单选题
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee vented their fury over high gasoline prices at executives of the nation's five largest oil companies on Wednesday, grilling the oilmen over their multimillion-dollar pay packages and warning them that Congress was intent on taking action that could include a new tax on so-called windfall profits. Such showdowns between lawmakers and oil titans have become a familiar routine on Capitol Hill. But with gas prices nearing $ 4 a gallon, and lawmakers headed home for a weeklong Memorial Day recess where they expect to get an earful from angry constituents, there is added urgency for Congress to appear active. But while momentum is building for several measures, including a bill that would allow the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to be sued in American courts under antitrust laws, there is little sign that any of the proposals would do much, if anything, to lower prices quickly. And the oil executives warned that government intervention might only make things worse. Instead, they called on Congress to allow more drilling and exploration for domestic oil. The increasing urgency to seem aggressive about gasoline prices was apparent on Tuesday when the House voted by an overwhelming 324 to 84 to approve the bill, commonly referred to as NOPEC, which classifies OPEC as a monopoly in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Senate Democrats have included that measure as part of a package of legislation intended to address the high price of gasoline, along with the tax on windfall profits and a measure to tamp down speculation in the oil futures market that many lawmakers think is contributing to the run-up in prices. At the Judiciary Committee hearing, Democratic senators struggled to have the executives explain how oil prices had risen so high. The senators expressed doubt that basic laws of supply and demand were at work and suggested instead a more sinister combination of monopolistic behavior by oil-producing countries, speculation in the futures markets and sheer corporate greed. On Monday, President Bush signed a bill temporarily suspending the purchase of crude oil for the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Mr. Bush had initially opposed such action but relented after the House and Senate approved the bill by wide margins. Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois and a strong supporter of Senator Baraek Obama's presidential bid, made a particularly pointed attack, in which he seemed to warn the oil executives that they would soon no longer have such a good friend in the White House. He also suggested that Mr. Bush should be doing more to press the oil companies to help lower prices at the pump, while acknowledging that it would be difficult to pass a windfall profits tax while Mr. Bush was still in office.
单选题Senate Democrats were angry with the oilmen because______. [A] they get tax-free pay packages [B] Congress took on actions but in vain [C] the showdowns were merely a routine [D] oil prices had risen so high
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[考点] 事实细节 [解析] 此题考查对文章中相关细节的理解。问题问的是民主党议员对石油行业不满的原因，根据题干信息“Senate Democrats”，我们可以定位至首段首句Democrats...vented their fury over high gasoline prices at executives of...oil companies...，grilling the oilmen...，句中的Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee对应题干中的Senate Democrats；vent their fury对应着are angry with；executives of...oil companies对应着题干中的oil men。这些细节都是同义转述。该句中vent one’s fury over something at somebody的结构表示“因为某事对某人不满”或“因为某事生某人的气”。本题所问的原因，正好在over high gasoline prices的片断中做出回答，是D选项oil prices had risen so high的同义转述，因此D选项正确。 [干扰项分析] A选项错误，该项内容从属于首段首句伴随状语grilling...and warning them that...这个分词短语，是民主党议员不满时警告的内容，而不是不满的原因。B选项所述的“国会采取行动”也是警告的内容，而且该选项后半部分提及的“但是无效”(but in vain)是无中生有的内容。C选项是对国会摊派的评价，不是不满的原因，该选项属于与问题无关的选项。
