第一段第二句话中，只是说法有所改变。文章第一段第二句话指出：在世界发展共同体中，传统的观点一直认为，生活在贫困国家的20亿人永远也达不到北美大部分人的生活水平，这只是因为世界上没有储备足够多的铁矿石、蛋白质以及石油等。这说明，很久以来，人们一直认为——由于世界上的资源有限，所以不发达国家人民的生活肯定不富裕。B说“由于世界资源有限，不发达国家的人民肯定会过贫穷的生活”，这与文章的意思相符。A明显与文章的意思不符；文中没有提到C和D。
单选题 By "common resources" (Paragraph 2), the author means that ______.
A. the resources possessed by the United States should be shared by other countries
B. Americans have the right to consume resources both from their home country and from abroad
C. it is difficult to distinguish the resources possessed by America from those possessed by other countries
D. all the resources in the world should be shared by all the countries
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】这是一道词义题。题干中的信号词出自于文章第二段最后一句话中。文章第二段指出：长期以来，我们消耗的资源主要来自于本土，这在很大程度上是内部事务；但是，当资源越来越多地来自于外部世界时，外来者就开始有权对我们的消费品头论足了；我们不能再以我们的和他们的资源来考虑问题，而应该用共同的资源来考虑问题。这说明，作者是说，世界上的资源应该共同分享。D说“世界上所有的资源应该由世界上所有的国家分享”，这与作者的意思符合。A和C不是作者的观点；B是作者反对的观点。
单选题 The writer gives the example of bread to show that ______.
A. the United States has been much richer than any other countries
B. the United States has acquired more than what it has contributed
C. the United States has been too greedy in its pursuit of super affluence
D. the United States is more capable of pursuing affluence than other countries
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】这是一道结构题。题干中的信号词为bread，出自于文章第三段第三句话中。文章第三段指出：因为美国在消费世界资源方面占有如此不均衡的份额，所以我们应该自问，是否应该在世界资源匮乏的情况下还去追求极度的富裕；我们应该仔细审查富裕水平与物质消费水平之间的关系；如果是因为只有一块面包而要求再来一块的话，那么这种富裕应该极力推崇；但是，如果你已经有了一整块面包，那么再多加一块面包也不会使你更富有；现在美国已经有了一整块面包，它却还在不停地索取。这说明，作者列举这个例子是为了说明——美国在追求富裕方面太贪婪。C说“美国在追求极端富裕方面太贪婪”，这与作者的目的相符。文中没有提到A和B； D明显不是作者的目的。
单选题 What is the conclusion of this passage?
A. The United States will be isolated if it does not stop pursuing super affluence.
B. The poor countries will no longer supply the United States with their goods.
C. The United States should care about the well-being of other countries.
D. It is time for the Americans to help the people in poor countries to improve their living standards.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】这是一道归纳题。文章最后一段指出：世界资源的极度匮乏与竞争的前景要求我们重新审视我们同其他国家之间的关系；这意味着，我们应该探求减少依赖他国资源与合作的消费方式；我们不能指望这些国家来关心我们的问题，除非我们关心那些影响他们的生活水平的问题。这说明，本文得出的结论就是——美国不应该只顾自己消费，应该关心其他国家人民的福利。C说“美国应该关心其他国家的福利”，这与文章的意思相符。文中没有提到A和B；D明显与文章的意思不符。