单选题From the text we can learn that the bill allowing OPEC to be sued under antitrust laws______. [A] handicaps more drilling and exploration for domestic oil [B] is a kind of government intervention that only makes things worse [C] turns out to be less influential to decrease oil price rapidly [D] is in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[考点] 事实细节 [解析] 此题考查对文章中相关细节的理解。问题问的是允许诉讼欧佩克的法案起到了什么作用，根据题干信息“bill allowing OPEC to be sued”，我们可以定位至第二段首句，在该句中我们得知该法案是政府采取的几个措施之一，虽然这些措施的势头正在形成，但即使有迅速降低油价的作用，作用也不大(there is little sign that any of the proposals would do much，if anything，to lower prices quickly)，而C选项正是对这个长难句的概括，因此正确。 [干扰项分析] A选项所涉及的内容并非作者评价，而是石油公司对国会提出的建议。B选项所述的是石油公司表示抗议时对政府发出的警告的内容。D选项是上下两段不相关内容的简单拼凑，从下文可知，该法案认定欧佩克违反了谢尔曼反托拉斯法，而不是该法案违法。
单选题The approval of the bill, NOPEC, on Tuesday implies that______. [A] it is necessary to impose tax on windfall profits [B] it is urgent to fight against monopoly [C] it is pressing to think much of the ever-increasing oil prices [D] it is important to resort to NOPEC
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[考点] 事实细节 [解析] 此题考查对文章中相关细节的理解。问题问的是“非欧佩克”法案的正式批准意味着什么，根据题干信息“The approval of the bill，NOPEC，on Tuesday”，我们可以定位至第三段首句，也是本段的主旨句。在去除该句中琐碎的修饰成分后，我们得知：当“非欧佩克”法案高票通过时，控制油价的紧迫性显而易见。而C选项正是对The increasing urgency to seem aggressive about gasoline prices was apparent这个长句的概括，因此正确。 [干扰项分析] 从后文得知，“非欧佩克”法案、征收“暴利税”和打击石油期货市场投机是控制油价一揽子立法的三个方面，A选项所涉及的内容“征收暴利税”并非“非欧佩克”所体现出的问题，这两者是并列的手段。B选项所述的“反垄断”问题，扩大了本文所探讨的话题范围，本文只涉及了石油输出国的垄断问题。D选项是无意义的答案，若误选，则题干信息就成了“NOPEC的通过意味着NOPEC很重要”，在原文中没有相应的命题。
单选题According to Democratic senators, which of the following is NOT a factor contributing to soaring oil prices? [A] The basic laws of supply and demand. [B] The monopoly of oil-producing countries. [C] Speculation in the oil futures markets. [D] Oil companies salivating over profits.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[考点] 事实细节 [解析] 此题考查对文章中相关细节的理解。问题问的是根据民主党议员的观点，以下哪一点没有促使油价飞涨，根据题干信息“Democratic senators...contributing to soaring oil prices”，我们可以定位至第四段。在该段第二句中表明了民主党参议员对油价上涨原因的看法：expressed doubt that basic laws of supply and demand were at work...，他们对“基本供求关系起作用(致使油价上涨)”持怀疑态度，因此A选项在他们看来不是油价上涨原因。 [干扰项分析] 从第四段第二句后半部分看，suggested instead a more sinister combination of monopolistic behavior by oil-producing countries，speculation in the futures markets and sheer corporate greed表明出产国垄断、期货投机和石油公司的贪婪正是油价上涨原因。因此B、C、D选项应予以排除。
单选题What can we infer form the last paragraph? [A] The nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve is more than adequate. [B] Democrats argue that greedy oil companies are the key factor of jumping oil price. [C] President Bush used to be reluctant to drag down the oil price. [D] The federal law bans the windfall profits tax in Bush Government.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[考点] 推理判断 [解析] 文章倒数第二段段末提出石油价格上涨的三个原因——“石油出产国垄断”，“石油期货投机”及“石油公司的贪婪”；在末段中主要批判了布什总统的举措，民主党人认为布什应该采取更多措施扼制石油公司，从而从源头上降低油价(Mr．Bush should be doing more to press the oil companies to help lower prices at the pump)。综合这些信息可以得知，在石油价格上涨的三个因素中，石油公司的贪婪是主要因素。因此B选项正确。 [干扰项分析] A选项的内容文中有所提及，但其量是否“绰绰有余”却无从考察。C选项所述的“布什总统曾经不情愿……”这个片段与原文相符，但从整体来看，原文讲的是“不愿停止购买战略储备石油”。D选项中的“联邦法律”的概念在原文中不能得到印证。因此A、C、D三个选项错误。